I’ve been working on a lot of content for my article writing clients.  There is a lot of information “out there” on the Internet that writers like me use for their research.  Some topics have more information available than others, and we all have a short list of Web sites – or classes of Web sites – that can be considered trusted sources.

Like most Internet Marketers can attest, the .gov pages are pure gold – although marketers value link juice from these sites more than the informational resources they provide. Information on most government sites can be considered trustworthy, so writers often use these sites in their research when applicable.

Major news sites are generally pretty accurate, although writers need to be wary of the use of statistics and editorial bias.  Breaking news is less accurate than in-depth pieces, but reporters have a vested interest in the accuracy of their words.

Then there are a handful of professional or expert sites – Web sites run by doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, architects, and other professionals. We trust what they professionals say because they are the experts in their fields. The information contained on their Web sites is assumed to be an extension of each professional’s personal knowledge base, and many writers use the sites in the research without verifying the accuracy of the information. After all, these are licensed  professionals, and they wouldn’t want to risk their reputations by providing false information.

The problem is that many of these professionals do not possess professional writing skills – or if they do, they don’t have the time to write their own Web site content because they are busy doing the work they are paid to do.  Web site content is either outsourced or completed by another member of the office staff.  Because the quality of the research depends largely on the quality of the writer, this is a very risky proposition.

I’ve been using some of these professional Web sites as research resources for my client work.  I like to make sure my content is more comprehensive than other content out there, so I use multiple sources.  I encountered my first instance of false information last week.  Three more articles uncovered even more instances of blatantly inaccurate information this morning.  Because many of these professional resources cannibalize each other, they tend to parrot the false information found on their competitors’ Web sites.  Who is writing this stuff?

Sadly, the writers who were charged with creating the content for these professionals were not very diligent. To be honest, a quick glance at Wikipedia would have told the writers that the information was wrong.  There is something  wrong when Wikipedia is more reliable than an article published on your accountant’s Web site. How do I know that Wikipedia was right?  I Googled a few related search terms to determine which  information was correct. Wikipedia won every time.

If you are a writer, you need to check your sources. You need to use a variety of different types of sources. Using four doctors’ Web sites in your research is not the same as using a doctor’s Web site, the FDA site, an article from a medical journal, and an article from the New York Times. You can’t take shortcuts if you want to protect your own reputation and the reputation of your writing clients.

If you are in the market for buying content, make sure you trust the writers you end up hiring. You know you’re not going to get anything resembling proper English if you hire $1.00/article writers from India, and you’re not going to get diligent research from a writer who is trying to crank out enough $10 articles as quickly as possible to pay the bills. You’re going to have to do your own research to make sure your writer is going to do theirs.

Because honestly, you don’t want to find out that the information on your Web site is less valuable than the information on Wikipedia.

Check Your Sources – The Prevalence of False Information Online is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

I have to admit, the whole concept of what to charge for content creation can be quite confusing for writers, which makes the concept of how much to pay for content confusing for content buyers. There are all sorts of different methods used to bill for content creation, and I’d like to take a look at some of the most popular.

Pay Per Hour

Some writers get paid by the hour. Most often, these writers are hired on a full-time or part-time basis by a specific company.  Their whole job is to write whatever the company needs them to write, whether it’s Web site content, sales letters, press releases, blog posts, or any other hundred things needed by one department or another.

These writers get paid quite literally for every minute they spent brainstorming, researching, preparing, writing, formatting, editing, and finalizing the content they create. If a writing project takes longer than expected, the writer does not get shorted for going above and beyond the call of duty to do things right. On the other hand, companies may not know if all the time they are paying for is  time being well spent. While many writers are quite diligent and work very hard, others are not as productive.

Pay Per Word

The prospect of getting paid by the word can be quite exciting for some writers, especially those of us who have a tendency to be quite verbose. Getting paid by the word encourages writers to fully develop the subjects they are writing about. When writers are asked to deliver 300 words, they know they will be creating a far broader, more generic article than they would when asked to deliver 750 words on a subject.

The problem for both writers and those that hire them is that of filler.  Writers may try to stretch their word count with unnecessary words and phrases that do not add to the overall value of the piece.  While some writers may do this intentionally to squeeze some extra money out of their work, others may do it out of perceived necessity.  If they are contracted to write 750 words on a subject, where they are getting paid specifically to write 750 words, they may struggle to add more when they discover their fully developed article comes up short at 625 words. Paying by word does not take into account time spent doing research on subjects with little information that is readily available.

Pay Per Page

Many writers opt to be paid by page written.  While the definition of a page is open for interpretation, freelance writers often define a based based on a word count range. As they are not being paid by the word, this grants the writer the freedom to determine the appropriate length for each individual topic.

When companies pay per page, they may wonder why they are paying the same amount for a 550 word page as they are for a 950 word page. The answer lies in the fact that the amount of time spent on each page is probably pretty comparable. While pages of 500 words or less are often generic overviews of a topic, and are thus billed accordingly because of the minimal research needed, pages up to 1,000 words are generally written as comprehensive resources on specific topics.  Some topics have more information available than others. When an abundance of information is available, writers may find it easy to come up with 980 words. When informational resources are scarce, it may take just as long to research enough to write 450 words as it did to write the previous 980 word page.

Essentially, when you pay for content by page, you are paying for the amount of research, time, and effort involved to create each page.

My Rates

This all, of course, applies only to general Web content, the type of content designed to provide information for your visitors. Sales copy, press releases, and other types of promotional content are a completely different  animal. But with that disclaimer out of the way…

My article writing rates were created on a per page basis. I have separate rates for up to 500 words and over 500 words. This has very little to do with actual word count, and more to do with the extensiveness of each page.

If you hire me to write 100 of the <500 word pages, I know you want some pretty basic content that won’t require much research. You are billed accordingly, even if I happen to go over 500 words on some pages.

If you hire me to write 100 of the >500 word pages, I know you want me to do some pretty extensive research, going into as much detail as possible, up to about 1,000 words. Basically, I will do everything in my power to make your page a better resource than any other single page online on the topic. Sometimes I’ll hit over 900 words, but other times I may not scratch 500. But rest assured, I probably spent just as long on the shorter page – maybe even longer – than I did on the 900 word page, just trying to find enough material to make each page as informative as possible.

Your Thoughts

What are your thoughts about content creation pricing? I’m interested in hearing from both writers and people who hire writers.

What Are You Paying For When You Buy Content? is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

As QualityGal, I didn’t get much opportunity to write articles myself, but writing has always been a passion of mine. I’m a tiny bit OCD, which is good for the research process, as well as for getting everything just right.

Having created SEO writing guides and my own style manual, I have a handle on how to write Web content effectively.  My specialty subjects include health, mental health, children, family, gifts, special occasions, and product reviews, but I am willing to research many other subjects. I may not be the best fit for a highly technical guide to CSS or Perl, but I could write a page that explains what CSS is and what it’s used for.

If you know what content you need, I can write it for you. If you think you need content but don’t know what exactly needs to be written, I can help you figure that out for a nominal consulting fee, and then write it for you.

My rates will vary widely depending on the type of content needed, the amount of research required, and any special requirements. In general, my rates start at $.06-$.07 per word for general Web content requiring basic research. Large SEO companies or content companies will charge you $.14 per word (or more!) for the same work, and not necessarily return the same high quality work that I would. (I know because I’ve helped set company content creation rates!) By going directly to the source (me) you cut out a lot of overhead, and you know that you’re getting a top rate writer, not a 1 in 200 chance that the writer who works on your project has the same high standards as me. You won’t necessarily need to pay a copy editor to double check my work, either, unless you really want to.

Here is a starting point for negotiation, assuming basic research and no special requirements:

• $35 per article for general Web content, up to 500 words. (Less research needed.)
• $75 per article for specialized Web content, 501-1000 words. (More research needed.)
• $50+ per product review, plus product to review. (I won’t write a review without actually testing out the product. Sorry, but that’s the way I roll. Quality and ethics. Rate varies depending on depth of review.)
• Larger or more complex projects negotiable.
• Print media rates also negotiable.

These rates are subject to change based on project scope and non-standard writing requirements. Please contact me for more information.

Article Writing Services is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC