Sunday, May 5, 2013

Article Writing - Article Title Etiquette and Tips

The article title is the most important element of your article. Great article marketers always write attractive article titles to get more readers. Even if you are not able to compose the best titles for your article, I will give you some tips and etiquette of article titles that will make your title appear great. These tips are collated from the main requirements of the most popular article directories on the internet.

1. Capitalization: Do not try to emphasize the title by using all capital letters. Only capitalize the first letter of each word. It is acceptable if you do not capitalize common words like "is", "of" and "and".

2. Quotes: Some article directories do not accept quotes around your title. Quotes or any other characters like *, !, # and @ do not help in creating emphasis but give an ugly look to your title. However, you can use ":" or "-" without a problem.

3. Ending: Do not end the article title with a period. However, you can use an exclamation mark or a question mark. Again remember not to over emphasize the title by putting in a number of ???? or !!!!. one is enough.

4. Content of the title: Just use simple words in the title and avoid using any HTML tags. Do not mention your name or your company URL in the title. You can use the name of your company though if you are writing a review about it or its products.

5. Keywords: Many authors try to stuff their title with repeated use of keywords to improve search engine rankings. However, it is not a good practice since most search engines are able to see through that. In addition, so many keywords would repel the average reader from your article and you would lose your prospect. The ideal is to use the keyword once. However, you can use it twice if you are a little smart. The important thing is to write the title with the reader's interest in mind.

6. Length: it is recommended to use descriptive titles or lengthy ones which give a good idea on the content of the article. However, avoid using short 1-2 word titles since they are generic and might not entice interest.

It is advisable to read the article submission guidelines of the article directories you are using. You will find the specific requirements and conditions for your article titles in there and it is a good idea to follow them.

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