As a website owner there are plenty of good reasons for writing an article. One reason could be to get more content for your website. Another reason could be to submit it to article directories to get more traffic to your website. No matter what though there is one thing you will need to learn, and that is how to write articles. That's what this...well, you guessed it, article is about.

When you have decided that you need or preferably want to write an article you have taken a very important step. However, A lot of people don't get past the next hurdle. The next hurdle is simply put, what do I put in it? In other words what do I write an article about. Well if you're running a website or a business the answer should be right there. Although non-writers like us have a tendency to think that "my topic will probably not warrant an article". You need to get past that. Why wouldn't your topic warrant an article? If you think it's interesting there are bound to be others out there who feel the same way.

Researching articles can be a bit of a hassle. If you're just starting out and you're writing about a topic you know a lot about you can skip this step. However eventually you'll want to write about something you don't know that much about. Then you need to do a bit of research. I'm not talking about weeks of research here, but spending an hour or two learning about your chosen topic is definitely a good idea.

In this day an age there is software on the market that allows you to research a topic within a few minutes. A good google search is also a good way to get started. Your first article on a new topic doesn't have to be very long. In fact if you pick one of the popular article types I'll tell you about in a minute you will only need a few paragraphs of research material. Make sure you rewrite all the material you gather though. I don't want to be encouraging plagiarism in any way.

When you get started you want to stick to one of the popular article types that I'll tell you about shortly. In fact even as you get more experienced you'll probably want to stick to them anyway. Anyway let's get to it.

1. Top Ten Lists

Everybody loves a good top ten list. You get good information fast and as an added advantage they are easy to write. Top ten lists are among the most popular types of articles to write and very good starters if you're still in the process of learning how to write articles.

2. Tips

These are very short articles. They usually follow the formula of stating a problem and providing the answer. These types of articles are usually around 4-600 words.

3. How To's

Well actually this is a how to article. People are always eager to learn new things and how to articles come with that promise. These would typically be a bit longer than the Tips articles. try sticking to around 750 words and no longer than a thousand words.

4. Assessment

Is your computer infected by virus, Does your garden need fertilizer, etc. could be titles of assessment articles. They usually involve some kind of checklist the reader can go through. Quite often people will print these articles and go through the list. Not only do they offer excellent information for the reader, but they will also help the reader solve a problem or determine if he or she has a problem.

That was four of the most popular article types on the internet. In random order by the way.

Now you've decided what type of article you want to write and what the overall topic should be. Now it's time to actually start writing the article, well, not quite yet. First I suggest you write down 10 subheadings on a blank piece of paper along with the main title of your article. These headings will form the content of your article once you get started.

Put the 10 headings into your text editor and start writing. You'll need 3-4 sentences for each of them. Don't stop to think about what you're writing. This is the time to let your mind flow. Pour out your knowledge about your subheading.

After going through all 10 subheadings it's time to edit your article. Yes, that's right! you have now written your first article! Now you need to run it through a spellchecker. You'll need to read it through to make sure what you've written makes sense, but when that's done you're ready to publish your article in any way you see fit.

At the beginning of this article I told you that you would have to learn how to write articles. If you've read all the way through it you should have and you should be proud of yourself.