Google, Yahoo and MSN offer various methods of online advertising like the PPC campaigns to help drive meaningful traffic to your website. But you can use these services only if you have that kind of advertising budget. Mostly small or newly started businesses don't have the kind of budget that can support PPC campaigns, so what options do they really have?



If you have a small business and don't have a big advertising budget, you can still get meaningful website traffic and all this without spending money. The only thing that you will need to spend is time. There are many people who have done this before and there are many more that are generating profit and the only way you can do it is through something as simple as writing informative and relevant articles.

Of course article writing is not as easy as it seems but like we said before, all you need to invest is your time. The mantra is speed writing through which you will be able to produce a very good article within an hour. There are certain steps that you will have to follow for effective speed writing and they are:

Step I: Topic

The most important part of any article is its topic. You will have to choose a topic first, which should be related to your business, service or product. You need to identify the audience you want the article to address to and what message you want to send across. For example: If you are offering Digital SLR cameras then you can write articles on the different types of photography that can be done using this camera like wildlife, landscape, macro, travel etc. You can even provide informative articles on the different types of lens. You can even search the internet to find a topic that is related to your product or services.

Step II: Providing Solution

Always make sure that your articles start with the intention of solving a particular problem. For example: you can create an article that will provide readers with a solution for keeping their Tele-zoom lenses dry and clean or information that will help them to take better pictures in low light conditions. When you write such an article, you are basically addressing reader's problems and providing a solution without the reader having to ask you for one. The article needs to be divided into 3 sections:

? Problem: Identifying the problem and promising an effective solution

? The process: Build your article around the solution and provide it in a step by step process and underline each of the processes. It is always easier for the reader to understand a step-by-step process

? Conclusion: Provide a strong conclusion but more than that try to provide references from where readers can find detailed information. Always end on a positive note.

Step III: Speed writing your first draft

Writing the first draft is always the most difficult because you have to put all your research, ideas and thoughts together to create one informative and interesting article. You have to convey to the reader that you understand what his/her problem is and that you are here to provide the right solution and keep their attention on the article. One of the best ways of doing it is by writing in small paragraphs and by providing 2-3 sub headings. Provide 2-3 paragraphs per heading and you can also use bulleted points where necessary.

Usage of simple terminology instead of technical jargons is important. The tone should be friendly and personal. When a reader goes through your article, it should not sound like you are addressing everyone else except your reader. Make your reader feel as if the article was written only for him/her.

Once you have completed the draft, check for grammatical errors, sentence construction errors etc. Proofread it a couple of times and when you are completely satisfied, you will be ready to publish it.

Step IV: Publish it

The last step of speedwriting is publishing the article. You can publish it on your website or on external websites, internet magazines, article submission directories etc.

Speed writing is the new age mantra for article writing and one of the best ways of driving your target audience to your website.