Web content writing and website promotion is the first niche that I started breaking into. I am still learning about writing different types of web pages and I have experience in writing SEO articles and article marketing. Here is an overview of this niche and some tips regarding how to get started with this type of writing and how to do it well.

Different Types of Web Content

Blogs. For freelance writers, blogging is an important tool. Maintaining a blog with high quality posts is an easy and free way to self-publish, build your portfolio, establish credibility on certain subjects, and market yourself as a writer. Blogging can also open doors for your writing career. Writing blog posts for other people or companies can become a regular paying job in itself if you write for enough clients.

SEO Writing. Search Engine Optimization includes the methods used to raise the ranking of a website. SEO writing is basically preparing content that is rich with popular keywords or phrases and links. There is an increasing demand for writing website pages, articles, and blog posts that will attract search engines and place websites among the top links on the first page of the search results on popular search engines. It is not as complicated as it sounds, and it is actually one of the quickest ways to start earning money when freelancing online.

Thomas Alva Edison once said that genius was one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Over the years many writers and writing instructors have borrowed that Edisonian quote rephrasing it to read “Writing is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Gene Fowler put it this way, “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.” Only the stout hearted that are ready to labor long and hard need apply here. Becoming a successful freelance writer is extremely hard work. For most it’s a mental labor equivalent to the physical labor involved in digging a ditch using pick ax and shovel.

Many years ago, more years than I care to recall, when I first became involved with sales, my trainer told me that the only way one really learns to sell is by selling. The same thing applies to writing, one can only learn the art and craft of writing by writing. One can learn the mechanics of writing by reading books, taking online courses, by attending courses on campus or by taking correspondence courses. Understanding the mechanics of writing is essential to becoming a good writer but understanding the mechanics of writing will not make a successful, published writer, only long hours of hard labor and persistence will accomplish that goal.

Read! Read! Read! Read everything but study the types of publications that you want to write for and learn their editorial style. Study how successful writers write. Learn how they approach their audience because you must write for your audience if you are to become successful. If there are certain genre magazines that you hope to write for on a regular bases, subscribe to them and try to develop a relationship with their editorial staff.

One of the best ways to earn part time income as a writer is to get freelance jobs. There are various services on the web that match writers with companies. Several companies need someone to write for them. Here are six freelance job opportunities for writers:

1. Part Time Editing

If you have excellent grammar and writing skills, you can land a job as a freelance copy editor. Various websites that list freelance jobs have a special section just for editing. Some employers want you to bid on a project, and others offer their own rates. Use resources like Writers’ Market to research what is a fair rate to charge and iFreelance to find jobs.

2. Write Newsletters

Even in the age of social media, organizations and entrepreneurs alike still publish newsletters. Many offer a monthly or quarterly newsletter to subscribers. These are usually outsourced to someone. Corporate clients such as accounting firms, mortgage companies, utilities, and others are a good place to look for work. If they like your work, this could be an on-going source of income.

When you tell people you’re a freelancer writer, they immediately make a few assumptions:

1. You spend the whole day in your pajamas, and
2. “Freelance writing” is really code for “unemployed.”

I say, fine: Let them think this. Who needs the competition? The truth is, if you’re smart about it, you can make a lot more money working for yourself than working for someone else, and you don’t have to punch a time clock.

Yeah! Now, here are five tips for actually getting some work done.

Tip 1: Create a division between work and home. It’s helpful to have a designated work space — ideally, an office or studio space outside of your home. If this isn’t possible, a home office with a door you can close is your next best option. Don’t have a room to set aside for an office? Go to your local Pier 1, buy a Chinese screen and section off a corner of a room. Voilà: instant office.