Webmasters all over the world are beginning to realize the true value of article writing as a means to stir up new internet traffic for their websites and forums. The ability to draw attention to your website that will bring in several hundred new visitors a day is a very masterful art and can pay off with hundreds of clicks.

Attention grabbing article writing begins with finding topics that are already controversial and highly publicized. You want to develop an article that not only grabs reader’s attention, but also challenges their views. The key to challenging their views is to then allow your readers to respond with their own point of view as well as commenting on other people’s opinions.

One prime example of this type of article baiting was featured on one of the government military websites that I frequent. I generally log onto this website about four times a week to keep myself up to speed on the most up-to-date news in the Middle East. However, recently, I found myself spending hours a day coming back to the website because of a specific debate going on in the forums.

The subject at hand had to do with the private military contracting company, Blackwater, and the recent Iraq shootings on September 16, 2007 where at least 11 Iraqi civilians were shot and killed. Without making this article a debate about who was at fault in the shootings that day, the moral of this story was that such a controversial topic spawned hundreds of comments and responses from many heated readers. I found myself captivated by the political debate going on before my eyes and found myself checking the article responses on the average of 20 times a day.

The main perpetrator that had captured mine and everyone else’s attention was a guy by the name of “Sam” that kept challenging every point of fact that anyone brought to the table. His points, no matter how far off from my own beliefs, were always supported with conceptual facts. No matter if he was right or wrong, his refusal to back down in the debate had me hooked and I kept coming back just to see what he would say next and how the readers would respond.

My above example and personal experience goes to show how current news, especially if it is of controversial content, can help draw in readers and keep them coming back multiple times. This is where the secret lies. If you are looking to create an attention grabbing article sometimes it would benefit you greatly as a webmaster or forum owner to take the opposite stance on any heated topic of interest.

All one needs to do is locate a current topic of high debate on the internet and become as familiarize with the topic as possible. Make sure you understand the basic points of the topic and have a clear understanding of what it is you’re about to write. Now, no matter how you personally feel about the subject matter, take an opposite stand against the popular view.

This type of article writing stunt must be carefully structured as to not become a personal attack on the people of opposite view. It must be carried out in such a way as it is educated and done in good taste. Make sure to list plenty of examples that will help drive home your point of opposition and will make the article seem credible, even if the point of view is light-years away from the way you personally feel. The more facts that can be produced to stir up more controversy… the better!

A friend of mine a few years back tried this exact approach at creating a buzz that he knew would draw people to his website. Even though he knew he was doing nothing except for blowing out “hot air,” he had an exceptionally good laugh when he saw that his article was being referred to and linked back to his website by several websites opposing his view. The clicks just kept coming and the responses were unbelievable, adding a few hundred clicks a day to his traffic count.

This method of drawing in more internet traffic takes some time to perfect. So, don’t be discouraged when you see that your first few attempts at arguing the masses doesn’t quite bring in the traffic hits you were hoping for. Keep at it and you will eventually start to see that sometimes in order to get the much wanted attention and site traffic you are seeking you might have to play “devil’s advocate.”