Being a web writer is far from weaving and churning out words. You need to have an extensive vocabulary, be able to hook your readers and provide quality content. But if you are thinking about making a career out of writing, some tools can help you with that. Here are some of the free and cloud-based tools that you can use to become a better web writer!
Assistant
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An online writing assistant is an Al that helps you double-check your works for grammar, check for intricate texts, tone of voice, and more! Grammarly is the most famous writing assistant tool out there. However, to fully enjoy this tool and its features, you have to pay for a subscription. If you are a beginner, paying for a tool might not be one of your priorities. You can use Grammarly alternatives such as Hemingway, LanguageTool, Ginger, Slick Write and other tools out there. These tools are completely free and have the same performance as Grammarly. You also don’t need to download any app, plugin, or extension, unlike Grammarly. Thanks to these
tools, you also don’t need to pay someone for proofreading and editing your works.
Plagiarism Checker
We all know that we shouldn’t be copying someone else’s work. But even if there are millions of topics to write about, the thing is, you might not be the first one to write about that certain topic. To double-check your work, use a plagiarism checker tool. If your editor checks and sees that some parts of your work are plagiarized, it will not get published. Worse, it can jeopardize your career. Also, publishing a plagiarized work will not rank well in the search engines. Some tools you can use are Duplichecker, Copyscape, Plagiarisma, and Paper Rater.
Headline Analyzer
Before the reader skims through your article, the first thing that they will read is the headline or the title of your article. This is where you need to know your audience. You can go with a funny headline or a straightforward one. It also depends on the topic and the branding of your website. A good headline analyzer site is CoSchedule. CoSchedule checks the rank of your headline and can categorize it. This site also gives you a breakdown of how common your headline is, the number of keywords, if it’s too short, the tone of the headline, and readability. So before you publish that article, make sure to make a quick run-through of your headline.
A Dictionary and Thesaurus
Well, we already mentioned at the start of this article that a good web writer must have an extensive vocabulary. But if you need to take a quick look at the meaning of a world, it’s better if you use an online dictionary, rather than searching the world on Google. For more modern jargon, The Urban Dictionary and Netlingo can give you a better understanding. If you need to look for rhyming words, Rhymezone is the site for you. But if you only need a dictionary staple, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary is still the most reliable.
Content Idea Generator
Sometimes, writing an article from scratch can be hard. Having writer’s block can hinder you from creating quality content. But thanks to content idea generators, you might be one click away from your next viral article. This is how most content idea generators work: type the keyword related to the topic you want to write and wait for the website to come up with some headlines. You can use Portent’s Content Idea Generator or Hubspot for this.
Listening Tools
If you are a features web writer or even someone who needs to stay updated on the trends, there are listening tools that can help you know the hottest topics. For example, Google Trends is a free tool that you can use to research. Knowing the topic that interests most people can save you the time from writing articles that might not perform well.
Another tool you can use is the Keyword Surfer. From the word itself, it is a tool that can help you do keyword research. It is a Chrome extension that lets you see the monthly search volumes for every queries ever typed into Google. Keyword research is a must for web writers and probably the most crucial part of marketing your content. Keywords are the ones that drive people to your content and site, so better not to sleep on these tools.
Take Advantage of Free Tools
When it comes to web writing, you have to work smart. Of course, you must know how to write an article. But knowing tools that can further aid you can help drive people to our content. You do not have to pay for expensive tools. Take note of the ones we recommended, and you will surely go far as a web writer.
