The assertion that blogging is one of the “easy” ways to make money via freelancing has to be predicated, first and foremost, on an ability to actually write. Blogging requires a writing skill well below accomplished journalism, but way above texting, Tweeting and casual e-mailing. If you had to rank the skill set needed, it would probably fall just below short article writing for magazines and trade publications.
In fact, you could probably call blogging “the writing for the rest of us.” Nevertheless, there is money to be made in online content writing. If you are prolific, articulate and have something to say that someone is interested in reading in, say, 500 words or less, you can earn both residual and upfront money in placing and selling your pieces as either personal or commercial web content.
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First, the not-so-lucrative blogging market
You can get free blog space on the web from a number of hosting sites. Just Google “free blog space on the web.” That’s the “easy” part. The hard part is actually making money at it. The principal advantage of your own blog spot is that you can build a portfolio to display as samples to those who would be willing to hire you to write.
Then there are sites like Helium.com and Full-of-Knowledge who will gladly let you dump your knowledge-based pieces, let you retain the rights to most of what you post while your work earns pennies based on readers’ “hits.” You can also look around on the web and find many more customers in this category, but don’t count on making much as a freelancer in this area.
Somewhat at the lower end of blog money generators, Helium.com requires writers to amass a rather large portfolio. Very active contributors typically earn less than $75 per month. Full-of-Knowledge (FoK.com) pays more per hit, but has less of a prominent web presence.
Where you can actually make pretty good money
With a little effort, research and marketing, you can develop your own freelancing customer base through various marketing techniques ranging from online research to personal solicitation. Google the term “freelance bloggers wanted” and you might land a customer who is willing to pay you to write web content. The latter method can be very competitive and the writing assignments tend to be somewhat specialized.
Then there are the blogging services
Somewhat pejoratively referred to as “content mills,” there are a number of writing services looking for bloggers. The pay is not great, but the writing can be very generic and quickly posted. One Boulder, Colorado, based service, BlogMutt.com, currently employs hundreds of freelance bloggers, does all the marketing and customer development and pays $8 per 250-500 word piece. Not a fortune, but active BlogMutt writers can earn upwards of $300-$400 per month blogging for a wide variety of customers.
SEO is key
No matter where and how you publish as a freelancer, you’ll need to bone up on the fine art of SEO (search engine optimization). Nowadays, SEO has gone far beyond just using clever keyword combinations. Your web content writing must be fresh, relevant and be capable of attracting the search engines that result in readers and customers for the site.
Devin Finley is a freelance writer and tax relief expert. Devin writes on a multitude of financial and legal topics. He enjoys collaborating and strategizing with other professionals to ensure tax & debt clients receive competent and beneficial representation. For more information Visit http://optimataxrelief.com/