Web Writing Success Is About 3 Things

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The title? Yeah, simple and catchy and 100% TRUE. There are only 3 things you really need to be concerned with when it comes to web writing for money. The new web content/SEO software that I've decided to promote is called Scribe. Scribe Makes SEO Simple

The 3 Most Important Web Writing For Money Characteristics

1. Keywords
2. Content
3. Links

Do you know why your web writing for money online depends so greatly on those 3 things? Because those are the three key elements in SEO. Implement SEO and you get attention grabbing content that people want to read and, more importantly…share with their friends and business partners.

People trust a peer or relative recommendation 70% than they do an advertisement. Do advertisements still work? Sure, but only in a purely organic way. If you want someone to take action then you need to recommend that they do so and they better trust you when you do it.

How Does Scribe Make Your Web Writing Better?

• First, the Scribe keyword research tool tunes you into the right language before you write. Once your content is created, the Scribe keyword suggestion service shows you keyword phrases you might have missed.

• Second, Scribe analyzes your natural, reader-focused content, and tells you how to gently tweak it to spoon feed search engines based on 15 SEO best practices.

• Third, Scribe’s link building tools help you build back links from other sites, crosslink the content within your own site, and identify influential social media users who want to share your stuff.

Sure, we can all do a little keyword research and tweak our own text until it reads crisp, natural and optimally enhanced for conversion. So, the first and second aspects of what Scribe does is just more of an "instant outsource. It takes the thought out of it and allows you to do what you do: Write for the Web.

Personally, I like the 3rd aspect the most. With Scribe's link building tools you're almost assured re-Tweets, shares, RSS subscriptions and email passes. Scribe takes the most influential people in your niche and places your content in their face. What does this mean? Huge audiences that follow a trusted name in the niche. Remember: People trust a peer or relative recommendation 70% than they do an advertisement.

And here's two other great things about Scribe that made me want to promote their product.

1. Follow the very next link you see in this article and get a FREE, NO OBLIGATION, 27 page report by Copyblogger founder Brian Clark. He'll explain:

• Why SEO Copywriting Still Matters
• How Search Engines Work
• Why You Have to Spoon Feed Search Engines
• The 5 Essential Elements of Keyword Research
• How to Create Cornerstone Content That Google Loves
• Five Link Building Strategies That Work
• Five Areas to Focus On for Effective SEO Copywriting
• Why Writing for People Works for Search Engines
• How to Make SEO Simple

Here is that link! Click here to grab your free SEO report

2. If you decide that you don't have enough information and that you'd rather test the waters for a bit? No problem. You can get a FREE 30-day trial. Once you sign up you can CANCEL AT ANY TIME. It's easy. They make it easy. Brian doesn't want be one of "those guys" that sell products and services that are near impossible to rid yourself of later. Inside your myScribe account area, you’ll see a top navigation option labeled Cancel My Account on each and every page. Click that link at any time to end your subscription.

Here's the FREE TRIAL LINK: Take Scribe On A Risk-Free Test Drive

I think by now you can see how Scribe can help you in your web writing endeavor. Imagine your Hubs going viral? Imagine your Squidoo Lens being featured on the front page? Imagine your blog post being dispersed by a huge personality in your niche?

Can you see it?  Does it look great? Then you need to check Scribe out. See Scribe SEO In Action!

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Web Writing Isn't Everything

Image by 7th U.S. Army JMTC via FlickrI'm at my best in the mornings. You would think that I use that as my writing time.  I don't.

Call me a fool but I choose to use my night, quiet time as my writing time.  Sure, I'm at my best before 9 a.m.  While I'm at my best in the mornings, my best web writing happens at night. Gimme' a couple cups of coffee and a cigarette and I'm ready to roll.  Most of the good stuff happens then and I choose to use it for stuff other than writing.

• Work out.

One of the thing that I think many web writers and bloggers forget about is their physical fitness.  Well, I'd like to remind you all of two things.  One, health and life insurance isn't cheap so it greatly  benefits you to stay in goo shape.  I mean, "not on the brink of death if you get up to get a cup of coffee" shape.  And, secondly, we all want to make lots of money with our web writing but what good is it if we die when we're young.  Work out!

• Chores/Housework

I'm a geographical bachelor which, in the military, is a common term.  What it basically means is this:  I'm happily married with lots of kids but they don't live with me.  I have to maintain my household, keep it in living conditions and ensure that I'm not getting over run with cockroaches.  I do this in the mornings, too.

• I Surf The Web

This may come as a surprise but web writers, especially those wanting to earn money, need to keep up with the latest trends, hot topics and styles.  I do this in the mornings.  I read blogs, read the news, research topics and check stats.  I don't want to be bothered with this "crap" at night when I'm actually writing.

I'm not rich.  I'm not the world's Number 1 Web Writer.  I make money from my writing though, and I want to help you to do it, too.  So subscribe and let's go for a ride!

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What Do You Make Per Word?

                                     Image via Wikipedia I know.  A lot of web writers don't want to say what they make per word.  It's embarrassing.  Well, no; I take that back.  To web writers it isn't embarrassing because all of us have been in a spot where we are making peanuts.  To others though...brrr.

People who can't write will cringe at the fact that you might make a penny or less per word.  There's a simple reason for it.  They don't like to write.  To write 100 words for them is like pulling out finger nails and being water-boarded at the same time.  To us, writers/web writers, words come quick and easy.

When I first started writing on the web for money I was doing ALL of my work for a place called LondonBrokers.net .  I promise you.  I'll probably never do that again.  They were paying something likey $6.86 for a 500 word article plus 2 re-writes.  1500 words, 2 hours...for less than seven bucks.  Frig' that...and frig' them.

So, did I work my way through the web writing ranks and now make a lot of money?  Not exactly.  Though, I make a little more than a penny or two per word now. 

I joined Break Studios about 1 year ago and started writing some article or blog posts for Made Manual and Break which are their highly trafficked sites.  I started out like everyone else.  One article of 250-700 words made $8 and at the time it was a landfall.

I guess someone there liked me because they chose me for a program where the articles make $12 and have a lot better topics and titles to write. 

And you know what?  I haven't written much for them since. 

Why?  I don't know.  I guess that was one of the reasons I decided to start my own blogs and do my own web writing for my own domains.  My money is my money.  My effort is my effort and it was a validation that I could do this; at least a little bit.   It is at times like those that I constantly think about the 2004 Red Sox World Series win and their motto in the playoffs:

"Why Not US?" so...

WHY NOT ME?

And you know what?  WHY NOT YOU?

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You're A Web Writer? I Didn't Know That...

                                 Image via WikipediaAre you a web writer that makes most of their money grappling for jobs from up-front paying sites like Textbroker?  How would you like to have people seeking you out, at prices that you name, rather than lunging at jobs while they're available at prices that some no-face editor designated as your "skill level"?

The best way to do this is with your own personal website with a blog to go with it.  But what do you want to place on that site?

Here are a bunch of ways to make sure that your professional web writing site is optimized for earning money and gaining the attention of possible paying clients!

Web Writing For The Human Eye!

                                  Image via Wikipedia
About a week ago I wrote an article about how to optimize your web writing for the reader and not yourself. Realizing that you are writing for the pure experience of a stranger can be overwhelming and intimidating.

What do you write?

How do you write it?

Should you have voice?

Should it be a technical "how to"?

Okay, those are all important questions. But what if you knew exactly where the human eye falls when it reads web text? That would make it easier, right? Why? Well you would know where exactly a reader is more likely to look first and if you know the market and audience you're writing for then you have a chance to lock in their attention (steal it!) right away. Then….BANG!

So What Do We Know About Web Writing Already?

 

1. Readers arrive looking for information or entertainment.

2. 95% of the time they'll never read an article from beginning to end.

3. They scan the web writing for the information or words they're looking for.

To accomplish the "theft of attention" you do the following:

1. Make sure that you have a catch phrase with your key word up-front. Maybe you ask a question.

2. As web writers we don' do "fluff" so in an attempt to ensure all information is pertinent and attention getting we never write anything for the web that the article doesn't need. We get to the point and use engaging text.

3. We use bold words, bold subheadings, and the correct keywords throughout (but not stuffed) into the text so that the reader can easily find the information and stay engaged.

Below is a "heat map" from the Yahoo! Style Guide and the text that precedes it:

"When people do decide to read a page, their eyes sweep horizontally from left to right, often focusing on a roughly triangular area in the upper-left corner of a webpage, or the upper-left corner of the webpage’s main block of content. But this pattern varies depending on a page’s layout and purpose. For example, a person’s eyes will move differently over a photo-heavy slideshow, a text-heavy blog, or a page with a two- or three-column layout."

As you can see when the person first lands on the page they are concentrating on the upper-left hand corner of the main content on that page.  This is the reason why so many people (and rightly so) do two important things with that area:  They put the keyword in the title and first sentence of their web writing and they put in an advertisement around it. 

Notice this page's upper-left hand corner.  There's a large area for both subscription and a Google Adsense unit...a big one!   Just to the right is my title (keyword included) then my main text (first sentence keyword included).  I then go through my text and I use bold subheadings and other bold words that I think the reader may find interest in.

Web writing for money is a tricky thing.  I always try to offer quality articles, posts, and text throughout the page.  (I particularly like the "word of the week")  BUT...if a person does not find what he or she wants on this page then they can always click out by way of an advert or a link to one of my other posts. 

What are some of your best practices that you could share with us? I'd like to know!  Don't forget to subscribe!  
 

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Are You Writing For The Web Or Your Ego?

Cover of Writing Skills (Essential Managers)Many web writers make the mistake of thinking people are on the page because of their fine writing skills.  They're not.  People come to web pages to find the answer to a problem or be entertained.  If you're writing your web content with those two things in mind then you're probably writing for yourself rather than the reader.

Try employing these 3 simple steps in your web writing and you may find that people are coming back to your Web Writing and reading more of your pages.

• Avoid Large Chunks Of Text

Whatever it is you have to do to split up that text then do it.  Bullet points, numbered lists, subheadings...whatever.  Just break it up and make it easier to scan.  Remember we talked about that?  People read web writing differently than print.  They scan.  So make it easier for them!

• Front Load Paragraphs

Again, we're making it easier for the reader.  They came looking for an answer and when they find it in the first few sentences then they're happy.  Satisfied.  They know they've come to the right place and they'll continue on.  This is where they may shift from scanning to reading.  However, once they hit an area without substance they start scanning again. So, BANGO!  You hit e'm with another separation...

• Links, Links, Links

Links make the content interactive.  If you mention a keyword in your text that may answer another of your readers questions (providing it's relevant) then link for them.  They get "click" and web readers love to click.

These were just a quick into some of Web Writing's Best Practices but they were one my mind so I figured I'd get them off my chest! 

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Writing Web Content? Listen To Google!

Image by djwudi via Flickr

If you're a web writer online you're always going to be trying to figure out how to do it and get the traffic and the conversion.  In most cases, you're ability to earn money online by writing web content will rely greatly (around 95%) on people being drawn to your sites and clicking on ads and buying from advertisers or buying your products.  Either way you're going to need great content.

Good Web Writing Produces Content That:

• Hits Search Engines Quickly and Powerfully In The Rankings 
• Traps A Readers Attention Once They're On the Page 
• Has A Definitive Call To Action 
• Draws People Back To Your Content And Pages Via Subscriptions and RSS

The Hand That Feeds The Traffic Monster

So if you're trying to write the kind of good content that gets people to your site why wouldn't you listen to the mother of all search engines…The Big G, The Goog's…Los Google.

Google actually provides and in-depth, 32 page, Search Engine Optimization Guide.   The Google Guide Deals with these focus points to help you enhance your web writing and web pages for search engine visibility:

SEO Basics Improving Site Structure

Optimizing Content 

Dealing With Crawlers

SEO for Mobile

Promotion and Analysis

Are you saying, "What the - -!  I didn't know that Google does all that for me.  Now I can make my stuff ready to be crawled and indexed for the maximum money making opportunity for my web writing?"

I thought you might be!  See? Aren't you glad you stopped by? If you're interested in other tips on blogging, web writing, SEO and just plain fun then visit me at BloggingDudes.com, an online resource for Blogging Dads!

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The Best Money Making Web Writing Is Blogging...Eventually.



world wide web writer

The best way for you to make money web writing is to own and operate your own blog.  With a self-hosted blog that has quality content and advertisement on it you stand to make a good sum of money, especially if your blog has a lot of traffic. 

Unfortunately, many web content writers don't believe that.  They see the immediate gratification that they get from up-front paying sites and jump all over it.  Also, many talented web content writers will write highly successful articles and posts for sites like Hubpages, Squidoo and Associated Content only to have to share the money that it makes.

Making Money Writing Articles For The Web: Take It Slow

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Making money writing articles online can be pretty easy for anyone. If you are a good writer, fast typist and great reader, then you can learn everything you need to know right from the Internet without any previous formal training needed. This is probably the best fact about niche website Internet marketing.

Web Writing For Money: Do Your Homework

Image via WikipediaWeb writing isn't just a hobby.  I can't stand it when I see that written somewhere on the web.  You should have pride in everything you do.  I sometimes have to pull my emotions in, keep them in check when I see things on blogs.


"Sometimes you have to blogs to keeps the contents freshly on your site."  I read that today somewhere and, yeah, it pissed me off.  I run another blog for work at home dads over bloggingdudes.com and I know I make grammatical errors in there.  I might make some here, right now.  The difference is this:  I make web writing mistakes because I have ADD.  I'm impatient.  When I see blogs that should obviously be written in another language then I get aggravatded.

So, what is the point of this post?  Why am I writing on web writing and venting about web writing?  Because.  Because, I want you to take pride in the writing that you do.  When you write a piece for $2.00 or $32.00 I want you to take pride in what you're doing.  That little piece of text could possibly be seen and read by millions of people.  Whether those people see it right away or over a period of time, a lot of people are going to see your writing (maybe not a million, but a lot).  You owe it to everyone else who writes for the web to do your best at all times.

Is there any particular post that you all want to see?  Anything you want to know?   Lemme' know...  See you on the flip side!

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Web Writing Best Practices

Image by hongxing128 via Flickr

Web writing is just like any other type of thing that you'll get into in hopes of making money.  There are professionals and there are the new guys and gals, or "newbies".  The good news is that whether you're a seasoned veteran or just starting out now, reading this post, and trying to learn the in's and out's of writing for money online, then you can STILL MAKE MONEY.

Here are 5 Tips of Web Writing

1.    1.   Learn SEO:  You're bound to hear "SEO" In your journey down the web writing path.  And, yes, it's as important as everyone says.  SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is what is done to your writing, by you, which makes it easily (or easier) found on the internet when someone searches for it.  If you're new to this sort of thing then do some research on keywords, meta tags, meta titles, sub-headings and html designation (h1, h2, h3, etc. tags).  And you can contact me at muisings@yahoo.com  I'll send you a FREE keyword guide!

2.  2..      Expect To Start Small:  Unless you're a professional writer already, with lots of web writing experience then you should expect to start at a lower-rate than seasoned professionals.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again-here and now-don't work for less than .001 (a penny) per word.  Starting out?  Check out textbroker  or ecopywriters.com for some decent rates. 

3.    3.  Join the Multitudes: Web writing is a business and just like any other, there are slow and busy times.  Join as many sites that you can get accepted to that don't expect you to hit a certain word or article limit per week.  And don't forget the residual sites like Hubpages and Squidoo!  When times are slow at up-front paying sites you can always write an article for them and earn from ads!

4.      4.  Don't Put Forth Anything But Your Best!  When I first started writing for Break Studios I was making $8 per article of 250-700 words.  Well, they liked me and I now make $12 per article.  Just do your best at all times and sooner or later you'll get a small break somewhere along the line.

5.     5.  Start A Business Blog:  Create a business blog that advertises your writing services. Explain what you can do, where you've worked, provide writing samples and ways to contact you.  You never know who will stumble on it and decide they need services.  Here's a sample of my Blogger writing page for content services.  Muisings  It's important that you only advertise your services on your business site.  One, it looks unprofessional and, two, you could see contextual advertisement for you competitors on your business blog…bad, bad!

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