How to Make Money Online Writing Freelance Articles

There are a variety of ways to make money online writing freelance articles. A sampling of the plethora of online writing gigs includes; technical, business and medical writing, proofreading, ghostwriting, travel writing and creating content for online courses. With dedication, attention to detail and some time, you can easily earn $100 a week writing online articles. If you've always wanted to make money freelance writing, but didn't know where or how to start, read on to learn the basics of setting up your own freelance writing business.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Obtain an EIN number to protect your social security number and identity. Clients will need an EIN in order to pay you for your work and to prepare a 1099 form for the IRS. You need it for tax purposes. It's free and takes about five minutes online (see Resources for a link).

2. Register for a Paypal account and verify your bank account. Many online clients use Paypal so you won't be able to collect your earnings without an account.

3. 

   Write two or three sample articles. Online writing gigs usually require samples, so having these ready will save you time. Samples should be 500 to 600 words long, be well written and in the third person. They can be on any topic, but, if you aren't sure what to write, try a health or business topic.

4. 

   Hone your craft. Take an online writing course or ask someone to critique your samples.

5. Research freelance writing opportunities on a continual basis. The market is fluid with old opportunities fading as new ones become available. To keep your finger on the pulse of the freelance community, hang out on message boards and read blogs by freelance writers.

6. Learn about the different types of online revenue; ad revenue sharing versus up-front payment.

7. Educate yourself about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is the key to your success. It may seem a bit technical at first, but persevere because good SEO skills are your moneymaker.

8. Avoid keyword stuffing, click fraud, and 'stop words' that will cause advertisers to avoid your content. If you don't know what these are, learn. There's a great blog in the Resources that will help.

9. Locate stock image resources that will allow you to use photos for free. A digital camera so you can take your own helps too. Photos help drive traffic and, for some web content employers, they are required. Morguefile is a popular image source on-line.

10. Know how to avoid plagiarism. It is assumed that you will not willingly plagiarize someone's work, however it is possible to inadvertently plagiarize. Either way, the consequences are dire so prevention is the best medicine. Article Checker is a free plagiarism search tool, while Copyscape charges a modest fee.

11. 

    Create an income diversification plan. A mix of ad revenue sharing articles on several sites and payment up-front articles from multiple clients will insure you always have money coming in. However, don't try to do too much at once. Start slow, but map out how you will diversify your freelance writing income.

12. Be patient. Establishing a freelance writing career takes some time, months even. However, if you have good writing skills to begin with and do your research, you can make $100 and up per week very quickly.

13. Write about topics that make you money. While you can and should write about things that interest you, stretch your skills to include topics that are in demand. Making money with freelance writing is not about being in the mood or doing what you like, it's about being productive and following the money.

Tips & Warnings

• Ad revenue sharing writing requires volume in order to produce profits. Plan to write 100+ articles in order to garner a decent profit. However, the better your SEO skills, the sooner you'll see money.
• Everything you need to know about making money freelance writing can be found online for free so long as you invest the time to do the research. It is not necessary to buy a book.
• At the start-up phase, plan to work very hard and for long hours until you've gone through the learning curve.
• There are scam artists out there. Be wary of clients who demand personal information and writing samples on their topic without a contract or guarantee of payment.

Resources

• Apply For An EIN Online
• Freelance Home Writer Blog
• Morguefile
• Copyscape

[stichbug]

on 11/9/2009 Great article

[babyhype]

on 10/2/2009 Thanks for the tip on the EIN. Safety is key.

[suzyhomeeconomy]

on 9/28/2009 Thanks for a very useful article. Great tips!

[vallain]

on 5/9/2009 Very useful advice on starting freelance writing online.

[izzytellsall]

on 5/1/2009 Great advice on making money with freelance articles! Thanks for sharing them.