₦airaland Forum

I have reviewed your site. Check my topic list. The other reviews are coming soon.

babatee126:
Help me review this site as well http://www.9jaboizgist.com.ng

Okay.

I usually don't do this, but well, never say never.

By the way, I'm not some expert reviewer of sites so you might still want to get a pro to do this for you.

Let's begin either way.

First of all, I think it's great that you took action and launched your blog. That's amazing and I commend you for that.

That being said, I'm not really a fan of what you have done with your site so far. There are way too many issues with it superficially that I didn't even bother taking a deep look.

But I'll mention the issues I noticed and offer some solutions to them.

And well, I don't know if you wanted a private review or something but I figure this review might attract traffic to your site, or maybe not. But either way it's worth a shot.

I apologize in advance if you are offended that I made this a stand-alone post.

So let's talk about www.9jaboizgist.com.ng.

Here are a few issues I noticed.

A. Branding

1. Your URL is mismatched with your content.

With the "9jaboizgist" in the URL, things get a bit confusing when we arrive at your site and we don't really see anything related to gist.

I mean, most people who read that URL will naturally expect to see something related to celebrity gist or rumors when they open your site.

Abi, people, am I lying?

Now, that URL will attract people looking for gist. When they get to your site and see something entirely different, a large number of them will hit the back button.

I'm not saying some people won't stick around but I'm just saying a large number of the people visiting your site would be expecting something else (like I was) and when they don't see what they want, they'll leave.

It's like going into a shop and not finding what you are looking for. Will you stick around?

Exactly.

I can't see your analytics or anything but from where I'm sitting, that is a real issue.

It's like your URL tricks them into clicking and then when they click, they realize it's been a trick.

That is definitely going to piss a lot of people off faster than imagining OBJ giving them a lapdance would.

Solution: You have to either change your URL or change your content. I suggest the former because looking at your blog, you have already created a ton of content that would just be annoying to have to change that.


2. Your tagline is way too broad

"9jaboizgist get you updated on latest technology,business, mobile phone, mobile app,Mobile Review, tariff plan, MTN, Glo, Airtel, Etisalat data."

That's a whole lot of niches.

I get the whole "not limiting yourself to one sector" thing but damnnn, that's a whole lot of super sectors with sectors underneath them that in turn have a lot of sub sectors with micro-mini sectors underneath them.

If you focus on latest tech, you could write about tech involving computers, phones, Google's self driving cars, and you will still have a lot of topics to write about.

If you're talking about Mobile reviews, you could review iPhones, Samsung phones, etcetera shmetcetera. There's a lot of options and info to provide under this one super sector.

This, combined with the URL, will definitely confuse your visitors more. Because they can't easily figure out what your site is about.

Plus it also makes it hard for Google's non-English speaking web crawlers to crawl and properly index your page.

Solution: Pick one of those "super sector" and then broaden your horizons within that niche. It is not cool to post about "5 Tips for Crafting Engaging Content For the Web" one day and then the next, "Some Amazing Facts About Apple". So figure out what exactly you want to write about and change the tagline to suit that.


3. You need to find your winning difference.

In the words of D'Prince: "What's your selling point?"

Looking through your profile, there's no clear cut difference that makes your blog different from many of the other news type sites on the web.

Most of your articles read like they were culled directly from a news site. From the introductory aspect of the article, to the paragraph structure, when I look through, I feel like I'm reading a news site.

Except initially I thought it was going to be either a site for men, or a celebrity gist entertainment type site, then found out it's going to be about tech, and then I now feel like I'm reading news.

News, which I can get from any other site on the web.

So why should I pick yours?

Solution: Find your edge. Make your content more personable and write in your own words. Write like you speak. Exactly like you speak, then proofread for grammar and spelling errors. But by all means, find your voice. Make your content unique.


Site Issues

1. Your page URLs

Your About Us page URL is : " http://www.9jaboizgist.com.ng/p/9jaboizgist-get-you-updated-on-latest.html"

and Your Contact Us page URL is "http://www.9jaboizgist.com.ng/p/blog-page.html"

Need I say more or will you fix that already?


2. Your Ad placement.

I get that you want to make $$$ with AdSense but way too many ads makes it way too obvious. The Ads below the menu tabs on your homepage are not doing you any favours.

Those ads take up space that could be better used to display content.

Most people will bounce if they think your site is just about Ads.

Move the ads below the menu and try to reduce the number of ads you have on there and try to display ads for products that are within your niche (when you decide on one). That way, Your ad is more likely to get more clicks.

3. Arrangement

I don't know how to put this, but there's too much going on on your pages. Especially in that right side bar section.

It's really confusing trying to decide whether to follow you on Facebook or Twitter or click that Konga ad, or read one of your few hundred posts, and when it comes to them, I don't even know where to start.

When your visitor cannot figure out where to start from, he won't.

He'll just leave.

Your posts should be arranged into different sections based on the topics. One could be like Latest Tech, another could be Phones, and another MTN Data. You should use those article labels to classify your articles.

And the Site Map section wasn't really helpful. It's just a list of all your articles.

I think you should instead title that section "New? Start Here" and then when your visitor clicks on that site, he should get a list of your articles arranged under different sections and maybe even a section with articles for Newcomers.


Content

1. Your Headlines are not engaging enough

Well, it starts with the whole blog not being tied to a particular niche and all, but your headlines don't have an emotional hook- something that will engage a visitor passing through and make them want to read it.

Fix this by figuring out who your target audience is, what their problems are and then use your headline to communicate that the article is the solution.

I will go into that in another post, but for now, look at your headlines through the eyes of your audience. Find what they are searching for online and offer a solution.

2. Your paragraph spacing.

You write in blocks of paragraphs. Considering our "everly" decreasing attention span, visitors are not likely to read the huge blocks of sentences.

Try to split your paragraphs and have two sentences per paragraph and then sometimes just one sentence.

This will make reading your content easier.

3. Find your unique voice.

I mentioned this earlier, but I need to reiterate this.

Your blog for now reads like a news site. You need to write in a way that communicates your ideas to your audience in your own unique way.

Develop your own unique way of writing and then your audience will come back to read your articles not just for the information, but because of how you communicate them.


There are more issues like your SEO and all, but for now, these will have to suffice as I have been working on this all night and right now, I'm tired.

True Story.

P.S. I'm not an expert reviewer or anything, so feel free to discard this info if you think I'm just full of sh*t. But if you use this info, you can improve your blog a lot.

Now, let me get ready for work.

I'll write about this sometime during this week and post it on Nairaland and then I'll let you know.

Fizzymidasquil:
Yeah, Jamie Lannister and the Targaryen.
Thanks for these tips!
Hope to put them into practice.

Any ideas on how to have a wellspring of blog post topics?

Well, I think it depends on your point of view.

But, I'll still write more exhaustive posts to break down each of the points, either on my blog or on here.

Chanchit:
Yh. Ridiculously hard you mean to say?

Thanks man.

I'll get to it and give you a response tomorrow evening.

0lumuyiwa:
Nice thread, please check my blog and give your professional tips.

Olumuyiwaolayinka.

Thanks bro

Thanks a lot

OBALORLA:
it's indeed an interesting read.
I loved the way you added humor to the long post.

Yes...

For now.

kings09:
Op is dat all

Thank you, Napoleon77.

I'll look at it and send you a review tomorrow.

napoleon77:
Nice writeup on increasing traffic!!

Please help me review my site http://macksonwakama.com

Many thanks

It's almost become cliche.

If you've spent enough time around the blogosphere, you have probably heard this countless times.

Content is King.

But that's only a part of the equation.

Because just having great content on your blog won't automatically transform you to the next Linda Ikeji.

Okay, maybe she's not a prime example, seeing as she mainly posts about celebrities and other weird stuff. But you get my point.

Just having great content is not going to suddenly make you viral.

So the new line should be "Content is king, and Traffic is his Army General."

The not-so-new formula is this: Great Content + Traffic = Blogging Success

Feel free to ask Linda Ikeji if you think this formula is rubbish.

Now, for the sake of newbie bloggers reading, let's quickly define "Traffic"

Traffic (when it comes to blogging) is simply the amount of people who visit your site and read your blog posts. If you're interested in being a successful blogger (emphasis on successful), you're going to need to drive traffic to your blog.

There's no way around this.

Because what good is all the great content in the world if nobody knows it exists?

That's like someone who offers a service but doesn't tell potential customers about his service. That will leave you poorer than when you started, without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.

Okay. Enough.

So you see, traffic is really really important. I cannot overemphasize this.

Now, let's talk about 5 ridiculously simple tips to increase your blog traffic today...

1. Create Great Content

This is an absolute no-brainer. Content may be King but Traffic is the General. And no great General will stay in the service of a terrible King for long, before chopping off his head.

I think you can probably find examples of this in the movie "Troy" or any of the seasons of "Game of Thrones"

So yes, we are talking about traffic but you absolutely have to need to have great content on your blog.

A few tips on creating Great Content (I'll create a blog post on this sometime soon and let y'all know about it):

- Start with the headline

8 out of 10 people always read the headline and then as you go further down the post, the numbers reduce. So make sure you spend a lot more time working on your headline than you spend writing the post.

Yes, do this.

When creating your headlines, ensure they tap into a burning need that your reader has. That way, they stop whatever they're doing and read your blog post.

- Craft an engaging, conversational article

Remember when you were studying for Chemistry for WAEC, and anytime you try to read Ababio, you'd fall off to sleep?

Yeah, that was because Ababio was written in a plain, boring, unengaging manner. Almost like he didn't give a f##k about you. Because obviously you needed that knowledge to pass Chemistry, and he had already gotten paid for the book in your hands so basically you had no choice. You just had to suffer through his book.

It's not the same with a blog.

Your readers have the power to choose. If you bore them, they will not continue reading.

So write in an engaging manner. Write like you were talking to one person. Like that person was in front of you and you were having a conversation with them.

Absolutely do not bore your readers.

Okay, enough. Let's move on to the rest.


2. Promote your Content.

Once you have great content, this is the next logical step. Logical, because unless you think your content is shit, you will do this naturally.

I mean, why go through all the stress of creating great content, only to then let it lie fallow and wait till Thy Kingdom Come before the world knows about it.

At the very least, you should have shared your content on Facebook. Then you could always add Twitter to that.

So far, in my experience, Facebook and Twitter are beautiful, amazing places for sharing blog content. Now let's dive into the nitty gritty of this.

Facebook
- When you share your blog post on Facebook, ensure you write something engaging in the post. Like an intro, of sorts.

A lot of posts on Facebook don't get read because Feel free to take a part of your post that connects emotionally with your target audience and use that. Just make sure your intro isn't too long. All you want to do is tell them a bit about what your blog post is about.

- Also, make sure you're a member of Facebook groups within the niche you blog and comment there regularly. Be active in those groups.

Follow Gary Vaynerchuk's "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" formula- Give value, give value, give value, before you try to promote your blog post there. Obviously, I don't mean do all of this in one day. You need to have been providing value there for a while before you promote your blog post.

That way, you're perceived as an authority, not just one of those annoying people trying to get us to join MMM.

Twitter

- Look for hashtags related to the topic of your blog posts. Find those that are trending, join in the conversation by once again giving a lot of value, before you then promote your blog post.


Email

- If you have an email list, you can easily shoot your subscribers a short and sweet email that gives them an idea of what your blog post is about, and if you don't have an email list, build one.

- Another really cool way to use email is as part of The SkyScraper Technique created by Brian Dean of Backlinko.com. You can find out more about that by following this link: http://backlinko.com/skyscraper-technique


3. Guest Blogging

This one is no secret.

Bamidele Onibalusi of Writers in Charge practically owes a huge part of his success to guest blogging.

So guest blog, and don't just guest blog for any Tom, Dick or Ekaette, but do it for popular blogs within your niche and do it for free. Only ask that you may put your name, a brief description of what you do and your site in your author's bio section.

This way you benefit from the huge traffic already pouring into the popular site. We'll talk more on how to guest blog sometime later.


4. Keyword Research

Ah yes, keywords.. Finally!

Imagine you want to learn how to do something so you go to Google, and type for example, "How to make eba", you're going to get a list of pages that have content surrounding the theme of "eba making". Some might be exactly what you're looking for, others might just talk about the different types of eba.

You will notice though, that the pages at the top of the first page of that Google Search result page will either be an exact match for what you typed in or will be the closest match to what you typed in.

What you typed into that Google Search bar = The keyword (s)

So basically, keywords are what people are looking for. If your post directly addresses what they are looking for, your post will stand a higher chance of being displayed on that first page of a Google search, moreso if your post title and content is the closest to an exact match to their keyword.

So let's remix what I earlier said a bit.

Content is King, Traffic is his Army General and Keyword Research is his most trusted Adviser.

You can use tools such as Google's Autosuggest and Google's Keyword Planner to come up with keywords for blog topics. Actually, if you're serious about driving traffic to your blog, this is a definite must.

I mean, what better way is there to drive traffic to your blog than to post about topics people are already looking for?


5. SEO

For newbies, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is a fancy way of saying you basically make it easier for search engines to both find and rank your content.

So you've done your keyword research, and created great content, but you still can't see it on search engine result pages.

You might need to tweak it a little bit, like so:

- Make sure the keywords appear closer to the beginning of your title and keep the character count in the title at about 60- 70. Any more, and you stand the risk of having Google chop the rest of your title and replace it with "..."

- Have only one H1 heading in your content. There should be one main heading for each article which should contain your keyword.

- Use long-tail versions of your keyword in your subheadings

- Avoid filling your article completely with your keywords. This will grant you no love from Google or worse, your site might just end up in the Internet's kirikiri or Yaba Left if Google is feeling magnanimous.

- Images in your content should contain alt text and your alt text should have your keyword. That way, they also rank in Google's Image search and the search engine doesn't have to keep wondering what your image is.

For now, these will suffice.


There you have it. 5 ridiculously simple tips to increase your blog traffic. Do all these and you should see a jump in traffic and probably even start to get your own share of haters.

When they come, remix Chamillionaire's "Ridin" song and sing to them like so:

' They see me blogging, They hating
They trolling, trying to stop me getting traffic, trying to stop me getting traffic (3x)

My blog is so dope on Google Ranking
My Content is great and my SEO is amazing
My SEO is amazing (3x)'

You get the idea. Any comments, questions, and even trolls are welcome in the comment box.

My name is Tomi Joshua, and when I'm not getting my fix from online marketing at www.fayarspark.com, I'm remixing song lyrics and blogging at 500nairawriter..com

It's almost become cliche.

If you've spent enough time around the blogosphere, you have probably heard this countless times.

Content is King.

But that's only a part of the equation.

Because just having great content on your blog won't automatically transform you to the next Linda Ikeji.

Okay, maybe she's not a prime example, seeing as she mainly posts about celebrities and other weird stuff. But you get my point.

Just having great content is not going to suddenly make you viral.

So the new line should be "Content is king, and Traffic is his Army General."

The not-so-new formula is this: Great Content + Traffic = Blogging Success

Feel free to ask Linda Ikeji if you think this formula is rubbish.

Now, for the sake of newbie bloggers reading, let's quickly define "Traffic"

Traffic (when it comes to blogging) is simply the amount of people who visit your site and read your blog posts. If you're interested in being a successful blogger (emphasis on successful), you're going to need to drive traffic to your blog.

There's no way around this.

Because what good is all the great content in the world if nobody knows it exists?

That's like someone who offers a service but doesn't tell potential customers about his service. That will leave you poorer than when you started, without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.

Okay. Enough.

So you see, traffic is really really important. I cannot overemphasize this.

Now, let's talk about ridiculously simple tips to increase your blog traffic today...

1. Create Great Content

This is an absolute no-brainer. Content may be King but Traffic is the General. And no great General will stay in the service of a terrible King for long, before chopping off his head.

I think you can probably find examples of this in the movie "Troy" or any of the seasons of "Game of Thrones"

So yes, we are talking about traffic but you absolutely have to need to have great content on your blog.

A few tips on creating Great Content (I'll create a blog post on this sometime soon and let y'all know about it):

- Start with the headline

8 out of 10 people always read the headline and then as you go further down the post, the numbers reduce. So make sure you spend a lot more time working on your headline than you spend writing the post.

Yes, do this.

When creating your headlines, ensure they tap into a burning need that your reader has. That way, they stop whatever they're doing and read your blog post.

- Craft an engaging, conversational article

Remember when you were studying for Chemistry for WAEC, and anytime you try to read Ababio, you'd fall off to sleep?

Yeah, that was because Ababio was written in a plain, boring, unengaging manner. Almost like he didn't give a f##k about you. Because obviously you needed that knowledge to pass Chemistry, and he had already gotten paid for the book in your hands so basically you had no choice. You just had to suffer through his book.

It's not the same with a blog.

Your readers have the power to choose. If you bore them, they will not continue reading.

So write in an engaging manner. Write like you were talking to one person. Like that person was in front of you and you were having a conversation with them.

Absolutely do not bore your readers.

Okay, enough. Let's move on to the rest.


2. Promote your Content.

Once you have great content, this is the next logical step. Logical, because unless you think your content is shit, you will do this naturally.

I mean, why go through all the stress of creating great content, only to then let it lie fallow and wait till Thy Kingdom Come before the world knows about it.

At the very least, you should have shared your content on Facebook. Then you could always add Twitter to that.

So far, in my experience, Facebook and Twitter are beautiful, amazing places for sharing blog content. Now let's dive into the nitty gritty of this.

Facebook
- When you share your blog post on Facebook, ensure you write something engaging in the post. Like an intro, of sorts.

A lot of posts on Facebook don't get read because Feel free to take a part of your post that connects emotionally with your target audience and use that. Just make sure your intro isn't too long. All you want to do is tell them a bit about what your blog post is about.

- Also, make sure you're a member of Facebook groups within the niche you blog and comment there regularly. Be active in those groups.

Follow Gary Vaynerchuk's "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" formula- Give value, give value, give value, before you try to promote your blog post there. Obviously, I don't mean do all of this in one day. You need to have been providing value there for a while before you promote your blog post. That way, you're perceived as an authority, not just one of those annoying people trying to get us to join MMM.

Twitter

- Look for hashtags related to the topic of your blog posts. Find those that are trending, join in the conversation by once again giving a lot of value, before you then promote your blog post.


Email

- If you have an email list, you can easily shoot your subscribers a short and sweet email that gives them an idea of what your blog post is about, and if you don't have an email list, build one.

- Another really cool way to use email is as part of The SkyScraper Technique created by Brian Dean of Backlinko.com. You can find out more about that by following this link: http://backlinko.com/skyscraper-technique


3. Guest Blogging

This one is no secret.

Bamidele Onibalusi of Writers in Charge practically owes a huge part of his success to guest blogging.

So guest blog, and don't just guest blog for any Tom, Dick or Ekaette, but do it for popular blogs within your niche and do it for free. Only ask that you may put your name, a brief description of what you do and your site in your author's bio section.

This way you benefit from the huge traffic already pouring into the popular site. We'll talk more on how to guest blog sometime later.


4. Keyword Research

Ah yes, keywords.. Finally!

Imagine you want to learn how to do something so you go to Google, and type for example, "How to make eba", you're going to get a list of pages that have content surrounding the theme of "eba making". Some might be exactly what you're looking for, others might just talk about the different types of eba.

You will notice though, that the pages at the top of the first page of that Google Search result page will either be an exact match for what you typed in or will be the closest match to what you typed in.

What you typed into that Google Search bar = The keyword (s)

So basically, keywords are what people are looking for. If your post directly addresses what they are looking for, your post will stand a higher chance of being displayed on that first page of a Google search, moreso if your post title and content is the closest to an exact match to their keyword.

So let's remix what I earlier said a bit.

Content is King, Traffic is his Army General and Keyword Research is his most trusted Adviser.

You can use tools such as Google's Autosuggest and Google's Keyword Planner to come up with keywords for blog topics. Actually, if you're serious about driving traffic to your blog, this is a definite must.

I mean, what better way is there to drive traffic to your blog than to post about topics people are already looking for?


5. SEO

For newbies, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is a fancy way of saying you basically make it easier for search engines to both find and rank your content.

So you've done your keyword research, and created great content, but you still can't see it on search engine result pages.

You might need to tweak it a little bit, like so:

- Make sure the keywords appear closer to the beginning of your title and keep the character count in the title at about 60- 70. Any more, and you stand the risk of having Google chop the rest of your title and replace it with "..."

- Have only one H1 heading in your content. There should be one main heading for each article which should contain your keyword.

- Use long-tail versions of your keyword in your subheadings

- Avoid filling your article completely with your keywords. This will grant you no love from Google or worse, your site might just end up in the Internet's kirikiri or Yaba Left if Google is feeling magnanimous.

- Images in your content should contain alt text and your alt text should have your keyword. That way, they also rank in Google's Image search and the search engine doesn't have to keep wondering what your image is.

For now, these will suffice.


There you have it. 5 ridiculously simple tips to increase your blog traffic. Do all these and you should see a jump in traffic and probably even start to get your own share of haters.

When they come, remix Chamillionaire's "Ridin" song and sing to them like so:

' They see me blogging, They hating
They trolling, trying to stop me getting traffic, trying to stop me getting traffic (3x)

My blog is so dope on Google Ranking
My Content is great and my SEO is amazing
My SEO is amazing (3x)'

You get the idea. Any comments, questions, and even trolls are welcome in the comment box.

My name is Tomi Joshua, and when I'm not getting my fix from online marketing at www.fayarspark.com, I'm remixing song lyrics and blogging at 500nairawriter..com

Great post. Thank you.

I wanted to ask a question.

Now, choosing a niche and creating content is not an issue for me. Where I face challenges is content promotion.

So my question is- How do you promote your blog posts?

I understand SEO and how to use that to get some traffic but I also know you need backlinks.

Do you have any advice for content promotion and link building?

Thanks for this post.... People, this is true Yarns right here.

Although in my opinion, they seem a bit advanced for someone who is a total newbie to writing and hasn't found their niche yet.

But I get where you're coming from. I totally agree with point 2. I also feel even within your niche, you should have certain criteria that must be met before you take on a gig.

Like for example, I have a rule with new clients that I either get paid daily or the day after the gig is completed. Now, I have broken this rule a few times because they promised a lot of money and I was dreaming about the money till I completed the gig and the client went ghostmode on me (till today).

I believe as a freelance writer (or any other freelancer), the most important part of this whole shebang is "free". If you're not free, then you're just an employee that works from long distance.

You should have certain rules for yourself and the kind of gigs you take on. You don't have to do every job. Every client is not meant to be your client. Decide what kind of jobs you want to take, and what criteria you need to be fulfilled before you accept a job and be willing to let the chips fall where they may.

Tips 3 and 4 are the definite truth! I can't count how many times I have procrastinated and it has come back to bite me in the a$$. Thankfully, I have cut down on that now.

Fizzymidasquil:
Just like I promised, here are the tips. They are ten in number, these are the first four. These tips have worked for me, so I'm confident they will for you too.


1. Stay True To Your Niche
The Holy Book says, a man who will not work, let him not eat, this means for the freelance writer, no gigs, no pay. As a new writer, the temptation to accept gigs from every tom, dick and harry, is very strong, I know because I've faced it too. But the consequences are very destructive. So reject those gigs that you know are outside your niche and will only consume your time.

2. Focus
Now you are taking only gigs in your niche, yet you are still overwhelmed? That's because you are not being focused. You should accept only gigs that you are certain of meeting the deadline and you are comfortable with the pay. Do not worry if the only gigs that meet these criteria are 'few', you can always take on more when you expand. Always keep your focus on your to-do list. Once an item has been ticked off, take a short break and move on to the next. Resist distractions.


3.Start With the Most Difficult Tasks
I've always heard this Taming Time Tip since my teenage days, and it has always worked for me. I guess the rationale behind this is that when you finish a difficult task, your confidence becomes boosted making the next task much more easier, and of course done faster.


4. Start working on a Project ASAP!
Procrastination only feeds the unruly beast of time. Taming Time will require you to begin a new task as soon as possible. NEVER wait till the day before deadline or on the day it is due for submission.


stay tuned for more tips!

" I want to l'owo, I want to l'ola...
"... Money ehhh, Biko y'em ego...

We all want to make money. That's a fact.

But we also don't want to have to sacrifice all our time and work like jacky to make it.

That's why the internet is such an amazing tool. You can literally do work in your spare time, get paid and go back to watching the new episode of the "Empire" TV show. It gives you flexibility while at the same time, still gets you paid. And you also have a wide array of prospective customers (if you can track them down, that is... more on that later); it is called the World Wide Web for a reason.

So this beautifully crafted dream probably seems like something out of a Nollywood Hollywood movie.

Well... it is.

And it isn't.

The internet comes with many different options for making money online and trying to figure out which method to use can be a pain in the a##. For the purposes of this article though, we will focus on making money by writing online.

Now, where was I?

Ah yes, the beautifully crafted dream.

It's easy to just imagine writing an article that just instantly blows up, you start to get more writing work than you can handle and at good rates too. Then you make a billion $$$ and go retire on some island in the Carribeans where all you do is sit on the beach and count your money.

And that may... a big MAY happen, but it's highly unlikely. Actually, I don't think I've heard of one single writer online who had that happen to him/her (Please, if you have, let me know in your comments).

Yeah, Bad news: That Hollywood dream is most likely NOT going to happen. Sorry!

So yeah, get that out of your head. Done that? Good.

Now, let's get to the crux of this.

First of all, while the Hollywood "write-one-article-and-become-a-billionaire" program is impossible, it is possible to make money writing online.

Yes, it actually is, so if you're reading this, you're in the right place. Keep reading because we will get to the nuts and bolts of how to do this later on in this article.

But first, a few misconceptions about earning a living by writing online:

1. You need to be a professional writer.

This is a big one probably because of all the job openings up here that have listed requirements such as:

- Masters in Mass. Comm.
- 2 yrs experience in Journalism
-etc

It's easy to think just because you didn't get a degree in English or Literature, you cannot earn a living writing online. It's easy to think that, but that doesn't make it true.

If it were, I won't have earned any money writing online. And I'll probably not be writing this article right now.

I'm not a professional writer. I did not graduate with a First Class in English Language, Literature, Journalism or anything at all related to writing. As a matter of fact, I graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree.

Yes, I really am a Doctor at my day job. But yet, I'm currently making money writing online. Granted, I have always had an aptitude for English, essay writing, memorizing Bible and rap verses, writing song lyrics, etc but I did not take any special course or education to learn how to write.

So how can you begin writing online? Despite not being a pro?

Easy. By writing.

The very definition of a writer is someone who writes articles, books, essays etc. You can be a writer despite not having a fancy degree in Mass Comm or Journalism; all you have to do is start writing.

There are a few more things you'll have to do to actually be a writer (which I will talk about later) but a big part of becoming a writer is actually writing so that's always a good place to start. For now.

So don't let the fact that you don't have some pointless degree in a writing-related field stop you.

2. You need to know BIG grammar or have extensive vocabulary to earn money writing online.

This one is just total BS.

If you're writing for a big newspaper publishing company, or a speech for Honourable Patrick Obahiagbon (Check this videos if you don't know who that is-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiQIyTBwDWc or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWDNhxuUDgc), then sure you might need extensive vocabulary.

But if you want to make money writing online, extensive vocabulary is not necessary. As a matter of fact, keeping things as simple as possible should be how you write online considering that recent studies (http://www.medicaldaily.com/human-attention-span-shortens-8-seconds-due-digital-technology-3-ways-stay-focused-333474) have shown that the human attention span has decreased.

If you're busy talking "big grammar", you're more likely to lose in the end (just like Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon (no offence) lost in the end when his constituency voted him out)

So, No. Not knowing "Big grammar" can not stop you from making money online writing.

For now, those are the two big misconceptions I can remember (if you know any more, feel free to leave it in the comments section).

* I have already mentioned the one about the one article wonder billionaire dream so let's move on.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about the process of making money writing online.

Before we begin, a piece of advice- Making money online writing is not easy. As a matter of fact, I won't sugarcoat it for you- just like anything worth doing in life, it's hard as Bleep and you really need to be tough and accept that. Once you do, it becomes easy.

Step 1: Figure out what kind of writing you want to do.

There are various forms of writing jobs online. There's blogging, article writing, copywriting, creative writing, ebook writing and a lot of other niches too numerous to mention. Okay. Not really, but my point is there are many different forms.

Now, when you're first starting off, it's easy to get confused trying to pick which form of writing to do.

Some writers try to be a jack of all trades, and in the beginning I highly recommend you do the same for 3 reasons:

1. You need to write and you need the experience.

This goes back to what I said about a writer "being someone who writes". As someone new to writing online, you need to write... A LOT!

2. You need to create a portfolio.

You don't need a Journalism degree to earn money writing online but you do need to be able to show prospective clients that you can actually write. Writing different kinds of articles, blog posts and in different forms of writing helps you build a body of work that you can then use as samples when applying to future jobs (as long as you have permission to do so... or sometimes if you don't, but don't quote me...lol).

You stand a better chance of getting a job when you have a sample that's close to what the client is looking for.

3. By taking on writing jobs you end up hating, you can figure out quickly what type of online writer you want to be.

I once had a writing job where I basically had to put certain, different (or not so different) keywords into about 60 different 300 word articles about different software. Mehnnn, I almost shot myself. It was mind numbing and the pay was so small that if I dropped it into my account, my account would still be empty.

That was the last time I wrote an article on software.

Anyway, when you figure out what you don't want to write, then whatever's left is what type of writing you want to do.

At this point, you can then focus on that area.


Step 2: How To Find Writing Jobs Online.

There's a lot of advice on how to find writing jobs online, but I'm going to tell you what has worked (and hasn't worked) for me so far.

1. Freelance Job Sites

I was a big fan of Upwork (until they suspended my account because I hadn't landed a gig in quite some time). It's the best one for me so far. Freelancer.com didn't really epp me. You can find the rest by doing a Google search for "Freelance job sites".

So here's the deal with Upwork.

Upwork is a really great site. It offers you a wide selection of jobs from all over the world. And you don't have to pay them a dime to join or get better job offers (like a lot of other freelance job sites). They however give you about 60 credits or so ( I think). You need to use 2 credits to apply for one job so that gives you about 30 jobs to apply for in a month.

The issue with Upwork are:

(i). You may have to apply for multiple jobs at once just to land one.

When you're new, it's tough to find well paying jobs. I had to apply for about 27 jobs before I landed my first one. But no matter, put on your big boy/girl pants and get to applying.

(ii). On Upwork, most clients are looking to spend less so you'll end up competing with Indians and people from the Middle East making low bids on jobs.

In the beginning, it can be a huge pain in the ass. I wasn't able to completely get out of the "low pay" gap, because well, I wasn't completely focused on Upwork. And I had a lot on my plate, at the time so it was more like a "by-the-way" thing.

But there are freelance writers who charge $150/ hr and maybe more for their work. Google "Danny Marguiles" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If they can, you can. You just have to want it badly enough and do whatever it takes.

(iii). Some clients on Upwork are straight up fraudulent.

Word.

Some clients just become unresponsive after you have handed the work in. That's just...

I mean, you pour your blood, sweat and tears into the work and then they refuse to pay or respond when you ask for your money. Luckily, Upwork has an escrow system where they pay for the work beforehand and Upwork holds on to it and pays you when you have done the work.

So when you meet a client who wants to chat on Skype instead of staying within Upwork, your spider senses should begin to tingle.

Now, I'm not saying all clients who want to chat on Skype are frauds. I met a client this way, and they ended up paying me the highest amount I had received up to that point- $111 for work I took about 2-3 hrs on alternate days over a 5-day period to do. But in my experience, most of them are, so you discover them pretty quickly by telling them you want to be paid after each article, if the work is supposed to only take a day or daily if the work is supposed to take more than a day. You could also demand half of the payment upfront, just to scare them away.

When you meet one of these clients, just move on. They're not worth your time.


Okay, now how does Upwork Pay?

Upwork pays through Paypal (like most other freelance job sites) but they also pay through Payoneer and I heard they recently just added in a wiretransfer feature. So either get a Payoneer card or a domiciliary account so you can cash your earnings neat.


2. Freelance Job Boards

There are a lot of Freelance job boards where jobs are posted almost daily and some of these are writing jobs.

One example is the Problogger job board (www.problogger.com/jobs/)

The way they work is the client typically posts a writing job and leaves an email address that you can send your application to. I didn't have much success with this one because I sorta did it on and off. The beauty of the job boards is that there is no limit on how many jobs you can apply for. So basically, as long as you have data and an email, you can keep applying!

The main issue is that some of these jobs require you to have certain requirements; don't let that stop you though. If you can create a sample close to what your client is looking for, you stand a better chance of getting the job over writers who might meet the criteria.

Besides, there's no way you can apply for 100 writing jobs a day, consistently for a year and not land a lot of writing jobs.


3. Nairaland

I recently just discovered this (and I'm planning on exploiting this more in the present and the near future....shhh, don't tell anybody)

I know Nairaland instructs you not to post ads (or maybe I didn't fully understand their policy) but I joined not too long ago and I saw people posting everywhere about how they do web design, write or whatever. So I did it (Sorry, Nairaland) and it worked for me.

No, I'm not a Nairaland Billionaire Writer or anything even close to that... yet but I have made some decent cash from work that if I had all the free time in the world, would have taken me 2-3 hrs to complete.

So, if you're reading this, this site right here is filled with opportunities, you just have to be able to stand out and build a reputation for quality writing... or at least that's what I think so far.

4. Social Media

I haven't been able to successfully get writing jobs on social media although I have heard (and read) that many online writers are using Twitter to find writing jobs.

I think there are also groups of Web Geeks and Web Designers on Facebook where people place ads and you can contact them and get to working for them from there.


For now those are the methods of finding writing jobs online. Now, a few bonus tips:

* Get A Blog, or better yet, A Writer's Site
This might not be an absolute MUST, but it is a definite SHOULD for anyone who is interested in making money online writing for many reasons:

One, as long as you post content on a regular basis (and you should), you will get better at writing and using blogging platforms. When it comes to blogging platforms, I suggest Wordpress (because it's free and amazing) which I used when I had my first blog (www.ginjahblog.) and that I currently use on my site (www.fayarspark.com- which I'm still working on). If you don't have much cash, use their free hosting which comes with the . URL, but if you do, get web hosting from Whogohost (I think their cheapest plan is about 9k and that should do).

I want to experiment with Blogger with my new blog- The 500 Naira Writer and well, just see how that goes.

But yeah, you should definitely have a blog because of the experience.

Two, if you are actually a great writer, and you promote your content well, you will amass a huge following and traffic to your site. When you have that, you can then turn your blog into a cash cow by using PPC ads, affiliate marketing, or by writing an ebook about a topic your audience is interested in and then sell it to your subscribers.

Now I'm thinking I should have just put that last part as one of the steps

Three, having a blog can help position you as an expert. Look up Bamidele Onibalusi of www.writersincharge.com, follow him and read about how he started basically living from money earned writing online. If he can do it, you can do it. Or at least that's what I thought when I read through his articles. I mean, there really wasn't anything special in his writing and I was like "I can write better than this" but he's counting the big money and I'm not so obviously, there's something he knows that I'm still figuring out, which is why I follow him.


* You don't have to have extensive vocabulary, or speak "BIG grammar", but you need to watch out for spelling and grammar errors.

Yes, to use extensive vocabulary is not by force. But there is absolutely no acceptable excuse for spelling and grammar (or grammatical) errors.

Now, a few errors here and there won't ruin you, but if your writing is filled to the brim and pouring out with errors, your clients would be stark raving mad and your pocket will run dry.

So do whatever it takes to improve your grammar. No excuses, just do it.


* Treat your business like a business.

If you want to make real money writing online, then you need to begin to look at yourself differently.

You are your own CEO, employee, product creator, sales and marketing guy. Act like it.

- Ensure you deliver quality work on time.
- Ensure you stand out and brand yourself.
- Ensure you market yourself appropriately.

In other words, don't do sloppy work and don't be an asshole.

I'm going to have to stop here, been typing all morning and my body is begging for some food.

If there's anything you feel I may have missed, feel free to add it in the comments section. Thank you.

Happy Hustling!

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True Yarns.

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