Titles are one often overlooked aspect of article writing. When you are dealing with the print market, the key is to come up with a catchy, intriguing title that will catch the reader’s eye. When it comes to article writing online, a great title is important as well, but it is more important that it will be SEO friendly.

What this means is that the title can be found when people search for the information you are providing. If you are writing an article about eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, for example, you would want to have that specific set of keywords in the title. Otherwise, you will get plenty of potential snake readers, but few that are looking for that particular type of snake.

The key is to get the keywords in, and to try to be as short and concise as possible. Keywords should also be placed as close to the front of the title as possible, so that the url will have it in optimum position.

The title with online articles should always include some foreshadowing of the information to come. You want the question that you are answering to be clear, and what the reader will expect to learn from the article.

Making a really creative and fun title is great as long as you are clear about what the article will give the reader, and it can be found. If you are not thoughtful of SEO and keywording, then you will never be found in the ocean of information on the Internet.

Spend some time on the Internet searching out information. Look at the difference in what titles come up on the front page of Google and Yahoo. You will quickly see that great titles on the web are not rocket science. They are clear answers to questions that people have.

Keep an eye out for future information about titling in future posts.

Article writing is a very complicated way to make a living. Your money is limited by how many article ideas you can generate. There are a million ways to get article ideas, however. The thing is, most article ideas will never actually generate any page views. How do you generate article ideas while still making sure they are articles that will be viewed and generate income?

This article will help you figure that out. Here are a few ideas for how to generate money makers, based on my own experience and the advice of others greater than I:

1. Use Google Trends - Google Trends is a great resource to know what is hot. It is a list of the hottest search trends on Google. If it is hot on Google, you can be relatively sure it is hot everywhere. The thing about using Google trends is that it is often being used by thousands if not millions of other online writers. How do you bypass that?

Simply by finding your slant. Here is a tip. Find a hot Google Trends story. Now find another one on the list that is related. How can you mix the two together? For example:

Free Money is a hot trend. (always)

Playing Games is a hot trend. (always)

Why not do an article about how to get free money playing games? (yes, you can do that believe it or not)

Google Trends is valuable.

2. Sign Up at Wordtracker.com – This is one of the coolest little tools on the Internet. You put in a search term and it sends you back hot article titles. Honestly, this is the coolest thing ever and worth your time. Give it whirl. You will be glad you did. This tool is my favorite thing. Just punch in ideas and get free information. Free is always good.

3. Sign up for Problogger.com’s email updates – While you may or may not be a blogger, this guy always puts out information that can really help with article ideas. The email updates are very non-invasive, and they always are worthwhile. I take the time to read everything that comes from him, and it has made a huge difference.

4. Keep a journal of article ideas on your person 24 hours a day. Seriously. I have a pen and pad beside my bed. I never leave to even go to the store without it. If you do not write it down, you will never ever remember it tomorrow. Write it down!

5. Watch the local news – If you need ammunition, then the news will give you all the article ideas you can think of. Foodie writers have it made. They can simply turn on the Food Network or Emeril and have tons of ideas. Us writers that write on boring stuff have the same resources if we think in that way. Think outside the box and use those 5000 channels your satellite service provides.

I hope that this will at least get you juiced up and ready for some great writing. Be sure and subscribe to the blog, and I will see you tomorrow!

If you’re a freelance writer who is looking for some extra cash, you may have thought about www.examiner.com. The website is considered to be comparable to Associated Content. Is Examiner really worth all the hype though? Or is it nothing more than just a waste of time? Here’s one writer’s opinion on the Examiner.

How it Works

Examiner works a lot like Associated Content with its Display Only content option. Once you have been accepted to the website and have written your first article that requires approval, you will be able to publish whenever you want. You are required to publish 3-5 times per week. Keep in mind that the more you publish, the more you will have to show for in terms of your monthly earnings.

One of the main differences between this website and Associated Content is that you will not be allowed to write about just anything. You will need to write within the channel that you get accepted to. At this point, writers are able to have up to two channels. Another one of the differences is that Examiner requires you to apply either at the National level or at the Local level, which means that you may be writing for the Miami edition.

Payment

The Examiner does not pay any type of upfront offer for content that you submit. This means that you are only getting paid for website traffic. Does this mean that www.examiner.com is worse than www.associatedcontent.com in terms of money? Absolutely not. Associated Content pays up to $2.00 per 1,000 page views, depending on your performance as a member. The Examiner pays a flat rate of $10.00 per 1,000 page views. Payment is sent out on the 20th of the month following the month of your earnings.

The Pros

When you go to the “Publishing Tool” on Examiner, you will have a dropdown tool available to you. You will be able to select from “Today,” “Yesterday,” “Current Week Sunday to Saturday,” “Current Month,” “Last Month,” “Current Year,” and “Last Year.” If you click on one of these options, you will be able to see the amount of money that you earned during each time. This is great if you want to have a new way to keep up with your financial records, which can be challenging as a freelance writer.

Unlike certain websites, such as www.demandstudios, you will not be required to do a whole lot of research or follow a particular formatting structure on Examiner. It is recommended that you choose to write in a channel that you love or are a specialist in, so that you will not need to do too much research. There is not a set word limit, but you should try to keep your articles at about 250 words. This is nothing compared to the minimum word requirements at many websites.

The Cons

Unlike on Associated Content, you are not able to click on each article to see how well it is doing in terms of page views. It has been said that this is a function that Examiner is working on getting due to complaints, however.

The Examiner also often has a lot of technical problems, but what website doesn’t? The turnaround for getting them fixed does seem slightly quicker than other sites though.

Is Examiner Worth the Hype?

Yes, it is definitely is. As long as you choose the right channel to write for and consistently produce high quality pieces, it is likely that you will be quite pleased with your earnings on Examiner. This freelance writer highly recommends you to apply to write for this website if you haven’t already.

For years I wanted to have my very own blog, and was always unsure of doing so. Not because of content or information. I had oceans of that. The problem I had with starting my own blog stemmed from my dependence over the years on Blogger.com. I did not think I could actually get my own domain name, and start a “real” blog. I thought it took extensive knowledge in areas that I knew little about, and that my limited knowledge of html would be a huge problem.

Man, do I feel stupid now.

I wanted a wordpress blog, and briefly had a free one. I loved the simplicity of the blog, but I did not like that I could not put adsense on it. Again, I feel stupid now. Adsense is allowed if you get your own blog hosting and domain. I did not know that either.

Anyway, I finally took the plunge blindly, and went over to Bluehost.com. These guys set me up with hosting and domains, and simplescripts loaded up WordPress services quick and painlessly. Now I have that blog that I have always wanted (three to be exact) – all with their own domains and complete control on my part.

Having finally done it, I would say that you need not worry about it. The process is simple as it can be, and you are up and running fast. I am new to the blogging world in this way, but my blogs are already doing better traffic wise than older ones I had on Blogger for months.

In other words, I am now converted. Never again will I have to take the route of free blogging on Blogger to monetize a blog. I am quite happy thus far. If you are considering getting your own blog with WordPress, I can honestly say that you need to do so right away. The service is fantastic, and the interface is easy as pie.

If you are just getting started writing for the web, then earning a little cash has to be on the list of things you are looking to do. Getting your start is not always easy. Earning money as a writer can seem nearly impossible at first. Inevitably, new writers turn to the online writing sites that litter the web.

While these online writing sites are wonderful at their best, they are horrid at their worst. The key is to find the good ones and not waste time with the others. To that end, I have decided to tout the three online writing websites that helped me the most as a new writer. These websites all have their ups and downs, but they all are beneficial to a new writer.

Here they are:

Associated Content - This web writing giant has had a number of ups and downs over the years, and they certainly are not perfect. One thing I will say about Associated Content is that they are quite punctual with payment and they generally do a good job of keeping your web writing in the search engines. They pay an upfront amount for your work if it is well done, keyworded, optimized for the web, and they do not already have a large amount on the subject. They also pay you a page view bonus each month based on the number of views you garner.

Associated Content also has a special place in my heart for another reason. They awarded me 5000 bucks for a contest.

Demand Studios - Demand Studios is a step up in compensation and expectations. They are a little tougher than AC when it comes to editing, etc. Still, they offer upfront money as well. I earned a great deal of money from them over a year’s time, and they taught me a lot about writing for the web. I highly recommend them to anyone interested in writing for the web and earning money.

Hubpages – Hubpages is a bit different in that they do not pay upfront. Instead you put your adsense code in and are paid on a percentage basis of your views. The thing I love about Hubpages is the fact that you can really garner some serious page views. Also, you are free to add pics, Amazon, Ebay affiliates, and a number of other great earning sites. Finally, Hubpages gives you a fantastic way to build pages that can include video, pics, polls, and more. Hubpages is highly addicting! You can make money on Hubpages!

Hopefully you will check out some of the great websites I have listed, and do not give up. Though you are starting there, you will not finish there if you are dedicated. More earning power will come from these sites over time, and you will quickly find private clients are more than willing to pay for great content!