Five Questions to Ask Before Writing Articles for an Online Website

Not all online websites that advertise for free-lance writers have the same rules or provide the same pay and opportunities.  Here are some questions to ask before writing for a particular website. 

What Kind of Rights Do They Require?

Be sure to read the initial agreement and find out what kind of rights you are signing away.  Some websites want only original material.  Once an article is submitted to certain websites, the article becomes their property and cannot be republished on another online site or blog.  Others allow a writer to get back their rights to a particular article after a period of time.  Still others allow the author to keep all rights to the work and they are free to publish it other places. 

Revenue Share, Upfront Payment, or Both?

Most content-based websites work on revenue share.  That means the writer of an article is paid according to how many clicks are made on the surrounding advertising.  The more clicks the more the writer is paid.  Some websites also may pay a dollar or two per thousand or so views.  Some will do both.  A website may also offer an upfront payment of ten or so dollars per article, with or without revenue share.  The websites that pay both are the best deal.

What is the Pay Threshold?

Beware of websites that have a very high payment threshold.  For example, some websites will not pay out earned money until a writer reaches a certain amount such as twenty-five or thirty dollars.  While this doesn’t seem like much money, it can be hard to accumulate without writing a fairly large volume of articles for the same website.  Some websites keep the money hostage until the author makes payout.  The author then has the choice of writing more or forfeiting hard-earned money.  This can turn into a big scam, as if the website kept ten dollars of every writer’s money, they would accumulate quite a bit.

What is the Website’s Reputation?

Because money builds over time, it is important to write for a website that will be around a while.  A good website has a reputation for paying their writers fairly and on time.  Another factor to consider is visibility.  The more visible an article is the more it will earn. 

Is there Opportunity for Advancement?

Some websites offer opportunity for advancement, such as becoming a senior or featured writer.  These writers often get more pay and first pick at articles.  Writing for such websites can be more profitable than the ones that only pay per article with no chance of advancement. 

These are some points to seriously consider before writing for an online website.