As a business professional, you probably realize the value of writing articles for print publications to telegraph your expertise. Have you considered that writing articles for online publications can build even more buzz for your business?

Some professionals dismiss online articles because they lack the prestige of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Yet online articles have a distinct advantage in that they are searchable by keywords. This means prospects using keywords matching your area of expertise can be taken to your website within seconds.

Advantages of publishing articles online include the following:

- When people read your online article, they can immediately click on your website to take advantage of your special offer or more information.

- When potential clients or customers perform a search on your name, all your articles come up, enhancing your credibility.

- You can use strategic words to create a keyword rich article that will help your target audience find you in a crowded Internet environment.

- You can submit the same article to many different websites, thus getting more return for time spent writing the article.

The most popular articles give practical how-to advice about how to solve a problem facing your target audience. Though your lead paragraph is very important in a print publication, you need an even more compelling lead and title when you write articles to be read online.

Crafting a Catchy Title

Once youve finished your article, crown it with a catchy title. It should combine elements of surprise, curiosity, and contain a strong emotional hook. Effectively, your article title must stop people in their tracks and compel them to read the article.

Below are additional tips for writing articles online: - Create a list of keywords your target audience would use to find information on your topic. You want to use those keywords in the headline and body (especially the first paragraph) of your text.

- Get to the point as quickly as possible, preferably in your opening sentence.

- Succinctly outline the steps or a course of action that will help a reader solve a problem.

- Keep the article to 500 words or less.

- Keep sentences and paragraphs short.

- End with a firm call to action.

- Use a time-sensitive offer and strong benefits in your resource box to motivate the reader to click on your site immediately.

Perhaps the best thing about publishing articles online is that when your target audience uses the right keywords, your article could come in the search results along with a Wall Street Journal article on the topic, literally putting you on the same page and further enhancing your expertise.