Secrets & Quick Tips for Writing an Outstanding Guide

This guide is to teach you how to write a guide and save time doing it, as well as how to write guides that get read.

1.  Start by telling readers what the purpose of the guide is and give them incentive to read it.

2.  Choose a topic you know about.  If it is a broad topic, you may want to break it down into several guides.  Many folks want info quick without wading through a lot of detail.

3.  Write the guide in notepad or in the eBay guide form itself.  Do not write the guide in word perfect or any other editor that has html.

4. When entering info into the eBay guide form,  Save often and then choose the edit function to continue writing. I can't stress this enough, info can be lost very easily in this form.

5.  Use spellcheck, and save your document before using the guide form's spellcheck - it has lost my work when I've forgotten to do that.  Also, be sure to proof for grammar.

6.  It is better to write several brief guides than one indepth guide.  More opportunities for search engines to pick up your guides will yield to greater visibility, more visitors, hence more visibility for your auctions and your store, if you have one.

7.  Use the text headings to vary text size.  The text of this guide is written using "Heading 2" 

This is what the text would look like if it wasn't used.

This is what text heading 3 looks like.

8.  Add pictures to add interest and demonstrate if appropriate to your topic.

9.  Sizing pictures - below left is the normal 200 x 200 pixel size that is automatic when using the tool bar of the guide form. To the right is a picture that have been resized by grabbing a corner of the picture with your mouse and extending it to the size you'd like.  You'll notice that quality may be sacrificed.

10.  Remember that you can always come back and edit or update your guide. 

11.  Let people know you've written guides and ask for yes votes if the readers feel they've been helpful. I've added a line at the end of my guides asking readers to vote if they've found it helpful.  

Please vote yes below if you've found this guide helpful.  Thanks!