Most internet visitors go online looking for something to watch or read. They might be researching a topic or looking for something entertaining. Even those who use the internet for business or just for emails have been tempted to read a funny story or interesting article.

Those who run websites have realized that these articles or blog posts are what visitors are looking for. They want visitors to come back, so they are constantly adding new articles or new blog material. The only problem for many of the webmasters is that they don't have the time or skill necessary to keep up with the site's content, or writing.

If you can write a good story or do a bit of research and pull together a short, interesting summary or article, you can make money as an article writer. To become an article writer, you must first understand the market and distinguish where you and your particular writing skills fit in.

Professional Writers

There have almost always been individuals who are skilled and trained to write for formal publications. These writers prepare articles of magazine quality and some now write for real print magazines as well as websites. Professional writers demand a very high rate for their knowledge and skill, usually more than $0.10 per word. They are experts in a particular topic and have years of experience crafting articles.

SEO Writers

At the bottom of the writing quality food chain are SEO writers. SEO is search engine optimization and involves using certain words in a site's text in order for the site to be listed in search engines for that particular word. If a site is optimized for "article writer" the phrase is deliberately used repetitively throughout the work.

This style of writing is almost always geared more toward search engines, not actual readers. Since search engines don't know the difference between quality writing and poor writing, these articles are usually slapped together quickly. They might contain poor grammar or obviously be written by someone who speaks English as a second language.

There is a large market for these articles, however. SEO writing usually brings in no more than $0.015 per word, but quality material is not usually an issue. The goal in SEO writing is to use a certain word or phrase a number of times and ideally use it in sentences that make sense in a broad way.

Article Writers

Article writers fall in between the two spectrums. Better writers demand higher rates and those who are still developing their skills fall at the bottom of the spectrum. Article writers may write on many different topics or only in a specific niche. Usually the more specialized you are, the more you can charge for your expertise. Article writers bring in $0.02 - $0.09 per word depending on ability and topic. A good article writer can prepare "search engine friendly" material using keywords naturally in text written for actual readers.

Becoming an Article Writer

To become an article writer, you only need to find customers and get started writing. The customers can usually be located at various forums or websites where webmasters go looking for services, such as writing. Other websites such as getafreelancer.com, guru.com, or elance.com allow you to bid for projects, and still others such as associatedcontent.com and constant-content.com might buy already written work.

Once you have an assignment, prepare a piece using your best skills and double-check for accuracy, spelling and grammar. Your article should be interesting and fresh with material that will catch the eye and the attention of the reader. It goes without saying that every article you write must be your own work.

Complete the assignment and sent it to the client who requested it. Be sure you have already agreed on payment terms and how you would like your payment delivered - PayPal is the most common method of payment. As you grow in skill and reputation, your article writing business will grow as well. If you have the talent and drive, you might soon be working at the professional level.

About the Author

Joshua Watson is the webmaster and author of Make Money At Home and Christmas Corporate Gifts He had also authored a great how to website which includes