Many writers agree: if you want to have a successful business, you need a website. Not only does this increase brand awareness with potential clients, a website–if designed and promoted the right way–can propel you as an expert in your given niche, leading to more writing and money-making opportunities.

But behind every successful “writer’s website” is an equally as successful domain name. Unfortunately, most writers make this their last priority, when it really should be their first.

Here are four things you probably don’t know about domain names:

1. Keywords matter. If you’re not concerned about increasing organic traffic to your website, this isn’t a concern. But if you’re using your website as a way for clients to find you, keywords are essential. But why?

Think of it this way. Most of your organic traffic is going to come from search engine (mostly Google) queries. Including relevant keywords that relate to your website, such as writing or SEO, makes your website more SEO-friendly. Potential clients are more likely to type in keywords related to the work they’re requesting, such as “high quality SEO articles”, into Google. Unless they’re already aware of your online presence, they’ll rarely type your name into the search bar.

So how can you incorporate this into your domain name? Simple–incorporate the keywords into your domain name with other unique keywords that are related to your website.

For example, WritingJobResource.com primarily provides content about getting–and finding–writing jobs online and offline. “Writing” and “Job” are the main keywords here, with “Resource” being the unique keyword. Alternatively, you can combine these keywords with your name (for example, OlsonSEOContent.com or AnnOlsonWriting.com).

2. The domain name’s suffix can kill traffic. .com’s are arguably the most popular domain name suffix–unfortunately, many people assume it is the only domain name suffix available.

For example, let’s say Bob, who’s interested in cake, comes across a website called CakeisDelicious.org. A few days later he wants to visit the site again, so from memory he types in CakeisDelicous.com. Nothing shows up.

Confused, Bob assumes he typed in wrong name, and types in CakeDelicious.com. Another website shows up, but it’s not the same website. Bob becomes frustrated and decides to look for delicious cake pictures elsewhere. CakeisDelicious.org loses a potential repeat visitor in the process. The process repeats with other visitors, and eventually the traffic loss builds up.

So what’s the moral to this story? If you want repeat traffic, choose a .com and redirect the remaining suffixes of your domain name–.net, .info, .org–back to the .com. Can’t afford to buy out all of the suffixes? Stick with a .com instead; most people will assume your domain name ends in a .com by default.

3. Complicated, long or hard-to-spell words can affect traffic. Remember, spelling is not everyone’s forte–if it’s hard to remember or spell, most people won’t make that extra effort to spell your domain name correctly. For example, SEO is easy to remember, but optimization isn’t. Quiz is easier to spell than quizzical, stop is easier than restrictions, etc. Also, remember to stay away from words that have both British and American variants, such as program/programme or color/colour.

4. Hyphens are bad for traffic. Again, not everyone is going to remember your domain name has hyphens. Hyphens also require more effort to type; the average web user probably isn’t accustomed to reaching for the hyphen key by memory. Instead of Cake-is-delicious.org, aim for Cakeisdelicious.org. Writingbuddies.com is going to get more return visitors than Writing-buddies.com.

Remember, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) to increase website traffic, and strive to make it SEO-friendly and focused on your niche.

First, let’s look at the synopsis:

If you are a brand new freelance writer who is wondering just how to get started, then this is the book for you. Written by Suzanne Alicie, a professional freelance writer, this book takes you step by step to your first published piece and offers plenty of advice about the steps you need to take in order to earn a living as an online freelance writer! – taken from freelancewriteronline.info/ebooks.html

What follows is a 22 page guide on how to streamline the process from writing amateur from writing professional, based on Alicie’s own experiences as an online freelance writer. Overall, the guide is fast, jargon-free reading. Alicie simplifies the painstaking process of setting up your business before you begin looking for clients, from choosing your pen name to promoting your finished work online.

Main points covered in Freelance Writing Online: A Guide for Beginners include:

• Choosing a pen name: the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of writing under a different name.
• Creating a sample profile paragraph to display your writing experience and portfolio, if applicable.
• The importance of diversifying your client work.
• How to a build a portfolio online cheaply and professionally .

At $7.95, this e-book is cheaper than most writing e-books; unfortunately, it contains far fewer pages compared to other e-books, such as The AC Source Book. The information found in Freelance Writing Online: A Guide for Beginners is invaluable, however, especially for those not familiar with the process of becoming a online freelance writer.

WJR’s recommendation: This e-book is essential reading for people transitioning from freelance amateur to professional. Several of the points discussed in Alicie’s book are rarely discussed on writing forums and websites, but Alicie covers it succinctly, using easy-to-understand language and simple tips for quick implementation.

To learn more about Freelance Writing Online: A Guide for Beginners, visit Suzanne Alicie’s website Freelancewriteronline.info.

Having trouble eliminating passive phrases, such as “to be”, “could be” or “had been” from your articles? Use the Aztekera “To Be” Verbs Analyzer tool to locate passive phrases, words and weak writing. This tool is completely free–just paste a sample article into the analyzer and click “Check”.

Note to Demand Studios writers: this is a must have if you’re consistently getting rewrites concerning your “passive voice”.

Aztekera “To Be” Verbs Analyzer

Happy writing!

Review of wiseGEEK: What to Expect

wiseGEEK is similar to Demand Studios because writers–the people providing the content–can claim a set amount of titles to write and submit to an editor, where it is either accepted or sent back for a rewrite.

Because wiseGEEK is essentially Wikipedia in a simplified, easier-to-understand format, writers are required to stick to an ‘enclopedic’ style–providing information free of ‘catchy’ words or phrases is the key here. Writers who do not stick to this format, or refuse to, are usually let go.

So what’s the upside to wiseGEEK? Their payments. Typical wiseGEEK writers make anywhere from $11 to $14 per article, which easily beats out the upfront payments of other UGC websites, such as Associated Content and BrightHub*. Payments aren’t regimented on a weekly, bi-weekly or a monthly basis either: instead, you receive article payments two to four days after approval.

Review of wiseGEEK: Benefits

Aside from wiseGEEK’s speedy payments, there’s a lot to like about this website–many writers even prefer this over Demand Studios, despite the fact Demand Studios actually pays a dollar more for content. But why?

• Unlike Demand Studios, you work with your editor to correct flaws in your article. You can continue to rewrite your article until it is approved by your editor.
• Your articles do not have a due date. Articles can be submitted at your own leisure, provided you submit at least 10 articles per month (the minimum amount required to keep your wiseGEEK account active).
• References aren’t always required. Many times articles can be completed without listing the references you used–this isn’t an option at Demand Studios.

Review of wiseGEEK: Disadvantages

Sure, having access to an editor and unlimited rewrites are great, but like with all writing websites, there are downsides to wiseGEEK. This includes:

• Editors are strict–this means more rewrites if you do not stick to their format. If there are grammar issues, issues in writing style or the article is poorly written, expect a rewrite.
• Your article claim limit is small. Some writers report only being able to claim six at a time; it appears active writers have a bigger limit.
• You must write at least 10 articles per month to keep your account active. If you cannot keep up with this limit for any reason, you can lose your writing privileges with wiseGEEK.
• wiseGEEK doesn’t have creative or necessarily interesting article topics. If you can’t stand the tediousness of Demand Studios’s article titles, you probably won’t like wiseGEEK.

Review of wiseGEEK: Verdict

If you’re looking for a dependable, steady writing website that pays quickly, wiseGEEK is an excellent choice. Unlike other writing websites at this pay range ($10-15 per article), wiseGEEK is easy to use, is very flexible with deadlines and won’t require you to do additional side work, such as adding keywords or needless reference links to articles. The pay isn’t great, but guaranteed to be available as long as you stay active on the site.

* Featured contributors on Associated Content usually make $10 per article; regular BrightHub writers make $10 per article.

Part 2 of How to Find Writing Clients on Craigslist discusses how to find wriitng cleints by browsing the Craigslist Writing Gigs section for legitimate ads.  Part 1, seen here, discussed how to create Craigslist writing ads to attract new clients.

If you don’t have the time–or don’t want to make the effort–to create your own ads to attract new clientele, there is another option: taking advantage of the site’s features to find clients already advertising writing work.

For writers, here comes a legitimate concern: how do you differentiate scammers from trusthworthy, real-paying clients?

First off, I highly encourage you to read my recent blog post on how to spot writing scams on Craigslist.  It has some excellent advice on how to avoid scammers on Craigslist.  Next, you’ll want to know what to look for in a legitimate ad (ads that contain real, honest clients).

Browsing for Writing Clients on Craigslist

To expedite the process of locating good clients, look for the following:

1. The company’s (or if it is a single client, the person’s) website. Most legitimate clients on Craigslist want to share some information about their website or company–sharing a website link eliminates the hassle of having to explain it in the Craigslist ad.  Not all clients will do this, but take it as a good sign if he or she chooses to.

2. A reliable email address. Most–and I must emphasize most–professional websites or clients who own a website won’t use Gmail or Hotmail to handle their business.  Look for professional email addresses, such as person1@abccompany.com or person2@cleintswebsite.com, when you contact a client on Craigslist.  Although some clients do handle business through free email addresses, it’s usually not the norm.

3. Specific information on the cleint’s proposed project. Be wary of clients who won’t divulge the details about their project via their Craigslist ad–sure, some details do need to be private, but it shouldn’t comprimise their security to say if they want a set of articles on diet pills.  Vague ads, such as “Looking for writer to write content for our website”, may be a sign the client is trying to conceal something.  Sometimes the client may actually be a spammer in disguise, hoping you’ll contact him so they can get ahold of your email address.

But does this mean you shouldn’t consider the client’s ad?  No, not at all.  Instead, email the client and politely ask for further details on the project.  If the client is still wary about divulging the deets, it’s time to move on.

Browsing Craigslist for Writing Clients: City by City

Once you pinpoint what to look for in trusthworthy positngs, it’s time to start scouring Craigslist.  It’s not a fast process by any means, but if you do find a client through this process, it does make it worth your while.

Here’s my step-by-step process for speeding up your search:

1. Look for listings by looking through all of the Craigslist sections separated by major city.  On Craigslist.org, you’ll see this listed under “US Cities”.

2. Narrow your search by looking in the “Writing Gigs” section of each major city first.

3. Look for Craigslist writing ads posted within the past three to four days.  There’s a good chance the client is still looking for writers during this time period; any further than this and your luck decreases.

4. If you have additional time after completing this process, check the “Writing Jobs” section of each major city.  Unforutnatley, this section sees more ads for physical writing jobs–a.k.a you need to go to the client’s location to complete the job–but some cleints do post writing gigs in this section.

And that’s all you really need to do to find writing clients on Craigslist.  Remember, keep you scammy senses sharp and search often for the best results.

How to Find Writing Clients on Craigslist is part of WJR’s series on Online Writing Tips.  To see the full series of tips, click here.

Part 1 of How to Find Writing Clients on Craigslist will discuss how to use Craigslist writing advertisements to find new clients. Part 2 includes how to find clients by browsing the Craigslist Writing Gigs section.

Granted, Craigslist isn’t a reliable place to find writing clients–there isn’t a guarantee they’ll pay your invoices on time (or at all) or offer a fair price for your web content. But this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s impossible to find writing clients on Craigslist–in fact, one of my highest paying clients found me through Craigslist.

How to Find Writing Clients on Craigslist

There are two ways to find writing clients on Craigslist: post an advertisement yourself or browse through every major city’s Craigslist for writing opportunities. The latter takes a lot of time. With the first option, you may need to spend more time advertising because of high competition.

Posting a Craigslist Writing Advertisement

In my personal experience, I’ve had higher response rates when my advertisement included the following:

1. A niche. There are plenty of content writers advertising on Craigslist, but few specialize in a niche. Highlight your experience in a certain niche, such as health or marketing, to draw in more potential clients. Make sure to include your niche with your title when you post. Back it up with experience, either gained academically or professionally.

2. Rush order availability. If you’re available to write rush orders (writing a set of articles within a day or so), make sure to mention this in your advertisement. Clients want things fast. Craigslist clients evidently want it faster. Bonus tip: You can charge more for these rush orders, giving you a higher payout at the end of the day.

3. A website or portfolio. This adds more to your “trust factor”–if the client can trust you to write good content for their website. A good “writer’s” portfolio should include relevent experience, samples to previously written work, current rates, contact information and information on what types of content (such as articles, promotional copy or landing page material) you can provide. Include it with your advertisement and make sure it’s clickable–clients will rarely make the effort to copy and paste your website address (it’s just too much work).

4. A picture. This may sound strange, but I’ve had higher response rates when I included a relevent picture–or in my case, a picture of myself. When I asked one of my clients if my picture had anything to do with his decision to contact me, he said it did because it created a more personal connection, which made him feel that I was more trustworthy. While I can’t say this will apply to every client that browses your Craigslist ad, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to include a picture.

Combining all four points won’t guarantee you new clients, but it can make you more visible to them, which is always a good thing.

How to Find Writing Clients on Craigslist is part of WJR’s series on Online Writing Tips.  To see the full series of tips, click here.

If you’re planning on creating an article for Demand Studios, you will need to reference at least one source in your article, regardless of how much you personally or professionally know about the subject. This helps editors verify the information in the article for accuracy, any bias and proper accreditation.

Editors can reject articles with incorrectly written references, so make sure to do it right the first time to cut down on your rewrites.

How to Credit a Reference in a Demand Studios Article

Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty–crediting your reference correctly within the article’s text.

When should you credit the reference? Rule of thumb: if you’re listing a specific study, statistic or an uncommon fact, it needs a reference. For example, “depression is a commonly diagnosed mental illness” probably doesn’t require accreditation (it’s common knowledge), but “depression affects an estimated 19 million Americans” does.

To credit the above example properly within a Demand Studios article, write this:

“According to WebMD.com, depression currently affects an estimated 19 million Americans.”

Alternatively, this also works:

“WebMD.com estimates 19 million Americans currently suffer from depression.”

Good accreditation includes starting a sentence with “According to”, “Named source reports” or “Named source says”, with the nearly exact or exact fact following it. You should never credit a source by writing “WebMD.com says depression affects millions of Americans” or “19 million Americans currently suffer from depression (source: WebMD.com)”.

If your source is a website, state specifically it is from a website. If it is from a study published online, state when it was conducted and who conducted it, such as “According to a 2008 study published in the named source”.

Remember, be exact–vagueness is confusing, can be misleading and often gets rejected by editors. Demand Studios prides itself on good content, and being specific improves the quality of your article.

How to Credit a Reference in Your Article is part of the Demand Studios Tutorials series on WJR. To see all of the articles listed in this tutorial, click here.

Unless you’re one of the few that can finish any article without planning in advance…well, you’re pretty awesome.  But for the rest of us who don’t always have that motivation (or the crystal clear memory) to finish all of our assignments on time, having a writing schedule helps us write more while staying motivated.

Jessie Haynes recently explained the deets behind her own writing schedule, so I want to share mine with you: the High/Medium/Low method. It’s great for those who hate strict schedules but love simplicity.

What is the High/Medium/Low Method?

With the High/Medium/Low Method, you simply rank your writing tasks in order, from highest priority to lowest priority. You can choose to keep it in a computer file for easy access–something I love to do–or write it on a separate sheet of paper. This is how it should look:

HIGHEST PRIORITY
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3

MEDIUM PRIORITY
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3

LOWEST PRIORITY
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3

The highest priority tasks are typically your biggest paying or “due today” assignments, or additional emails/papers you need to send to a client. The medium priority tasks are for smaller assignments that aren’t due–but should still be completed relatively soon. The lowest priority is assigned to small, miniscule tasks (such as updating your Facebook fan page) or additional writing assignments you can do once you’re done with everything else.

The advantages: With the High/Medium/Low Method, you get plenty of flexibility. You don’t need to do everything in order or by a certain time–you choose when you want to do it. Once you’re done with the task, cross it off the list and move on to the next task. I typically do my highest priority items first, but if creativity falls short, I’ll switch to a medium or low priority task.

An Example of the High/Medium/Low Method

If you’re still not sure how to use this writing organization method, here’s a “real-life” example–these are all the tasks I have to do tomorrow (5/26):

HIGHEST PRIORITY
Write 5 diet reviews for F
Finish diet blog article for T – send via email

MEDIUM PRIORITY
Finish 1 AC FC Assignment
Follow up with B. about possible writing opp. for his fitness channel

LOWEST PRIORITY
Rewrite one article for Constant Content & submit it
WJR blog post: How real mothers balance writing career and parenting
Start submitting AC non-exclusives to Constant Content for usage rights

As you can see from this list, I have a full plate–six articles are in my “Highest Priority” queue–with additional assignments available for me to complete if I get stuck with my Highest Priority assignments. I am absolutely not required to finish all of the tasks–just the ones listed in the Highest Priority category. And that’s the true beauty of it: not being pressured to complete every single assignment on your list.

Happy writing!

As you may have noticed, Writing Job Resource went on a slight month hiatus – not planned at all, so I apologize for that. I’ve been juggling some clients and working non-stop, so unfortunately WJR took a backseat. I still intend on keeping WJR active, with regular posts starting later this week.

– Ann