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 higher. Most people read between a 6th and 10th grade level, no matter their graduating level. This affects how an article rates. There are many wonderful and easy to read articles out there that have good rates. Then there are others articles that are terrifying to read. They have huge words and it is obvious that the author is trying to sound either better educated or sophisticated. The problem is that with the bigger words, you incite confusion.
There are several ways to check your readability. First, most word processors have a setting that you can enable to see your readability. Then when you use spell-check, it will also display the readability and grade level of your work. The average readability is between 60 and 70 percent.
With Microsoft word, you need to go to the menu select the tools drop down menu and click options. This will bring up a box with tabs, one of which is the "Spelling and Grammar" which is the one we want. Click that. Toward the bottom of the box, you will see the grammar area. There are several boxes that you can activate, or deactivate. Select the box next to "Show Readability Statistics" and click "Ok". Now, every time you use spell-check, you will also see your readability statistics.
Another way to check, if you are unsure about messing with the options of your word processor is a web-page called Textalyzer. What this page does is analyze text for you and give you the readability statistics.
The analyzers will take a while to get used to; so do not worry if you do not catch on right away.
Grammar, punctuation, and spelling
The last cause of low ratings is grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Usually, if an article has one, it has all three problems. However, there are not as many articles with these problems on Helium as one would think. However, that does not mean that you should be lax on keeping an eye on grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Fixing problems
With many of the problems, the easiest way to find them is to read your work aloud. It does not matter if you read it to a friend, partner, family member, or alone. However, you will be better able to find any problems that occur while writing.
Another way to deal with potential problems is to sit on the article for a day or two. Put it aside. Distance yourself. Many writers cannot find problems with their work because they are just too close to the writing. By putting it away and waiting for a few days before publishing, you are much more likely to spot any potential problems with the article.
Helium also offers help to any writer who desires to become better. There are the [url= http://www.helium.com/smf/index.php]forums[/url] and the Mentor Program. To contact a mentor, just send an email to mentors@helium.com. Both are great for getting tips with your work. With the forums, you can connect with other writers like yourself who are friendly and want to help. You can even put your two cents in to help other writers. The Mentor Program is better for privacy. If you are concerned about questioning your work publicly, you can contact a Mentor and they will keep anything you want to discuss private.
The main reasons for low rankings are the article, itself. Unfortunately, too many writers take this to mean that they are bad writers. That is not the case. It just means that they should take a look at their article and possibly fix it.
The only bad writer is one who is unwilling to learn.