A lot of us have toyed with the idea of making money writing articles. But how do you actually get started? The goal of this article is to point you in the right direction, and get you on your way to making your idea a reality.

How Do Articles Make Money?

Contrary to popular belief, you can actually make some decent money as an article writer, thanks to the internet. The World Wide Web has created a society of information junkies. By catering to them, pursuing the dream of using your gift for words to work for yourself is totally doable. Articles can be used to market a product or service or to provide useful information to the reader. The catch is that you have to be willing to commit. The money won't pour in overnight, and it takes patience and a willingness to keep working at it.

How Much Can I Make?

How much you earn will depend largely on you. The quality of your content is extremely important, however it is equally as important to write quickly and efficiently on topics of interest. Your articles won't work for you if no one wants to read them. These types of sites can typically pay anywhere from $2 to $10 per article. This tells you that the more great articles you can write, the more money you're able to make.

You'll also need to know something about SEO, or search engine optimization. This is the method of optimizing your article content to match what people are looking for when they search for information via a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo. The key is the placement of popular key words and phrases that are being searched for throughout your articles.

Where Do I Start?

Several sites allow you to submit articles for publishers to bid money on. There are also freelancing sites that let you set up a profile so that buyers may contract you to write for them. The types of writing jobs you'll see posted by buyers on these sites range from blog writing to website content and creative writing opportunities.

You'll need to build your online clout as an expert writer in your niche is by submitting your work to article publishing sites. These types of sites warehouse an assortment of articles on various topics that have been submitted by writers, and offer them to publishers who need free content for their blogs or websites. What this does for you as a writer is increase your online visibility and "expert" factor. It will brand you as someone who knows a particular topic well, and increase traffic to your work.

Final Words

Follow these steps to begin your foray into the world of successful online writers. Who knows? Eventually you may be able to ditch your boss and make this a full time venture. All it takes is a little sweat equity and patience to take the plunge and turn your gift into something profitable and enjoyable.

Marsha is a writer who owns and operates Key Image Resumes in Phoenix, AZ, a professional resume and curriculum vitae writing service. She not only specializes in resumes, but writes articles, blogs, and website content. Visit her blog at http://jobseekerbootcamp.wordpress.com