Whether you think of yourself as a writer or not, if you are working online then you should know how to make money with articles. The basics are pretty simple: write an article related to your subject, include a link to your website, submit the article to directories.

But there is a little more that you must do if you want to make serious money with your article. If you do not take a few moments to consider these points before you start, you risk wasting all of your writing time. And time is money online!

The first thing to consider is why you are writing your article – from two very different points of view. Firstly, what is the article’s main point for the reader? And secondly, how is it going to make you money?

Sure, from your point of view, your main reason for writing an article is to make money. But your readers don’t want an article that is written too obviously from that point of view. It is usually best to keep that motivation of yours so well hidden that it is almost invisible.

So keep in mind that the main reason for writing an article is always to inform or assist the reader. Nobody should have to guess what they are being helped with – this should not be hidden at all!

While you do not want to give away too much information, you should have at least one clear and useful point to make in your article. Preferably this will be something that most readers will not have heard or thought about before. This way they will feel that the time they spent reading your article has been worthwhile, and they are very likely to click through to your website for more.

Keep in mind that there are some article writers submitting to directories who have no money-making motive at all. They simply want to put across their point of view. This applies particularly to people writing about subjects they strongly believe in, such as religion or politics. So imagine how you would write your article if you had nothing to sell. Then simply add a link to your site at the end.

However, do not be carried away and try to put everything you know into one article. Three points is plenty, and one is enough if you have a lot to say about it. Too much information is confusing for the reader. It is very important to leave them wanting more.

Your money-making motivation for writing the article will usually take one of three forms: branding (getting your name known as an authority), lead generation (readers are directed to a squeeze page), or direct sales (readers are directed to a sales page). These can overlap but one of them will be primary.

So before you submit your article, consider the thrust of the article both from the reader’s point of view and from a money-making perspective. Do the two purposes go together well, or do they conflict? You may have written other articles leading to a squeeze page, but would this one be more effective if it went directly to a sales page, or to your blog?