When you run one site for yourself, it is very easy to update it yourself and grow it. If you’re running a content site, typically it’s on a topic that you enjoy, so updating it is easy. For instance, I run a blog about politics and it is easy to update because I love politics. However, like a lot of business people, you want to expand your network. Perhaps you decide to take on a second site. And then a third. If you continue to take on sites, you’re going to be stretching yourself thinner and thinner. If you continue to grow, you won’t be able to do all the work without neglecting to work on other sites in your network.
So, what do you do? You are left deciding to either sell off some of the sites or you do what a lot of other webmasters have done: hire content writers. Hiring a content writer can be a very effective method in getting content for your site allowing you to get more work done and, hopefully, get more money in your bank. However, there are some things to look for when you are hiring content writers and some questions to ask yourself. Here’s what I do when I start to hire content writers.
- Determine what you are looking to gain. Are you trying to publish as many content sites as you can or are you trying to create authority sites that people are going to continue coming back.
- Based on the above thought, you have to then ask yourself what your goals are. Are you looking for the writer to become a regular writer and replace you, or to just write a few articles a week, leaving you with some work?
- How big is your budget? Based on what you are looking to do should determine what your budget is. If you want to make a bunch of content sites, you can get away with paying a lot less than if you want to create an authority site.
- How much do you pay? The numbers that I recommend are a penny or two for small content sites that you are looking to just flip. However, for authority sites, I recommend three or four cents a word minimum. Keep in mind that you are getting what you pay for and if you want your site to be considered an authority, the content needs to be very good.
- Consider offering a percentage of the earnings rather than paying per article. If you are intending on making the site huge and making a lot, offer either a percentage of the earnings earned on the site or offer to put one of their ad blocks on their article so that they can continue to make money for as long as the site is up.
Hiring content writers can be an incredibly effective method in expanding your network of sites, but you need to ensure that you’ve got the capital and the plan to make the articles that you pay for the best they can be. Hiring a content writer shouldn’t just be posting on a webmaster forum saying “We want to hire people.” Really determine what you want and really try and find the best writers. And, if you don’t have the capital up front, offer to give them an ad spot on the site. They might like that because it means they’ll make money over time.
Content writing is a very simple thing to understand once you ask yourself the above five points. Whenever I hire writers, I sit down and try and determine what I am looking to do. Sometimes, I just want a very simple article written that will appear nice so that I can sell it as fast as possible. However, when I am creating a site that I intend on making very big and an authority site, I only hire the very best. And the budget follows behind that plan. So, consider what your goals are and how much you can afford before you start hiring content writers. Your success will be apparent if you do.
Jacob is an avid guitar player as well as a biology major in college with hopes of becoming a professor. When not blogging on The Webmaster Blog, he is over at his political opinion blog.