Big Changes for Internet Writers: Google's New Algorithm

I would love to say that Google's new algorithm hasn't changed anything for me and other writers. That would be excellent news for all of us. Unfortunately, it has changed things. As internet writers we must learn to adapt to Google's new algorithm and all of the changes it has brought about.

This changes in the way that Google is indexing and ranking internet articles were meant to cut the spam and poor content that many writing sites are publishing from their search engine. This makes sense. Google wants those who use their search engine to find only the best information. Like me, they are preaching "quality over quantity."

Unfortunately, quality writers who produce quality internet articles are finding it harder to be indexed and ranked with Google. Because we write for those writing sites, our page views and our earnings are down. Google is not using their vast resources to go after "hacks" on those writing sites, but the all the content those sites publish.

What can internet writers do to adapt to these changes? I wasn't sure if there was much we could to work with these changes. Boycotting Google isn't going to help much. Throwing in the towel is definitely not an option. There are several things we can do to make sure our earnings do not decline, "drop" and "disappear," as some of my readers have explained has happened to them:

• Look For Other Writing Websites -Find writing websites that have not been as drastically effected by the new Google algorithm. Do your research and find new websites to write for. Revisit writing websites that you considered before, but decided against. Consider re-applying for writing positions you were turned down to write for in the past.

• Be More Selective -  Choose carefully which of your current writing sites you write for. Spread yourself a bit thin and write for several different websites. As with most internet writing, trial and error is probably the way to go. See which writing sites will pay off for you. Write for the websites that have haven't been as as hard with the changes in the Google algorithm.

• Increase Your Quality -If there ever was a time to do your best work, it is now. Use reputable sources. Include links to websites that have the highest quality of information as well as the highest page rank. Although I am not a fan of sending readers away from you own work, I am willing to make this sacrifice to help increase my own ranking, page views and, hopefully, getting indexed on the front page of Google and other search engines.

• Write More -Increase the amount of quality internet articles you are writing. It is a numbers game, I hate to say. The more internet articles you write, the more chances you have of being indexed on Google. DO NOT sacrifice your quality though! I understand. We are already as much as possible. However, if we could produce just one more quality internet article per day, it could make a difference in our earnings.

• Find Your Niche - Consider finding your niche. Look for something that you are a wealth of information about, love writing about and others are not writing about. Carve out your niche. This is the area where I will be putting a lot of my effort into. I'm not a niche writer, but I'm working hard to become one. When you (and I) find a specific area of internet writing that others aren't writing much about, the more likely we are to be indexed by Google.

• Watch Other Writers -  Pay attention to what other internet writers are doing. Which writing sites are they writing for? Which ones are they writing less for or have quit using completely? Read the internet articles that are on the sites that you write for. If you notice problems with the internet articles, follow the sites guidelines and common courtesy to help the writer improve their work. If you are alerted to problems with your internet articles, do not take it personally and do all you can to fix those problems.

• Hang On Tight -Yes, hang on tight. It is unsure exactly how much the new Google algorithm with change how we "do business," but we have to keep an open mind and keep writing. This isn't the time to throw in the towel. We are writers and that is what we do. For many of us, it isn't just a career - it is who we are. Do not give up your love and passion for internet writing simply because things are getting tough.

• Stick Together - Internet writers, more than ever, should stick together. We need to share information. Let other internet writers know what is working for us and what isn't. If nothing else, lend a compassionate ear when our internet writer friends tell us things are looking bleak for them.

The only thing constant in life is that it is always changing. We must learn to adapt to those life changes. Just like we must learn to adapt to Google's new algorithm. It isn't the end of the world. We will weather this storm and come out on top. It may not be easy and it may take some time, but we will do what we do best - write quality internet articles that get indexed with Google, get the page views and make our money. I know we can do it

Where Online Writers Make Money

There are so many different writing websites available to online writers it can be hard to choose where to write. Thankfully, as online writers we don't have to chose. We can publish our online articles on as many writing sites as we like. In fact, I recommend being active at as many different writing sites as possible. You don't want all of your eggs in one basket. Writing online is much like buying stock. Do you just buy stock from one company or do you diversify? These are just a few I write for. For the record, I wouldn't mention them if they weren't profitable for me.

• Helium - Helium, by far, is the most profitable writing website I have ever used. When I first started writing there, I had no idea the ad/traffic revenue I would earn would eventually be enough to pay my rent on a monthly basis. I made "penny jokes" for months, until I learned about promoting my online articles, keywords and SEO. Online writers can write about almost any topic they are interested in. The contests can be quite profitable and rather easy to win. The upfront money for online articles isn't that great, but the ad/traffic revenue more than makes up for it.

• List My Five - List My Five is new writing website is that quickly became a money-maker for me. The format is easy and the money flows in regularly. Almost no topic is off limits (no porn, violence, etc.) and you are only limited by your imagination. When you use keywords and links properly, it is almost impossible not to meet the minimum payout ($10) each month. My earnings are coming in much faster than they did when I started at Helium and I can't wait to see how much I'm making within the next three months.

• Associated Content - Associated Content isn't exactly my cup of tea. I do make money there, but not as much as I do at other writing sites. Most online writers swear by it and are making money. I'm sure if I wrote there regularly, I'd do much better. I can't complain about the money; I forgot I even wrote there, but I'm still making money.

• HubPages - HubPages is a fun writing website. There you can use both Adsense and Amazon to make money. I have several "hubs" and they are doing well. As with all the writing sites, I should publish more online articles there. The page views are constant and other "hubbers" are constantly giving feedback.

• Factoidz - I've only written one online article for Factoidz, but it is making consistent money for being up a such a short time. The tips and hints Factoidz give their writers about keywords and SEO are a big help to new writers and us "old" writers, too. SEO is important to Factoidz, so be sure to research keywords and get the right keyword density before submitting your online articles there.

• Xomba - My Xomba earnings are getting better each month. They are certainly starting to add up. The format they use for publishing online articles is easy to use and the page views can be significant. As with any writing website, the more online articles you publish, the more you will earn.

• Bukisa - Bukisa is a great place to publish your "re-worked" online articles. Now that Bukisa has added Adsense, the potential has greatly increased. It is also a great "starter site" for online writers who want to test the waters of an online writing career.

• Yuwie -I love using Yuwie as a place to publish "teasers." I will copy/paste the introduction of my other online articles and then the link. Not only do I earn money from readers visiting there, but my earnings increase at the other writing sites when my links are followed.

• Blogs -Blogging, in my opinion, has the greatest long-term potential for online writers. You aren't having to share your ad revenue with a website. However, you aren't paid for page views. It can take some time to get the page rank needed for the world to visit your blog, but a little promotion and constant, quality writing will speed up that process.

Obviously, there are more writing websites where you can make publishing your online articles. I mentioned these because I have used them personally and they are profitable for me. Online writers must find the writing websites that work best for them and their specific writing site. With so many available, online writers are sure to find several different writing websites that will work well for them and make them money.

Keyword of the Day - Rugs USA

The keyword of the day for January 7th is Rugs USA.

As of the publication date, the CPC for Rugs USA is $1,278.96. Nice little chunk of change for online writers to play with! The competition is fairly high, but Rugs USA can be used in all sorts of creative ways to bring in ads.
 
Never heard of Rugs USA? Neither had I until I started researching "flooring covering" for an online article I was writing about home decorating. Neither "floor covering" or "home decorating" had a high CPC, but, thankfully, I found out about Rugs USA. It is a website that has all sorts of rugs available. I was pleased to learn that the prices at Rugs USA were very competitive and the site was easy to use.
 
How can you incorporate Rugs USA into an online article? Try a home decorating article like I did. I am even considering doing an online article that compares different online stores whose websites are easy to use. Yes, I was that impressed with the Rugs USA website. I even wrote something about donations to give to animal shelters and rescues and incorporated Rugs USA into that. The possibilities are only limited by imagination and how much effort you want to put into adding Rugs USA into your online article.

Who Are You to Give Advice?

I received an email today from a fellow online writer who asked the question, "Who are you to give advice to online writers?" This writer was much more polite than that, but it did bring up an obvious issue. Who am I? How am I qualified to offer anyone any type advice on writing? This is a little background information about me.

I graduated from Smith College with two degrees, one B.A. in English and another B.A. in Public Relations. I began writing professionally in high school. I was "stringer" for a local newspaper. I had several articles published in national magazines before I started college.

After graduation, I officially started my freelance writing business. I wrote anything and everything someone would pay me to write. As a struggling freelancer, I didn't always make the money I needed to survive, so I started doing fund raising and event planning on the side. Because of this, I fell into working as a home stager as well. As my freelancing career began to take off, I concentrated on it and soon my other jobs were practically non-existent.

Well, DUH! That certainly doesn't qualify me to give any advice to online writers. When I graduated from college, the internet was fairly new and I didn't know a thing about it. Nothing about writing in "the real world" or planning events and home staging has anything to do with writing online. This is where there is an odd twist in the road...

My health began to fail and keeping up with clients, deadlines and the everyday grind of owning a business became impossible. I gave it up and concentrated on getting better. I accidentally found a writing website and knew I had to write. I missed it too much. I could write in my pajamas at two in the morning if I wanted and didn't have to worry about anything. It never occurred to me I could make money writing online. That was early in 2008.

Pennies trickled in. Then nickles and dimes. Eventually, it was up to dollars. I got to thinking that this might be a way to support my family. I had met other writers at this website and they were willing to share what they knew about online writing. I asked questions and picked their brains. I learned about all sorts of other writing sites. And, this really cool thing called "blogs." My online writing career was born.

Still don't see how this qualifies me to give advice about online writing? Well, I do it every day. I pay the bills writing online. I've made more mistakes than I can remember or care to remember. Better yet, I learned from those mistakes. I still have a lot to learn, like everyone else. The things that I feel qualifies me to give advice about online writing is the fact that I do it, I am constantly learning more about online writing and, after all the mistakes I've made, I'm more than qualified to suggest to other online writers what not to do. That last one is about half the battle.