Freelance Writing Jobs on the Web
If you’ve decided that working as a freelance writer is the best work at home job opportunity for you, then you’ll need to figure a few different ways to find and land those writing assignments.
Fortunately, when you search for freelance jobs as a writer online there will be no shortage to choose from. It all depends on where you look, how much research you are willing to do, and specifying and obtaining your rates.
Before you begin your search for work, first decide whether or not you want to get credit for your writing vs. ghost writing. If you insist on a byline, the paying job market decreases. Byline writing assignments are out there, but as long as making money is your foremost goal you’ll find the most money to be made is from freelancing as a ghostwriter.
Many freelancers find success with ghostwriting. When you take on these projects you provide writing services for clients who will then use the work as their own. Ghostwriting is a lucrative opportunity, moreso should you focus on writing for the web.
Why is there such a large call for web ghostwriters and why does it pay so well? For the most part, the Internet is a text and image based platform. Companies and individuals who run websites are consistently in need of text to make their websites attractive to visitors and keep the search engines interested in indexing their website. Since writing is something that a lot of people would rather not do, this leaves plenty of opportunities for a freelancer like you.
What You Need to Get Started
Freelance writing for the web has a few differences from writing essays in school or writing for print magazines. Readers online have short attention spans, and you’ll need to keep your sentences short and your paragraphs clear.
Web writing freelancers need only an Internet connection, an e-mail address and a word processing program (some jobs don’t even require the software) to get started. Your own website is not necessary, but it adds a touch of professionalism to your freelance writing business. However, when you are first starting out you can get plenty of work without having your own website with samples of your work and accredited resources.
Here’s something else you need to know; there are several different categories of freelance ghost writing for the internet. When you see the term “content writing” you will normally be providing text for an existing or new website. Your writing will have to be engaging and clear for website visitors.
Another term is “article writing” - where you would be providing articles for websites, newsletters and blogs. Generally, articles for the web are between 400 and 800 words each. Any more than that is difficult for readers to sit through while looking at a computer screen.
Another term to become familiar with in writing for the web is “keywords”. Keywords are words that have been selected by your client to be used in the article. These words have been selected because they are Internet search terms and your client wants their website to show up for those search terms. Writing keyword rich articles will require you to use the word or phrase a certain number of times in the article. Sometimes it can be difficult to use the words without making it sound forced. Experienced web writers have developed ways to make the keywords flow naturally into their articles.
Copywriters are another term for content creators with a specialized skill. These freelancers are challenged with the task of putting readers in the mood to buy. They write copy for Internet sales letters and marketing sites.
And finally we have “ebook authors”. These ghostwriters provide clients with 20+ page books on just about any topic you can imagine or research.
Getting That First Freelance Gig
Freelancers who write need to be professional in their online presence. This means spell-checking all writing, including emails to clients. It is also a good idea to obtain an email address that is specifically used for your freelance writing. A personal email address with a goofy handle will make you appear unprofessional. Your first and last name or a combination thereof is a good choice for your web writing email address.
Once you’ve landed a few writing assignments you can decide what type of web writing suits you best and focus on that as your forte. You can find work available right now at the links below:
Freelance writing jobs - piles of new listings every day - brocures, ebooks, copywriters and more.
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