Can You Still Write Articles For The Web?

New writers want to start off writing simple material. For many years, that’s meant writing Web articles. I had a couple of questions this week: can you still make money writing these articles?

These days businesses need web content for their websites. They also need content to draw traffic. One of the most popular ways to do this is by using content to market their site. “Content marketing” has become hugely popular, because it’s cost-effective. An online article can stay online and attract traffic for years. Advertising on the other hand, stops drawing traffic when the advertising stops. Moreover, online advertising has become expensive.

Yes, you can. The article will get you started. If you want to make a career of Web writing, SYWON (Sell Your Writing Online Now) helps you to do that.

SEO and Writing: This Week’s Theme

Sell your Web content creation services to clients.

This week on the Fab Freelance Writing Blog, our theme is writing, and search engine optimization (SEO.)

We kicked off with an article on selling your services to clients:

If your clients have websites, they’ve been affected by the ongoing Google updates. This provides a HUGE opportunity for you, the competent freelance writer.

Your clients need you, and they need you to be up to speed on search engine optimization (SEO.) Although you don’t need to be an SEO wizard (that would be impossible, because SEO requires advanced Web engineering skills at the highest levels), it’s essential that you understand how today’s increasingly complex content and search landscape affects writing for the Web.

In this article, we’ll look at five easily-understandable points you can make to your clients to sell them on your SEO-enhanced content creation services. It’s an easy sell.

Watch for more on Web writing and SEO on the blog, and in our weekly writing tips ezine.

Flipboard, Springpad, Evernote, and more

On the Creativity Factory, I wrote about:

* Using Evernote’s shared notebooks if you hate paperwork (but love your business);

* Flipboard – an iPad news app  which lets you create magazines, and share them with others. I’m creating one for this blog, and I’ll post the link soon;

* Springpad: a cross between Evernote and Pinterest. Springpad’s created a fascinating way of sharing notebooks with others: embedding them into websites.

 

… and writers, learn to design…

Brilliant article on AListApart, Designers, Learn to Write!

My advice, if you’re a writer, learn design. Unless you’re writing for a major company which has its own designers, you can’t write adequately for the Web unless you know HOW a site is put together.

The easiest way to discover the hows and whys is to learn to do it yourself. Yes, it takes time, and yes, you shouldn’t have to, your brilliant words are enough, but — learn anyway. You may just find that when you learn how it’s all put together, you can write more effectively.

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