This article will guide you through the process, from what you need to get started, to a review of the major paid content sharing websites, as well as tips on how to promote your articles more effectively in order to generate more page views and more revenue. So let's get started!
Setting Up
Before you start out, do sign up for a Google Adsense account. Certain content sharing sites such as Xomba require you to have an Adsense account in order to generate revenue. In addition, it takes rather long (almost a week based on my personal experience) to get approval for one, so it will be best to apply early.
Next, is to apply for a Paypal account. This will allow you to receive payment from sites that provide payouts through this manner. These accounts are tools that you will need in order to make money online. By applying for these accounts early, you will save yourself the hassle of applying for them in the future. Content-Sharing Websites
This is an extremely well received website. They pay you upfront when you submit your articles with them, plus you get performance bonuses when people read your articles (US$1.50 per 1000 page views). A bad point with this site is that they only offer upfront payment for United States citizens. You can choose to submit “exclusive” or “nonexclusive” work to them. They might pay more for exclusive work but you can retain the publishing rights for non-exclusive work.
This site allows you to earn 50% of net revenue generated by your content for the previous month, and your articles, like Associated Content, will allow you to continuously generate royalties as people read them. Payout is only $0.50 so it can be reached rather easily. Another good point about this site is that they allow many forms of content such as pictures or videos to be uploaded. A bad point about this site is that they are rather strict regarding republishing content that has been previously published elsewhere. Other than that, this is a good site to check out.
Helium is the site where I was introduced to the world of writing revenue sharing articles. They feature an excellent community of writers, ever willing to offer advice. They have, in my opinion, the best website design layout, which makes it rather conducive and welcoming to navigate. This site features a unique article rating system where articles with the same topic are peer-ranked against each other, with the best articles rising to the top.
A bad point about Helium would be that the formula where revenue is shared with the writers is not disclosed. In my own personal experience, other sites may give higher payouts as compared to Helium. However, this is compensated by the fact that Helium features an active marketplace where members get to submit their work to publishers with specific requirements and needs. This pays out between US$20 to US$180 if your article is selected. Helium also features weekly contests that pay out a top price of US$75.
Other popular sites you might consider include
Promote Your Articles
After writing and submitting your articles to the sites of your choice, you expect to sit back and wait for the revenue dollars to roll in, correct? It is not as simple as that. For the first couple of days, you might find an income of only a few cents. Don't get discouraged. You can always write more articles to increase your revenue, but the effect on your revenue is limited if you don't bother to promote it.
Promoting your content will allow you to increase your revenue by increasing your page views. This step is equally essential to the value of your article. Without proper promotion, who will ever know about your wonderful article? Here are some suggestions on how do you go about accomplishing this task.
Getting Your Article Indexed
You might be surprised to know that your article that is published may or may not be found on the major search engines. You can manually submit your article's URL or link to the major search engine directories such as Yahoo Directory or the Open Directory Project.Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization refers to the process of writing an article or designing a web page that will be well ranked by search engines. Even if your article is finally listed, it will probably not be ranked very highly in search engine queries. There are two methods of improving this.
A factor that search engines consider is the frequency of your keywords. As a rule of the thumb, you will want aim for a keyword density of around one to four percent. This means that your keyword should appear between once to four times for a 100-page article. Search engine optimization techniques will allow your articles to gain more page views and more traffic.
Another factor that search engines is to build links to your page. When your page is well linked to, search engines increase the value placed on your page and correspondingly rank your article more favourably. You can setup more links through popular social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, and Digg.
Other Ways to Promote Your Content
You can always promote your content to your network of friends through email of social networking sites such as Myspace or Facebook. Online forums are also another good place to setup links to your content. You can also get more page views by having an attention grabbing title.
Earning extra revenue from your articles is something that can be easily achieved with a little effort and dedication. It combines the elements of a well promoted, quality article, published on a platform that is well paying. Over time, this money can add up and can be the basis of a nice hobby that actually supplements your income. So, what are you waiting for? Start writing, publishing and promoting your articles today!
