Steps Freelance Writers Should Consider When Writing for The Web

As a writer, I sometimes have the need to write articles as a freelancer for web sites. Writing for the web requires paying attention to the keywords and the ability to communicate your overall message in a limited number of words.  Using few words to express your ideas clearly on the web is essential because most people like to skimp over a page before they decide whether they will read it or move on. 

This type of writing is better known as SEO writing. SEO writing is a type of writing geared towards search engine optimization through the use of strategic keywords and their placement within the content. 

Although the process is very similar to writing for your own purposes, freelance article writing can challenge your skills in “speed writing” and style. You need to be able to turn out several articles – on different topics – in just a few hours, usually within a 24-hour period. Often times, you are only given a few keywords, a title, and a number of maximum words to use in your copy.  Thus, there is little time for rough drafts, research, editing, and rewriting. Therefore, it is essential to keep the following process in mind to produce good quality content:

First and foremost, know the purpose of your writing and your client’s expectations. If the information that he or she provides you is not enough to answer your whys and what, contact your client and ask for clarification. 

Know your target audience. Again, if the client does not provide you with that information, ask. 

Before you start the actual writing, it is best to develop an outline of the topic and do basic formatting. If you use MS Word or Open Office Write, you can create a style sheet template just for this type of writing.  I usually include in my “rough draft” the number of words and list of keywords I need to use in my copy. Once I am finished writing and ready to submit, I just delete that information prior to submitting my work to the client. 

Make sure that you create good quality content. Take a few minutes to carefully choose the words that you will be using in your copy, do a quick online research on the topic as needed, express your message clearly and elegantly, pay attention to using the same words too many times in the same sentence. 

Style your writing in a conversational, straightforward, and persuasive tone. Do not hesitate to include personal (yours or a friend’s) experiences and anecdotes relevant to the topic. This engages the audience and helps them identify with your content. Besides, they realize that they are reading the work of a real person and not machine generated content.  

Regardless of how stressed and pressured you feel to turn in your work immediately after you finish writing, it is imperative that you take a few seconds to check for spelling and grammatical errors before submitting it. Most text editors include effective spell and grammar checkers. If yours doesn’t, consider copying and pasting your text into an online tool to do the checking. 

These quick guidelines will help you minimize stress, create content that your client will appreciate, and ensure repeat job requests.