Online Freelance Writing – Your Own Online Writing Business

When it comes to the internet: content is king. To put it another way: Websites that provide up-to-date and relevant content to their visitors also tend to be the most popular. If those same websites have a commercial aspect, which is most of them; then the popularity of the site is equated with increased revenue for the website owner. This has created a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking to freelance online writing as it gives them the chance to set up their own online writing business.

The explosive growth of the Internet and the subsequent growth of Internet-related commerce has created an unprecedented demand for written content. Now, the fact is that it’s rare for webmasters to go in every day and create this content themselves, as they just don’t have the time. What you will find is that they tend to outsource the creation of this content to others and are more than happy to pay for it.

Can you see where this is going? If webmasters are happy to pay for outsourced content, there is an obvious opportunity for freelance writers to create that content and get paid for it. Not only is there a demand for freelance writing online, but some specific online marketplaces have sprung up that allow freelance writers to showcase their wares. Webmasters know that they have to go to these marketplaces for outsourced content, so it really streamlines the process of selling your writing skills.

On top of this, the ever-evolving nature of the Internet means that new avenues are continually emerging, all of which require new content. If it’s not website owners who need sales copy, it’s bloggers who need fresh content for their blog readers. And if it’s not the blog owners who need content, then it’s the article directories that are looking for more content so that webmasters keep coming back to them. And it goes on and on. If there is something that the Internet is not: it is static. Opportunities abound everywhere you look and independent content creation is one of the biggest.

Two of the largest and most popular online auction sites are Elance.com and Guru.com. Webmasters know that they can go to these central resources, create a job description, and then have freelance writers bid to do that job. It works like a Dutch auction in that the lowest bidder usually, but not always, wins the bid and secures the job. Of course, once you’ve done a good job for someone once, they may choose to skip the bidding process the next time and work with you directly.

The beauty of selling your freelance writing skills to these agencies is that they not only provide an efficient market for you to sell your skills, they also act as a governing body to ensure your invoice is paid within 30 days or sooner. People who pay you late on these sites tend to get kicked out. In that sense, it’s very similar to eBay’s auction system, except it’s writing services instead of “goods shipped.”

If you’re a writer looking to earn an income writing online, then it’s in your best interest to make yourself visible where content buyers go to shop. Elance.com and Guru.com are the best places to start.