Content whore. Paid advertising flunkie. Queen of the 3 paragraph 87% key word dense blog post. Princess of the unlimited pen name. I’ve been called all of the above – and worse. I’ve sold my rights for as little as $1.50 for 500 word articles, and been paid as much as $100 for 300 words. I’ve done reviews, I’ve done product descriptions, I’ve written SEO, I’ve written rhyming children’s content – I’ve even sold song lyrics and pictures of my dog. I have never placed the Google AdSense code on a single blog or website of mine. I’ve never joined an affiliate program. Yet, I have managed to turn as much as $2k a month off my keyboard and determination. So when I read disheartening things like the A-Listers giving up because they’re not making money… part of me is sad.

And another part thinks… heh! Less competition.

I wrote this back in November of last year:

Freelance Writers in an Uncertain Economy

In the uncertain US economy, everyone is becoming increasingly concerned about their job security, and the markets in general. The content/advertising market, however, is one niche that will likely experience growth. (Yes, that was my prediction)Some websites and blogs that sell products and services will likely fold, because the owners will be forced out of business. However, the ones that remain will need quality web content and highly targeted advertising more than ever! Not to mention the amount of new businesses that may now branch out to the internet as a way to expand their retail sales. In the past, webmasters have chosen to “wing it” by writing their own web content, and doing their own SEO. They also had the money to experiment with many different types of advertising and promotions.

My Content Predictions

With budgets tightening up, I predict two things to happen. First, we will likely see a panic in our market where publishers and websites simply aren’t buying anything – primarily because they will need a re-adjustment period. They will have to take a hard look at what they have, and make budgeting decisions, and as I said – some may fold. But once the market settles again, the remaining businesses will then be ready to proceed with a much more aggressive and targeted strategy. The new businesses branching out to the internet will also want to be as competitive and targeted as possible. This is where my second prediction comes into play. I foresee a virtual boom in the demand for web content and targeted advertising.

My Advertising Predictions

One of the biggest changes I foresee to advertising is that affiliate programs, with the exception of AdSense, will likely be a thing of the past. I believe advertisers will realize that they’ve wasted a lot of money on improperly targeted ad placement. For example, how many times have you saw products such as fashion wear on a website about hiking or mountain biking? Because most of these campaigns were designed to pick up on “key words” within the content and display what might be a relevant ad – if the website mentions clothing – the program may well pull and display Gucci advertisements. I foresee the advertisers wanting a much more reliable and targeted form of advertising.

My Emerging Business Predictions

Right now the market is literally ripe for someone to launch a business to sort this mess out and help advertisers get to where they really need to be. (hint entrepreneurs!) For writers, I suggest that during this “slack” time, we all brush up on changes with Google. When the market does pick back up, these content buyers and publishers are going to want the best bang for their buck and SERPs will be more important that ever before. So buckle up and get ready for a bumpy ride! But take heart – I do believe this will actually be a good thing for us and our marketplace in the end!

This is often achieved by using a combination of a redirect and cloaking. Put simply, search engine spiders are redirected to a website with a much higher page rank – and Google assigns this higher rank to the starting page as well as the landing page. When a visitor lands on the website, all we see is a big honking green bar, because the redirect doesn’t effect us – just spiders.

“Yeah, yeah, but I’m a writer, what does this all mean to me?“

Well… if you have a web presence at all, you want to be found, right? You’re probably already using many SEO tactics – such as link exchanges. Say you’re interested in promoting your portfolio, and want to exchange links with websites similar to your own, and you want to stay within a certain page rank. How do you know if the page rank of the website you’re interested is legitimate?

Page Rank Checking Tools may be of little use on this, because they often return the same result as your own Google bar is displaying. The fastest and most reliable way is to use the power of Google and simply type in: info:http:URL – and hit search.

The part you want to pay attention to is that green URL at the bottom. If it’s not the same URL that you entered in your search – you’ve discovered a redirect. A faker. Linking to a website that has done this will do you absolutely no good, because it’s unlikely that your content would be any sort of match for the content on the redirect landing page.

Another instance where this page rake fake out is important is contextual advertising.  If you’re a blogger who does this kind of work, you know how important page rank is to your amount of compensation.  As tempting as the fake out may seem, do not do this!  If you’re caught stealing green with fake page ranks, in order to gain more green in compensation – you may end up with your blog being banned from both Google and the sponsored ad company.

Why?

Well, apparently Google has been unable to control the beast they created. Hackers have found ways to infiltrate the system, and of course clever SEO techs have found ways to fool it. If this indeed is the case, it certainly would explain a few things.

Though the good Doctor himself admitted defeat with his dastardly creation, he was unable to stop the beast, nor control the damage it had done.

Hummm…

Perhaps web content purchasers and advertisers should pay heed to this tale of woe and struggle instead to appease the reader?

1. Upon accepting your project bid, the content purchaser will likely try to change your price. You may well have bid the project at $50.00, and they may well want it at $25.00. Before you ever click the button to “seal the deal” with this buyer, make sure the price is firmly agreed upon. Copy and paste the IM messages between yourself and the buyer into a Notepad file, because it is highly likely they will later dispute the price they agreed to pay.

2. Once the project leaves the IM of the job board, and contact is made directly between you and the content purchaser – it is urgently important that you exchange “real world” contact information. Do not settle for a free email service address and a screen name. You have to expose yourself fully via your profile, portfolio, and samples of your work – it’s only right that the content buyer be asked to provide the same. In the event there is a non-payment, or you need to contact the buyer – you need to know precisely whom you’re dealing with.

3. Get the agreement in the BUYERS words, you need an email, or an IM that specifically lines out the terms and conditions of the project. This needs to include the job description, the deadline, and the payment arrangements. Putting this in your words is meaningless, you must have the buyer set these terms and you agree to them.

Some content buyers have been burned as well – don’t get me wrong! They’ve hired a freelance writer based on a sample or portfolio, only to find out that 3 articles into the project, the freelancer has vanished or the content is copyrighted by someone else. Therefore these simple practices are good for the buyer as well. Make sure you have real world contact information on your writer, make sure the terms and conditions of the project are agreed upon by the writer, and make sure they are aware of their deadline and any possible repercussions for missing a deadline.

Bull.

There is nothing constructive to gain from having your hard work declined by a potential buyer.  However, there are constructive things to be gained from the way you deal with this rejection. Be open to the possibility that your work has room for improvement. 

If none of these areas have any room for improvement, then assume your potential buyer is an idiot.  Be thankful that you learned this early on in your relationship with them – and move along little Freelancer, move along.

Copyright and Pen Names
Contrary to popular belief, an article can be copyrighted in the pen name of the author. However, you’re simply copyrighting the work itself, not the pen name. There’s no actual copyright protection for a person’s name – real or pen. When you apply for your copyright under your pen name, make sure you read the conditions carefully because the application can contain just the pen name, or the pen name and the author’s real name. If you feel inclined, you can visit the United States Copyright Office online and read more about copyright law.

How Could A Pen Name Help Me?
If you write a significant amount of web content, and it’s aim is to boost SERPs, you might want to consider a pen name. These articles are typically key word dense, and not exactly known for their high standards. Because they are geared toward quick and high search engine result placement, you can rest assured these articles will make it on the first page – if not the number one slot of a search engine. If this isn’t the kind of writing you want to be the most recognized for, the use of a pen name could come in handy in this case.

How Could A Pen Name Harm Me?
Because you’ve created an alias for yourself, some people may not realize that this isn’t you full and legal name. In such cases, you may receive payment in your pen name! You may also receive mailings and offers in your pen name. A good rule of thumb when using a pen name is to always include both your legal and pen names on the contract you make with any publicist, and clearly identify each as such.

Need a Pen Name?
Something fun you can try is the Pen Name Generator on Poem of Quotes. Just type in your real name, and select male or female, and this generator will automatically choose a pen name for you. Mine was Lady Schwartz, and I think I will opt to stay with my real name instead!