by Rena Sherwood

Created on: September 14, 2009

Time takes on a whole new meaning for a freelance web content writer. The average pay is $3 (US) for a 400 word article. Some places pay more but most others pay less, especially blogs and websites like Suite 101 or Squidoo where you only get revenue share. If you are getting paid $3 per article, then you need to really crank them out in order to pay any part of your bills.

This is where speed comes into play. You cannot linger doing web content articles. You just can't afford it. Your goal should be no more than 20 minutes for an article 400 words or less. Depending on the topic, you may be able to complete an article in 10 minutes, but 20 is a more realistic goal. It does not matter how fast you already type, although being able to type fast certainly helps.

Choosing the Article Topic

Unless your client does not give you any choice, you will have a choice of what topic to write about. Always try to keep to topics that you are familiar with. The more familiar you are with the topic then the less research you have to do. The most time spent on writing content for the web is in research.

If all of your clients choose the topics for you, consider getting different clients. It's not good to completely blow your clients off, but even writing for a website like Helium will significantly lessen your research time. For example, in the time it takes me to do one article for my British client, I can do three for Helium. But my British client has different expectations from their writers than Helium does. Also, Helium gives me the option of correcting any mistakes later on. I can't do that with my British client.

Know Your Client

I have clients that do not care if I proofread my work or not, just as long as all of the keywords are in place. Why waste the time proofreading and editing when the client won't pay for it? You will be able to identify these clients really fast. Just send them one article without proofreading it and see how they respond. If they pay you without any question and ask you for more work, you got 'em. These are the ones you can turn the afterburners on for.

But you do have to be careful about editing and proofreading if the client expects you to do it. You will find those clients just as quickly. They better pay more in order to make it worth your time. If they don't, then it's time to get a new client.

Some clients also will want a more conversational tone of voice than a grammatically correct one. The grammar used for speaking and the grammar used for term papers are extremely different. It's much easier to write for those who prefer the conversational approach.

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