Ramblings of a Freelance Writer WAHM

Breaking News...

2009-02-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today I offer you the following breaking news:

1. I've suffered my second freak accident in as many weeks. The first involved a large grapefruit, pith, and my right thumbnail. Ouch. Then today the sharp vegetarian knife that my husband brought home from work became a carnivore by taking a nice slice at my other thumb. (OK, the knife isn't vegetarian. But the restaurant from whence it came is.)

2. Daughter #3 (numbers are easier to remember than names...) informed me today that her "tail is not bushy until 9:00." A consequence of a few too many viewings of the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie while mom bangs away at the keyboard, but I digress.

3. Finally, in real news, I plan to review WriterGig's updated ebook over the weekend. Look for a comprehensive post on Monday. The book was already good, but it's gotten even better. It now includes even more valuable information and doable strategies for maximizing income on eHow. I've been itching to review it, but have just been swamped with other writing projects. I'm seeing a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel and plan to give the updated ebook the attention it deserves.

Shopping Spree!

2009-02-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm giddy with excitement after this morning's shopping spree. What kind of shopping spree, you ask? Why, a domain name shopping spree, of course!

I've mentioned in a few posts that I'm getting my feet wet with my very first niche website. The site is hosted through SBI. While I can't say enough about SBI for newbies (a group of which I am still very much a part), my strategy is to maintain one SBI site and use all the great tools and techniques found there to build future sites as cheaply as possible.

A recent blog post by friend and eHow guru WriterGig describes her similar adventures – great minds think alike, it would appear. (I stand in her shadow…) If WriterGig's doing this too, then I must be on to something!

The strategy I've chosen is to buy domains at godaddy.com – if you buy 6 or more, they're $8.99 each per year. I have a hosting account at hostgator.com, which costs me $9.95 per month for unlimited domains. I could get hosting even cheaper if I paid for a full year at a time.

Along with domain registration at godaddy.com and hosting at hostgator.com, I'll be using wordpress (free!) to build my static sites. My friends at the wahm.com forum tell me this not only possible, but quite easy once you get the hang of it.

I'm discovering that creating the content is actually the easiest part of earning money writing on the web. The real challenge is the fairly steep learning curve in setting up a website, and targeting high value keywords. This is why I think SBI is so worth it for newbies – it provides a systematic education in building niche websites for profit.

At $299 per year, it is a bit of an investment. But, when you figure that's $25 per month for a great quality education that's even used in colleges in universities, the price doesn't seem unreasonable at all.

Photo by Kathryn McCallum

Choosing Profitable eHow Keywords

2009-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

Based in large part on the top-notch SEO and web content education I'm getting from my subscription to SBI!, I've had good success recently in choosing profitable keyword combinations for my eHow articles. Here's the method I use to generate ideas for eHow keywords:

The basic formula is to choose in-demand keywords with relatively low supply. You'll also want to factor in Google AdSense CPC, or "cost per click" data. If traffic is only so-so for a certain keyword, but the cost per click is high, an article based around that keyword may still be profitable. Make sure to choose unique titles for your eHow articles, since Google will only index a couple of articles with the same or very similar titles. There's always a way to choose a unique title! Even if another eHow user has already written a similar article on the same topic, you can find novel keyword combinations and present the information with your own unique "voice."

I use Wordtracker and the Google AdWords Keyword Tool for my eHow keyword research. Wordtracker gives me a preliminary idea of demand for a given topic and a storm of related keywords that contain my original serach term. Then I use the Google Adwords tool to get detailed traffic and cost per click info.

While you do want good demand for your topics (i.e., enough people searching for your target keyword), if you pick a keyword that's too general, you won't be able to direct targeted traffic to your eHow articles through search engines (though you can, of course, drive traffic in other ways).

I'll use my eHow article "How to Conceive a Girl" for the first example. This has been my highest earning article so far, and it was written before I knew anything about SEO or keyword research. By a pure stroke of luck, I ended up with a profitable combination of good keyword demand, moderate supply, high advertiser competition, and good cost-per-click keywords. I'll briefly define each of these terms before presenting some specific examples.

Demand is the number of people searching a given keyword phrase. You should aim to use keywords with an average search volume of at least 1,900 per month in the Google AdSense Keyword Tool. Higher is better. Be sure to look at average search volume, and not actual volume for the previous month, unless you are targeting a seasonal topic.

Supply is the number of competing web pages that contain the exact keyword phrase you are targeting. For supply, aim for 80,000 or less. To determine supply, you'll need to do a Google search of your term, in quotes. "How to Conceive a Girl," based around the keyword phrase "Conceive a Girl" is my most profitable article to date. This search term has a supply result of 79,700. Don't get stuck on the numbers - if the supply is borderline high, your article still could be profitable.

Advertiser competition tells you how many advertisers are vying for ad spots for a given keyword. With Google AdSense, ads are displayed on the page automatically based on the keywords in a web content article. The more advertisers competing for given keyword, the better your chances of many high quality, targeted ads appearing on your article's page.

Finally, CPC tells you how much an advertiser pays when users click on their ads. Google AdSense ads based on the term "Conceive a Girl" cost advertisers about 1.79 per click. Remember though that Google and eHow receive the lion's share of this amount (which is a good reason to consider starting your own niche website...I'll talk more about this in a later post). You'll receive your portion of the ad revenue under eHow's mystical algorithm for its WCP (Writer Ccompensation Program).

See how the following screenshot of a search for the keyword phrase "conceive a girl" matches up with these factors:

Here are my eHow earnings for this article, from April 2008 to the present. This article earns about $8 per month on average.

I'm experimenting with how these factors come in to play with my most recent articles. Here is demand, supply, advertiser competition, and CPC information for each of the following articles:

1. How to Choose Eczema Clothing for Children

Keyword phrase: eczema clothing

Demand - 590
Supply - 4,310
Advertiser Competition - Average
Cost per click - $1.66

2. How to Use Natural Eczema Treatments

Keyword phrase: eczema treatments

Demand - 5,400
Supply - 47,400
Advertiser Competition - High
Cost per click - $1.82

3. How to Send a Free Internet Fax

Keyword phrase: free Internet fax

Demand - 9,900
Supply - 68,300
Advertiser Competition - High
Cost per click - $5.20

Notice that I've broken my own rules by chosing some terms with a farily small demand. But, they also have very low supply. I hope to find out in the coming months and weeks whether these types of small-niche articles have decent earning potential.

My 'free Internet fax' article appears to have the highest earnings potential of these three examples. It falls squarely within the rules and has an amazingly high CPC of $5.20.

The thing to remember is that you should understand these concepts and think critically to estimate how demand, supply, advertiser competition, and CPC will interact to make your eHow articles as profitable as possible. Don't get number bound - it's not an exact science. Experiment with your articles, and see which niche topics and keyword tool parameters yield the best results.

Look for an update down the road as earnings for these articles start rolling in.

Photo credit: sxc.hu/v_hujer

Content Writing vs. Blogging

2008-12-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

Even though the holidays had a lot to do with my blogging hiatus, I've also been, well...procrastinating.

I've discovered that my typical formal, distanced writing style that I first thought was a detriment, is actually an asset for SEO copywriting. I've been spending several hours a day ghostwriting content for upfront pay as well as writing for myself on ad revenue sharing sites. In just a month, my SEO writing has dramatically improved, and I find that I can crank out decently written articles quickly.

But, I'm also finding that copywriting is making it difficult for me to blog. I have tendency to write in 'article' mode, when 'blogger' mode is an entirely different thing. I've got all these ideas swirling around about blog post topics - keyword research, getting word count up, article rewrites, effective topic research - but every time I sit down to pen an entry it comes out like an SEO article, which is not the goal of a blog. In content writing, the content producer should be invisible. But blogging is a conversation.

So, I finally bit the bullet and decided to just post. After all, I'm a big believer that the way to learn to do something is by, well, doing it.

Just for kicks, here's how this post would read written in 'article' mode.

After a brief blogging hiatus due to the holidays, many bloggers are now back in action. Though the holidays are part of the reason some bloggers have taken a break, for many others, procrastination has also played a role.

Many bloggers who are also SEO content writers have discovered that a formal writing style is an asset for completing copywriting projects. Spending several hours a day writing SEO articles – whether ghostwritten for a client, or written for oneself on ad revenue sharing sites – dramatically improves SEO writing. Daily SEO writing leads to the ability to write good SEO articles quickly.

However, when one spends several hours daily writing SEO articles, blogging can become a difficult task. It’s hard to switch from a formal, impersonal style of writing to a more personal, and interactive form of writing. Even with many ideas for quality blog posts - like keyword research, increasing word count, article rewrites, and effective topic research - it can be difficult to write a blog entry that doesn’t sound like an SEO article. This defeats the purpose of a blog. In content writing, the content producer should be invisible, while the goal of blogging is to start a conversation with blog readers.

Photo credit: sxc.hu/danzo08

Textbroker: Is It Worth Your Time?

2008-12-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

I've seen a number of recent posts on blogs and message boards decrying Textbroker as a cheap source of work only suitable for inexperienced writers. While I may be one of those insipid newbie writers, my experience is that Textbroker actually pays better than many other article-writing services. While the per-word pay is low, especially if your skill rating is a level 3 or lower, the titles on Textbroker require a minimum of research, making them quick and easy to write. I find that I can crank out 430-490 word articles in 20 minutes or less in many cases.

Case in point: before penning this blog entry, I wrote an article on Mortgage Modification that earned me $6.86. It took me 19 minutes to write the article. After doing the requisite math calculation, this works out to $21.66 per hour. Not bad.

So what's the secret to my success? The trick is to do the research once and then write a variety of similar articles on the same topic. Note that I am not talking about 'spinning' articles. I am talking about claiming a variety of similar article titles, and writing each one with a slightly different focus. After having read about and written 3 or 4 articles on mortgage modification in the past few days, it was a simple task to write a new article on the topic with a slightly different focus.

In my experience, Textbroker is fast and easy to work with. If you're a halfway decent writer, acceptance into the writer pool is quick, and you can get to work right away. While articles about mortgage modification and car loans might not be particularly tittilating, they provide an excellent way to earn a quick buck and a great supplement to other writing gigs.

Is It Really Possible to Earn Money Writing Online?

2008-12-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

With just a couple of weeks of very part-time freelance SEO writing under my belt, I've earned about $200. Depending on my familiarity with a topic, and how fluidly I write at a given moment, I estimate that I earn anywhere from $10 to $20 per hour through contract writing. There seems to be no shortage of jobs; each time I log in to write new titles, there is plentiful work to be had (just not plentiful time for me to write them all).

I realize I am not an eHow powerhouse like some longstanding writers on the site, but I have seen my monthy eHow residuals improve drastically since I've started paying more attention to keyword research. As I continue to do freelance SEO writing, I'm also getting better at effectively using SEO principles in my eHow articles. For comparison, in October I earned about $10, in November about $14, and so far in December, more than $8 already. I'm on track to earn a minimum of $25 this month and expect my earnings to steadily increase as I ad quality content, and take some time to network and promote my articles.

Using a combination of contract writing for others and writing for myself at revenue-sharing sites is helping me earn extra income in the short term and create passive residual income streams in the long term. I would not have believed just a few weeks ago that I could have extra Christmas cash in hand by doing something I heartily enjoy - writing. With no prior freelance experience and just the basics of SEO writing knowledge, I've already started creating a nest egg that will serve me well in the future. Just imagine what could be accomplished with a little time, knowledge, promotion and name recognition.

I know a lot of folks seem to think that online writing is some sort of bogus get-rich-quick scheme, because if it were so easy, wouldn't everyone be raking in big bucks from internet writing? The fact is, earning money through online writing is simple, not easy. It is a rare person who has the technical and marketing savvy, writing skills, and sheer determination to draw from the wealth of free resources to extract the "how-to" of online writing success. Simple to do, yes. Easy, no.

Why should anyone pay attention to me if I'm just getting started? Consider me an experiment in freelance-writing-from-the-ground-up. As I share my small successes toward earning a full-time income through freelance writing, my hope is that you'll journey along with me. The experiences of knowledgable, successful work-at-home moms has me convinced that success is possible if I'm willing to put my mind - and pen - to the task.

2008-12-09T14:39:00.001-08:00

Two mommy posts in a row is a bit much, I know but...

My four year old comes out of the bedroom after having been instructed to get socks and shoes on - we're about to leave.

She walks out in a skirt...

With no tights...

Sandals in hand...

and says...

"Mommy, I want to freeze my legs off, OK?"

Apparently they do listen to me.

Rock, Paper, Scissors for World Peace

2008-12-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation with my seven year-old yesterday:

Daughter: "Mommy, what's the Iraq war?"

Me: "Well, Iraq is a place far away. A war is when armies fight about stuff."

Daughter: "Do they kill each other?"

Me: "Sometimes, yes."

Daughter, looking puzzled: "Why don't they just do Rock, Paper, Scissors?"

Are Writers Born or Made?

2008-12-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been pondering whether good writers are born or made. I've come to the conclusion that the answer is perhaps a bit of both.

The best way to improve your writing skills is...

Write. A lot.

I've been finding that as I begin to take on paid freelance writing projects for clients and continue to write for myself on eHow and other revenue-sharing sites, my writing is gradually becoming more fluid, and I hope, more coherent. I spend less time staring at a blank page and more time letting the words flow.

I've been lamenting what I perceive as my lack of conversationality in my article writing, but I also think my legal experience is serving me well. Much of web content writing is meant to be informative, third-person writing. You're not really supposed to notice the content producer as much as the content. eHow is a bit of a different beast since it has a community focus. Much like a blog, readers have more of an interest in knowing, and wanting to trust, the person behind the information.

For me, blogging helps me improve my ability to, you know, relate to people. Legal writing helps me practice the kind of fact-based writing that gets me freelance article-writing work. Right now my goal is to balance writing for myself on eHow, Bukisa and others, with earning a steady per-article income through freelancing.

Doubled My eHow Residuals

2008-11-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

After buying WriterGig's e-book, I decided to put the pedal to the metal and buckle down writing eHow articles. My goal is to write at least one per day, though I often skip a few days and write a couple at a time.

I had been making about 10 bucks per month from 9 articles written at eHow back in April. I now have 21 articles posted and have been averaging 80 cents per day in eHow income ($25 per month). It may seem small, but I've doubled my article count and my income with very little effort and promotion.

My goal is to be earning $100 per month in eHow residuals by the beginning of the new year. To that end, I'm upping the ante to two articles per day.

Somebunny Help!

2008-11-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

These guys should come over to my house. My idle threats don't seem to be working.

Bukisa!

2008-11-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

Folks at the wahm.com forum are all a-twitter about Bukisa. Bukisa is a new ad revenue generating site driven by user content. Like eHow, writers earn money by generating ad revenue though their original content. Unlike eHow, Bukisa uses a three-tier system in which you not only earn money from your own content, but you also earn royalties from those who sign up through you. Not to worry, the extra dough comes out of Bukisa's pocket, not the user's.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up already!

eHow Cleanup

2008-11-22T01:07:00.001-08:00

So I've been sprucing up my eHow articles a bit. I spent some time downloading free stock photos at stock.xchng and adding them to formerly photoless articles.

Here's my latest offering at eHow: Write a Demand Letter

Associated Content

2008-11-21T05:26:00.001-08:00

I'm a little disappointed with my recent upfront offers from Associated Content. Granted, I'm completely green and brand new at user-produced web-content writing, but still. My very first article back in April garnered $8 (Cost Analysis of Cloth Diapers). My two most recent articles resulted in an upfront offer of less than $6 combined. Of course, like eHow, ad revenue can generate passive income on AC too.

Wannabe WAHM

2008-11-20T12:55:00.000-08:00

So I'm not really a wahm. I'm just a wannabe. I still haul myself out of bed and hurtle myself toward the law office where I work as a paralegal extraordinnaire. But I've been playing around with some content producer sites on the internet.

I've had some success so far with eHow, an online community of content producers who write step-by-step "how to" articles about anything and everything under the sun. eHow has a writer compensation program that allows writers to be paid based on the ad revenue they generate. The payment criteria is about as clear as mud. eHow doesn't like to be too specific about how much you'll earn. But, I've been making a couple of lattes per month in passive, residual income ($8 to $12 on average) from a small cache of about 9 articles that I hastily threw together back in April. WriterGig earns considerably more cups of coffee than me.

My most popular articles deal with how to choose the sex of your baby. These guys are the big money makers, bringing in about 90% of my monthly coffee money. I later learned that the reason these peform well is:

1. Lots of people search these topics
2. I used good, targeted keywords throughout the article
3. The ads for the topic entice lots of click thrus

I recently bought WriterGig's e-book that explains her system for the phenomenal success she's achieved on eHow. Though I am usually wary of such e-guides, her style is really down to earth and her own success bolsters my confidence in her methods. I haven't had time, but I need to get to editing my old articles and coming up with a new crop of articles using WriterGig's principles. Maybe I can manage to earn enough for coffee with a friend or two!

In case you're yearning to choose the sex of your next child, check out my most popular eHow articles:

How to Conceive a Boy

How to Conceive a Girl

2008-11-18T07:33:00.001-08:00

Does the universe really need another WAHM blogging her random thoughts about motherhood, work and life in general? No, you say? Too bad. Cause here's my blog!