As a freelance writer, you have the ability to pick and choose which niches of the industry you want to focus your efforts on. For some people, this means writing articles for print publications, and for others ghostwriting novels may be a great path to follow. One of the most popular avenues for freelance writers today is writing web content. The internet is in constant need of fresh, new content for people around the world to read. Some of this content is designed to sell products or services, other content is designed to inform or educate, and still other content serves to promote higher rankings on search engines. Then there is content that serves to accomplish all three of these tasks at the same time.
Certainly there is an incredible demand for web content writers, and you may be wondering if this is the right path for you. Here are some things to keep in mind:
The Pay. Compensation for writing web content truly can vary significantly. The fact is that some content is never really intended to be read by people but instead is designed to be skimmed and scanned by search engines for rankings. These assignments are pretty low paying, but they often don’t require research, editing, or even much skill or time. The highest paying assignments are those that require the most skill. They may require SEO skills as well as the ability to encourage sales or drive profits in some way. If you have the sales writing experience and SEO skills, you may find that writing web content is very much worth your time and energy.
The Skills. The skills required to write web content really vary quite a bit. In some circles writing web content has gotten a bad name because some projects are designed for less skilled writers who will happily work for less compensation. However, there are plenty of web content jobs out there for more skilled and talented writers, too, and clients offering these jobs generally will happily pay for the skills of a talented writer. You should be aware, however, that clients offering these higher paying assignments will most often analyze the results they get for your work in terms of increased site traffic, increased conversion rates, and more. These are jobs that you will have to prove yourself at if you want to enjoy repeat work.
The Topics. The good news is that you can generally find web content jobs on just about every topic imaginable, and this makes these jobs great for those of all interests and backgrounds. You can find projects writing about hotels and travel destinations, athletic gear, school textbooks, herbal supplements, and just about everything else under the sun. To be the most successful in this line of work, you will want to find projects on topics that you have some interest and background in. This will cut down on the amount of time you spend researching, which will enable to work more efficiently.
Web content projects are definitely widely available today, and they are a great way for so many different freelance writers to earn a living. Yet they aren’t suitable for everyone. Consider the factors listed here and take time to review some of the projects available to see if there are projects available that may be of interest to you and that may be suitable for your talents.
