Blog and website owners are always in need of professionally-written web content, which is good news for freelance writers. Not only is web content in high demand, writing it is lucrative, fun, and open to just about any level of experience. But here’s the catch: While anyone can write web content, writing cash-worthy content takes patience, practice, and some important pointers. Here are six tips to help you craft the best content you can—and land a sale every time:
Be Fresh
Let’s face it, everyone’s written about practically every topic out there. But that doesn’t mean you can’t write one more article or post on a used idea—just make it fresh. In other words, find a new angle, a different perspective, or an interesting update. Of course, you can always come up with something completely untold, like a unique, personal experience. Best advice? Do some research before you start writing to rule out overdone topics. And remember, when it comes to selling content, fresh is the name of the game.
Know Your SEO
Using keywords that will help your content rank high in search engines is, well, key. If you don’t know SEO practices for writing web content, study and learn them. Content that’s SEO-friendly is going to help it sell. Bear in mind that SEO needs to be balanced with good, readable writing that delivers valuable advice or high entertainment value to the reader. Over-stuffed keywords in content that has more fluff than function won’t be worth anyone’s time—including a buyer’s.
Watch Word Count
If a blog owner specifies a word count, adhere to it. When you don’t have a word count to follow, aim for 2,000, say recent studies. Years ago, short blog posts and web articles of 500 or so words were the way to go. Now it appears that, for SEO purposes, longer posts have better sales potential. Check out this article about word counts for more information.
Avoid Haste
While it’s true, some readers scan through content looking for tidbits of information, others take their time and read entire posts, including several thousand word ones. The point is, never take your writing lightly. Hastily putting together an article that contains errors and useless advice won’t sell. Instead, write carefully and offer something relevant, include strong titles and bold subheadings for those who like to skim, and edit, edit, edit. In fact, set aside your work for a few days and review it with fresh eyes before submitting.
Price It Right
Be mindful when setting a fee or pricing your content. You may think your time and work are worth gold, but a buyer is looking for a reasonable price. Check around and see what the going rate is for content similar to yours. Consider your experience, the amount of research you’ve done, and the time and effort you’ve put in. You don’t want to underprice yourself, either; well-written, useful content will eventually sell for a fair price. If you’re writing for an article database or catalog, take into account the percentage the content distributor keeps when pricing your work.
Be Efficient
Writing web content can be time-consuming, but you can find ways to speed up the process, increase your output, and still produce quality work. For one thing, try coming up with several writing ideas at once. Often, this comes naturally. After gathering research for a topic and putting together an outline or draft, you might discover that you could turn your article into two or even three pieces. Most important, write when you’re able to fully concentrate so that your writing session consists of quality time. Efficiency goes a long way in helping you write—and sell—web content.
Writing web content is a fun way for writers of all backgrounds to earn money and get published. Learn the ins and outs of writing cash-worthy web content, and see how lucrative this writing niche can be.