A Warning: Outsourcing Your Articles
Hello,
I've started outsourcing some of my content the past month and I am having a very mixed experience so far and would like to know more about it from your own experience.
My experience so far (Fiverr):
I've ordered about 7 articles so far, let me also mention that they have been low-cost articles as I am just trying the whole thing out. I've been very satisfied with 1 article that included very little mistakes in terms of grammar and logical sentences. I genuinely received more than I paid for and I'll definitely order with that writer again.
2 other writers provided me with good content that I had to revisit myself due to illogical sentences but it was still "worth" my time and money due to the low cost.
I've come across a writer that provided me with an article that looked awesome from the start, he even included 1000 words more which seemed very fishy to me. I decided to run the article through a plagiarism checker and discovered that he had copied the whole article from multiple websites. I've reported the seller, have been refunded and the writer has been banned from the service. A lot of my time was wasted due to that but I guess it's better I discovered it before putting it on my website and getting penalized by Google.
So, what I got so far from personal experience:
- Check every article for plagiarism. Google won't care where the content came from. It's up to you to check what you're putting on your website. Some services that offer that:
- Grammarly (You need premium to use the plagiarism tool)
- Smallseotools (I believe it's up to 1000 words for free, no register)
- Quetext (Requires registration, up to 500 words)
- Copyscape (Seems very known, I haven't tried it yet, I think it's payable)
- Cheaper sellers don't necessarily mean bad content. Some newer sellers are eager to prove themselves so they offer their services for a lesser cut. It does feel like a lottery system though. You can pay attention to their description, request examples of their work but you don't really know what you're going to get until you get it.
- It takes time and try-outs to find the right writer (Still searching). Finding someone that knows more about your niche from the start is even harder, depending on your niche.
- Be specific when giving out your requirements. The more information you provide, the more chance there is that you will actually receive what you want. That includes:
- General information about what the article should be about, include the main titles of paragraphs
- Do you want an article written in 1st or 3rd person (I or We)
- Keywords
- Accent: UK or USA
- Word count
- Document format (Not urgent)
- I would argue it's perhaps even "worth" paying for a low-cost article that isn't "that" good if you have to spend up to 30 minutes repairing it.
Some questions that I have for you if you have experience in outsourcing your content:
- Which platform are you using to hire writers?
- Which plagiarism checker are you using and why?
- Do you recommend me the hiring of the more expensive writers?
- Do you have any tips that you have acquired during your outsourcing experience?
Hopefully, you got something out of these tips and I would be really glad if you had any tips to share from your own experience.
Dejan
Recent Comments
11
I used fiverr four years ago for a header design, now that I am with Wealthy Affiliate I am more competent to design my own. They have their uses
Hello!
I was searching outsourcing and came across this post. Since your post was written a few months ago I'm wondering if you've found some answers to those great questions you asked.
My question to you (& any others that would like to chime in):
#1) At what point did you decide to outsource? I'm a student and after having to write papers I get exhausted and feel like I need a break. I'm a newbie so I also know it's important to build up my number of posts.
#2) When you outsource - does the hired writer do research? I guess because I am a student, I've become used to backing up what I say with research. If the post is to provide value to a reader the writer needs to know their stuff...So how can you be sure that they know what they are writing about?
Thank you for your time! Any wisdom in this area that you may have to pass on to me is greatly appreciated!
Susie
Personally, I think it's very low criteria on your part :"very little mistakes in terms of grammar and logical sentences.".What about being it interesting,engaging, original, how about using keywords, etc.?
Of course you only start this, but the experience of many shows it's really difficult to buy good quality articles especially at low prices. I would still recommend you to try to write yourself, if you are passionate about your niche.If not,choose something different..Just my thoughts...:)
I still write myself, outsourcing is just the next logical step in the evolution of my website. The more content I can put out there consistently, the better.
I revisit all of the articles I receive and make sure to include all of the SEO elements and to make them worth the reading. I believe my niche is even more suited for this as people are looking for objective technology articles (I post a lot of "How to's", guides,...) so I don't worry about articles being "interesting". When I revisit the received articles I add a bit of personal touch.
Well, maybe if you talk about technologies,well-written articles are not that important as in let's say, health or self-development, or relationships, or languages, or "How to make money" niches. Maybe.
Good luck!:)
See more comments
Hi
Since you tried outsourcing, I am wondering if we are allowed to edit what they did and how should we give them credit for their work?
Thanks
As the customer, you're absolutely allowed to edit anything you receive as outsourced work, and no, they don't get credit for the work, they're giving that up in exchange for the compensation that they receive.