Linda Jenkinson Web Content Design

Of course the only way to pass Copy Scape is to write original content. Yet with millions of websites and thousands within your topic, how do you make sure your words are really yours? The following eight tips will help you write original copy that will, without a doubt, pass Copy Scape’s scrutiny.

Research your topic.

There’s an old writer’s adage that says “write what you know.” Although that’s the best case, it isn’t always practical when you’re building a web publisher site. Yet, you can learn about your topic through research. Read enough to be well-grounded in your subject matter.

When I start a new topic, I read a minimum of 10,000 words from a minimum of three sources. Make sure that your sources are varied enough to look at the topic from varying aspects and that they are credible in themselves. If one source makes more sense to you than the other two, keep searching for other sources that adopt the same point of view.

Outline Your Article

Put in your main topic or title (H1) and then the sub topics (which may or may not merit H2 and H3 headings) that will make up the body of your piece.

Add the content

— the details that round out your article, using your memory not your research. Write to make your topic easy for your reader to understand. Don’t try to show off your vocabulary or your writing skills.

Check what you’ve written.

Go back to your research and be sure that you didn’t write any misinformation and that your facts are correct. Make changes as necessary, using your own words.

Use a spell checker and a grammar checker.

Then re-read your content to be sure that you haven’t misused homonyms and that your checkers didn’t delete something important or reword something that changed your meaning.

Check the “flow” of your piece

Be sure that a sentence or paragraph in one area (for instance the middle) of your copy wouldn’t fit better in another area.

Cut your copy

Take out the parts that don’t fit, the phrases that were inspirational but are superfluous, repetitive, or downright irrational to your message. Be sure to stay on topic.

Walk away from your copy

Come back in an hour or two. Re-read it again and see if it looks as good as it did the first time. If it doesn’t, make changes and repeat steps 1-7 as necessary.

Now, assuming you have any talent as a writer (and remember, typing isn’t writing), you should have a skillfully written, original piece of content that not only passes copyscape but also precisely delivers the message that you want to deliver.