Writing Online for Fun and Profit
Using Keywords to Create Search Engine Optimized (SEO) Content
Oct 19, 2009
Residual income from online writing is not going to make a writer wealthy overnight, but overtime, the earnings will add up, providing a nice nest egg. There are several strategies to build residual income through online writing, three of which are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Getting paid for creating online content can happen through an online bank account like PayPal, or in the form of gift cards, or even checks written directly to the writer. Each website has its own way of doing things, so it is important to not only know what the writing guidelines are, but to research the payment criteria and methods as well.
Find an Online Writing Site
There are possibly hundreds of online writing sites to look into. Among them are Suite 101, eHow, Infobarrel, Examiner.com, Squidoo, HubPages, Demand Studios, About, Associated Content, and Bukisa.
Some sites will require a writing sample, some will review the first 10 or so submissions prior to letting them go live, and others have much more relaxed rules. It pays to review the writing guidelines for each site before applying to be writer or joining the site.
Hone Research and Writing Skills
Good writing skills will go a long way in establishing credibility for a writer, both online and in traditional print media. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation is necessary to build up a loyal readership. If the writing is full of typos, misspellings, missing words, or improper grammar the reader will soon move on and not be willing to read anything more by that writer.
Online content can be developed on just about any topic, whether or not the writer is an expert at it. Research topics of interest, learn about them, then write about them. Share the knowledge learned through diligent research and be sure to cite sources so the reader knows where the information comes from.
Keywords for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The key to being paid for online content is getting that content read. To drive readers to the article, keywords are essential. Keywords are words that used when someone is looking for information. Keywords need to be high in the article content so search engines can find them easily.
The better the keywords are, the more 'hits' the article will get from search engines like Google. The more hits, the more views, and the more views, the higher the earning potential of that article. David Sarokin, a writer on eHow, has written an excellent article on how to use keywords to make the best use of Google search engines.
Getting Paid to Write Online
Many of the online writing sites pay once the balance in the writer's account reaches a certain amount. For example, at eHow, the writer will get a payment once he or she earns $10. The payment comes to the writer's PayPal account within 30 days after the end of the month where the earnings reach the $10 limit.
Suite 101 pays in a similar fashion. At Examiner.com, the writer has to wait until earnings reach $25 before getting a PayPal payment. Another site that pays at $25 is RedGage, but they pay in the form of a VISA gift card that can be re-loaded every time the member reaches the $25 threshold.
Sites like HubPages and Infobarrel require the writer to set up a Google Adsense account and the revenue from the article goes into that account. Google Adsense pays out when the earnings reach $100.
The Bottom Line
Writing online can be very lucrative, if the writer takes the time to carefully research the content to make sure it is accurate, informative, and interesting. Writing one article is not going to be very profitable, no matter how good it is, however. Write many articles for multiple websites, creating multiple streams of income that will add up.
Make sure the writing is strong, grammatically correct, and has appropriate keywords. Most online content comes in the form of short, 400-500 word articles in a variety of formats depending on the website, so it is possible to write multiple articles for multiple websites each week.
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