In the bright, shiny new world of Web 2.0 the key component is content. The type of content can range from blog, audio, video, games, articles, and the like. Actually anything that people can interact with, have fun with, spend time with, and eventually come away feeling satisfied.

That's the key to your online business.

Are people satisfied? Do they like spending time on your site? Are they learning anything there that they can't elsewhere? Are you communicating with your site visitors? Is there a way to build healthy relationships with your visitors, either among themselves or with you?

Article writing is about so much more than just free online traffic. However, that is a goal. So, in order to do that we must learn some ways to attract free visitors to our websites that will fit in within the whole Web 2.0 culture.

Be Conversational

People like to talk.

They also like to listen if they have something good to listen to. Don't think so? How many podcasts do you listen to in a week? A day? I download podcasts all the time and listen to them while I'm working, riding bike, exercising, or just have some time in between appointments.

And it's just people talking.

But, it's engaging and conversational. Meaning they have a point to make and they talk in such a way to make you feel like they're talking to you.

Your writing needs to take on the same type of 'flavor'. Write your articles just like you're talking to your best friend. Ultimately, that's what you want your reader to be... so to speak. Your visitors are your best friend online. They're the ones who will tell others about your content and send them to your site. They're the ones who will buy your products and act on your recommendations.

Write with them in mind and 'talk' to them in your article.

Don't Say The Same Thing

One of the things that I see a lot of article writers doing, in order to get as much content as they can, is putting older articles in their own words and passing them off as original. Unfortunately, that isn't going to work in the long run. Sooner or later you have to come up with your own content.

What happens is that people will realize that they have already read this information some where else and come to the conclusion that you have nothing new to say.

What people are looking for is new, fresh, creative, and relevant content that will help them today. Right now. Not something they read about last year and didn't work for them then.

Be your own voice. One of the things I love about online writing and creating content is that you are the expert. You make yourself the expert on whatever topic you love the most. Then you put your opinions and thoughts in an article. This way you're not a follower, you're the one leading.

Don't Suck

At the beginning of this article I asked a question. Can writing articles actually hurt your online business? The first two techniques already mentioned are to help you think about what your article should contain. The information and the way it is presented is a major factor in whether or not your article is going to send traffic your way, or do the opposite effect; send people screaming in the other direction. Meaning away from your articles, all of them, altogether.

So, in essence, this last technique is a combination of the first two. Just Don't Suck.

Yes, you should jump in and write articles for your website, but make sure you can do a good job at it. Does that mean that article writing is only for a special breed of people? Of course not. But, successful article writers don't suck either. They put into practice the first two things; they are conversational in their writing and they write original stuff.

Receiving free online traffic relies upon how well you can attract each visitor away from someone else.

Article writing can hurt your online business. But, it can also be the single most powerful tool you use for consistent traffic and sales.