When I think about diaries, I resort back to my teenage years where I detailed my daily events in a locked notebook. So when blogging became a popular thing, I had images of an interesting anonymous person writing about their interesting life.

Indeed that is what a blog is. Events written in chronological order of when they happened, personal to the writer and fascinating to the reader.

A blog however can be a little more flexible than that. It can be written how the writer wishes and for whatever reason. Businesses with websites include blogs in the pages. They are not personal stories, but written in a way which is easy for onscreen reading. They are factual and kept updated and interesting.

In fact, it is pretty vital for websites to have blogs. It shows the site hasn’t been left dormant for a while and the news is actually news. It says the company is active and thriving and these are the latest events to take place.

Blogs are great. It is my favourite way to write. I like to express any knowledge I have, whilst having the license to rant and rave if I so wish. It is my website and I can write what I want…within reason.

Of course, writing controversially does appeal to some people. Not only does it create a forum for a heated discussion, it also gets hits. Traffic is what the writer wants – publicity, traffic and $$$.

It could backfire though if the subject is rather sensitive to some. Arguments and insults offend and will drag your name and site through the mud. The end for all that traffic – so tread carefully and control what gets published.

Getting Traffic

There are thousands and thousands of blogs out there on the net. Some get the key wording right and come up in a search engine search and some stay popular and therefore get found easier.

A little SEO knowledge helps with getting a popular site, and there are many tricks in getting those hits.

Some people get scared of writing a resume. They either feel unsure of where to start with it, or feel uncomfortable selling themselves.

Even the modest person can show what they are capable of in their CV and cover letter. It’s best to show you are keen and able, rather than cocky and arrogant.

How to Begin

There are different styles of CV but the basic layout of what to include in the same across the board.

Always bear in mind who you are giving your CV to when writing it to keep you focused on the job. That way, everything you include will show relevant skills to the job you are applying for.

Your basic layout will include your full name and address as a header on the page. Put your contact details underneath (telephone numbers and email address). Make this stand out by changing the font and size. Ensure it is clear and looks professional. A modern CV may include a profile picture of yourself (looking presentable), but you do not have to do this.

The CV tends to be laid out paragraph by paragraph with a header for each. The order may be for example:

Personal Profile

Education

Subjects passed and Grades

Other Qualifications and Certificates

Career History

Hobbies and Interests

There are no set rules to how you set out your CV. You may want to juggle it about to suit you, depending on your experiences. If you have more ‘life’ skills than academic ones, then be sure to emphasize of these. Add your education at the end so that your potential employer sees the most important points first.

You can add two to four referees at the bottom of your CV if you wish, showing their names, position, relation to you and contact details.

Remember, employers have many resumes to get through, so they don’t want heavy text and pages of your job history. If a CV is too long (try your best to keep it to one side. Two maximum) it will just get tossed aside.

Keep your job history within the last ten years if you can (depending on your age of course). Put in a brief description of your position title and duties, showing off your skills the best you can.

Your Personal Profile needs to be a short paragraph about yourself. Explain what you are currently doing and where you want to go next. Show that you are keen to work in the field you are applying for.

If your CV looks bare because you have limited qualifications, or you have gaps between your employment, be sure to include any volunteer work. If you don’t think you have done any, think about any time you have helped out at your child’s school or scout group, church groups or local library.

Also make your hobbies look impressive to reflect your personality. If you read physics books, go mountaineering or holiday in unusual destinations, include them. Avoid mentioning you go to pubs and clubs. It will put you in a bad light.

Cover Letters

When you send your curriculum vitae off to employers, include a cover letter too.

This is to explain a little bit about yourself and the skills you have.

Your cover letter will be more direct and more detailed than your CV, although keep the letter quite short.

Show you have a positive and willing attitude, explaining briefly your experiences, skills and training and where you next want to take them. Show a keen interest in the company you are applying for, and be positive about the position you’ve gone for.

Your CV and cover letter need to stick out for your chance of an interview, so be bold and don’t be scared to sell yourself.

When I was at school the creative subjects came naturally to me. English was a favourite and I was able to write fiction and poetry freely. I studied Creative Writing and English Language and was a published poet in my teens. I had learned how to write in essay form as well as creatively.

As I got older the online world became more established. When I decided to write here, I had to rethink what I had learned in the offline world. To be a successful content writer you need to ability to write well and informatively. You need to be interesting, to the point and keep your blogs keyword rich.

When I submitted my first article to a well known site, it was sent back to me after a couple of weeks. The editors had reviewed it and told me it was too ‘wordy’. I had to write in a clear and concise manner which was too the point. I had to cut down my sentences.

My second article was accepted. But my third was again rejected. I repeated my mistake and it was too ‘wordy’. I was too used to writing English essays and going into details. My creative streak had ran away with me, which is great in short story telling. It is not good however on the web. My second article was very matter of fact which was why they accepted it. Writing on screen is different. People do not want lengthy sentences or paragraphs leading off onto tangents. They may just skim the pages for key points relevant to them.

Write With An Outcome

Writing ‘how to’ articles are the most interesting and tend to be what people are looking for. If a piece does not have useful information then what is the point? When you search for websites, it is usually to find something out. Ensuring you have a wealth of knowledge on your subject matter will put trust in your readers, especially if they search a few sites to compare notes. Put trust in them in case they come across you site again.

Create Multiple Articles

One of the mistakes I made when I began writing online, was overwhelming my audience with too many facts. I would choose my topic and write a big article covering as much as I possibly could.

Instead, I should have focused on one issue or detail at a time. I then could write a reasonably sized article on each point, creating four or five different articles on the same subject. The reader would then be reading relevant information and I would have the satisfaction of writing more than I intended.

Research The Search Engines

Anyone who knows anything about a website will be familiar with Search Engine Optimization. It is a term which I kept coming across when I was learning about content writing.

If you are searching for a blog or website on a particular subject, you tend to type in main keywords into the search engine. The list of sites are in rank order of how popular they are and strength and quality.

The keywords you typed in will feature in the pages of the websites. The writer will research them and avoid over used phrases used by hundreds of sites. This is so theirs will stand a chance of listing higher. So not only does your website need great content which will wow your audience, but you also need to be clever with you keywords. Do not ‘keyword stuff’ your content as it is not an ethical form of SEO.

The popularity of the site will push it to the top of the search engine. Keep blogs updated regularly for an active account and interest to your readers.

Links

Linking to other sites may result in reciprocal linking (linking back to you). This is good for SEO, but back linking will strengthen your site more. You want a good quality webpage to link to you for best results.

You can write separate pieces yourself to link back, or ask other businesses to link to you. Submit articles to sites which include a resource box at the bottom of the page so you can add your link.