Most content writers online know that using various websites, rather than just focusing on one, can be a better output for time and money. However, some responsibility should be exercised as juggling different accounts on many websites can become overwhelming for people who are not yet experienced enough in content writing.
Juggling two at a time…
Perhaps the easiest way to break that barrier is to, at first, write for at least three different websites. Two should be the minimum. For some writers, they will write at Associated Content and Examiner, or for Suite101 and Bukisa. Perhaps Triond and Helium. Whatever your preference, it is good to choose websites that get a lot of traffic and allow you to recycle articles as well as write on all sorts of topics.
Remember to do your homework on websites and see which one feels right for you. Some writers might do swimmingly on Associated Content but not so much with Bukisa and so forth. A good way to figure out if a website is right for you is to take a look at what articles get the best views on these website and decide whether or not these types of articles are the kind you would write.
Setting up a schedule and writing…
Once you have signed up for two to three websites, it is time to build an archive on them. This is quite the simple process of just writing, writing and more writing. Recycling articles on other websites is a good thing to do, just remember to change up the wordage a bit so it isn’t verbatim. This process is great to test out what feels right and to get some experience juggling multiple projects for different websites.
Soon enough, a schedule will start to manifest and become second nature–like with any routine with a new job. Writing, recycling articles, or adding new content to one website and a different article to another all becomes easier with progression. Be eclectic in your writing, if you can. How many articles you submit in a day should vary to your daily life and how much time you wish to dedicate to writing. Ideally, though, a new writer should try and accomplish at least five articles a day.
Shopping around for more outlets…
Once submitting content to two or three websites becomes second nature, it is probably good to try and seek out other outlets for a viewership and income. Searching through forums of websites you’re already a member on could prove to yield some results as well as doing a search on Google–though, using sites such as Bukisa and Suite101 can find better results, as these are real people who have tried different websites out there and can give an honest review.
Expanding from just writing might also be beneficial. Producing videos, slideshows and photography might be a nice change from just constantly writing articles. Or maybe setting up a blog. Again, time should be considered at this step. Are you willing to give up more time to this? Do you want to keep the same work hours? Will you be writing about the same topic(s)? Once those priorities are answered, it is good to check out at least two more websites to expand to.
Places like HubPages and Squidoo is a great place to recycle articles to build a good starting foundation. Then, you can create areas of expertise on these such websites, where a collection of content can be found on one page. Again, sign up for the ones that interest you and start building that base.
Why is this beneficial?
Websites can have a shelf life, in a sense. Some of them can flux in popularity or completely vanish and never be seen from again. To devote all of your writing time to one website, and the having something go wrong with it, could be devastating for you. Writing online is all about adapting to new things and being able to expand your name to several different and reliable sources.
Also, some set-ups of content websites might not exactly benefit certain writers. As said before in this article, different methods work for different people. It is all about experiencing it and deciding which is best.
A few extra tips:
– Try and use your name for all of your accounts, so when people try to find you, they can discover all of the outlets in which you produce content for. If you don’t use your real name, use the same pen name over and over.
– Don’t go overboard and sign up with too many websites if you’re going to recycle articles. While different places can improve your search rankings, too many can actually hinder you as your articles will be fighting for a rank.
– If you don’t want to recycle articles too much, then it would be beneficial to set up a method in which what articles goes where. For example, if you write a how to article, where do you want to submit it? Making a routine out of this will be a lot simpler.
– With that previous tip said, building a consistent archive can be beneficial. Try and keep a general theme with your different lists of content.
Remember, if a website doesn’t quite work out for you, it is easy to just delete your account. Just remember to save any articles, if you want!