Content/Article Writers - NOW is Your Time to Shine!

68 replies
Content Writers, Article Writers, Freelance Writers...

NOW is YOUR time to shine!

Why?

Because with Google's recent changes in their search algorithms...
They are doing away with duplicate content as well as overall CRAP.

So... If you can produce FRESH, ORIGINAL & UNIQUE content, you
are in a good position.

Not only to make money with your own sites and/or affiliate promotions...
But also by SELLING YOUR SERVICES to others.

The ball is in YOUR court now. The days of auto-blogging (by stealing
other people's content) are coming to an end. As are the days of using
5 year old PLR articles. New, fresh PLR is also something to consider
offering or using.

There is a FLIP side to this coin as well:

If you are someone who owns/operates an online business, you should
be looking at producing (or outsourcing) ONLY the best, freshest, most
original content possible. You WILL be rewarded for it, trust me.

So many niches have tons of competition... But NOW more than ever,
you have the chance to rise to the top of Google with fresh content that
is optimized correctly. The "cream always rises to the top!"

Should content writers, article writers and freelancers RAISE their prices?

In my opinion, if they produce great original content, then yes. You must
change with the times and charge according to the demand. I speculate
that there will be a large increase in the demand for fresh, unique content.

To your continued success online and off!

Best,
Shane
#content or article #shine #time #writers
  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    This is very important shane! Now that everyone must use unique content, all of the article writers who truly provide value will succeed.
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  • Profile picture of the author bhuff85
    Shane - I agree 100%. However, there will always be low-quality content producers for people who expect 5-star service and quality at $2 an article, when they'll end up spending more time editing and rewriting those same articles.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by bhuff85 View Post

      Shane - I agree 100%. However, there will always be low-quality content producers for people who expect 5-star service and quality at $2 an article, when they'll end up spending more time editing and rewriting those same articles.
      You pay peanuts: You get monkeys!

      You get what you pay for and nowadays you will not only have to spend time editing, etc. You can also do HARM to your site's rankings by providing CRAP content.

      Best,
      Shane
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      • Profile picture of the author bhuff85
        Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

        You pay peanuts: You get monkeys!

        You get what you pay for and nowadays you will not only have to spend time editing, etc. You can also do HARM to your site's rankings by providing CRAP content.

        Best,
        Shane
        Exactly - I guess I should've mentioned that I personally don't write OR go after these types of writers. Just merely mentioning that there will still be people out there who expect amazing quality at ridiculous price points.
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        • Profile picture of the author Shane N
          Originally Posted by bhuff85 View Post

          Exactly - I guess I should've mentioned that I personally don't write OR go after these types of writers. Just merely mentioning that there will still be people out there who expect amazing quality at ridiculous price points.
          I totally agree with you! There will ALWAYS be those who feel that they are entitled to quality content that will bring them traffic and make them money for $2 per article.

          It's the same mentality as those who think they can put up a website and then have money start rolling in overnight without doing any work!

          Best,
          Shane
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        • Profile picture of the author Crystal_Jobs
          Originally Posted by bhuff85 View Post

          Exactly - I guess I should've mentioned that I personally don't write OR go after these types of writers. Just merely mentioning that there will still be people out there who expect amazing quality at ridiculous price points.
          Hi everybody.

          I am a freelance writer.

          What I have noticed is, buyers get articles for different purposes (often personal reasons). So, priorities differ.

          Some are looking for quality while some need quantity. In fact, some of them are looking for both (for different sites).

          So, as writers, we just provide exactly what they want. For example, I don't write cheap stuffs because I hate to see ugly finished product.

          I hope this helps.
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          • Profile picture of the author Shane N
            Originally Posted by Crystal_Jobs View Post

            Hi everybody.

            I am a freelance writer.

            What I have noticed is, buyers get articles for different purposes (often personal reasons). So, priorities differ.

            Some are looking for quality while some need quantity. In fact, some of them are looking for both (for different sites).

            So, as writers, we just provide exactly what they want. For example, I don't write cheap stuffs because I hate to see ugly finished product.

            I hope this helps.
            I would love to see a situation where someone only wanted "quantity" instead of "quality" and see if they actually achieve any type of success whatsoever. If a client needs quantity, they should (IMO) equally desire for the material to be of good quality.

            Let's put SEO aside completely... Don't you want people to think you are smart and know what you're talking about? Why would someone represent themselves and their business with crappy articles? It just doesn't make sense to me...

            If I read a crappy article, you can bet that I am not going to click on the link in the resource box...

            (This isn't directed towards you, I know that you were just pointing out the facts...)

            Best,
            Shane
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            • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
              Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

              I would love to see a situation where someone only wanted "quantity" instead of "quality" and see if they actually achieve any type of success whatsoever. If a client needs quantity, they should (IMO) equally desire for the material to be of good quality.

              Let's put SEO aside completely... Don't you want people to think you are smart and know what you're talking about? Why would someone represent themselves and their business with crappy articles? It just doesn't make sense to me...

              If I read a crappy article, you can bet that I am not going to click on the link in the resource box...

              (This isn't directed towards you, I know that you were just pointing out the facts...)

              Best,
              Shane
              It does happen. Sometimes quality doesn´t bring the best results if you are using money in the bank as metrics.

              And this is one of the reasons google keeps working on the algorithm.

              A couple of examples:

              the old adsense sites. I had a client I did upwrites for who tested everything. They found out that good material in nice sites made people to stay around instead of actually get out of the site clicking on the links. So they replaced all the nice templates by ugly templates and the good content by difficult to read, really bad content and their adsense revenue started coming via fedex. All those sites are long deindexed now, but the money they brought didn´t disappear.

              Second example, a client contracted guides to keep the list happy. I was working very close to him and the inner group for this, so unwillingly I started doing guides with information that was a lil bit too advanced. He did tell me to do the best I could, but then looking at the stats I discovered that were gathering a bunch of freebie seekers and that it was actually hurting the business. So he started butchering my guides, and that was the beginning of the end for the business relationship.

              About bad quality articles: they are usually for backlinks and not for people to read them.
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          • Profile picture of the author mikeevee
            Originally Posted by Crystal_Jobs View Post

            Hi everybody.

            I am a freelance writer.

            What I have noticed is, buyers get articles for different purposes (often personal reasons). So, priorities differ.

            Some are looking for quality while some need quantity. In fact, some of them are looking for both (for different sites).

            So, as writers, we just provide exactly what they want. For example, I don't write cheap stuffs because I hate to see ugly finished product.

            I hope this helps.
            Quite right. Quality is great. But sometimes its just a matter of getting something up into an article directory with a link or two. In that case a cheaper, less well researched article fits the bill.

            Content writers are simply meeting the needs of the market. And in the same way that some people will pay more for free-range organic food, while others will happily eat mass produced intensively reared meat (or can only afford to), there will always be people that need the lower quality cheaper content too.
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      • Profile picture of the author TomVa
        Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

        You pay peanuts: You get monkeys!
        awesome saying, :p:p
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  • Profile picture of the author Kierkegaard
    This is true.

    The least someone should accept for a 800 word article is $30. The reason being that the buyer can expect more than a $30 return on the article. If you're approaching a writer to write you an article that you don't think will at least make you a couple of sales then why are you bothering?

    Article writers, if you are incapable of writing an article that will generate at least $31 then you're not really a very good writer.

    I appreciate that you can't just take a good article and make money. You need to do a bit of work to get readers, find the right product in the first place, build lists, create a web presence and so on. The writer doesn't have to bother with any of this - which is why s/he sells the work for a one-time payment and moves on the next one rather than building a entire website.

    As a rule of thumb, I would suggest that buyers should expect articles to be around the 800 word mark and pay as much as one sale from that article would make. So if you're promoting a ClickBank product that pays $30 per sale, pay $30 for the article.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ruth P
    I totally agree, Shane. I have always provided unique content on all my sites just because that's what I believe in doing. I went through a phase of trying to hire writers dirt cheap, but the savings I made were not worth the compromise on quality. It is well worth paying more money, or spending time to rewrite good quality PLR articles, rather than trying to cut corners and make money out of nothing.

    Now I don't necessarily think ghostwriters are going to start raising their prices. There will always be people looking for dirt cheap, as was just mentioned above. But maybe those people will come to realise that it just isn't worth it. For the ghostwriters who provide quality content, I think the kind of buyers who look for that know that their true value is more than a penny (or less!) per word.

    ~Ruth
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by Ruth P View Post

      I totally agree, Shane. I have always provided unique content on all my sites just because that's what I believe in doing. I went through a phase of trying to hire writers dirt cheap, but the savings I made were not worth the compromise on quality. It is well worth paying more money, or spending time to rewrite good quality PLR articles, rather than trying to cut corners and make money out of nothing.

      Now I don't necessarily think ghostwriters are going to start raising their prices. There will always be people looking for dirt cheap, as was just mentioned above. But maybe those people will come to realise that it just isn't worth it. For the ghostwriters who provide quality content, I think the kind of buyers who look for that know that their true value is more than a penny (or less!) per word.

      ~Ruth
      Hey Ruth,

      Thanks for your response...

      I feel that now more than ever, people will realize that they are wasting their time and money when they purchase dirt cheap articles of not-so-good quality (or worse).

      Now, there MAY be the rare case of a content writer who produces quality content and very low prices, but these are not common and if you have one, you should give them a "virtual hug" today and thank them!

      Best,
      Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author pheonix44
    This is true.

    The least someone should accept for a 800 word article is $30. The reason being that the buyer can expect more than a $30 return on the article. If you're approaching a writer to write you an article that you don't think will at least make you a couple of sales then why are you bothering?

    Article writers, if you are incapable of writing an article that will generate at least $31 then you're not really a very good writer.

    I appreciate that you can't just take a good article and make money. You need to do a bit of work to get readers, find the right product in the first place, build lists, create a web presence and so on. The writer doesn't have to bother with any of this - which is why s/he sells the work for a one-time payment and moves on the next one rather than building a entire website.

    As a rule of thumb, I would suggest that buyers should expect articles to be around the 800 word mark and pay as much as one sale from that article would make. So if you're promoting a ClickBank product that pays $30 per sale, pay $30 for the article.


    I never thought of it this way. It makes perfect sense.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kecia
    I agree with you to an extent. As others have stated, you will still have those looking to pay the lowest price for their content. Also, you are going to have those that don't know/understand/care about all these Google changes, so they won't see the need to begin paying more for quality content.

    I do think now is the time for freelancers to see their worth and begin charging accordingly. I'm in the process of evaluating my rates as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author seriousmny
    Looks like there will be enough work for everyone who writes articles. Google has done us all a favor by demanding quality content. It requires people running websites to sit down and write fresh content themselves or find someone who can do it for them. There will always be people wanting to outsource their writing to someone else. We will be there when they come knocking.

    Yeah, there will still be people on Fiverr writing for cheap, but for those who understand the worth of great content, they will be willing to pay. Here's to great business in 2011.
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  • Profile picture of the author petelta
    Quality is king!

    Google is always trying to deliver the best possible quality content to their users. They created the initial algorithm to accomplish this exact task. As the internet progresses, so will the algorithm. I would bet it will never change to cause less quality content to beat out high quality content though.

    Creating high quality content is a valuable skill and it will only continue to rise in value as Google improves their algorithm.

    Travis
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    Yes, this change is very good for content producers. However, I’m afraid that many people will find new ways to use duplicate content without being noticed, especially because Google’s automatic system cannot evaluate quality.
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    • Profile picture of the author petelta
      Originally Posted by clever7 View Post

      Yes, this change is very good for content producers. However, I’m afraid that many people will find new ways to use duplicate content without being noticed, especially because Google’s automatic system cannot evaluate quality.
      That's what it is doing. That's why backlinks are recorded and part of the algorithm...they are votes for quality. In the past, we marketers have been able to manipulate these things, but their system is always evolving to evaluate quality better.

      Currently, they can't evaluate quality as if a human was reading it, but don't think that might not be down the road.

      Why create something now that isn't going to be the best when those changes occur?

      Like you said though, they will always find a loop hole around the system...it just will be a new loop hole lol
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      • Profile picture of the author sailor4528
        Originally Posted by petelta View Post

        That's what it is doing. That's why backlinks are recorded and part of the algorithm...they are votes for quality. In the past, we marketers have been able to manipulate these things, but their system is always evolving to evaluate quality better.

        Currently, they can't evaluate quality as if a human was reading it, but don't think that might not be down the road.
        When I think about the way that I use Google when researching a topic, then I could see a way that google could measure my 'residence time' between accessing different index entries during one search. If these times were stacked up over thousands of users/searches to smooth out the bumps, lost searchers etc., the relative residence times between the index entries would start to point to the relative value of the search results. We know that Google is one of the biggest data accumulators in the world, so I think that they can use the reader community to vote with their residence times... The lexical and syntactical analyses become less necessary as the data builds. Sure, in the early days of an article's existence, there would have to be some sort of programmatic assessment, but then we already see 'shooting star' articles.

        I'll vote for quality original content every time!
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        • Profile picture of the author Shane N
          Originally Posted by sailor4528 View Post

          When I think about the way that I use Google when researching a topic, then I could see a way that google could measure my 'residence time' between accessing different index entries during one search. If these times were stacked up over thousands of users/searches to smooth out the bumps, lost searchers etc., the relative residence times between the index entries would start to point to the relative value of the search results. We know that Google is one of the biggest data accumulators in the world, so I think that they can use the reader community to vote with their residence times... The lexical and syntactical analyses become less necessary as the data builds. Sure, in the early days of an article's existence, there would have to be some sort of programmatic assessment, but then we already see 'shooting star' articles.

          I'll vote for quality original content every time!
          Excellent point. Then again, there are bots that can stay on pages for certain periods of time, etc. so people will always figure out ways to manipulate the system... However, as you mentioned, quality, original content/articles will always prevail!

          Best,
          Shane
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          • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
            Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

            Excellent point. Then again, there are bots that can stay on pages for certain periods of time, etc. so people will always figure out ways to manipulate the system... However, as you mentioned, quality, original content/articles will always prevail!

            Best,
            Shane
            I have always hated bots and anything automated because although it can do work for you I feel it takes away from the satisfaction of having written a nice unique article that people will enjoy reading. You can get a double benefit of money and the satisfaction that you wrote a good article.
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  • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
    This is EXACTLY what Google has been telling us they want for the longest time.

    The people who have been doing this from the get-go, shouldn't have had any significant issues.

    Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

    Content Writers, Article Writers, Freelance Writers...

    NOW is YOUR time to shine!

    Why?

    Because with Google's recent changes in their search algorithms...
    They are doing away with duplicate content as well as overall CRAP.

    So... If you can produce FRESH, ORIGINAL & UNIQUE content, you
    are in a good position.

    Not only to make money with your own sites and/or affiliate promotions...
    But also by SELLING YOUR SERVICES to others.

    The ball is in YOUR court now. The days of auto-blogging (by stealing
    other people's content) are coming to an end. As are the days of using
    5 year old PLR articles. New, fresh PLR is also something to consider
    offering or using.

    There is a FLIP side to this coin as well:

    If you are someone who owns/operates an online business, you should
    be looking at producing (or outsourcing) ONLY the best, freshest, most
    original content possible. You WILL be rewarded for it, trust me.

    So many niches have tons of competition... But NOW more than ever,
    you have the chance to rise to the top of Google with fresh content that
    is optimized correctly. The "cream always rises to the top!"

    Should content writers, article writers and freelancers RAISE their prices?

    In my opinion, if they produce great original content, then yes. You must
    change with the times and charge according to the demand. I speculate
    that there will be a large increase in the demand for fresh, unique content.

    To your continued success online and off!

    Best,
    Shane
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by x3xsolxdierx3x View Post

      This is EXACTLY what Google has been telling us they want for the longest time.

      The people who have been doing this from the get-go, shouldn't have had any significant issues.
      I agree with you 100%. I have been telling people this for years as well...

      Why not just produce quality from the get-go and reap the rewards?

      Also, it makes you look better and SMARTER when your content is intelligent sounding and fresh.

      Best,
      Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author Tuxxy
    For sure, the problem is there are tons of people who are willing to write articles for dirt cheap prices, obviously the content sucks, but most people would rather save a couple of bucks and buy cheaper content which lacks in quality.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by Tuxxy View Post

      For sure, the problem is there are tons of people who are willing to write articles for dirt cheap prices, obviously the content sucks, but most people would rather save a couple of bucks and buy cheaper content which lacks in quality.
      I completely understand... But the question is WHY?

      Why "save a couple of bucks" if it is going to LOSE you even MORE bucks?

      Best,
      Shane
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      • Profile picture of the author eQuus
        Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

        I completely understand... But the question is WHY?

        Why "save a couple of bucks" if it is going to LOSE you even MORE bucks?

        Best,
        Shane
        First it's greed, second it's no brains. Third, most people who pay $2 for articles, can't tell the difference between good writing vs. bad writing. They just count words. The days of such IMers are numbered, glad to say.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sylvia Meier
    Shane,
    Excellent post.

    I agree big time.

    Those who have always done their best to write high quality content are currently being rewarded for their efforts.

    And I hope your post does come true and people do begin writing for what they should be instead of peanuts or pennies. I know I have had quite a few people lately approach me for ghostwriting, and I never hear from most of them again, once they have my quote. Or I get a response like, well other people on the WF don't charge that much, and my response is, then get them to write it for you! I'm not going to write for peanuts simply because someone else undervalues the service they are providing. And you are absolutely correct on another level. If you're going to make $31 from an article, don't be afraid to pay $30 for it, you're still in profit, and all you need to do now is scale it up.

    Best wishes,
    Sylvia
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by Sylvia Rolfe View Post

      Shane,
      Excellent post.

      I agree big time.

      Those who have always done their best to write high quality content are currently being rewarded for their efforts.

      And I hope your post does come true and people do begin writing for what they should be instead of peanuts or pennies. I know I have had quite a few people lately approach me for ghostwriting, and I never hear from most of them again, once they have my quote. Or I get a response like, well other people on the WF don't charge that much, and my response is, then get them to write it for you! I'm not going to write for peanuts simply because someone else undervalues the service they are providing. And you are absolutely correct on another level. If you're going to make $31 from an article, don't be afraid to pay $30 for it, you're still in profit, and all you need to do now is scale it up.

      Best wishes,
      Sylvia
      Hey Sylvia,

      I know exactly what you mean... I've gotten that exact response myself. Or rather, lack of response from clients once they receive my quote for sales copy or some other type of writing (I don't do much writing for other people these days).

      But on the flip side of the token, I appreciate my MANY clients who are happy to pay my prices because they know that what they are getting will be above the rest as far as quality and producing results.

      Thanks for sharing your input!

      Best,
      Shane
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    • Profile picture of the author Intermission
      Originally Posted by Sylvia Rolfe View Post


      And I hope your post does come true and people do begin writing for what they should be instead of peanuts or pennies. I know I have had quite a few people lately approach me for ghostwriting, and I never hear from most of them again, once they have my quote. Or I get a response like, well other people on the WF don't charge that much, and my response is, then get them to write it for you! I'm not going to write for peanuts simply because someone else undervalues the service they are providing. And you are absolutely correct on another level. If you're going to make $31 from an article, don't be afraid to pay $30 for it, you're still in profit, and all you need to do now is scale it up.

      Best wishes,
      Sylvia
      I don't hear from people either after they learn my rates. It has actually become quite disheartening. They just can't bring themselves to pay for better quality.

      It was because I was sick and tired of getting garbage when I outsourced for writing, that I chose to return to doing it myself and decided I might as well offer this service to others too, while I'm at it.

      There may be a greater perceived value towards good content once curation content catches on a little more. We'll see.
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  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    Should content writers, article writers and freelancers RAISE their prices?

    In my opinion, if they produce great original content, then yes.
    I did, but even before there was even something like a "Google change".

    I simply don't have an interest in cheapskates as clients who only pay $2-$3/article or who think that $100 for creating a complete web site is "fair". Those people fail in IM and i don't want to deal with people who are haggling for pennies.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by GeorgR. View Post

      I did, but even before there was even something like a "Google change".

      I simply don't have an interest in cheapskates as clients who only pay $2-$3/article or who think that $100 for creating a complete web site is "fair". Those people fail in IM and i don't want to deal with people who are haggling for pennies.
      It's funny... Because sometimes those SAME people will end up spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on PPC and wasting every penny. Or using the money for some other get rich quick scheme...

      Yet they could have used that money to purchase quality articles from you...

      It seems like people really only do spend money on things they "want" as opposed to the things they "need." Marketing 101 I guess!

      Best,
      Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
    I'm all for this Google change if it gets rid of all the crap on the net. To even look at it from an internet users point of view and not just as a writer, it's very frustrating when you are looking for information on a topic and all you find is rubbish that is so obviously written just to rank a website.

    This is a change Google had to make! I just hope that it does get rid of all those autoblogs that steal content - that really irks me

    If you can't write good content yourself then be prepared to pay good $$ for it - don't steal it and don't just put crap, cheap articles on your sites!
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by Sheryl Polomka View Post

      I'm all for this Google change if it gets rid of all the crap on the net. To even look at it from an internet users point of view and not just as a writer, it's very frustrating when you are looking for information on a topic and all you find is rubbish that is so obviously written just to rank a website.

      This is a change Google had to make! I just hope that it does get rid of all those autoblogs that steal content - that really irks me

      If you can't write good content yourself then be prepared to pay good $$ for it - don't steal it and don't just put crap, cheap articles on your sites!
      I am all for the Google change as well, don't get me wrong... I think it's great to get rid of the crap that's clouding up the first pages of search results!

      Just as people know that they must invest time, effort and money into an OFFLINE business, people should be equally aware that an online business also requires investment... Not just $2 here and there.

      Best,
      Shane
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        As I've read through some of the changes google is making I realized they don't change what I do.

        I've never auto-blogged, write my own content and the articles I submit are usually 650 words or (usually) more. Go google!

        I don't know what the google stance is now on autoblogs - there are still people here who say the change hasn't affected those blogs. Maybe it depends on the quality?

        kay
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        • Profile picture of the author Shane N
          Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

          As I've read through some of the changes google is making I realized they don't change what I do.

          I've never auto-blogged, write my own content and the articles I submit are usually 650 words or (usually) more. Go google!

          I don't know what the google stance is now on autoblogs - there are still people here who say the change hasn't affected those blogs. Maybe it depends on the quality?

          kay
          Hey Kay,

          It hasn't affected the "concept" of auto-blogging per se, but it will affect those auto-blogs that have duplicate content, stolen content and other utterly useless crapola.

          Best,
          Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author masterpeez4py
    thank you very much for this information.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by masterpeez4py View Post

      thank you very much for this information.
      You're welcome, however, I have a sneaking suspicion that your response was meant to increase your post count and nothing more. I am not really sharing any information here... I am simply stating my opinion and trying to give a pep talk to fellow content writers... Good luck to you!

      Best,
      Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author AzzamS
    But what about labnol.org that was one of the blogs hit hard?
    I have followed him since 2006 and he was even interiewed by adsense for a case study. All his content was informative including images/videos and links where neccessary but all his hard work with original content from 14 hour days of research and content writing wiped out.

    Although the OP is about content writers selling content I wondered what would be your take on this Shane?
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    • Profile picture of the author Shane N
      Originally Posted by AzzamS View Post

      But what about labnol.org that was one of the blogs hit hard?
      I have followed him since 2006 and he was even interiewed by adsense for a case study. All his content was informative including images/videos and links where neccessary but all his hard work with original content from 14 hour days of research and content writing wiped out.

      Although the OP is about content writers selling content I wondered what would be your take on this Shane?
      I would chalk this up to a mistake on Google's part... (for not doing something to make sure that the legitimate sites kept their rank)

      If MOST of the other people that are doing what he is doing are stealing content, etc. then he becomes a victim of Google cracking down on those "other" people. You understand what I mean? Classic case of martyrdom.

      While there are many people blogging (and auto-blogging) legitimately... The MAJORITY are breaking rules and saturating the web with crap and blatant advertising... So therefore, the few good guys amongst the crowd get wiped out with the flood.

      Best,
      Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author Brianne
    This is certainly some good news for those writers who do actually produce quality content!

    I've tried getting into content writing for some time now, but have been back-and-forth with it. When you're competing against people offering cheap articles for $2-$5 a piece it tends to make it difficult to be successful at it.

    I, myself, not only work online, but I also still work a regular job...and am a single mom. I have a hard time rationalizing with myself how it would ever be cost effective for me to take time out of my already busy schedule to write for so cheap. Hopefully, these changes to Google will help to raise the bar, and allow quality writers to be compensated for their work more appropriately. The opportunity this presents for all quality writers out there is truly an exciting one!
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  • Profile picture of the author slw081066
    I totally agree with you Shane. If truth be told I was excited that Google did this. I know some writers who are worried but I only see it as a GOOD thing for me and the Internet overall. I hate when I search for something and only get CRAP.

    The problem is that there are a lot of people who want "something for nothing" and I've been there myself. I think my prices are pretty low, and my quality is high, yet I have people who are always trying to low ball me. Of course I don't need to fall for it, but it happens.

    I have noticed more visitors to my writing site now that Google did this and I'm excited about it. Of course I can only write so much so I may be putting my prices up real soon. !!!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      it will affect those auto-blogs that have duplicate content, stolen content and other utterly useless crapola.
      So only about 80-90% will be affected? If so, that's good for those auto-bloggers who are doing it right.
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      • Profile picture of the author aaronngoh
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        So only about 80-90% will be affected? If so, that's good for those auto-bloggers who are doing it right.
        Is it that auto-blogges pull content from other sites and post on their blog?

        So what does the other 10% of auto blogger do differently
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      • What is unique, high quality content? In my opinion, unique, high quality
        content is:

        Content integrated with a person's own relevant observations, inferences, test results, actual
        experience, theories, opinions and perspectives, aimed at providing a specific audience benefits
        not found elsewhere, written in a style and packaged in ways not
        found elsewhere...

        What is unique, high quality repurposed content? In my opinion, unique, high
        quality repurposed content is:

        Content integrated with a person's relevant observations, inferences, test results, actual experience,
        theories, opinions and perspectives, aimed at providing a specific audience supplemental benefits
        not found in the original material nor elsewhere, repurposed in a style
        and packaged in ways not found in the original material nor elsewhere...
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  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    As for now, the Google change only confirmed i am on the right track, be it with my sites in general or my web content. All of them got boosted, basically.

    If someone got slapped, its simply a hint to change things.

    Low amount of content but high amount of ads? SLAP!
    Low quality content, rewrites, garbage etc. SLAP!

    Actually, this does not go far enough since there are still sites i would VERY MUCH like to see slapped, for example those "i cant even spell right" Sniper sites with pseudo reviews on them.

    Dont get me wrong, we are all in marketing, and YES we all fricking make money with our sites, be it adsense or affiliate sales - but this does NOT automatically mean you need to have crappy sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author jurojin
    It was like this for long time, unique content is the king according to Google, the latest Google update called "Panda" had the purpose to penalize websites that were abusing the "buzz" or "trends" keywords for massive traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      my results went up with the changes. I´m on first page for my main keywords. Still have some work to do, as I want to move out a big one.

      Something "interesting", the results without quotes seem to be closer now to the results with quotes. I have some extra SEO to do.
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      • Profile picture of the author Shane N
        Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

        ... my results went up with the changes...
        That's a perfect example of how you can/will be rewarded for having fresh, original and unique content that provides value.

        If you follow this simple concept, your site goes up in rankings and if you don't, it goes down. It's not rocket science people!

        Best,
        Shane
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      • Profile picture of the author drmani
        A lot of nice points on this discussion, thanks for sharing.

        And now, it's time for the scheduled break from routine - to explore
        a contrarian point of view.

        "Content is King"

        Really?

        The sites with the highest ranking on SEs, the ones that have the
        highest revenue/profit, the ones with the biggest following, are
        the ones with the "best content"?

        Pick 20 sites at random from any search engine, and that will quickly
        prove how WRONG that sentiment is.

        Yes, good content is a desirable element of any solid and sustainable
        Web business.

        But to assume or equate good content ALONE with success, and believe
        that the lack of it will immediately drown your competition and give
        you a clear field has a different name... dreaming!

        There's still a ton of MARKETING stuff to get done. And while it is
        easier to market good content, it still takes hard work. If your
        competitor with poor quality content does a better job of marketing,
        she will STILL out-perform you.

        High quality, unique content is little more than a good STARTING
        point. It's far from being all that you need.


        Originally Posted by Mike McAleer View Post

        Now that everyone must use unique content, all of the article writers who truly provide value will succeed.
        Now THAT would be a nice dream to believe in


        Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

        You can also do HARM to your site's rankings by providing CRAP content.
        This was always the case. Always.


        Originally Posted by Kierkegaard View Post

        The least someone should accept for a 800 word article is $30.
        If your article can make someone $500, why would you settle for $30 only?

        Put another way, the free market with pricing of any service or product
        is based on VALUE as delivered, and perceived to change hands.

        That's all.

        Which is why there will always be writers who charge and get premium
        prices - and others who work at "discount rates".


        Originally Posted by Shane Natan View Post

        It's funny... Because sometimes those SAME people will end up spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on PPC and wasting every penny. Or using the money for some other get rich quick scheme...

        Yet they could have used that money to purchase quality articles from you...
        And it would be a wise decision IF quality content alone guaranteed results
        - but it doesn't... and so what is apparently a dumb decision sometimes makes
        sense to the person who crunches numbers at the end of the day!


        Originally Posted by AzzamS View Post

        But what about labnol.org that was one of the blogs hit hard? All his content was informative including images/videos and links where neccessary but all his hard work with original content from 14 hour days of research and content writing wiped out.
        Great example.

        Quality content matters.

        Quality marketing matters, too. Often more.

        And still, stuff happens.

        All success
        Dr.Mani
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        • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
          Originally Posted by drmani View Post

          "Content is King"

          Really?
          You have a very good point here!

          The amount of CRAP on Youtube is staggering, for example. There is zillions of spam or simply useless stuff on there...however, youtube experienced the biggest gain...
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  • This is a nice sharing and update. Thanks for the info.
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    • Profile picture of the author BenoitT
      You know what is the king of SEO overral? Balance! You keep yourself away from algo changes problems because you don't focus only on good contents or optimizing it.

      Good content + Good diversified SEO beats Bad content and awesome SEO not diversified, at least for the overral conversion and happy rebuyer customers. Good content + bad SEO never reach his full potential. It's a fact.

      Be a gray hat that's it
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  • Profile picture of the author BridgetSielicki
    Shane I fully agree with this post and I for one am really heartened by Google's change. It happened by chance that I launched my ghostwriting business right after this took place. Google's change definitely has helped me market my services. My rates are low (in my opinion) to begin because I need to establish myself. I know I can write well and plan to raise my prices at an appropriate time. With the need for more quality content, writers who are good at what they do shouldn't feel bad about charging a fair wage for their services. Hopefully more marketers will start to realize that low-cost work is low-quality and won't do anything to improve their site.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raindance
    I have a question here. How about articles which are a mix of content picked from various sources? I'm not talking about "copy and paste" but doing research over a topic on numerous websites, understanding the concept and making your own article. Will this stand as "quality" in Google's eyes? I'm sure all of us can write enough about our niches but when we step out and enter new ones, we have to do research and make articles with outside help. Will such articles hold any credibility?
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    • Originally Posted by Raindance View Post

      I have a question here. How about articles which are a mix of content picked from various sources? I'm not talking about "copy and paste" but doing research over a topic on numerous websites, understanding the concept and making your own article. Will this stand as "quality" in Google's eyes? I'm sure all of us can write enough about our niches but when we step out and enter new ones, we have to do research and make articles with outside help. Will such articles hold any credibility?
      Hi! Hmmm... You need not worry about Google's "content quality" metrics more than
      a human being's own "content quality" metrics, especially if that person is
      included in your target audience...

      For repurposed content, with the keyphrase below being "provide a specific audience
      supplemental benefits not found in the original material/s nor elsewhere":

      Originally Posted by Marx Vergel Melencio View Post

      What is unique, high quality repurposed content? In my opinion, unique, high
      quality repurposed content is:

      Content integrated with a person's relevant observations, inferences, test results, actual experience,
      theories, opinions and perspectives, aimed at providing a specific audience supplemental benefits
      not found in the original material nor elsewhere, repurposed in a style
      and packaged in ways not found in the original material nor elsewhere...
      I'd like to add this:

      If you focus on providing a specific audience unique benefits useful for
      their relevant needs and problems, then zoning in on a sub set
      of that specific audience will make your repurposed content unique, especially if
      you develop it in a style and package it in ways not
      found in the original materials nor elsewhere...

      For instance: Say you're developing a PHP tutorial ebook and have used
      research materials, mostly PHP tutorials for intermediate to above average software programmers
      with average HTML, CSS, Java and JavaScript experience, then:

      Developing your PHP ebook tutorial for 18 to 25-year old Filipino and
      American males with beginner HTML and CSS experience along with 0 Java,
      JavaScript and PHP experience turns your ebook into a repurposed material offering
      unique benefits not found in your original research materials, and if you
      develop its content in your own style and package it in your
      own ways, then the benefits it offers cannot be found elsewhere...
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      • Profile picture of the author Devid Farah
        Hello Shane,

        the truth is that whatever happens or whatever changes that takes place in the world wide web, quality content writing will ALWAYS have its place at the very top, with this present changes in online content and the Google's algo; we may soon experience some increase in QUALITY CONTENTS.

        Note the capital letter because those that are coming up with less than useful contents and articles may experience some disappointments.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrea Wilson
    Totally agree with you OP. Google shall be a brand new world because of the change of algorithm and I will be so happy as a user to see new content in my search and not just another site like before who used other people's work and simply used heavy SEO to get his junk site to the top.

    Andrea
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  • Profile picture of the author Nate Simms
    I couldn't agree with the OP more.

    I pride myself on my quality content and have always found that I typically rank pretty well in Google.

    ...after the update, I found that I ranked REALLY well in Google.
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  • Profile picture of the author mel guard
    if you give great content you will alway get quality customers the little effort of achive better articles is worth it in my opinion anyhow
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by clever7
    Yes, this change is very good for content producers. However, I'm afraid that many people will find new ways to use duplicate content without being noticed, especially because Google's automatic system cannot evaluate quality.

    That's what it is doing. That's why backlinks are recorded and part of the algorithm...they are votes for quality. In the past, we marketers have been able to manipulate these things, but their system is always evolving to evaluate quality better.

    Currently, they can't evaluate quality as if a human was reading it, but don't think that might not be down the road.

    Why create something now that isn't going to be the best when those changes occur?


    I believe that there is a great difference between well written articles from poorly written ones, but I don't know if Google will be able to detect this difference.

    Unfortunately Google's automatic system cannot evaluate the content's quality. I'm afraid that it cannot identify if certain website has posted for example an excellent article written by a Constant Content author or if it has merely posted a mediocre article written by its webmaster, who has no capacity to write excellent articles, even though he or she may provide original content to the public.

    On the other hand, real writers are experts who never repeat the same words many times but use synonyms, which are keyword variations. Thus, a document's superiority can be automatically detected by Google's search algorithm based on the existence of many keyword variations, instead of the repetition of the same keyword, found especially when a certain keyword's density surpasses 3% in a poorly written document.

    Even though I'm sad for seeing my favorite article directory losing traffic (EZA), I'm glad because Google finally opened its eyes. Ridiculous content written by marketers who simply spin their articles, disrespecting the English language, destroy the logical sequence of a written document.

    When I saw that many marketers became article writers online I understood what it meant because I'm a real writer. It was something as absurd as if writers would build websites without knowing how to deal with html codes.

    Now Google is finally observing the barbarous destruction made by marketers. Marketers became writers by spinning already known content many times. They totally ruined the information given to the public online. What they were doing was a cruel destruction of the importance of the meaning in a written document. This was not only ridiculous; it was painful to the public.

    When an internet user looks for information online, he or she is trying to solve a problem. This is a serious matter. We must respect the user, and save his or her life. This is what the internet must give to the public: salvation, solutions, and knowledge.





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    • Profile picture of the author drmani
      Originally Posted by clever7 View Post

      I believe that there is a great difference between well written articles from poorly written ones, but I don't know if Google will be able to detect this difference.
      Unfortunately Google's automatic system cannot evaluate the content's quality.
      It doesn't need to... as long as it knows how people REACT
      to 'quality content' - and can MEASURE it.

      They consume it - and so spend more time on site.

      They consume a lot of it - and navigate through many pages on the site.

      They tell others about it - and so share the link on networks.

      They want more of it - and so keep coming back.

      They link to it - and backlinks to that content grows.

      And all of this can be measured, often is.

      All success
      Dr.Mani
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      • Profile picture of the author Shane N
        Originally Posted by drmani View Post

        It doesn't need to... as long as it knows how people REACT
        to 'quality content' - and can MEASURE it.

        They consume it - and so spend more time on site.

        They consume a lot of it - and navigate through many pages on the site.

        They tell others about it - and so share the link on networks.

        They want more of it - and so keep coming back.

        They link to it - and backlinks to that content grows.

        And all of this can be measured, often is.

        All success
        Dr.Mani
        Excellent point(s) Doctor!

        However, in the end... The quality of the content itself will determine whether or not the above things ACTUALLY happen.

        One cannot fool the system THAT much for the long haul... And if they can, why put all that energy into it when you can put a lot less energy into creating valuable, quality content?

        Best,
        Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author alexcercel
    Wow, you are so right Shane! Man, content has always been king and always will be!

    I have two examples for that:
    1. website with a few articles on it (sniper kinda site), only a few backlinks, number 22nd to 35th before Google change, now in 9th place! I changed nothing about it! This is like 2 months old and the ranking is for a 177 million competing pages with over 45k quoted search results.
    2. website with about 7 or 8 articles, no backlinking etc. It's a generic domain so no sniper stuff either. The content is original, really good quality (heck, it's for girls and I myself enjoy reading it!), written by a magazine editor. Ranked well, now ranks like crazy for great keywords. No changes since feb. or march 2009!

    So yeah, this is the moment (it was before too, but before there were ways around it) for great writers to step up and make a "killing"

    Thanks,
    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author alexcercel
    Oh, but great content can also be keyword optimized! A good writer should be able to do it without a problem! And why should be great content different from keyword optimized content? Atleast that's what I think...

    By GOOD keyword optimized content I don't mean: "Minisite design can only be done by professionals. Only a pro can do your minisite design. So all in all a minisite design is best to be done by a professional minisite design company".

    No, I mean smth. more along the lines of "Minisite design needed? Well, from everybody's experience this is best done by a minisite design company. So, don't spend your time learning how to do it, don't spend the money on special, expensive software and tools but hire a minisite design pro to do it for you. Now you have the time to spend on growing your business and not learning stuff others might do better and more cost effective anyway"

    Please note I'm not a writer
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  • Profile picture of the author Shane N
    Originally Posted by Chris Kent View Post

    The problem with this algo change is that Google does not know how to judge quality.

    The adage "build it and they will come" does not always work. I have created incredible content and gotten it indexed but got nowhere near the results from keyword optimised content.

    So, while I would love to join others and think "nice one Google, now those who write quality will be rightly rewarded", it doesn't always work this way. A gut feeling is different from reality.
    I agree... However, PEOPLE can judge quality. So, while you should still always keyword optimize your articles in order to rank well on Google... The people who actually read your article will be the ones that care about the content being valuable and of decent or high quality.

    What I am trying to say is... An article can be of great quality and still be keyword optimized at the same time. This is perhaps the best combination to have.

    Best,
    Shane
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