Monday, August 31, 2009

Dammit Jim, We're Writers, Not a Charity!

Over the last few years, the online copy business has suffered a dramatic shift in priorities. Where once it was important to have quality informative content, today's content providers are looking more for quantity. They want to flush the web with keywords, keywords, keywords. To make things worse, these companies are paying less now than ever for web content.

Why is that?

The truth is, in the online world, not many companies are that worried about the quality of their writing. Their primary goal is to be first in line when those Google search results pop up. All too often I hear, "We're not worried about the content, just mention the word 'fill in the blank' as many times as possible to get our Google ranking up."

What these people don't realize is that it's one thing to be a top ranker in the search results, but it's another thing entirely to get people to actually buy from them or to use their service. In order for that to occur, the site has to have creative, relevant copy that clearly delivers their message and speaks directly to the consumers they are trying to attract. Of course, this can be accomplished while keeping a steady grip on the basic SEO fundamentals. But sadly, not many companies are willing to pay for that brand of good writing.

And to be honest, why should they?

Yep, that's what I said - why should they pay for good writing? If you look through any of the online freelance content services, you will see thousands of writers who are willing to work for pennies.

A 500-word article for $.50 (yes, that's 50 CENTS)? You'll have hundreds of bidders for the job.

35 blog posts per month for $15? You'll find someone to take the job, guaranteed.

Or, how about the ever popular - 100 articles, 300 words each by Saturday for $100? Oh, did I mention today's Thursday? SOLD!

It really is depressing to see so many writers prostituting themselves this way. This is our livelihood - have some pride, why don't you?!

In November of 2007, Hollywood's screenwriter's guilds went on strike to rectify a great injustice to the industry's writers. That strike put Hollywood on its heels and made a tremendous impact like no other strike before it. During that three month strike, the true value of quality writers suddenly became realized and appreciated.

Web copywriters aren't fortunate enough to have a union backing them, but that doesn't mean we can't stand up for our rights. We are the only ones who can make a change within our industry. Companies will continue to pay less as long as there are writers out there accepting these low-ball jobs.

As good old Dr. McCoy would say, "Dammit Jim, I'm a writer, not a charity!"

What do you say? Who's up for a revolution?

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