Web Writing's Evolution: The Web Content Market for Writers
When It All Began: The First Web Writings
While there weren't many online writers in the formative years
of the web, if you were around then, you know what it was like.
What I remember most about the web back then (the Al Gore days?)
was the plain text, 10-point courier font that was consistent
with 90% of the websites I encountered. Searching the web was a
pain, but reading the web on-screen was impossible. By the end
of the day I was completely nuts and half-blind. I would print
out what looked to be a thousand pages of text and take it home
to read and highlight. Even on paper, the font caused my eyes to
be squinty and my head to ache. I probably drank two liters of
coffee a day to keep my eyes moving across the page. The next
day I would return to the school computer and begin again. The
web was a pain, but it was still a fascinating source of
information that was free and at my fingertips.
A year or two later, web design evolved into flashing text and
moving GIF's that danced across the page. Words were scarce, and
oftentimes, filled with unbelievable claims and brazen,
nothing's-too-wild hype. There are still a few of these sites up
on the web today, but consumers shy far away from them when it
comes to online shopping. Thank you, Jakob Neilson! While Jakob
didn't change the writing itself, really, he DID change the way
it was displayed and warned that blatant commercialism sent
customers running for cover. Because of his research (available
at useit.com) millions of websites changed the way they did
business, and learned about relationship building and
credibility building. Web designers and writers began to learn
and understand the nature of the web and the process of
converting website visitors into loyal readers. Web text became
readable, scannable, and interesting. By 1998, I was using the
web on a regular basis again. While I still encountered many
ugly, unreadable websites, I discovered a few gems and I was
hooked on the "free information" movement again.
Web Writing Markets Today
Between web designers and web writers, the web has evolved into
a medium that is not only scannable, but also readable.
Thousands of websites hire content writers to create
interesting, compelling, emotional content for their customers.
While it is true that online business has lulled, the truth is
that online content is here to stay. As you may know from a
statistics class, there is really no way that 100% of online
businesses will crash and burn. For every website that is on the
web today, there will be two online tomorrow. Web business moves
at a quick pace; but as one dot-com crashes and burns, another
is submitting their press release to online venues around the
world.
Understanding the web writing markets is crucial to success for
online writers. Many writers get frustrated because they can't
find work or don't know where to start. An understanding of the
term "content" is a good start to understanding the companies
that need content.
Online content today consists of: *Web sales copy *Filler
*Articles *Online tutorials *Online user manuals *Newsletter
writing *Online press releases *Online journalism *Flash movie
scripts *Online game scripts *Online ads
Because the web is evolving so quickly, the type of content a
website needs depends on their purpose or goal. Web sales copy,
of course, is meant to produce sales. But if a website has sales
copy alone, their users may get turned off. How do they level
out the hype? They hire writers to write objective content such
as articles and filler. Websites also understand the importance
of interactivity; interactive elements allow readers and
customers to get involved. Surveys and "talk back" features help
establish a relationship with website visitors. In addition to
these elements, website also have the goal of establishing an
ongoing relationship with their users. Newsletters and
discussion lists provide a quick reminder and a steady outreach
to a website's target audience. Freelance writers create email
content to fulfill this goal.
So, how big is the online content market?
"Huge!" says Rachel McAlpine, founder of the Quality Web Content
Club, (http://www.webpagecontent.com) "Creating and maintaining
web sites is a team job that requires many areas of expertise."
"My most successful work so far is a horoscope column, believe
it or not," says Brandi Jasmine, a freelance writer and digital
photographer. (http://www.brandijasmine.com) Does she think
there is enough work to go around? "I do, definitely. Actually I
think that the `dot.bomb' has helped freelancers. I have had no
trouble getting freelance work, it's the `full time jobs' that
seem thin, few and far between. Portals and online publications
are looking more to outsourcing and syndicated material as
things get tight."
Looking Ahead - The Future of Web Writing Markets
Can you image the web without decent writers? When I think of a
web without professional writers, I often think of my
well-meaning friends and neighbors who have often showed me
their love poems and essays, eagerly asking me, "How much money
can I get when I publish this?"
I try to imagine my old boss writing an online newsletter or my
father writing sales copy. (Which could happen; Dad's an
engineer and the old boss a CEO --but I doubt you would want to
read it ;-) I think back to the days where term papers and
transcripts were the "free information" on the web.
Whatever the future of content is, I know that the "free
information" of the olden days was free for a reason. The
content writing of today pays well, and the content of tomorrow
is promising. As the web matures, the duties of writers expand
and solidify. There is a reason that a website's writing doesn't
work or a newsletter can't get any subscribers. This is where
the online content writer comes in. We're the ones who will make
it work.
"Web content writers need to know where we fit in, and make sure
we have expertise in our own field. In the end, all you need is
three or four big clients," Rachel McAlpine says.
So, are you ready to go out and seek them?
*This article originally appeared in Web Writing Buzz Newsletter
in April of 2000.