Writing an effective article is a skill, one needs to learn. You have to remember a few things before you start with it.
1. Select a Topic
Always choose a topic dealing with some problem and provide information on how to deal with that. Take for example,
"how to deal with dry skin"
"how to add charm to your marriage"
Someone else might be facing similar situation, so it might help him/her. One more option to choose the topic is to visit forums and online magazines. Observe the most read or the most popular articles and start gathering information on the topic.
2. Keyword Selection
And yes, never go overboard in using the keyword in your article. The reader is quite aware, what he or she is reading about. Over-usage of keyword is considered as 'keyword stuffing' and totally rejected by the search engines. So, be careful!
3. Length of the Article
Now, here comes the length of the article which means the word limit. Its not necessary to write an article upto 500 words or say, 800 words. It depends upon the topic you have chosen. If the topic is related to relationships or human psyche or spirituality, then the length of the article may exceed 500 words because it includes a strong flow of emotions and a break should be avoided. And if its on something technical, then you can divide it into 2 or 3 articles of 500 words each as information is the main priority here, no emotions involved.
4. Create an Outline for your Article
The outline of an article constitutes a suitable title, a well-descriptive introduction, highly informative body, a final conclusion and self-identified resource box.
Title or Headline: It has to be enough catchy to grab immediate attention of the reader. As there is a lot of competition around, so you have to be very accurate in choosing the title for your article.
Introduction: The whole information given in your article depends upon how you introduce it to the reader. So, be informative but very precise, as the details are reserved for the 'body of the article'.
Body: This part of the article includes the solutions to the basic problem, about which the article has been written. Try to provide information in small paragraphs as it increases readability. Use sub-headings for each paragraph as this gives an ease to the reader to have a glimpse of the article (in case of less time), without missing anything.
Conclusion: Now, its the time to conclude! What has been written and discussed about in the article from different aspects, needs to be summed up. So, that is called conclusion- the final verdict on what the reader should do and what not. . .for example, "Do remember to eat at regular intervals and in small portions to avoid overeating. And yes, do not miss doing exercise as this will help you stay fit always. Take care, guys!!!"
5. Rechecking
Taking a break after you have written an article, and rechecking it after some time gives the scope for improvement. You can recheck your work after a few hours or say, one or two days, depends upon the time you have for publishing...
6. Spell Check
Last but not the least, spellings and grammar need to be checked when it comes to finalizing your creative work. Its like the last stroke a painter gives to his painting...
If you write your article this way, then web traffic is surely to come your way. Nobody can stop you from meeting your targets! All the best guys!!!