by Chrystina Trulove-Reyes

Created on: January 29, 2009   Last Updated: July 25, 2009

The Helium rating system has been the subject of debates for a while now. However, when people have low rates, they automatically assume its because the rating system is faulty or the people doing the ratings aren't paying attention. That may be true, there has to be some room for error, but that is not the sole reason for low ranks.

In many cases, there are problems with the articles. Things like formatting, punctuation, and even spelling can elude even the best of writers. However, there are many things to look for when writing and sometimes we forget to watch for them.

Formatting

The first and biggest problem with articles is formatting. People forget to add that second space at the end of the paragraph. To the average reader it looks like a solid block of text and can be very intimidating to them. Most people will not even read the article. In the end, they will rank the article much lower than it deserves.

One paragraph

Almost tied with the formatting issue are the articles that are a single paragraph. No one wants to read an article that is literally a solid block of text. When people come across these, the thoughts that come to mind concern whether the author even cared about the article.

By separating the block into several paragraphs, the article looks more professional. Each paragraph should be devoted to one point that you are trying to put to the reader. It also makes the article easier to read and understand, plus give a spot where the reader can go grab a cup of coffee if they want.

Remember to vary the amount of sentences in each paragraph. Long paragraphs are harder to read. Shorter paragraphs make the article look haphazard. By varying the number of sentences in paragraphs, you are creating an "eye candy" effect. Many readers like having variety, so give them a variety in paragraph lengths.

Run-on sentences

Some articles are amazingly written, but have a tiny problem with run-on sentences. With this problem, the easiest thing to remember is to try to keep one idea per sentence. It also helps to limit your sentences to a certain amount of words.

A sentence like "John had a party down the street, where a lot of people joined in and there was dancing all night." can be changed to: "John had a party down the street. A lot of people showed up to dance. There was dancing all night." This makes the sentence much easier to read.

Readability

Every article has a readability level. If the article is easier to read, it will often be ranked

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