With many businesses struggling to survive, this is a much cheaper option (in most cases) to hiring in the traditional sense. Also, you don’t have to pay by the hour either – you can set a target number of articles for them to write, and pay them per article – not for the time it took them to write it. So if it takes all day for your writer to write one article, you’re only paying for one article – not for 8 hours of “work”.

Today I’m going to talk you through how you can avoid hiring a dodgy writer to write articles for your website.

When you post a job on www.elance.com looking for a writer, it’s not long before you have several people bidding to write your articles for you.

But how do you pick a good one from a dodgy one? And does price dictate the quality of the work you will receive from that writer?

Having hired writers myself, I understand it can be difficult to work this out from a single bid, but the following pointers should help:

1. Read their bid thoroughly. Have they specifically mentioned certain aspects of your proposal in their bid, or does the bid look suspiciously like it’s a standard template they use for all bids?
2. What is the quality of the writing in their bid? Do they use good spelling or grammar, or are they terrible? A terribly worded bid should be enough to tell you to steer clear.
3. Review their samples – in fact, review as much as you can. Do they have a website? If so, what is the content like? If it’s great content, then that’s a good sign. Are their samples good? Another good sign.
4. If you send your new potential employee a message to ask them a question, what is the quality of their reply like? How quickly did they respond? These are indicators of what type of relationship you may have with this writer.
5. If you’re targeting an English speaking market, ensure your writer can write like a native English speaker. Have they mentioned this in their bid? Now don’t get me wrong, I am NOT racist. But if you’re promoting a product to somebody in the US, the UK or even Australia, if your articles are written in “broken” English, you’re not going to get a good response. This is purely a business decision and I have wonderful friends from all over the world who speak all languages, so please don’t shoot me down here!
6. To cover yourself, in your proposal, be sure to mention that you will not accept copied or plagiarized articles. Unfortunately, many of my clients have been burned by so-called talented writers who could not even write their own content!
7. How many ways can you contact your writer if you need to? This allows you to easily contact them if you have any questions or concerns. This should be highlighted in their bid too.
8. Do they guarantee their work? Many writers (myself included) guarantees that if you are unhappy with my work, I will rewrite your article/s for you. If I find I cannot meet my client’s needs, then a full refund is offered. No questions asked. I want this to be an easy process, no matter what the outcome.
9. How much experience do they have in writing about your topic of interest? The more previous experience they have, the better chances you have of receiving quality work, although this isn’t a guarantee.
10. What qualifications do they have? For example, if you’re a life coach and you require personal development related articles, a writer with coaching experience/qualifications (that’s me!) may be the ideal candidate.

And finally, if you’re still unsure if the writer you’ve hired is the real deal or not, why not get them to write you one article first, and if you are happy with this, then they’re free to write the rest for you.

None of these tips above will guarantee you a good outcome, but they will increase your chances of avoiding the truly dodgy (and yes there are a few out there) writers out there.

And as for cost vs quality, there is no hard and fast rule here, however most quality writers can charge more, purely because they are worth more – and they know it.

You will see plenty of $2 writers and $5 writers out there, and I’ve had several bid on jobs I’ve posted. But I want quality – and I really didn’t want to sacrifice that in order to get dirt cheap articles, which may not have been to the standard I wanted.

If you have any questions about choosing the right writer for you, or you would like more information on my writing services, please Contact me.

You would have to be hiding under a rock if you didn’t realise that without a website your competition is going to leave you behind, but having a website isn’t all you need – your website needs content!

There are two main things that your potential customers are looking for when they go online and type in a search phrase:

1. The answer to a question
2. The solution to a problem

So what if you just happened to have a number of articles or blog posts on your website which answered their questions or solved their problems? Do you think you have a chance in converting them to a paying customer? Do you think that if you were able to answer their question well, that you would seem credible in their eyes?

And what if your potential customer wasn’t ready to buy yet? Do you think that they would maybe sign up for your free newsletter or blog updates, and maybe come back at a later date to purchase your products?

I’ll bet my right arm that they’re more than likely to buy from you than from another business who had very little (if any) information on their website, if yours is packed full of information that’s perceived as valuable to them and your competition’s is not!

Ok, so we’ve established that having plenty of good content on your website is a GOOD thing, but what if you don’t have time to write blog posts or articles? Chances are you don’t even have time to scratch yourself, let alone sit down for hours at a time, typing away like crazy…!

And that’s where I come in! I have spent several years fine-tuning my writing skills, learning how to write for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and keeping my readers hooked. So not only can you provide your potential customers with relevant, valuable content, but you’re also attracting “organic” traffic from the search engines and encouraging your website visitors to stick around!

And not only that, but I can finish your articles much quicker than you can, in most cases – I’ve had LOTS of practise – and I don’t charge the earth either!

And never mind the UK/Australian English I use here – I also write for a US audience too. You just tell me what you want and I’ll provide it. It’s that simple!

So if you’re interested in having some content written for your website, no matter what industry you’re in, Contact me for a quote.

It all depends on how much momentum you want to achieve. If you post an article to your blog every day, you’re going to get better results than if you post once a week, so what do you want to achieve?

One of the article marketing strategies I teach suggests that you should post several articles (or variations of one article) EVERY day to several sources, including your blog.

What this does is, it practically guarantees your blog will be listed in the search engine results, because you’re generating quality content as well as backlinks to your website.

But content is the key here. If your content is relevant and informative and there are people out there searching for the information you provide in your blog posts, then you’re going to get found in the search engine results. And the more content you create for your website, the more likely you will appear closer to (if not actually on) Page 1 of the search engine results.

I cannot emphasise enough how great it is to see your website appear on Page 1 of Google! I pay no extra money for SEO services. But I DO post quality content on my websites. And now I’m making Page 1 for several search terms for at least one of my websites. Purely because of my blog content.

Imagine if I paid for SEO services too!

Ok, so back to your blog content. I suggest that each of your blog posts be around 400-600 words each. You don’t need to write a novel, but too short and you’re not going to be able to provide much of value.

So 400-600 words works well for me although I sometimes get all excited and write more than I intended to! Too long is definitely better than too short though. Remember – your blog visitors must perceive your content to be valuable so they keep coming back for more – and eventually buy from you!

What if you don’t have time to write all of these articles? I suggest you post once a week if you can’t post every day, but even finding the time/skill/inclination to write just one article a week can seem like a huge chore to some.

And that’s where freelance writers like myself come in. You would come to me with a topic and possibly some specific keywords you would like to target, and the approximate length of each article you would like. I would then provide you with a quote per article.

I don’t like to charge per hour because for some topics I need to do a lot of research and this can be time-consuming – I’d rather charge you for the end result rather than for how long it takes me to gather the information I need to write your article.

I will then write your articles then provide them to you for feedback. When you are 100% happy with them, you will pay me for the articles, and possibly book me in to write more articles for you!

How long does it take you to write one article? How much are you worth per hour?

Just think about this when hiring a freelance writer to write articles for you. You may very quickly realise that you’re getting a pretty good deal, because what you’re paying your writer may be well below what you’re worth per hour, so isn’t it obvious that outsourcing your article writing is the way to go here?

Over the last few weeks I’ve seen jobs advertised for writers where employers are paying only $2.40 per 400 word article – and people have applied for these jobs! What????

So it’s not hard to see why one would feel a little worried about this competition. But thankfully I do know better…

Many of my clients have hired these cheap article writers in the past – just before they hired me to rewrite the sub-quality articles they received.

I’m not saying that every single cheap writer will provide you with poor quality articles, but in most cases you really will get what you pay for.

Would a quality writer who knows their worth really work for only $2.40 per article?? I hope not! And do you honestly believe that a writer who’s being paid only $2.40 per article will put their heart and soul into it?

Article writing isn’t just about writing the article. There are other factors that go into creating a quality article for a client, including:

• Research – a quality freelance writer will perform some research before writing your article to ensure your article is informative, educational and relevant.
• Keyword placement – depending on my client’s requirements, I may need to strategically place keywords in the article. This isn’t as easy as it sounds because thought must go into not only strategically placing these keywords throughout the article, but the article must naturally flow too.
• Making sure the articles are fit for purpose – I always ask my client about the purpose of the articles. Do they have a product to sell? Is there a specific action they would like their readers to take? Who is their target audience?

Creating a quality article takes time and effort, so if quality is what you require, then you’re less likely to get it for $2.40 – I guarantee it!

What’s so great about these articles is that they do not need to be rewritten, because what you get is different to what my other clients get. In fact, no two articles in all of my PLR articles are the same. What you’re getting is unique.

And the good news is that because I stepped out of the writing game, I still have some left!

Some of the article titles include the following keywords:

• How to lose weight quickly
• How to boost your metabolism
• How many calories to lose weight
• The best way to lose weight
• How to lose belly fat

…and more!

So if you’d like to order one (or a few!) of these PLR packs, take a look at http://internationalwritingservices.com/plr-articles/ for more info.

And if you have any questions about this or any of my other services, please Contact me.

Many businesses pay literally thousands of dollars to online marketing professionals to have their websites optimised, but is this really necessary?

Well… it depends!

Let me tell you about one of my websites. I don’t have an “SEO strategy” in place, nor do I do any keyword research when writing my articles. I also don’t bother with social bookmarking, and I can honestly tell you that I’m not really out there promoting that site to anybody.

But here’s what I AM doing:

I am writing articles on an irregular basis and I am posting them on my website. I don’t post these articles often, but they’re targeted towards a specific subject that I am passionate about and that I know a lot about. And of course they fall under the niche my website is based on. Very relevant.

Sometimes I’ll post something to Ezine Articles, but lately I’ve not done too much of that. In fact, I’ve probably posted only one or two articles there in the last year. Purely due to a lack of time!

And guess what? My website is on Page 1 of Google for my targeted keywords! In fact, it’s on Page 1 for many search terms related to my chosen niche!

The reason I’m receiving this Google love is not because I have a specific SEO strategy in place. It’s because my website is loaded with quality, relevant content!

Whenever somebody is searching for a term that happens to appear in one of my blog posts, then there is a chance my website will come up in the search engine listings.

So my key piece of advice here is this: When writing your articles, target them so they’re written in a way that will answer somebody’s question or offer them a solution to their problem.

Write a series of tips or how-to’s.

For example, if you have a website on weightloss and you’re selling supplements, your blog posts should have articles with titles such as “How to choose the right supplement”, or “Which supplement is the best for weight loss” or other terms that somebody is likely to type into Google when looking for the right supplement for them.

Make sense? I hope so! And if not (or even if it does!), please feel free to post a comment below!

In the past, I’ve purchsed products from people who I trust. And that trust is built with the each interaction I have with that person.

Not all of those interactions are in person, and in fact, most are in fact online via their website.

So let’s think about this for a second…

When somebody’s searching for information online, they either want an answer to a question, or a solution to a problem.

They come up to a website which has a really fancy sales page, but no real content and they quickly click away (well… I do anyway!).  But what if they’re taken to a blog which has article after article, that not only answers their specific questions, but offers them so much more?

What if this person is drawn to look at more and more of your articles, learning more and more from you?

Don’t you think that they’d start to perceive you as somebody who knows what they’re talking about?  Of course they would!

And don’t you also think that their trust in you and your products will grow, as they learn more from you?  Of course they would!

And don’t you ALSO think that they’re more likely to buy from you if they trust you and perceive you to be an expert??  OF COURSE they would! 

Your website (which I hope has a blog!!? – See my Blogs page for more info if you don’t) is your window to the world. It’s how more and more people are finding you each and every day as more and more people go online.  So it’s important that the content on your website offers VALUE to your readers.

If you’re not offering anything of value, they’ll click away.  But if you are able to engage them through your website content (articles) and help them in some way, then they’ll stick around, and they may want to learn more about you, your products and services and they might even buy from you – which of course is the goal here!

Now, if you don’t have time to write articles for your website, or if you’re just not “talented” in that area, then you can outsource this task.

I recommend posting at least three articles per week on your website, however this is sometimes not practical.  But I wouldn’t go less than one per week.  The more regularly your site is updated with new content, the more “Google love” you’re going to get, which of course can drive even more traffic to your website.  Yay!

Outsourcing your article writing can be expensive – if you don’t know where to look to find a quality writer!

But thankfully you can outsource this task, not pay the earth for it, and end up with quality, engaging content for your website.

All you’ve got to do is hire a good writer who charges a reasonable price (visit my Writing Services page today for my pricing), view their writing samples (my sample page is HERE), and get started!

If you have any questions about this article or anything else on this website, please Contact me or comment in the comments section below.

So… to celebrate my “return” to writing (I haven’t really stopped – I’ve been writing purely just for myself lately), I’ve decided to offer a 25% discount on my services for a short time.  Kind of a thank you to my former and future clients for supporting me over the last few and future years!

As mentioned on my Writing Services page, my preference is to write about personal development type topics, including weight loss, dating and relationships, the Law of Attraction and similar.  But I will of course write about any other topic if I think I can provide you with something I consider to be high quality.

If you’re looking to build your online (or even offline!) presence, then article marketing is a powerful way to not only get your message out there, but it also allows you to build your credibility (assuming your articles are well-written) and show your potential customers why they should choose you over somebody else!

If you would like more information on my Writing Services, please visit http://internationalwritingservices.com/services/writing-services/ or Contact me.

I’ve been an online marketer for many years and can easily distinguish between a good article and a bad one.  I can also distinguish between a useful article and a not-so-useful article.

So what distinguishes a good article from a bad one?

Try these ideas on for size:

• Firstly the article must be easy to read.  If it’s difficult to follow or it doesn’t make sense, then you’re going to lose the interest of the reader.
• Your article must contain plenty of white space.  Don’t make your paragraphs too long, use dot points and numbers, and you can even insert an image or two.
• Your article must be relevant.  If you’re writing about internet marketing on a weight loss website, your site visitors are very quickly going to click away because that’s not what they were searching for.
• And never, ever keyword-stuff your articles.  People (and Google) will pick up on it straight away and your credibility will go down the tubes!

When a person is searching for a topic online, they’re either looking for an answer to a question or the solution to a problem.  So your goal when publishing articles on your website (or elsewhere online) is to answer their question or to solve their problem.

If you’re not doing either of these things, then your article is not useful and your website visitors are likely to click away from your site.

But what if you were to publish several relevant, content-rich, useful articles that could potentially answer the questions of visitors to your website?  How do you think you would be perceived by your potential customers?

Here are a few benefits of publishing such articles on your website:

• If you’re answering your site visitors’ questions, they’re likely to believe you really do know what you’re talking about.  Same as when you’re solving their problems through their articles.
• You will build credibility in your chosen niche.
• The more content (articles) you have on your website, the more potential customers that may find you.
• You can use sections of articles to link through to other sections or articles on your website, which allows you to promote other aspects of your business and build trust with your potential customers.
• If your potential customers trust you, they are more likely to buy from you.
• Posting articles on your website on a regular basis often draws visitors back to your site, over and over again – especially if they have been able to subscribe to an RSS feed which notifies them whenever you post new content.

There are many more benefits but I’d be here for a week talking about it.  But this will give you some idea of the benefit of marketing with quality articles.

Of course article writing does take a significant amount of time and effort, especially if you have a lot to write, which is why many business owners choose to outsource this task.

Visit my Writing Services page or Contact me for more information on how I can take this tedious task off your hands.

If you’ve been considering setting up a hosting account, then today is the day to take action, because this runs out in around 19 hours from the time of this post, so you need to hurry!

Visit Hostgator to check out this fabulous deal, CLICK HERE.