by Joe Wallace

I posted “Just Say No” on Twitter recently in response to some freelance writing “gigs” I spotted on one of the more popular job sites. The employer was offering a buck fifty for 500 word articles. When I got done laughing I realized that the reason people offer these prices is that there are armies of people waiting to take those jobs. A clear cut and dried case of supply and demand.

Personally, I think writing jobs are worth far more than that, but on the other hand many of these 500 word article jobs are likely sausage factory SEO content anyway. Does it matter if they read like 5th grade homework?

So many new freelancers have a hard time setting freelance rates–there is often a lack of confidence at work in the early days. But I can promise you this–even as a rank amateur or, worse yet, a dilettante freelancer, chances are you can find work that pays better than a dollar and a half for 500 words. FICTION pays better than that.

Don’t let anyone fool you about SEO work. If you think you have to accept that buck-fifty (which can’t even get you a decent cup of coffee these days) because you’re an SEO noob, think again. In many cases, SEO is about following the client’s instructions about using the right keywords, combinations of keywords, and appropriate density. If you are seriously lacking an education about SEO, do a Google search and read some articles. Now get yourself an SEO writing gig that pays TEN dollars four roughly for up to 300-500 words. There are lots of SEO gigs paying that much for content. It’s not what you SHOULD be earning, but it’s a lot better than a dollar fifty.

Many people take SEO gigs while trying to develop a list of clips in “legit” publishing (read newstand mags and their web equivalents)–haven’t we all? But do yourself a favor–don’t take a gig paying desperation wages unless you yourself are truly THAT desperate. The time investment you make on that dollar fifty could just as easily be spent looking for a higher-paying SEO gig.