How to Write Content for a Website – Tools and Tricks That Make it Easier

Good content is key to effective affiliate marketing. You need interesting content, and lots of it, to draw your audience in, and the buy the items you are promoting. I’m here to give you a few pointers on how to write content for a website.  Below you will see my comments on the content editors I use, plus methods for streamlining your writing process and getting over those “writer’s block” hurdles.

SiteContent from SiteRubix

I really like the SiteContent tool you get for free at Wealthy Affiliate, hosted by SiteRubix. Here is what you get:

• You can make templates for your writing. When you join Wealthy Affiliate, there are a few templates already provided for you. But you can also make your own. Let’s say you do a lot of product reviews. You can build yourself a product review template, so you don’t have to repeat the same headings over and over.
• You can set goals and watch your progress. If you want to make money doing Affiliate Marketing, you are going to need lots of content. So you will want to set writing goals to get your content written in a timely manner. SiteContent keeps track of your writing goals and tells you where you are at in meeting your goals.
• Spell check, grammar check, punctuation check, and sentence structure check are all included in SiteContent. And quite frankly, I like these better than Word’s and Classic Editor’s. It seems more complete, where the focus on the other editing platforms only work with spelling.
• You can set up outlines, so when it’s time to write, you can just sit down and do it. You can put your researched keywords into your writing template and have your prospective articles all laid out for you. This is an awesome tool for planning your writing.
• You have access to thousands of free images to use in your posts, The image tool helps you crop and rotate images, plus you can add your alt text and your linking URL. I use two different computers, depending on where I am. I like to import all my pictures onto SiteContent at home, so I have them when I’m out and about on my laptop.
• SiteContent also allows you to add links. I also like to add my links into SiteContent so I have them when I’m working with my laptop.

Classic Editor in WordPress

The Classic Editor in WordPress has a few of the same features that SiteContent has, but there are a few differences.

• SiteContent’s word count is a lot easier to visualize, especially if you are using a template. You have the little pie charts at the bottom that tell you where you are in your word count, paragraph count, and headings. Classic Editor just has the word count that you have to scroll down to.
• I like Classic Editor’s image editor better. Perhaps it is because I have the Admin Column plugin, which allows me to put pictures right next to each other without having to deal with the left-center-right choices you get in the image tool.
• I like the Classic Editor too for finishing out an article, because it’s easy to flip back and forth between the editor and the actual site, to see how your article will look to the public.
• The Classic Editor also has a better link setup. It allows you to do internal links easier. This is because when you are in SiteContent, you are only working with your current post. In the Classic Editor, it has access to all your articles, so when you are linking to text, it allows you to search all your existing content. In SiteContent you have to go get the link and copy/paste it yourself, so it adds another step.
• SiteContent allows you to save drafts just as Classic Editor does. However, Classic Editor does not have a comprehensive organization for your articles. You either have drafts or published articles. SiteContent allows you to put your articles in “buckets” to organize them,

Microsoft Word

If you are a Word user, you know all the capabilities. I could not begin to name them all, as I have used Word for most of my professional life, and it’s like an extension of my hands and brain at this point. I guess the best-selling point of using Word, is that it’s so familiar, that you don’t have to take time to learn how to use it.

• I do know that images, links, and graphs don’t translate across to Classic Editor, at least at face value, when you just copy and paste your posts.. I may not know the process. A quick Google of the process only talks about linking a file or a pdf, not transposing text. I guess we cut and paste. So it looks like Word is only good for typing out the verbiage.
• I do like Word’s drag and drop capabilities. There is no dragging and dropping in SiteContent or the Classic Editor. This has been a thorn in my side since day one of doing my blog on WordPress. It’s hard, since Word is so ingrained in my DNA now, to remember NOT to try dragging and dropping in the other editors.
• I also think that using Word and the Windows Operating system allows you to organize your content in any way you choose. This again is second nature to me, whereas the in SiteContent and Classic Editor, it’s a little more tedious, and there is no comprehensive way to organize files, only drafts and published articles.

The Content Writing Process

You may find different ways to do this, but this is how Wealthy Affiliate recommends you write your content. The advantage to this is that you do tasks in blocks. This automates your process so you get more done with the time your have. Here’s the process:

1. Keyword Research
2. Tranfer Keywords to SiteContent
3. Create titles of the keywords
4. Put each title into a writing template
5. Do outlines and research for each title
6. Sit down and write! write! write!

And Wah Lah! You have a batch of articles that you can publish out over time.

Overcoming the Road Blocks to Writing Content

I know the hardest part to writing content for me is SITTING DOWN AND WRITING. I don’t know why this is so hard for me to get over, but it is. After listening to others and their issues, I’ve come up with some ways to help get over that writer’s block. Here’s what you can do:

Make a schedule and stick to it. Take a block of time and call it “Writing Time”. Don’t schedule anything else for that time. Don’t put it off. If it’s time to write, then it’s time to write. Be strict with yourself.

Follow the process above. If you are set up to write, it’s a whole lot easier to sit down and do it, when your writing is already mapped out for you.

Make sure your writing time is uninterrupted. Go into the office and shut the door. Hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. Turn off the TV, the music, and the cell phone. Tell your family and friends beforehand that this is your writing time, and you need their help in respecting that time.

Make writing your first priority. For me, I will find 20 excuses once I sit down. I need a cup of coffee. I need to check email. I need to change out the laundry. I have found that I need to say to myself, “WRITE FIRST”. I can do all that other stuff once my writing session is over.

Stick to your writing goals. When you are committed to write three articles per week, you know in the back of your head that you really have to sit down and do this. Especially if you have limited time. You can say, “Hey, I have to get these three articles done, and this is the only block of time I have to do it. So let’s do it now!”

Catch yourself when you start to make excuses. It’s in my nature to procrastinate. I can find all kinds of reasons not to sit and write and I will employ each and every one of them. I have found that if I catch myself before I get rolling with the excuses, it’s much easier to put a stop to it and get my writing done.

SIT DOWN AND WRITE! There have been times when all else fails, that I just have to shout to myself, “JUST SIT DOWN AND WRITE!” It’s really weird that it comes to that, because I really love writing. I love the results of my writing. I love it when someone reads what I write and they approve or enjoy it. I just need to get past the initial step.

In Conclusion…

I hope these tools have helped you in your ability to write content for your affiliate marketing website. Remember that good content is key to effective affiliate marketing. And please remember that joining Wealthy Affiliate will open up all of these great tools for you to write spectacular content that will get you all those marketing opportunities you are looking for. You not only get the writing tools, but you get a whole community of people who will help you, by critiquing your writing, and helping you find ideas to write about. Click here to see my Wealthy Affiliate review, and get your free membership today!

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