by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: May 31, 2010

When we think about professional web content, we can take a look at several ways of defining writers and their content as "professional". The technical "how to's" of providing professional web content is too large a topic and is not being dealt with here. Instead, trying to arrive at some ways of identifying a writer's web content as "professional" and letting those definitions help to improve web writing is the goal.

There are matters of expertise or credentials. Sometimes a web content writer has education or experience that puts their writings ahead others in credibility and reliability of fact. But there has to be some transition from the writing style for work and the writing styles that work for web content. Reading and noting the best aspects of format, layout and style helps to identify ways to transition from the work style to a functional web content style.

In most cases creating professional web content is all about getting paid. People who never intended to become writers find that they write well enough to attract audience to a website that has advertising revenue. Others work their way up the pay scales at a host of sites that pay for content. By reading and noticing the styles and techniques of top writers and by adhering to the standards of the paying site, an "amateur" writer can develop into a bona fide professional writer.

With so many routes to writing expertise, when can the web content or the writer be called "professional"? By most accounts, a writer's web content is "professional" when there is excellent technical skill, a good reputation as a reliable source of fact, a good writing style and a decent sized audience that gives thousands of views per week or month.

Add in entering and winning a few contests, earning various credentials and standings at paid and unpaid hosting sites and becoming a published writer helps to gain the credential of "professional". When web articles get published by a legitimate publisher, whether for pay or not, the writer has claims as a published writer with some professional standing. These articles serve as valuable "examples" when applying for more of the professional writer's credentials or for more work.

Adding to the above by working steadily and earning pay by the article or job qualifies a web writer as a professional. Piling on by earning good reviews, comments or ratings from publishers, readers and other writers adds to the legitimacy of the "professional" label. Again, reading, improving in web style, format and presentation of fact and ideas helps to meet those goals.

In summary, there are many ways to assign the term "professional writer" to individuals who create web content, even when pay or income are not considered.  By reading the best of them, there will be many ideas for improving technically,  for finding ways to transition to writing for the web reader and for developing a unique and high quality style of writing.

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