Consider Writing an Online Article Series

Niche online writers seem to have it much easier than those of us whose online articles tend to be about various topics. Niche writers have found a way to tap into specific topics. However, as a "non-niche" writer, I have found a way to get take advantage of certain topics; I write a series of online articles pertaining to that specific topic.

Writing a series can be quite simple. Write a broad online article that includes all the information you have on the topic. Write it as if it will be the online article you will publish. Include the all the details; leave nothing out. Then break the long and detailed article down to several smaller articles. Use the detailed information to write those articles. Depending on the topic, you may be able to get several online articles out of the one.

Of course, you must be wondering how this will benefit you. There are many reasons for writing an online article series. These are just a few of them:

• Links - When you write an online article series, you will be able to link all of articles in the series together. Links will help you get indexed by search engines quickly. For more information about lists, see my previous post about using links to our advantage.

• Quality and Quantity - By writing an online article series, you will be producing both quality and quantity. Stretching one online article into several online articles will add to your online portfolio. As an online writer, you can never have enough quality articles. Of course, online writers need as many articles available to readers as possible.

• Becoming an Authority - Writing a series of online articles gives online writers a more authoritative voice. Instead of giving readers a single "shot in the dark," it provides a foundation for online writers. Even though the same amount of information could have been used in one online article, by writing a series it amplifies that information and causes the reader to believe they are getting even more information.

• Attracting Readers -An online series will attract more readers. The more readers you have, the more likely it is that you will get ad clicks. This will increase your earnings. If you are writing for an online writing sites that pays you for page views, your earnings will also increase.

Whenever possible, write your online article series on different writing websites. When you do this and link your online articles together, it will give you exposure on all the different writing sites. You want your readers to know where to find you and all of your work.

Online articles series are easy to write and will be a great benefit to all online writers. Take advantage of this - using it to increase your visibility online, your readership and your earnings. It is a win/win situation and can make a huge difference in your success as a writer.

Best Way to Make Money as an Online Writer

Online writers are always asking me what I think is the best way to make money writing online. I have to go with blogging. Of course, if the question was about the fastest way to make money writing online, my answer would be completely different. However, there are many reasons I feel blogging is best the best way for online writers to make money with their online articles:

• Content Control - As a blogger, the online writer has complete control over the content of their blog. Online writers chose their topic and write. There are no editors to fuss with. No substandard online articles mixed with your online work.

• No Profit Sharing - As a blogger, you do not have to share your ad revenue with a writing website. Of course, the ad company you chose will take their cut, but a large portion of what you earn isn't given to another writing site.

• Total Responsibility - As a blogger, you are the only person responsible for the success or the failure of your blog. You can't blame others for rating your online articles poorly. You can't say that the website isn't promoting themselves properly. As an online writer, when you blog, it is up to you and no one else.

• Monetizing Options - As a blogger, you decide how you want to monetize your blog. You are not locked into the ad program that a writing site chooses for you. You look search for the ad and affiliate programs that work best for you and your online articles. You place the ads where you want them.

Blogging isn't the fastest way to make money as an online writer, but I feel it is the best way - when you are looking toward the future. When considering the long term, it is hard to beat the income you can earn with your online articles when you publish them on your blog.

Tips for Using Live Keyword Analysis

I couldn't be happier when I use LiveKeywordAnalysis. It is the easiest and fastest way that I have found to tweak my keyword density. This is just a little information about this great tool that is such a big help to me. I find it to be a must for online writers. The purpose of LiveKeywordAnalysis is to figure out your keyword density. It will tell you the exact ratio of the keywords in your online article. Knowing your keyword density is essential for SEO. Too many keywords and search engines will consider your online article to be spam. Not enough keywords and your online article will be indexed incorrectly, if it is even indexed by search engines.

What I love most about LiveKeywordAnalysis is the fact is it is so easy to use. I simply type my online article on a Word document, which I do anyway, and then copy/paste it to LiveKeywordAnalysis. I then type in the keyword I need to the ratio information about and VIOLA! it is done. If my keyword density is too low or too , I add or delete the keyword directly on the page. Once I have the ratio I want, I simply replace the old online article with the new one on the Word document and publish when I am ready.

Another thing about about LiveKeywordAnalysis is that isn't muddled with all sorts of other options and gadgets I do not want. It doesn't tell me how many times I've used the world "the" or the number of sentences are in my online article. I don't use that sort of information for my online work and I don't want to spend time sifting through it to get to the information I want.

Give LiveKeywordAnalysis a try and see how it works for you. I know you will love it as well. It makes SEO much easier and easier it always better, especially when it comes to online writing and making money with your online writing. It will help you get the ratio of keywords exactly where you want it and you will see the difference in where you find your online articles on search engines, your traffic and your earnings.

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.

Where to Promote Your Online Articles

Promoting your online articles is key to being a successful online writer. Promoting your work serves two purposes - immediate results and long-term results. The immediate results is the "instant" readers your online articles will have. The long-term results are how those page views will increase the chances your online articles will be indexed by search engines. These are just a few different places where online writers can promote their online articles.

• Search Engines - Add you online articles individually to search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo and MSN. To add your online article's URL to Google, simply click here and then follow the directions. For the other search engines, simply search "add my URL to" the specific site to find out how to go about adding your online articles. You can also use several different free services that will add will add your online articles to several different search engines. My personal favorite is Jayde. Simply sign up for their free service and start adding the URLs to your online articles. Ping is another free service you can use. They offer a paid membership as well. With the freebie from Ping, unlike Jayde which is limitless, you can only add up to five URLs per day. You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you see a difference in your page views and, eventually, your earnings.

• Social Networking Sites -  Take advantage of all the social networking websites available. These include Twitter and Facebook. Follow or "befriend" anyone and everyone and post the links to your online articles in your Twitter stream and on your Facebook wall. Remember to interact with others on the social networking sites. Not only will this help you increase your following, it will always help you find topics to write about - topics others will want to read.

• Bookmarking Sites - Use the different bookmarking sites to help you get indexed on search engines and increase the page views of your online articles. Mixx, Delicious, Digg, and Reddit are just a few I use. I also use StumbleUpon, but be careful not to add URLs from the same writing site; they will consider this spam and ban your from using their site. I also use Google Bookmarks and find it to be quite effective. RedGage is a different type of bookmarking site. Not only can online writers add the links to their online articles, you can earn money doing it. It isn't a lot of money, but you might as well make some extra cash when you promote your online articles.

My personal favorite bookmarking site is IMAutomator. As with everything I do online, it is free to use. I can add 10 URLs per day for each account I have with them. All you need for multiple accounts is multiple email accounts - just a hint, one online writer to another. You can purchase the "Pro Version," if you like. My results from this bookmarking site have been so great, I am considering purchasing the upgrade. It is easy to use and lets you decide how quickly your want your online articles to be added. I always go with the 15 days option, unless my online article is seasonal and must be bookmarked quickly. If that is the case, then I go with the one day option. When you submit your online article's URL, it will pull the title, description and tags from that URL automatically. Talk about easy! I love it and love the results - my page views and earnings have dramatically and drastically increased since I started using it. My online articles I have added to IMAutomator are on the first page of search engines, including Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Promoting each and every one of your online articles takes time and effort. It has been my experience that the results are well worth it. Once you set up a routine for promoting your online articles, it gets much faster. Online writers who promote their online articles can go from making pennies each day to making dollars every day. I know because I have done it. Unless you don't want to make money with your online articles, there is no reason not to promote it as much as possible.

Keyword of the Day - Sex

The keyword for January 18th is sex. And, it isn't the keyword of the day for the reasons the other keywords of the day have been mentioned. This is a warning of keywords to avoid. At the time this is published, sex has a CPC of 41 cents and has 338,000,000 monthly searches. The CPC for sex is extremely low, but the global monthly searches sounds promising. But, there is a catch...

Google "sex," without the quotation marks. In the results of that search you will find "about 790,000,000 results." Oops. That is a gigantic problem. Yes, you and I are wonderful and talented online writers, but do you really want to try to get on the first page of Google knowing that you have to make your way from the bottom of that many other online articles, websites, and photos about sex? This online writer prefers to take her chances getting on the first page of search engines with another keyword.

That doesn't mean I ignore sex all together. In fact, I've  recently written two online articles with "sexy" in the title. Yes, this proves I am truly "keyword crazy!" I put a different spin on sexy and wrote an online article that made it to the first page of Google. Of course, it may not be there in a few hours, but it is right now.

How did I do that? Well, I not only did I think outside the box, I poured a little gasoline on the box and tossed in a nuclear bomb. I wrote "The Top Tips for Becoming a Sexy Redneck Man." By changing the keyword slightly from "sex" to "sexy redneck" (no quotations) and pairing it with something unusual, I went from "about 790,000,000 results" to "about 958,000 results" on Google. When I search "sexy," minus the quotations, I found 361,000,000 results and not a redneck in sight. I was surprised to learn that "sexy redneck" has a CPC of five cents. Yes, one whole nickle.

"Am I making money?" That is question everyone wants to know. Seeing I published this online article less than 48 hours ago, I can say not yet. I don't know if I ever will. Of course I want to make money with this online article, but it was more an experiment than a money-making endeavor. I was curious if I could make the front page of Google Search with a keyword that is "over-searched."

Yes, this is still a warning not to use sex as a keyword. Unless, you can figure out a way to mix it up a bit and do the almost impossible. I'm not saying it can't be done or you shouldn't try. I'm simply saying that there are probably better keywords to use that will be more profitable for you.

Using Links to Our Advantage

As writers, we want the world to read our work. The wonderful creation of the internet has made that possible. Any writer with access to the internet can publish their articles. Getting the world to read our online articles is the issue. We need to ranked high on search engines. Getting on the first page of search engines, such as Google and Bing, isn't easy. However, it is possible to use links to help you get the first page ranking.

To clarify, a link is when you add the URL of another website to you work. This can be done in the body of your online article. By using "hyperlinks" that many online writing sites and blogs, you can copy/paste the URL of another website. An example of this would be the following: You will additional tips about using links here. Other times, you may have to type out the URL for the site you are linking.

These are just a few tips to help get your online articles to the world by using links to your advantage:

• Relevant Links - Make sure all of your links are relevant to the online article you are linking it to. If you wrote an online article about weight loss, you wouldn't link it to website about pets. You would link that online article to other websites and online articles about diets, healthy foods, exercise and such.

• Similar Links - Remember to link your articles to similar links. I am currently working on a humorous series for List My Five about rednecks. I am linking all of those "redneck lists" together, even though each list is on a different topic. This gives the reader to opportunity to read more about rednecks. And, to sweeten the process, the reader will be reading MY redneck online articles.

• Highly Ranked Websites Links - Do your best to link your online articles to highly ranked websites. You want to link to places that are on the first page of the major search engines. By doing this, you will help increase your own page ranking with those search engines.

• Traffic Boosting Links - Link your online articles to your own work as often as possible. This is extremely helpful. Not only are you boosting your page ranking to all of your online articles that are linked together, it can also help you create a fan base. Readers will see your style of writing in each of the linked online articles and, hopefully, fall in love with your work. They may start searching for other online articles you have written and read those as well.

One word of caution about using links: Be careful when linking your online work to other sites that have ads on them. You want to get as many ad clicks as possible without sending your readers somewhere else to click on the ads there. I do everything I can to avoid doing this. With only a few exceptions - writers I know personally and whose online work I really enjoy and writers who promote my online work. As a writer, I am just as competitive, if not more so, than other writers. Despite this, I know why I am now able to support my family with only ad/traffic revenue - help from others writers along the way. I return that favor as often as possible!

Using links correctly in your online writing will result in an increase in your page ranking. This is what all online writers want. As I've said before and will continue to say, "You can have the best online articles ever, but it means nothing if they are not read." You must do everything possible to increase your readership. Adding links will do this for you. It is quick, easy and painless. All you have to do is add the links and reap the rewards.

Keyword Density - Find the Right Mix for Your Online Writing

I received an interesting email last night. It was simple, concise and to the point: "How much is too much?" I emails back, asking how much of what is too much. My answered arrived just moments later. Again, it was short and sweet, "Keywords." Ahh, I understand now. How many keywords are too many?

Excellent question. Not  enough keywords in your online articles and your don't get indexed properly by search engines and you won't get the ads your shooting for. Too many keywords in your online articles and the search engines consider your work to be "spam" and won't index them at all. There has to be some sort of middle ground, but where is it?

With all of my searching, I have yet to find the magic number - the perfect ratio that will send your online work to the first page of all the search engines and get the ads you want. When I first started learning about keywords, I thought "less is more." I was such a "real world/non-online writer" at the time. "Less is more" is the standard when writing "out there."

Boy, was I wrong. I wasn't getting indexed and I wasn't getting the ads I wanted - errr, needed. Seeing my error, just like a driver trying to avoid a car accident, I over-compensated. My online work was so "keyword heavy" it read awkwardly. No ads and no first page on the search engines. Like the over-compensating driver, I avoided one accident and created another one.

I wasn't pleased. My online work was scripted and cold. I wasn't making money. I was going no where fast. So, I did my research. I read everything I could about keyword density. That made everything as clear as mud. There were as many keyword ratios as there were experts giving advice about keywords. I read everything from one percent to 12 percent. Some said it didn't matter; others said keyword density was all that mattered.

I have since learned that a good ratio is somewhere between three and six percent. Although nothing in online writing is chiseled in stone, that is a good ratio to strive for. Personally, I like to keep my keywords between five and six percent, leaning to closer to six percent. My work is getting the ads I want and, more importantly, my email inbox always has Google Alerts in it - telling me Google has picked up another one of my online articles.

There is no magic number. Because of this, I've learned to "play with keywords" in my online writing. If I'm not getting indexed on search engines or I'm not getting the ads I need, I will add keywords when my ratio is under 5.5 percent. When my keyword ratio is over 5.5 percent, I edit out the keywords. I keep playing around with it until my online article has been indexed and I'm getting the ads I was striving for.

Dying to know an easy way to figure out your keyword density? That will be in a later post. I've found some great tools for that and I'm using them to see which one I like the best.

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.