a Reason to Stay!

Losing Readers? Keep Them on Your Website by Improving User Experience Part II Readers Won't Quit Your Links if You Give Them a Reason to Stay! In article writing, part of providing a great user experience is the fine art of linking. Here's the not-so-well-kept secret about linking: it has nothing to do with optimization. When you consider linking, think of it as an ongoing conversation with your readers that takes them to the next stage of your discussion. They expect a link because it's a convenient open door that promises access to more information they want or need. Part of opening that door to readers is ensuring there isn't anything on your website that would make them run for the hills. How you design your website and the content is entirely up to you. Simply make sure readers feel welcome and will want to stick around because of the great user experience you provide. This checklist will help. 5 Website Basics to Think BEFORE You Link Checklist

Easy reading

"Easy reading is damn hard writing." - Nathaniel Hawthorne To celebrate Be Kind to Writers and Editorsmonth, we've gathered 10 great recommendations to help you show your appreciation for the writers in your life. Writers, feel free to share these suggestions with your friends and family. If you know a writer, please be kind to the writer in your life with these 10 tips! 10 Tips to Be Kind to Writers While writing isn't brain surgery, it does require the writer's full attention. Unless there's a fire or another catastrophic event, keep distractions to a minimum and respect the time the writer dedicates to their craft.

Make Sure it's Absolutely AMAZING

"There is nothing more hateful than bad advice." - Sophocles There's a lot of bad advice whispered in the dark corners of the Internet. What appears like the fountain of quick-and-easy success is often a nightmarish journey toward credibility ruin. While there are many, here are 7 of the worst article writing and marketing tips we've found circulating that you should steer clear of and why. "Write Content for Content's Sake" Writing articles merely to churn out content will not help you - it may pick up a few wayward readers, but it will not sustain your growth. If your articles lack originality, a primary goal, and audience targeting, then you will lack the ability to engage readers. Everything you write should have a purpose and meet a need - your readers should be able to walk away with something. Be informative while sharing your exclusive and original content.

What Reading Level Should You Target?

Use Words That Speak to Readers Authors have typically achieved higher levels of education than the average reading level and tend to write at the same reading level as other authors in their niche. So where does that leave the actual reader? According to many reports (including the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics' 1992 Adult Literacy survey), the average reading level is the 7th or 8th grade. Combine that with reports of increasingly low-attention spans of Internet users who require even milder language and you're looking at a reading level of the 6th or 7th grade. What Should You Do? Our recommendation is this: If you want to communicate the right idea to the right audience, then you need to use the language and vocabulary with which they're most comfortable. Sometimes that will require simple words and sometimes more specific language should be used. Ultimately, you need to dig into the demographics of your target audience to determine their reading level. This will ensure you're sensitive to their needs and will be able to communicate your message.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Paddy's (Not Patty's) Day Grammar Fun Happy St. Patrick's Day! Around the world, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated, whether by feasts, parades, great displays of the color green, and much more merriment. However, there's one screaming error that prevails year after year ... It's "Paddy" not "Patty!" Whenever I see "Happy St. Patty's Day," I imagine that the day is March 18th (the day AFTER Saint Paddy's) and I picture a diner waitress named Patty. Why would this proud waitress have a day named after her? For all of those hungover St. Paddy's Day celebrators who are so wrecked that they, in awe of this merciful waitress named Patty, say "please" when she asks, "more coffee?" On the website Paddy Not Patty, Marcus Campbell explains the source of the double "d" in "Paddy" comes from the "Pádraig," which is an Irish male name deriving from the Latin "Patricius" or the English "Patrick." Alternately, Campbell continues, "Patty" comes from "Patricia" or is a diminutive form of the "hamburger patty."