by Kenzy England

Created on: November 17, 2008

Anyone who writes an article for Helium hopes to have it rated at the top of the heap. The following is a list of things that I look for in articles while rating. If you have low-ranked articles, perhaps you will find this list helpful.

1. Spelling: I can overlook one or two misspelled words, but when the article is full of them it gives the impression that the article was thrown together rather quickly. There are several spell checkers online for you to use at no cost, or you may use the one that comes with your word processor.

2. Punctuation errors: Punctuation is something we learned in elementary school. Having a comma in the wrong place detracts from the true meaning of the sentence, thus changing what you are trying to get across to your readers. I have rated many articles that have this problem, and though the article itself may be a good one it is difficult to understand the writers true intent. Be sure to your insert your commas, periods, semi-colons, etc. in their proper place in order to maintain your articles integrity.

3. Run-On Paragraphs: This occurs when the writer hasn't put any spaces between paragraphs. Again, this gives the reader the impression that the writer threw the piece together in a flurry.

Not only do "run-on" paragraphs look hurried, it also makes it difficult for search engines to index your article. These articles will automatically get ranked lower than their counterpart no matter how well written, usually with a "By Far" ranking. These articles are simply sloppy. It's important when writing for Helium that you take pride in your work.

4. Use of Profanity: Though a rare occurrence, I have come across articles with profanity in them. Not only do I flag the article, but I rank the competing article "By Far". There is no reason to use profanity in any form and your point will be made more effectively without these words. It is extremely offensive.

5. The First Paragraph Keeps Me or Loses Me: It is hard to keep your readers interest if your first paragraph leaves them bored. I have ranked articles lower for that reason. I need something catchy. Something that will grab my attention and make me want to read the entire article. The subject may be something really interesting, but if I'm not into what I'm reading at the very beginning, you lost me.

6. Off-Topic: There are times that I start to read an article that begins well enough and then gradually flows to something entirely off-topic, as if the author has an a different subject in mind.

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