writer for websites

Watch Video

Elevate Your Brand’s Voice

Leverage the world's largest network of content writers to create premium brand-aligned content at scale., trusted by over 8000 clients including….

Your Success Is Our Top Priority

Finding quality content that's also optimized for SEO purposes has been one of the biggest pain points for our SEO services. I was relieved when Crowd Content turned out to be so great not only for the actual content creation, but as people to deal with from month to month. Your team has been awesome to work with!

I've worked with Crowd Content Marketplace platform as well as Managed support for a number of years and with a number of websites. I have been constantly impressed by the quality they bring to my SEO ventures. From accounts that needed 50+ articles a month to several thousand-word articles that required specialized research and writing, Crowd Content has been able to meet my copywriting needs. Working with their managed support has been an absolute pleasure.

Crowd Content delivers unparalleled content quality. I love that I don’t have to spend any time editing or revising content when it’s delivered.

Create Any Type of Content

Crowd Content lets you get all your written content created in one central location.

Product Descriptions

Seo content, press releases, article writing, facebook posts, we make content creation simple.

Flexible content solutions to meet your unique needs.

Content Marketplace

Managed content services.

Easy to Use

Instead of endlessly searching for freelancers who meet your needs, easily find writers with our platform’s advanced search or let our experts match you with those who best suit your needs.

Fast Turnaround

Your content strategy can't succeed without reliable turnaround times. Crowd Content’s proprietary algorithm rewards writers who hit deadlines so gaps never enter your content calendar.

High Quality

Our platform promotes writers who perform well, motivating those who consistently deliver reliable quality so you get the top-notch content your company deserves.

Fully Managed

Our skilled production team has experience running content programs for the world’s biggest brands, marketing agencies and retailers. When you choose our Enterprise program, you’ll work closely with one of these industry veterans as your content manager and enjoy fully managed services.

Publish-Ready Content

Writing website content at scale requires meticulous editing and quality assurance to ensure it has a consistent voice and meets your guidelines. Your content manager will ensure that the content you receive is publish-ready and adheres to your creative brief and style guide when it’s delivered.

Expert Content at Scale

Our Managed Services team built a network featuring hundreds of verified subject matter experts. Put them to work creating original content or leverage our SME Review service to combine high-quality writing with the knowledge and insight only an expert can offer.

Built for Your Business

Our flexible platform offers powerful tools and expert writers that enhance any business’ content process.

Find writers with knowledge in the specific industries you need to produce compelling content for your varied client base.

eCommerce Companies

Combine powerful tools for creating and managing product copy with skilled eCommerce writers to drive traffic and sales.

Build teams of knowledgeable writers and specify unique content formats for each of your properties – and then publish instantly to your sites.

Partner with us to get publish-ready, on-brand content at any scale using our fully managed services.

Hire the Perfect Content Writer for Your Website

• The Best of the Best
• Skilled and Qualified
• Native English Writers

With access to 6,000 pre-screened writers, you’re sure to find the perfect freelancer to expand your team . Thousands of writers apply to join our content creation platform each month, and we accept only the best web content writers, so you don’t have to spend time vetting them yourself.

Our writers are rated on every assignment they complete to give you a true sense of their ability. And, our detailed tagging system can tag writers with over 800 different qualifications, skills and industries, making it easy to find someone with the background you’re looking for. Whether you need blog writing, city pages, eCommerce content, landing pages or web pages – you can get it all done here.

Though we service companies around the globe, our writers are all from countries where English is the native language, including the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. When you’re looking to hire a content writer from one of these countries, you can find them here.

3 Simple Steps to Your Success

Be #1 on Google

Ignite Your Community

Achieve Content Marketing Success

Search engine optimization (SEO) experts agree that high-quality content can take your website to the top of the search results. This is possible because Google rewards websites that publish high-quality content frequently and regularly. On top of that, Google is now penalizing websites with little or poor quality content.

Use our content writing services to build a content-rich website that Google will love !

The key to any social media marketing strategy is consistently creating content that people want to share!

Use our content writing services to power your social media campaigns. Create high-quality, engaging blog posts that your audience will Tweet on Twitter and Like on Facebook. Execute this strategy weekly, and watch your fan base grow.

Successful content marketing campaigns require amazing content and a diverse mix of content types.

Our writers can create articles, blog posts, ebooks, social media posts, white papers and any other type of written content you need to succeed in content marketing.

A Content Writing Company You Can Count On

US Based Writers

Businesses Served

Words Written

Ready to see why industry-leading companies trust us to write their content? Create your free account today.

Want to Write with Us?

Crowd Content writers have access to thousands of great freelance writing jobs, twice weekly payouts, and an active and supportive community. If you're a skilled writer - we'd love to hear from you.

Our work is supported by affiliate commissions. Learn More

23 Inspiring Examples Of Writer Websites

Last Updated January 5 2024

Written By Steve Benjamins

Whether you are a freelance writer, copywriter, blogger or social media writer— your website should serve one purpose: showcase a portfolio of past work for potential clients. 

Beyond your portfolio, you’ll also want to make it easy for potential clients to get in touch with you— have an easy and obvious contact page. It’s also a great idea to sprinkle in testimonials from past clients.

Tip: Use ← and → arrow keys to browse.

‘My First Website’ Challenge

• • Build your first website in one week.
• • One 10-minute lesson per day.
• • Free email course.

1. Createfully

Joanna is the talented freelance writer behind the brand Createfully. After a lifetime of writing experience, she started Createfully in 2015 and offers writing services for startups and tech companies.

2. Marlen Komar

Freelance writer and fashion enthusiast Marlen Komar is located in Chicago. Her writing, for many different companies, has been featured in Bustle, Time and Vox to name just a few.

3. Beth Demmon

Currently in San Diego, Beth is an award winning writer. She’s a beer and cider fanatic, two topics that land at the forefront of her writing and podcasts.

4. Catherine Conelly

Professional writer Catherine Conelly has a true love for words. Lifestyle and Editorial, Content Writing and Interviews are a few of her specialties that continue to get her hired.

5. Matt Phil Carver

This self proclaimed “Word Nerd” goes by the name of Matt Phil Carver. Copywriting, blog writing and improving brand image overall with his clever words are all a part of his services.

6. Ally Denton

Ally Denton is a freelance writer located in Indianapolis with a portfolio in editorial, copywriting and content writing. She’s also a musician that performs at live events and a yoga teacher offering both group and private lessons.

7. Kate Hogg

Dr. Kate Hogg is a freelance writer, marine conservation consultant and environmentalist. She appreciates the opportunity to write about unique pieces that she is very passionate about.

8. Jeremy Herriges

Sports journalist Jeremy Herriges is the writer behind the website That Boxing Writer. For many years, his focus has been on the sport of Boxing and his resume is filled with articles in BleacherReport.com and Boxing News Magazine.

9. Locke Hughes

Freelance writer and health coach Locke Hughes, is the author of “Melatonin: The Natural Supplement for Better Sleep.” Her wellness articles have been featured in popular publishing’s such as Shape and Women’s Health Magazine.

10. Brandecdote

Chris Ayan is the founder and writer behind Brandecote. His services include copywriting and telling a brands story in a unique and engaging way that will determine the ideal customer.

11. Camryn Rabideau

Since 2016, Camryn Rabideau has been a solo freelance writer working from Rhode Island. She loves to write about a wide range of topics, keeping her articles light hearted and positive in tone.

12. Blake Hester

Currently working for Game Informer Magazine, Blake Hester is a seasoned writer for the gaming industry. His freelance articles and opinions have been featured in Rolling Stone and Game Spot among many others.

13. Natasha Writes

Natasha is a freelance writer with a service menu that includes blog creation, article and copywriting. Technology is one of her favorite topics to write about, and she’s helped tech companies fine tune their message through the use of words.

14. Shanley Cox

Shanley Cox is the talented writer and photographer behind her company Shanley Cox Creative. Brands can hire Shanley to help form their message using her words in copywriting, blog writing and social media content.

15. Amanda Loudin

The Washington Post, ESPN and NBC are just a few outlets you may find Amanda’s award-winning articles. Her passion for telling a great story combined with years of experience, have earned her amazing reviews from clients.

16. Meredith Hoffa

As a writer and an editor, Meredith Hoffa works in Los Angeles on several different types of projects. Her freelance work has been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and many other outlets.

17. Reed Tucker

Reed Tucker is a writer with a niche in Pop Culture and Entertainment. You can find his work often within the New York Post, but his list of clients and endless articles range much further.

18. Martha Hayes

The Los Angeles based British writer by the name of Martha Hayes creates articles in a variety of different industries ranging from entertainment to personal grief. She also has a passion for interviews and bringing them to life for her readers.

19. Monica Reinhard

Freelance writer Monica Reinhard applies her proofreading and writing skills to legal documents, blog posts, resumes and more. Her professionalism with words aims to save her clients time and money while perfecting their image.

20. Andy Barton

Andy Barton is a writer and musician currently living in Georgia. His freelance writing work includes copywriting and writing bios for bands and musicians which combines both of his specialties.

21. Joakim Book

Joakim Book is a freelance writer and financial fanatic. Historical and current economics are a couple of his favorite topics to write about, adding his unique personality to his writing.

22. Leslie Osmond

Content creator and freelance writer Leslie Osmond, combines writing and financial topics for much of her content. Her lifestyle growing up in Colorado as well as life experiences, have landed her in this specific niche that is meaningful to her.

23. Joanne Carew

Joanne Carew has been freelance writing for many different types of companies for over five years. Her services include article writing, content creation and transforming ideas into organized words on paper.

Best Website Builders for 2024

Can I Build a Website for $0?

5 Mins Websites with AI

Related inspirations.

Squarespace Examples

Personal Websites

Teacher & Educator Websites

Designer & Developer Portfolios

Author Websites

UX Portfolios

Copywriting Portfolios

Related templates.

© 2024 Site Builder Report Back To Top ↑ Sitemap Contact Terms Privacy

Type words, put them on the internet.

Write an essay without signing up, or sign up now.

View your posts

Welcome back to the internet

The internet is for connecting with people. Write.as helps you reach them no matter where they live online.

Friends and family can read your words without creating yet another account online. They can read in their browser, via email or RSS, on their e-reader, and on federated platforms like Mastodon.

Starting a newsletter →

Enabling eBook downloads →

Joining the fediverse →

Read this blog →

Focus on your words

Write.as is a pared-down blogging platform — a distraction-free place for you to write, and a clean space for your audience to read.

Instead of content management, we focus on writing. You'll see our editor screen first, every time you open the app. You can write in Markdown or switch to our friendly Rich Text editor. Your work is automatically saved to your browser as you write.

Try it out →

Made for writing

Not complex websites, not e-commerce, not content man­age­ment. Just writing.

Easy publishing

Press "Pub­lish" to send your words to the web, social me­dia, and sub­scri­bers.

You'll never see ads while you're focused on your work, and neither will your readers.

Stay independent

Build a home for your writing, outside of walled gardens and locked-down platforms.

Add your domain name to keep control of your web presence. Make it your own with a custom theme. Then, know you're never stuck here — you can always export your work, or self-host your site with WriteFreely , the open source software that powers Write.as.

Free your thoughts

Built entirely around privacy , we don't track you or gather excessive data, so you can write exactly what you feel.

Create a professional blog next to one written under a pen name. Publicize your work, or keep it quiet. Write anonymously , or create as many identities as you like. On Write.as, you have full control over who knows what about you.

Build a home for your writing

Write.as helps you create a blog, journal, or news­letter that readers will love to read. Create a home for your words, then fill it with writing — by yourself or with others.

$6 per month, billed yearly

For prolific writers. Cus­tomize, build a read­er­ship, and publish however you like.

• Up to three blogs on write.as or your own domain
• ActivityPub integration
• Micropayments
• Unlimited posts
• Unlimited social cross-posts
• Password-protected blogs
• Private blogs
• Publish to Read Write.as
• Rich text editing
• Email subscriptions
• Photo hosting
• Pinned pages
• Full design customization
• Command-line publishing
• Email publishing
• Team support

Start free 14-day trial

Subscribe monthly, yearly, or every five years .

$25 per month, billed yearly

For serious publishers. Gather your team and manage content with our op­ti­mized work­flow.

• Everything in Pro
• One shared blog
• Asynchronous collaborative editing
• Team blog access
• Team photo hosting
• Five team members
• Post signatures
• E-book export
• Priority support

Start free 30-day trial

Subscribe monthly or yearly.

Learn more about us

Write.as is part of Musing Studio , a suite of simple tools for creating and sharing on the open web. You can also gather writing submissions with Submit.as , share photos with Snap.as , and socialize with Remark.as .

Read about our company and our principles , and subscribe to our blog .

Novlr is now writer-owned! Join us and shape the future of creative writing.

The workspace for creative writers.

Built by writers, for writers, Novlr is the world’s only writer-owned creative writing platform. Join a community with writers and their goals at the heart of everything we do.

Write for free

Written in Novlr

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit­hole, and that means comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube­shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats ­ the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill ­ The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it ­ and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining­rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left­hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep­set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river. This hobbit was a very well­to­do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained­well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.

Powering the world’s creative writers.

0 writers have written 0 words in 0 projects.

Powering the world's creative writers.

More than a writing app

Set your goals, get insights and hone your craft.

Writing Streak

Write today and start your streak!

Words written

1,042 today

Daily Writing Goal

All Projects

Write 2500 words in any project every day to complete your daily goal.

Monthly Writing Goal

Write 15000 words in any project every month to complete your monthly goal.

Popular channels

Jump straight into some of our most popular channels!

Writing Sprints

Writing resources and advice

Ask for feedback

The Reading Room

Top 3 playlists.

Our top 3 playlists this week.

Writing love scenes

Writing the vastness of space

Writing future cities

All Playlists

Words deleted

"Really impressed with the super clean interface on @novlrtweets as I take it for a test run in preparation for #NaNoWriMo. So far, it's totally blowing all the years I've squabbled with Microsoft Word out of the water. Even having a nice note section is 🤯."

"I love @novlrtweets! They have a crisp ux, the price is great, and their new-feature roadmap is public so you can always see what they’re building next."

@blinkingcursor

Built by writers, run by writers, owned by writers

Novlr is the only creative writing platform to be owned by the writers who use it. Join our community of writer-owners, co-own the platform you use, and help shape the future of creative writing.

Tell me more

Experience integrated learning.

Learn while you write with fully integrated courses on Novlr Academy.

Explore Academy

The ship, the stalwart vessel known as 'The Serenity Mariner,' was plunged into chaos as the sky became a swirling maelstrom of opalescent tendrils. The flying jellyfish, their bioluminescent bodies illuminating the blackened sky, descended upon the ship with an otherworldly fury. Their membranous bodies pulsated as they sailed through the air, their long, poisonous tentacles trailing behind them like deadly streamers.

Captain Anabelle "Storm-Eye" Hawthorne stood at the helm, her grip firm on the worn, salt-crusted wheel. Her eyes, the color of the stormy sea itself, narrowed as she watched the spectral onslaught. Years of navigating treacherous waters had hardened her, but she'd never faced a tempest of living, breathing creatures before.

"Steady on, lads!" she roared above the howling wind, her voice carrying a command that could not be ignored. "Don't let the sea's nightmarish ballet scare you! These are just jellyfish, no more than that!"

Write to Play: Rediscover the Joy of Writing

Introduction

You writes , we refine.

Advanced proofreader powered by ProWritingAid.

Catch typos and spelling errors.

Get an expeditious thesaurus.

Improve readability.

Avoid grammar, mistakes.

Made by writers, for writers, Novlr is the writing platform that will have you achieving your writing goals.

Free for everyone

Get Started for Free

Get everything you need to write your next book

Get access to the Academy , Community , Writer Discounts , The Reading Room and more.

Billed yearly

Get Started with Plus

Everything in Starter, and...

Build and publish a no-code Author Website to showcase your work.

Get Started with Pro

Everything in Plus, and...

Launch an Author Website on a custom domain.

Improve your writing with a ProWritingAid powered proofreader, thesaurus, and grammar and style checker.

Lifetime Pro

$399/lifetime

Become a Lifetime Member

Become a co-owner of Novlr.

We’re constantly improving!

Check out what we’ve launched over the past few months.

Discover all Features

Get writing and publishing tips, be inspired, and learn from other writers.

"It’s addictive. I’ve been using it for six years and I can’t describe how straightforward it is for writing."

@AlmostWriting

"I spend every day on Novlr. It's where all my worlds and characters live."

@PatricProAuthor

Join our community

Find fellow Novlr writers on Discord. Join them to thrash out ideas, share your struggles, get advice, or just hang out with a likeminded community.

Get involved

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect marketer for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Guides • Book Marketing

Last updated on Oct 25, 2022

13 Author Websites That Get It Right

Most professional authors will have their own website , both as a way to market themselves and connect with their readership. It's the one corner of the internet that the author fully controls — without interference from publishers or social media rules.

In this short guide, we'll show you some examples of effective author websites before giving you a step-by-step process for building your own. By the end, you'll be ready to take on the world (wide web).

Here are 13 examples of excellent author websites: 

1. Austin Kleon

New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon identifies himself as “an author who draws” and uses his website to talk not only about his own books, but also about art and writing in general, offering creative inspiration to fans and casual visitors alike. 

Simple to navigate, and signposting all the relevant information — from blog posts, to his books, a newsletter mailing list , an author bio , and contact information — one of the main advantages of Kleon’s website is that it’s kept up-to-date with seasonal posts and frequent life updates. 

FREE COURSE

How to Build Your Author Mailing List

Learn how to connect with your audience and sell more books with email.

Takeaway: Keep your website up-to-date

Knock, knock. Who’s there? You should be. Unless you’ve got a ghostwriter on your team or you can uncannily churn out quality books constantly, you probably won’t always have new bookish updates. However, when people visit your site, you don’t want it to seem like it’s been idly collecting dust for years between publication dates. You want it to seem as though someone is home.

Austin Kleon’s website achieves this with fresh blog posts displayed front and center. Straight away, you know that he’s active behind the keyboard. Not only does it feel like he’s talking directly to you, but it also incentivizes you to come back, which can be handy for your next book launch . Studies confirm this: businesses that run blogs have 55% more website visitors than those that don’t.

Something as simple as an up-to-date Twitter feed or a list of upcoming events can keep your website fresh and show that you’re committed to interacting with your readers. If you're able to blog regularly, all the better! If your blog gets popular enough, it could become the foundation for your next book . 

How to Build an Amazing Author Blog

10 lessons to help you start your blog and boost your book sales.

2. Rupi Kaur

You’d expect nothing less than a well-designed website from the queen of Instapoetry herself, Rupi Kaur . Her elegant homepage immediately exudes “Rupi Kaur” and the message she wants her readers to receive. It’s on brand — aesthetically pleasing, with short guiding phrases, and creative with form (here through typography ) — and much like her poetry, it sticks to the essentials to deliver a core message in just a few words.

But make no mistake; this is no minimalist, bare-bones version of a website. With customized stickers, an integrated webshop for merchandise, and links to both an Amazon Prime special and a world tour, it’s clear that Kaur has invested some time and dollars on making this a comfortable browsing experience for her readers.

Takeaway: Invest in branding and user experience

Granted, not every author can inject cash into a website like social media sensation Rupi Kaur. However, her online presence features several practices that are good takeaways for any author website. Kaur, for instance, doesn’t send her subscribers “newsletters” like Kleon does. Instead, she sends “love notes”. Readers can also follow the journey of her third book, Home Body , as it travels across the US, “sisterhood of the traveling pants” style. These touches make her website feel authentic and true to her brand. 

Paying a bit extra to get a custom-made website that fits your needs perfectly and appeals to your target audience can improve user experience significantly, making it not only pleasing to the eye, but also easy to navigate.

Tell us about your book and we'll match you with a website style!

It'll only take a minute!

You can make your website stand out from the crowd by adding dynamic and interactive elements, and self-published author LJ Ross is no stranger to this strategy. Just like in her bestselling mystery series DCI Ryan, LJ Ross’s website takes inspiration from the atmospheric landscape of Lindisfarne (also known as Holy Island), located on the northeast coast of England. 

This eye-catching website is brought to life with some well-chosen dynamic elements: a bird flying across the landing page, mist rolling in as you hover your cursor, and a hamburger menu that folds out to direct you where you need to go, to name a few. 

LJ Ross also gets a bonus point for subverting the expectations for what a crime and mystery author’s website should look like, with a sunny background picture and a lighter color scale throughout the site. 

Takeaway: Bring your site to life

If your site is a pretty-but-static thing, you may be missing an opportunity. With some simple dynamic elements that draw the eyes, you can elevate your website and give visitors a reason to extend their session on your site. And the longer they stay, the more likely they are to engage with what your website offers. 

Start by capturing people’s attention with cool visuals, highlighting what you want visitors to see first (in this case: Ross’s different books series and a link to an audio drama production on Audible), and then invite them to engage by linking to your social media.

4. Miquel Reina

Another author who incorporates some movement into their author website to really bring it to life is Miquel Reina . This can be a risky maneuver — more often than not, flashy gifs and scrolling text scream “tacky.” But when it pays off, it creates a beautiful effect that will impress and entrance readers who stumble upon your page.

Upon first glance at the homepage of Miquel Reina's author website, nothing appears out of the ordinary... until the first image begins to change. As you can see, each translation ( and gorgeous new cover ) of Reina's book Lights on the Sea morphs into the next, providing a beautifully comprehensive sense of his accomplishments.

If you’re not a web designer , this tactic could easily go awry, but Reina ensures that all his images are carefully sized and timed to create a calibrated effect. The transitions are calmly paced to give you enough time with each cover, but not so slow that you risk missing the effect entirely. He also wisely avoids cluttering the rest of his homepage with additional text and images, so the viewer focuses solely on the slow-moving book covers.

Takeaway: Keep it simple (but sophisticated)

Again, it's easy to go overboard with this tactic; you don't want your author website to look like a carnival. To keep things interesting yet professional, bring your site to life with just one or two smoothly transitioning GIFs.

Fun fact: You can find Miquel Reina, who designed his own website (!), right here on Reedsy. Click here to check out his other projects .

💡Pro tip: Keep site speed in mind! On the technical side, a simple setup will help your site load faster. Heavy images will slow a site down and frustrate visitors. They came to find out about your book, not wait around watching their fingernails grow.

5. David Sedaris

Authors sometimes make the mistake of thinking that people visit their websites just to read their bio. Are you, the author, important? Sure, but your books are way more important. Let people know they’re on an author’s website by making your product the star of the show, as David Sedaris does. A minimalist setup makes it impossible not to notice the main event: Sedaris’ newest book.

Takeaway: Put your book front and center

If a reader visits your site and doesn’t immediately realize that you’re an author with a book to sell, you’re probably doing something wrong. Placing your book front and center announces that, whatever else you may be offering through your site, you’re first and foremost an author who wants to share their stories with the world. 

Also important: are the buttons that urge people to buy your book and steer folks to their retailer of choice. To build the perfect author website , it’s important to generate retailer links to your books and make sure people can easily add them to their basket.

6. Brit Bennett

Another author who has embraced the idea of putting their book front and center is Brit Bennett . Her hugely successful upmarket fiction novel The Vanishing Half is clearly the star of the show as you enter her landing page, and unlike David Sedaris’ lengthy book description, Bennett focuses on some strong endorsements in the form of quotes to sell her book. 

Takeaway: Include testimonials and reviews

There’s nothing quite as effective as word-of-mouth marketing when it comes to book sales. With a well-chosen quote from the right person, you may see your book sales soar, so it would be wasteful not to use the prime real estate of your website to let others highlight your writing prowess through testimonials and reviews. 

💡Pro tip: Testimonials and reviews are a great way to market your work and authorship so make sure to leave some space for that on your website.

For more marketing insights, check out our course on the fundamentals of book marketing:

Book Marketing 101

Learn seven tried-and-true strategies for boosting book sales.

7. Lesley M. M. Blume

When you first land on Lesley M.M. Blume’s website , you are met with an old, faded picture of an atomic bomb, held up by tape and a short journalistic description This documentary approach quickly envelopes readers into the topic material that Blume — an award-winning journalist — has written about in her latest book, Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World . 

Within moments of arriving on Lesley’s site, you become aware that she is a writer and journalist. This quick preview of her book grabs your attention and sets the tone.

Takeaway: Give readers a visual taste of your book

As an author, your medium of choice is often the written word, but your website is an excellent opportunity to expand on the imagery you’re trying to capture and make your messaging more vivid. By focusing on the visual aspects of your website rather than the textual, you allow readers to get an idea of what your book is all about straight off the bat — and you can present it in a way that is quicker and easier to consume than a full synopsis. 

Is your book a fluffy romcom, or is it hard facts? Offer a glimpse of what readers can expect of your writing, and don’t fall for the temptation to clutter your website with too much text; instead, use the power of images to elevate your message.

8. Maggie Stiefvater

Your author website should always include a good reason or two for visitors to offer up their email addresses. When you navigate your way to Maggie Steifvater’s website , you’re immediately presented with the opportunity to sign up for her newsletter. But the opt-in choices on her email list are plenty. For instance, you can sign up for an 8-hour seminar to improve your writing craft, led by Stiefvater herself! 

In marketing, this is known as lead magnets 一 offering something of genuine value in return for an email address — a marketing strategy we highly encourage authors to use..

Takeaway: Use a lead magnet

In publishing, a lead magnet usually means offering free content in exchange for an email address, such as downloadable PDF prints, exclusive interviews, or bonus chapters of your upcoming release. This helps you build your mailing list so that when you publish another book, you already have a group of people to advertise it to. 

💡Pro tip: A free sample does more than just incentivize people to offer their contact info. If you’ve read our Reedsy Learning course on how to run a price promotion , you’ll know that offering a free book is also a great way to hook readers and create a loyal fanbase for future publications. A free preview can work similarly, giving readers a commitment-free chance to get drawn into your book, leaving them more likely to pay to read the rest.

9. Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds (Judy Moody)

Using images is perhaps even more essential when you’re in the picture book genre. The illustrative style on the Judy Moody website gets the brand across almost immediately: fun children’s books! And if there were ever any doubts, it cements the message that the best author websites are extensions of the author’s novels and wider brand. 

The creators of the website know the Judy Moody audience, with nudges and winks in the direction of teachers and parents, as well as younger readers with playful phrasing such as “Way-Not-Boring Stuff,” which links to several fun lead magnets, in the shape of games and downloadable PDFs, perfect for kids’ birthday parties. 

Takeaway: Speak to your target audience

When designing your own website, some of the questions you should ask yourself, like Judy Moody’s publicist clearly has, are all about personal branding: 

• Are you branding yourself or a series? 
• What’s the voice and tone of your book?
• Who is your target audience ; and 
• Would your site resonate with them? 

Judy Moody's authors have chosen to highlight the eponymous character of the series rather than themselvces, but whichever way you lean, there should always be a recognizable red thread that runs between your books and your website. Keep the voice and tone of your website distinctive and consistent, so people immediately recognize the relation to your work. 

🎨 If you’re thinking about how you can develop your own author brand, check out this article about how Lara Coates enlisted a Reedsy designer to help establish hers.

10. Fonda Lee

One way to ensure that you’re speaking to your target audience is to match your website to the genre you’re writing in. Fonda Lee leaves no room for doubt with her Y2K style logo and dark color pallet. But just in case you missed it, she makes sure to signpost herself as a “science fiction and fantasy author,” and uses a gallery of pictures to highlight her catalog of published works. 

Takeaway: Signpost your genre

While many visitors to your website may already know what genre you’re working in, it’s always a good idea to make sure you match your website to the content you’re publishing. This goes hand in hand with author branding, but the visual elements of your website can also add another dimension to the worlds you’re building in your books. 

11. Neon Yang

Whether you’re a maximalist or a minimalist when it comes to design, the use of bold or contrasting colors is another way to make your website pop and highlight something particularly important you want to draw attention to. And you don’t have to have a name like Neon Yang in order to do so. But choose your colors wisely, and stick to one or two for the best effect.

Takeaway: Be selective in your use of colors

The psychology of color can have a big impact on how people perceive something, but don’t make the mistake of trying to catch ‘em all; using all of the colors of the rainbow together at once is unlikely to have the desired effect of drawing the eye to one thing. Instead, too many colors can be distracting and more confusing than helpful, making the message you want to communicate murky and sometimes even hard to read. 

When using bold colors, one or two is enough to draw visitors’ focus toward the most important things. Neon Yang fittingly uses neon lime green to contrast against a darker background, which effectively highlights key information, fits their unique brand, and adds a tongue-in-cheek touch to the whole website. 

💡Pro tip: When using accent colors, choose them carefully, and avoid writing huge chunks of texts in colors that are hard to read to make your website more accessible to all visitors.

12. Brené Brown

Speaking of accessibility, no matter how beautiful and well-crafted your homepage is, or how nicely your logo fits on the corner of that picture you’ve chosen, here’s your official reminder to make your website compatible with all types of devices. Brené Brown has made sure her website will meet everyone’s needs, regardless of their browsing weapon of choice:

Takeaway: Optimize for mobile navigation

Nothing is as frustrating as a clunky website that you can’t read, especially when you’re on the go. Today mobile traffic accounts for almost 60% of all web traffic , so your website should be made to fit all devices to make it as easy as possible for visitors to explore.

13. Angie Thomas

Finally, one of the biggest reasons people visit author websites is to get a better sense of who the person behind the words on the page is, so don’t be afraid to show your face. Angie Thomas goes straight for the kill with a beautiful, professional headshot that is both inviting and confident. This, paired with some hand-picked words to the left, is a strong introduction to Thomas both as a person and as an author. 

Takeaway: Show your face

Whether you want your brand to focus on you as an author or on your books, it’s a good rule of thumb to use your website to introduce yourself to the world. Unless, of course you’re a ghostwriter or writing under a pen name and prefer to work in anonymity. But even then, your writing website should include an avatar at the very least.

You don’t have to place your author photo front and center, but your site should contain some indication that your work was written by an actual human and not an AI . Your ‘About’ section is a good place to start, but sprinkling a few photos that show who you are throughout your different sections is a good way to make your readers feel connected to you. 

In the next part of this guide, we'll show you how to create your very own website using some of the most popular tools in the internet.

11 responses

Brent Jones says:

02/06/2017 – 12:29

Well, never did I ever think I'd appear on the same list of authors as JK Rowling for something. Wow! You guys over at Reedsy made my day. Thanks!

Kristen Steele says:

21/06/2017 – 15:29

Great examples! Branding is a powerful element, but works best if all of your books follow a specific theme.

arushi says:

30/08/2018 – 05:47

Nice Article www.booksoul.in

Zain Khan says:

06/12/2018 – 09:28

Thanks for the awesome blog post. keep it up. Recycling Media

Michael Barrett says:

05/03/2019 – 15:00

mbbarrett.com

christopher sparacino says:

08/05/2019 – 12:28

I wrote a book i'm trying to get out there, feel free to read it! it's free, about 70 pages... http://bit.ly/evolveordiebook enjoy

Oohgirlbybk says:

Good info! Thank you! My website is live, but I will be contacting my web designer :)

Sayli@digitalmarketing says:

22/05/2019 – 10:25

This the list every digital marketer and web designer should have! Thanks for this amazing list!

Paul Nieto says:

23/05/2019 – 17:00

Thank you for the ideas and examples. I signed up for the checklist also.

amber says:

05/09/2019 – 09:50

wow, what a great example. branding is the most powerful tool. I am also an author

David Evans says:

17/11/2019 – 10:05

The Lesley M. M. Blume site and the Austin Kleon site are pretty good , i often find that alot of sites go for design over typography which mostly doesnt work , your right about having blog posts front and centre , problem is most authors ive encountered never want that ( customer is always right etc ) .. which is a shame

Comments are currently closed.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Only on Reedsy

View their portfolios and get free quotes today when you create your account.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

• Announcements
• Inside Copilot

Back to Blog

20 Best Freelance Writing Sites for Serious Writers

• 16 min read

Tips to Land Writing Gigs on Freelance Websites

• best freelance writing sites in 2023

As a freelance writer, finding the right platform to showcase your skills and connect with potential clients can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it’s important to know which sites are worth your time and effort.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your client base, we’ve rounded up the 20 best freelance writing sites for serious writers. From job boards to content marketplaces, these platforms offer a range of opportunities for writers to find high-quality, paying gigs. So, grab your laptop and get ready to take your writing career to the next level!

Certain platforms will be easier than others to jump into and begin making money, as some are more competitive than others or have a more rigorous vetting process for freelancers. Here are some tips to help you land writing gigs as you get started:

• Create a strong profile. Your profile is often the first thing potential clients will see, so make sure it showcases your skills and experience. Include a clear and concise bio, relevant writing samples, and any relevant certifications or education.
• Be selective with the freelance jobs you apply for. It’s important to apply for gigs that align with your skills and interests. Don’t waste your time on low-paying or irrelevant jobs. Instead, focus on applying for gigs that you're qualified for and genuinely interested in.
• Customize your proposals. Don't send the same generic proposal to every job. Take the time to read the job description and tailor your proposal to the specific project and client. Show that you’ve done your research and understand what the client needs.
• Highlight your unique selling points. What sets you apart from other writers? Maybe you specialize in a specific niche, have extensive experience in a certain industry, or have won writing awards. Whatever it is, make sure to highlight it in your proposals and on your profile.
• Follow up. Don't be afraid to follow up on proposals or applications. A polite email or message can show that you’re serious about the job and can help you stand out from other candidates.
• Deliver quality work. Once you land a gig, make sure to deliver high-quality work that meets or exceeds the client’s expectations. This can lead to repeat business and positive reviews, which can help you land more gigs in the future.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of landing high-quality writing gigs on the best freelance writing sites. Remember to stay patient and persistent, and don't be afraid to put yourself out there!

20 best freelance writing sites in 2023

It’s possible to create a full-time income with freelance writing if you’re dedicated to creating high-quality work and willing to put in some upfront work. Our advice is to get started with one or two platforms to feel out which ones will work best for you, and don’t get discouraged if any particular platform or project doesn’t work out.

Here are our picks for the best freelance writing sites in 2023:

Upwork is a marketplace that connects freelancers with companies and individuals looking for freelance talent. From writing and translation to design and creative, there are many types of jobs available for hire. You simply bid on the jobs you’re interested in working on, complete with a proposal where you describe why you’re the best person for the job and set your desired rate. If you’re selected, you then complete the work according to the client’s specifications and get paid through the platform.

To get started on Upwork, create a profile where you highlight your skills, your portfolio of work, and your ideal pay rate. Search for jobs in the Talent Marketplace, submit proposals, get a contract on winning bids, and check off the steps to complete the work. Clients may choose to pay you for reaching certain milestones during the course of the project, or they pay you when the job is done. They can also submit feedback, which helps you secure future jobs and build lasting relationships with new clients. A word of advice as you get started: Get your feet wet with a few simple jobs where you earn positive feedback before demanding higher rates, as Upwork is a highly competitive platform with thousands of skilled writers and other professionals.

• Pricing: It’s free to join Upwork, build a profile, search for work, and post your own projects. Upwork charges a service fee based on your earnings, with a sliding scale that rewards long-term client relationships. The Freelancer Plus upgrade gives you more advanced tools to market your services and submit attention-grabbing proposals.

2. Best Writing

A relatively new platform, Best Writing got its start in 2020 when two friends decided writers needed a better way to find great work. Subscribe to the Best Writing newsletter, and you’ll receive weekly emails packed with hand-picked writing opportunities. The site aggregates writing jobs from online job portals, social media, newsletters, and selected partners, serving up everything from remote freelance gigs to full-time positions.

Best Writing is also a talent marketplace; for a small fee, you can gain access to a daily newsletter with the latest writing jobs and create a public writer profile. If you’re looking to be more proactive and make sure you don’t miss out on an opportunity, the Writer Membership might be the way to go. Because Best Writing is a newer platform, there may be less competition, although that could change as the platform grows — so get in while the getting’s good.

• Pricing: Free to subscribe to the weekly newsletter, browse jobs, and apply on external sites; Writer Membership is $9 per month or $90 annually.

3. Superpath Jobs

Another larger platform with thousands of writers, Superpath Jobs is an online jobs aggregator that caters to content strategists, creators, editors, and freelance writers. Browse jobs by category, location, company, and more — and apply externally to any positions of interest.

While Superpath may look like just another job site, there’s more to it: Not only are you only seeing jobs in your desired field, but the platform also has a Slack community to which writers can apply to join. Once approved, you can connect with other like-minded creators, share tips and tricks, and support one another on your writing journeys. Additional tools like a blog, a podcast, and a regularly updated salary report keep you in the know.

• Pricing: Free to create a profile and post your resume. You decide whether to make your profile visible to employers.

Draft offers clients quality content writers on demand; for you as a freelancer, it offers you unlimited work that matches your interests, availability, and skills. Once you’re approved to write for Draft, you can view available projects on your dashboard, claim anything you want to work on, complete the work, and upload it onto the project portal. Clients can then submit feedback or request revisions, as well as set people as preferred writers if they like their work (this is what you want, so you can get first dibs on projects).

To get started as a writer, you’ll need to apply on the Draft site and complete a test writing project. If you pass, you’ll have access to the project dashboard, where you can not only claim projects but also track any projects you’ve claimed and completed. Writers get paid weekly via direct deposit and can track their payments through the platform.

• Pricing: Free to join as a writer once you’re approved; Draft charges a small payment processing fee that gets subtracted from your weekly payment.

5. ProBlogger

Over 300,000 bloggers rely on ProBlogger as their go-to resource for blogging education and resources, from blog posts and podcasts to courses in blog creation and growth. Blogger Darren Rowse launched the site after turning his blogging hobby into a paying profession, and now he’s paying it forward in an effort to help other bloggers make money doing what they love.

If you’re serious about starting a blog and turning it into a money maker, ProBlogger is the place to go for blogging advice, trends, and in-depth tutorials. There’s also a Facebook community where you can connect with fellow bloggers. To get started with ProBlogger, add your email to their subscriber list to receive blogging hacks right in your inbox.

• Pricing: Free to join; only pay for additional courses and other resources you want.

6. Textbroker

Like Draft, Textbroker provides quality, SEO-driven content of all kinds, including blog articles, product descriptions, advertising copy, translation services, and more. Clients include small businesses, e-commerce websites, publishing houses, publicly traded companies, and more. As a writer, you’ll be part of an established community connecting authors and clients where you can showcase your talents and expertise in your niche. You choose when and how much to write based on your interests and needs.

It’s free to register as an author on Textbroker, and you can earn more on projects based on the quality of your work, and the helpful Textbroker team provides feedback to help you hone your skills. Weekly payouts make it easy to access your earnings. To get started, complete your author registration and activate your account; you will then need to submit a short writing sample and connect your payment method.

• Pricing: Free to register

Contena is an invite-only online program and a suite of job-search tools aimed at helping budding writers land freelance writing and remote work. The site says that its self-paced program has helped its members earn millions from remote writing. Yes, it’s a membership, so the program isn’t free; pricing isn’t readily available on the site, but this review — based on the writer’s experience in trying out the onboarding process — states that membership costs $497 for one year or $997 for two years.

While there are many positive reviews of Contena, the same writer above states these reviews are driven by affiliate income. However, the site offers a 30-day guarantee that should put your mind at ease, and the online course could be worthwhile if you’re just getting started with freelance writing. Our best advice? Do some thorough vetting before shelling out any money, but don’t be afraid to invest in your education if the material is worthwhile.

• Pricing: Reportedly $497 per year

8. LinkedIn

You may be familiar with LinkedIn as a place to create a professional profile and connect with colleagues in your industry. However, it’s also a job marketplace where you can upload your resume and browse job listings. As you apply to roles of interest, LinkedIn may recommend adding certain skills to your profile, such as search engine optimization or WordPress. You can also take quizzes to have skills badges added to your profile, helping you stand out from the crowd.

Having your resume ready to send can be helpful when you’re applying to multiple jobs at once; jobs marked as “EasyApply” let you apply directly on the platform. Be sure to build out your LinkedIn profile to highlight your achievements, request recommendations from people you know, and showcase your best professional self.

• Pricing: Free; Premium membership starts at $29.99 per month, with access to more advanced career tools.

9. Writer Access

More than 40,000 brands use Writer Access to connect with freelancers and scale their content marketing. That means as a writer, you have access to a vast array of companies looking for quality content of all kinds, from technical writing to presentations and white papers.

When you apply to write for Writer Access, expect a thorough vetting, as the site hand-reviews your work and experience and only invites the best freelancers to move through the screening process. Once you’re approved, you’ll go through an onboarding program in which you’ll develop your CV and profile alongside the Writer Access team. From there, you can start taking advantage of cool perks like free stock images, portfolio promotion, content marketing tools, and a ticket to their annual content marketing conference.

• Pricing: Free to apply

10. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is a jobs marketplace aimed at helping people find flexible work that aligns with their lives. If you’re seeking a work-from-home role, flexible working hours, or the ability to dictate your own schedule, this site can help you find such jobs and apply. You can also utilize skills tests, expert content, checklists, and courses to uplevel your search.

While there are many job sites out there, FlexJobs appears to be one of the most helpful as far as weeding out any scams. The site offers a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and helpful customer support reps, ensuring you’ll have a great user experience. Be sure to check out the career coaching services, webinars, and other resources to put your best foot forward with potential employers.

• Pricing: $9.95 for a week; $59.95 for a year.

11. Compose.ly

Compose.ly touts itself as being one of the highest-paying platforms in the market, with writers averaging 10 to 14 cents per word. With no membership fees, a sleek user interface, consistent payments, and a supportive writer community at your fingertips, Compose.ly can be a great source of regular income. Work as much or as little as you like, and only choose projects that sound like a great fit.

Compose.ly’s rigorous selection process could mean you will have less competition for jobs. However, you’ll need to pass the application process, which includes a brief assessment, to begin accepting jobs on the platform. Compose.ly pays bimonthly, so while not as regular as some of the other platforms on our list, it’s still a great source of income. To get started, create an account and apply to be a writer.

• Pricing: Free

12. Scribly

Founded by ex-copywriters, Scribly is a content marketing agency whose team knows what it’s like to work as freelancers. That’s why they’ve created a platform designed to empower freelancers to do the work they love while getting paid fairly and on time. Clients pay a monthly fee to tap into content creation, content strategy, and social media management services from a pool of quality, native-English writers.

To get started as a writer, you’ll need to send a message to the Scribly team telling them a little about yourself. Once you take that step, you’ll get a message letting you know they’ve received your message — so you may not have the instant gratification of knowing where you stand with Scribly. However, should you make it through the initial hiring steps, you’ll have access to flexible, scalable income you can earn whenever and wherever you want.

• Pricing: No pricing information is listed but appears to be free for freelancers.

13. Blogging Pro

Blogging Pro features a job board that’s updated daily with new blogging jobs, freelance writing jobs, and other writing positions. You can also subscribe to the newsletter to get jobs delivered to your inbox weekly. In a nutshell, Blogging Pro does the heavy lifting to locate hand-picked writing opportunities that let you work how and where you want. Search for remote, freelance, part-time, full-time, and contract opportunities, and apply externally to any jobs of interest.

If you’re looking for aggregated job opportunities with a side of blogging tips and advice, Blogging Pro could be a useful resource. The site has been around since 2006, making it one of the longest-standing resources for bloggers. The site also has an array of educational articles to help you get up and running as a blogger and hone your craft.

14. The Urban Writers

The Urban Writers platform connects authors with high-quality writers and editors capable of working on a variety of writing projects, including e-books, fiction and nonfiction books, SEO articles, content translation, and more. There’s something for every kind of writer, editor, illustrator, and designer on the platform, making it one of the most versatile freelance opportunities on our list.

You can apply to be a writer or editor on the platform, and should you make it through the selection process, you will then complete an assessment to determine if you’re a good fit. The Urban Writers then allows approved creatives to submit proposals on posted jobs. If you’re new to the platform, it could be more challenging to get assignments; however, the platform is supportive and includes a Slack community where you can pick up tips and advice from seasoned writers.

15. Crowd Content

If you’re a native English speaker from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, you can create an account on Crowd Content and seek out a variety of writing and editing roles. Clients seek content marketing at all skill levels, so whether you’re a full-time freelancer looking for more work or a novice getting started, you’re likely to find roles that are a good fit. You choose the jobs you want and work at your own pace on a variety of assignments.

As you work with clients, you have a chance to earn feedback and get added to their list of favorite writers, leading to more future assignments. Easy access to the Crowd Content staff and a user forum ensures you always can get answers to your questions and tap into additional resources like coaching and exposure to managed services clients. To get started, create a Crowd Content account, pass the writing assessment, start applying for jobs, and do great work to access higher-paying projects. Payments go out twice a week.

16. iWriter

Clients pay iWriter for quality content at different tiers, from AI-driven to expert-level content with native-English writers. Once approved as a writer, you can earn up to $40 per 500 words as you produce high-quality work and promote up the ranks. You can write as much or as little as you want, build a client base, and choose the topics that best fit your background and interests.

To get started on iWriter, complete the writer application, which includes writing prompts that ask you to write a brief writing assignment. If you pass the assessment, you’ll get an email with next steps within five to seven business days. As with any similar platforms, patience, persistence, and attention to detail will get you far.

17. Freelancer

Freelancer aggregates a wide range of writing jobs, including content writing, brand development, copywriting, and script writing. The platform allows writers to bid on jobs that clients post and set their rates, giving them control over how much they earn. It also has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create a writer profile and navigate and find jobs that match your skills and interests.

Freelancer.com offers a secure payment system that ensures writers get paid for their work, providing peace of mind and financial security. Overall, Freelancer.com is a great option for freelance writers looking for a flexible and reliable platform to find writing jobs at the rates you want. To get started, create a freelancer account, set up your profile, and start bidding away. As with Upwork, keep in mind that you may find a hefty amount of competition; stick with it and try to get those first few jobs under your belt.

18. People Per Hour

Over 1 million businesses worldwide use People Per Hour to access freelancers in a variety of categories, including content writing, SEO, website development, and more. Clients can build relationships with trusted, expert-level freelancers who deliver quality work on demand. As a freelancer, you can create a profile and set your rates and areas of expertise, then work with the clients that best match your requirements.

Once you create an account, you can browse jobs and submit proposals. Take your time as you create proposals to make yourself stand out and start accessing the work you want to do, whenever you want. People Per Hour handles the logistics like payment processing and managing communications, so you can focus on doing what you do best: creating great content.

Similar to People Per Hour and some of the other platforms on our list, Fiverr connects clients with freelancers in all different disciplines. You can create a writer profile, set your rates, and start selling your services and bidding on writing jobs. With work ranging from blog posts to product descriptions, you’re able to find work that best matches your skills and interests. The platform is easy to use and allows writers to set their own rates, work on their own terms, and get paid as soon as you complete a job.

Fiverr.com provides a secure payment system that ensures writers get paid for their work. It’s a large and active community, providing opportunities for writers to network, collaborate, and develop their skills. The more projects you complete and great feedback you earn, the easier it is to get new jobs.

20. Writers Work

Writers Work connects writers with the companies that need them the most, with thousands of writing jobs available on the platform. You can also access training, tools, and support to help you land the writing jobs you want, set your own hours, and work remotely on your schedule. From general content such as website content to copywriting and blog writing, there’s something for everyone on the platform.

The Writers Work platform is designed to help freelancers succeed, with built-in writing tools that check your documents for grammar and spelling. Even writers with no experience can join, as Writers Work will train you via live support, video training, and course. Earn $20 to $65 per hour, and continue building your skills to earn money as a writer. To get started, create an account and get up and running within 30 minutes.

• Pricing: Free to create an account

As you can see, there are numerous freelance writing websites available for serious writers to find high-quality and lucrative gigs — and we think the 20 freelance writing sites above are an excellent place to get started. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your client base, these platforms offer a range of opportunities for writers to showcase their skills and connect with potential clients. Remember to create a strong profile, be selective with the jobs you apply for, customize your proposals, highlight your unique selling points, follow up, and deliver quality work.

With these tips in mind, you can maximize your chances of landing great writing gigs and building a successful freelance writing career. As you get up and running, be sure to create a Copilot account to access all the tools you need to run your business like a pro, complete with a professional-looking client portal to manage tickets, messages, payment processing, and more. It’s free for 14 days, with paid plans starting at just $29 per month. The platform grows with you, so as you scale, you can access even more advanced tools and dedicated expertise.

Share this post

Sign up for our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive emails about important announcements, product updates, and guides relevant to your industry.

The new standard for modern services business.

• Messages Billing Files Contracts Forms Helpdesk Client Home Profile Manager
• Developer Home Custom Apps API Reference Copilot on Zapier Copilot on Make
• Accounting and Bookkeeping Marketing Agencies Startups Consulting Firms Real Estate Freelancers Law Firms Small Businesses Designers
• Brand Pricing Jobs Terms Privacy
• Blog Guide Video Tutorials What’s New Find an expert Security System Status Experts Program Affiliates Program Glossary Compare Sitemap
• Introducing Copilot's App Store and Platform Copilot 2024 Winter Release Announcing our Series A

• Landscaping Websites
• Cleaning Websites
• Flooring Websites
• Tailor Websites
• Plumbing Websites
• Car Dealer Websites
• Funeral Websites
• Trucking Websites
• Logistics Websites
• Notary Websites
• Financial Advisor Websites
• Digital Agency Websites
• Real Estate Agent Websites
• Insurance Agent Websites
• Gym Websites
• Wellness Websites
• Hair Salon Websites
• Chiropractic Websites
• Dog Grooming Websites
• Travel Websites
• Hotel Websites
• Museum Websites
• Theater Websites
• Art Gallery Websites
• SaaS Websites
• Startup Websites
• Nonprofit Websites
• Technology Websites
• University Websites
• UX Designer Portfolios
• Web Developer Portfolios
• Student Portfolio
• Model Websites
• Art Portfolios
• Marketing Portfolios
• Squarespace Portfolios
• Copywriter Portfolios
• Interior Designer Portfolio
• Wix Ecommerce Examples
• Squarespace Ecommerce Examples
• Shopify Ecommerce Examples
• Wix Websites
• Webflow Examples
• Thinkific Examples
• BigCommerce Examples
• Kajabi Examples
• Duda Examples
• Zyro Examples
• Bluehost Websites
• ClickFunnels Examples
• Weebly Websites
• Blog Examples
• Wix Blog Examples
• Squarespace Blog Examples
• Lifestyle Blog Examples
• Food Blog Examples
• Travel Blog Examples

Writer Websites: 28 Inspiring Examples (2024)

Every writer needs a website to showcase their skills, experience, client testimonials, and best works, and attract potential clients.

If you think creating a website is complex, try designing a website that can give you an edge over your competitors. Luckily, you don’t have to design your writer’s website from scratch or hire a web designer.

Whether you are a new or experienced writer, this article will show you the best writer website examples you can learn from.

1. Tyler Koenig

Made with Squarespace

Copywriting expert Tyler Koenig takes a bold and unique approach to designing his personal website and it’s lovely. Instead of relying on the recommended white space to background his message, he uses yellow and oranges to give his website that fresh, bright, and fun feel. 

The minimalistic website uses high-quality pictures that reflect Tyler’s personality and love for basketball (that’s the inspiration behind the orange color).

I love how he doesn’t stuff the homepage with so much text, making it easy for visitors to read through the website in a few seconds.

2. John Clarkson

Made with Wix

John Clarkson’s website is what every author that wants to sell themselves to the general public should be. The website uses a simple white and black bold color scheme that visually presents the information John wants to pass on to his readers.

Testimonials about your previous or current works as an author are everything. John Clarkson’s website is full of reviews from critics and famous readers. 

I love how he uses moving pictures on his website to display his top reviews and how he places strategic CTAs encouraging users to buy.

3. Romi Neustadt

Romi Neustadt is an entrepreneur, coach, and best-selling author committed to helping people live their best lives. I love how she immediately communicates her mission and accomplishments at the top of her website with her customized slideshow.

The customized slideshow on her homepage has three levels. The first level features Romi’s headshot while the other two levels display high-quality pictures of her latest books with short descriptions and clear CTAs.

4. Taylor Tyng

Taylor Tyng is an author that specializes in writing books for middle-grade children. The website is full of high-resolution animated images that bring out the excitement and fun associated with his children's books.

Tyng does a good job of using the hamburger menu to help users navigate easily through the different offerings. I love how it uses a dark gray background that brings out the colorful elements of its images and its white font text.

5. Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith is a novelist that uses his website to build an impressive personal brand. Unlike many writers’ websites that cluster much information on the home page, Zadie’s website leads with the cover of her forthcoming book. 

The purple and white color palette that dominates the background is excellent and helps draw our attention to her beautiful book covers.

I love how she uses words sparingly but instead adds a YouTube video to her website that covers more about her and her works.

6. Martha Hayes

Martha Haye’s website has a simple and minimalist design that encourages readers to scroll through the information till the bottom. You feel like you are reading a magazine thanks to the combination of a white background and black typewriter font for text.

I love how she uses a high-resolution image of herself to put a face to her brand. The image is the first thing that captures your eyes. At the top right-hand side is a summary of her different job titles.

7. Scripted

Made with Webflow

Scripted is a content marketing agency with an attractive and professional website you can learn from. The website excels with its clear and visible CTA (Call-to-Action) buttons that attract your attention the moment you visit its homepage.

You need social proof and testimonials from top customers to inspire trust whether you are operating a writing agency or operating as a one-man writer.

Scripted smartly creates a section for top companies that use its freelance writing services like Adobe, Adidas, Eventbrite, and LinkedIn.

8. Emily Thompson

Emily Thompson is a professional freelance writer that specializes in content strategy and copywriting. Her website uses an attractive color scheme and designs that instantly captures your attention.

I love how she arranges her content and uses attractive CTA buttons to guide her visitors softly but effectively toward hiring her writing services.

She crowns it up with social proof from big brand clients like Hubspot and Boston University and glowing feedback from some of her clients. Emily has a custom form to collect visitors' email addresses for her newsletter at the bottom of the page.

9. Michal Eisikowitz

Michal Eisikowitz has one of the best design-heavy and beautiful freelance writer websites you can come across. The first image that draws your attention is the high-quality picture of Michal Eisikowitz with a smile , preparing you for the fun copy that comes after.

I love how she uses design-heavy images and clever copywriting to show you the different types of clients she can help. She uses the interesting and more specific “THIS LOOKS LIKE ME!” as her CTA button instead of the popular and overused “LET’S GET STARTED!”

10. Aaron Orendorff

iconiContent, the personal website of Aaron Orendorff, is one of the best professional writer websites with a clean and attractive home page structure. The website copy uses a persuasive humanitarian copy to display a glimpse of his writing skills to visitors and potential clients.

You can’t miss the high-quality hero image of Aaron Orendorff and the unique “Contact Strategy Roadmap” CTA button.

The website is a perfect example of how to use color transition . As you navigate through this landing page, you will notice how the website colors change from professional blue to brighter and more playful colors.

11. Kristen MacIntyre

Do you want to create a writer’s website that boosts your writing career ? Kristin Macintyre’s website is an example of a perfect freelance writer website for those who want to focus on a specific writing niche.

I love how she uses high-quality pictures of herself to dominate her home page. The way she blends colors (chiefly black and white), arranges the different sections of her web page, and uses attractive CTAs is worth copying.

12. Createfully

Joanna Furlong’s content writer website is a great example a newbie freelance writer can style after. The entire website adopts a bright and exciting color scheme that mixes red, white, and black to perfection.

Her clients and testimonials section is an eye-catching section where she showcases reviews from top clients like Forbes and Girls in Tech.

I love how she adds her own blog posts to the website to help visitors gauge her writing style and skills. The menus on top of the website make navigating her website easy especially if you want to get to the contact page.

13. Marlen Komar

Marlen Komar has one of the best-writer websites for creatives. The entire site, built with the website builder, Squarespace, is full of good-quality images. You can’t miss the confident Marlen Komar picture in a room full of artwork and books.

I love how she uses large bold white fonts to highlight her writing skills. She cleverly uses a dictionary template to define what she did, which points to her as a unique storyteller and writer.

The best thing to learn from the site is how Marlen uses high-quality pictures to display her writing samples.

14. Kate Hogg

Made with Carrd

Kate Hogg’s website is a charming reflection of her passion for marine conservation projects. The website wastes no time in introducing her personal brand and the services she offers.

I love how she uses different sections to talk about herself and her services, adding a good-quality picture for each section. Although the website lacks clear CTAs, there is a “Get in Touch” section where visitors can make inquiries about her services.

15. Ann Friedman

Ann Friedman doesn’t create the typical strong portfolio website common among writers. She creates a simple and beautiful landing page that focuses on directing visitors to relevant sections instead of stuffing the information on a single page.

The first thing you will notice on the landing page is the bold letterography “Ann Friedman” she uses as her logo. I love how she uses large clickable icons in the form of pictures that direct users to her completed work, audio, and newsletters.

16. Locke Hughes

Made With Squarespace

Locke Hughes is a freelance writer and health coach. Her website features a library of high-quality pictures of Locke Huges with a smile . You can’t miss out on the background image of books and her description of what she does.

I love how she uses the CTA “See My Work” to redirect interested visitors to a different page filled with her best works. Locke adds her social media content from Instagram to her website with a “Follow Along” button which is brilliant for building her personal brand.

17. Sarah Asp Olson

Sarah Asp Olson’s (SAO) website highlights her brand name, writing skills, and featured work examples. Her one-sentence summary about the kind of content writing she does is brilliant for attracting the ideal client and target audience.

The content strategist takes you on a tour of her best works that not only contain well-labeled descriptions of her amazing content but impressive writing clips.

I love how she centers the website around the content she created, a brilliant way for new writers to sell themselves as experts in their fields.

18. Muriel Vega

Muriel Vega is a B2B/B2C content writer that uses colorful and fun design animations to show the different industries she can write for. The minimalist website uses a simple design layout that doesn’t overwhelm the visitor with too much information.

I love how she uses the menu buttons to provide easy access to specific information. You can navigate to different sections where you learn about the writer, and her writing and projects.

19. Freddie Braun

Freddie Braun's website is a stunner. The distinctive 90s-inspired design makes his website memorable for visitors. It’s a recollection of the best 90s memories. There’s a clip at the top left side of the website that plays cool 90s music that is sure to get you dancing.

The whole website shows off Freddie’s amazing personality and conversational tone. I love how the first menu button links to his online portfolio. He shows the top companies he has worked with on his website’s front page.

20. Kayla Voigt

Kayla Voigt’s website describes her as a writer, creator, and explorer. I love how she uses an adventurous background picture to introduce her writing skills. There are many charming pictures of Kayla Voigt exploring different places as you scroll through the website.

She understands her customer’s pain points and uses a conversational tone to brand herself as the solution to her ideal customer’s storytelling needs.

Kayla backs her expertise in brand storytelling by featuring icons of top brands she has worked with like USA Today, LifeHacker, and The Kitchn.

21. Molly Stubbs

Molly Stubbs’ website uses colorful designs and color schemes that catch the eye. The way she mixes different bold fonts with varying colors and moving illustrative elements is impressive.

I love the way she uses rich icons to show the versatile writing services she offers potential clients. She uses a conversational tone to describe her services. You will find the high-quality image of Molly and her dog adorable.

22. Travis Brown

Travis Brown’s website is the perfect example of how to use your website design to hint visitors about the kind of writing services you offer. The horror writer uses a haunting background design of a foggy forest that can pass for a good book cover for a horror novel.

I love the black and purple color scheme and how he uses clear CTAs to get visitors to take the desired action.

Travis did a great job designing the “Books” section. Every book he adds here comes with a review and there’s the impressive moving element that brings out the book cover.

23. Sarah Anderson

Sarah Anderson’s website is the perfect template for designing your website as a new freelance writer. You can tell that she specializes in writing email copy the moment you visit her site. Her attractive pink CTA buttons to get her visitors to book a call with her is worth copying.

I love how she addresses her customer pain points and showcases her copywriting skills through her copy for her target client. She smartly offers free educational content relevant to her target audience in exchange for their email addresses.

24. Kaleigh Moore

Kaleigh Moore’s website is a great example of a niche-focused writer’s site design. She positions herself as an eCommerce and SaaS copywriting content writer.

Her website uses a simple and minimalist design to drive home her message. I love how she showcases the results she produced for her clients early on her website.

Kaleigh’s website features fantastic testimonials and social proofs from past and present clients.

25. Jessica Estrada

Jessica Estrada’s girlish website design instantly grabs your attention and admiration. She uses bright and lively color schemes (pale pink and rich energy gold) and fonts. Her website design fits the topics she writes on beauty, fashion, and wellness.

The first thing you see when you visit her website is her different job titles. I love how she lists her past and current clients which boosts her credibility and expertise in the eyes of her ideal customer.

26. Zina Kumok

Zina Kumok is a personal finance writer and speaker. The first thing that catches your attention on her website is the high-quality picture of Zina Kumok smiling. She deliberately picks an official clothing style that matches what she specializes in, personal finance.

The website is full of glowing features from her big-name clients. She uses social proof to build her expertise by showing reputable financial websites where she has her works published.

27. Joakim Book

Made With Webflow

Joakim Book is a freelance writer that specializes in finance-related topics. His one-page website design employs a simple and minimalist design that wastes no time in pointing out his writing expertise.

I love the high-quality retro picture he uses and how he links the best examples of his writings. You can’t miss out on the attractive and unique yellow CTA button “Buy me a coffee.”

28. Stanley Cox

Shanley Cox is a talented writer that specializes in blog writing, copywriting, and social media content. This writer's website example is full of high-quality and friendly images of Shanley Cox.

I love how she introduces herself to her ideal client with her attractive copy. Shanley uses a slideshow format to show her best client reviews. There’s a section where you can start a conversation with her through a contact form.

Explore Further

• Memorable Web Design Portfolio Examples
• Best Website Designs (Top Examples & Inspiration)
• Best Personal Website and Online Portfolio Examples
• Landing Page Examples That You Can’t Afford to Miss
• The Ultimate List of Web Design Statistics
• Inspiring Web Design Quotes for Web Designers
• Beautiful Examples of Wix Websites

Personal Website

Writer & Editor CV

Newsletter Website

News Website

21 Freelance Writing Websites That Pay Well! (2023 Update)

Are you looking for freelance writing websites for beginners or content writing sites for beginners?

I remember when I began my freelance writing journey, I wanted to get paid to write but I didn’t have a journalism degree, nor did I have writing experience.

I’m not going to lie, the fear and doubt was there when I first started because I had no idea where to find the jobs!

Nevertheless, I still went on to become a full-time freelance writer and travel the world.

If I can do it, you can too!

In this article, I will share all the places that advertise freelance writing jobs for beginners , the 3 best FREE sites to promote your freelance writer portfolio , plus tips to increase your rates. 

Freelance Writing Websites To Get Paid (For Beginners)

• Freelance Writing
• Blogging Pro
• PRO Blogger
• All Freelance Writing
• Journalism Jobs
• Media Bistro
• Morning Coffee Newsletter
•   Flexjobs
• PeoplePerHour
• Writer Access
• Online Writing Jobs
•   Verblio
•   Constant Content
•   Great Content
•   Hire Writers
•   Word Gigs

Disclosure : This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Thank you for your support 🙂

If you are having trouble knowing how to apply to freelance writing websites and how to come across as more experienced, so you can get paid higher.

I can recommend a super-duper freelance writing course I took, which helped me land 3 new clients in 3 weeks .

I spent ages googling FREE information and googling articles (like you are doing now) and I needed to keep my costs down as I wasn’t being paid for my writing just yet.

But I got sick of reading conflicting or confusing information and took the freelance writing course .

It taught me how to pitch to new clients and come across as experienced. Just look at this review:

I also learned how to set up a freelance writing website, where to find jobs, and what to charge.

The  Write to $1K course has a 30-day template you just need to follow to get to your first $1k from writing.

If you are ever going to invest in one writing course – please let it be this one . It’s the most useful thing you can do if you want to know how to be a freelance writer with no experience.

There is no way you will finish the 30 days and not win a new client. Her training is THAT good. And I am not making this up, because I took the course myself.

1. Freelance Writing

Known as one of the top best freelance writing websites, especially for its ease of use, and was established over 2 decades ago!

On this platform, you can find freelance writing jobs online for beginners and also hire freelance writers.

You can refine your search to only include certain locations or job types.

Plus, this is one of the best content writing websites for beginners. 

Why? This is because you will also find written resources to succeed as a freelance blog writer , creative writer, copywriter, ghostwriter, and other types of writing!

It even allows you to participate in writing contests to improve your writing while earning money, and a Free E-book to become a better writer and author.

#ifitsfreeitsforME

2. Blogging Pro

Also considered one of the best freelance writing sites for beginners, this website is ideal for bloggers and freelance writers looking for work.

Blogging Pro advertises blog writing jobs that are perfect for freelance writing beginners. Blog posts are easy to write and can earn you decent money. Many are aware of this fact and turn to content writing for beginners to start generating extra income.

A lot of my writing income comes from blog writing.

7 FREE Writing Tools That Will Help You Make More Money!

Download the free guide.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

3. Pro Blogger

PRO Blogger is great. One of the best freelance writing websites out there.

I have found a few jobs through them. You can filter down to the niche you are in and it has a good variety of jobs. Oh, it is also one of the free article writing websites. you do not have to pay anything to find jobs on this platform.

The key is to apply early every morning, but having said that, I have applied and heard back from clients sometimes 2 months later.

In addition, this is one of the best article websites to use for FREE. You just have to look for the writing jobs on your job board and voila!

4. All Freelance Writing

All Freelance Writing posts fresh new writing jobs in the last 30 days and it is one of the most widely used article writing sites. I really like how they also advertise the rate you will be paid.

So you can scan the niche and pay and decide which freelance writing jobs for beginners best suits you, to save you time.

5. Journalism Jobs

Journalism Jobs is a great place to find freelance writing jobs if you want to be a journalist or copywriter. Just create an article writing account and start browsing!

You’ll find job posts, which describe the company, type of job, geographic location, and time commitment of the freelance article writing job.

One of the best freelance writing websites if you are looking got journalism specific jobs.

6. Media Bistro

Media Bistro curates online writing jobs and there is a big range of jobs on content writing for website there.

It is one of the best content writing websites to find jobs in online magazines, news sites, and big content publications. 

For example, I just looked and it is advertising for a sports writer, women’s lifestyle writer, and gossip column writer. Random eh?

7. Morning Coffee Newsletter

Morning Coffee Newsletter is great and it is among the best online writing sites because you can subscribe for free and writing jobs are sent to your inbox every morning.

I have secured a few jobs using this newsletter.

Considered one of the most widely known freelance platforms, Upwork is undoubtedly one of the best article writing sites where you can find different types of freelance jobs including writing.

It is free to register as a freelance and you can filter jobs based on:

• Client rating
• Clients spent
• Verified payment
• Level of expertise
• Skill category
• Job Type (Fixed or hourly paid)

For example, you can see here different types of entry-level freelance writing jobs , including an interesting gig about creating funny slogans for t-shirts for $200. 

9. Flexjobs

Flexjobs stands out as a freelance job site that offers verified jobs to prevent scams, this gives freelancers the confidence to apply for legit jobs. You will find multiple posts on articles writers for hire on this platform.

Registration is paid, it is a membership-based job site starting from $14.95 per month. 

However, Flexjobs is labelled as an excellent site to get freelance scam-free jobs and has membership benefits such as discounts for Career Coaching or a Resume Review. 

10. PeoplePerHour

Peopleperhour is a similar website to Upwork to get freelance jobs for beginners, so it is a good site to check out for article writing jobs or other types of writing. 

You can find jobs from proofreading , to investigative writer, cool for a beginner writing gig, right? 

11. Contena

Among the best article websites is Contena . It is a paid membership site starting at $497 for a 1-year membership and $997 for a 2-year membership . 

So, though it is not cheap, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and offers good paid freelance article writing jobs, even for beginners. Despite the price tag, many freelancers engage with this platform, which shows that this is one of the best writing websites.

Freelance Writing Content Mills To Get Paid For Beginners

So above are 11 freelance writing websites that advertise freelance writing jobs for beginners.

But let’s say, you tried applying and received no response or you want to get some experience and you are sick of writing for free?

As a last resort, it might be worth looking into content mills.

Writing content mills don’t pay that well but the level of expertise required won’t be high. Also, if you are doing content writing for websites for free anyway, you might as well get paid and get some experience.

Having said that, make sure you move on to better-paying jobs once you have experience writing for content mills. Don’t get stuck on lower-paid jobs, but instead, use content mills to get some writing experience.

Sometimes content mills will advertise,  ‘freelance writing jobs no experience’

Here is a list of freelance writing websites which are content mills you can apply to:

12 . iwriter

This is one of the essential sites you have to head to if you want to land article writing jobs in content mills.

You can register for free, then you need to complete a form and a 250-word writing test. Based on these results, you will be accepted to work on article writing jobs in iwriter.

How much you will earn will be based on the level you are, starting from Standard, then Premium, Elite, and the highest rank Elite Plus. 

All of this will depend on the writing skills in each job and your rating as a writer.

Rates start from approx. $3 for 500 words at the starter level and $30 for 500 words at the Elite plus level. 

It may not be much but as a beginner, this platform is one of the good online writing sites that pay.

13. Writer Access

Writer Access is another one of the sought-after online writing websites for business owners that want to hire content writers.

So, this is a great content mill if you want to grab some writing experience and get paid for it! 

Plus, they offer benefits for their writers such as:

• Access to 250M stock images
• Content strategy certification
• Content marketing tools
• Portfolio gallery promotion
• A ticket to their annual content marketing conference and the recordings from the last 4 years.

You can apply for free, however, some things Writer Access will ask you to do is:

• Choose a niche you want to write about or consider yourself an expert in that field 
• Provide at least 2 public web pages to analyse your work experience and skills. Can be your Linkedin profile, blog, or portfolio site. 

Also, it is worth mentioning they have a web page where you can look for the different types of freelancers Writer Access are looking for . 

These gigs are high paying, as they are looking for people with experience in that field. So even if you are a beginner but have experience in comedy or type fast and accurately you could have a chance to get hired! 

14. Online Writing Jobs

Online Writing Jobs is a content mill that only offers freelance writing jobs for United States of America residents and you get paid weekly, through PayPal 

To apply as a freelance writer you need to:

• Complete the writer application form
• Submit a custom writing sample 
• Submit a completed W9 tax form
• Submit a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID as proof of U.S. residency (e.g. driver’s license, passport, non-driver ID card, etc.)

15. WriterBay

Among the best freelance writing sites is Writer Bay. 

Here you will find a wide variety of freelance writing fields of interest such as:

• Sports 
• Music 

One of the most important requirements to work in this content mill is to have a bachelor’s degree. 

To apply you just need to follow 4 simple steps, which are:

• Fill out the application form
• Pass their grammar test 
• Write a short prompt and upload an essay sample
• Upload a photo of your CV as well as your academic certificate.

Here is a current example of what they are paying and looking for:

16. Textbroker

Textbroker is a content mill that accepts writers from different countries, it is one of the best freelance writing websites for beginners .

To sign up you need to submit a 200-word writing sample , which will determine your writing skills. 

As for how the platform works, it is rating-based, from 2 stars to 5 stars. You can request payment any time of the week, as long as your earnings are equal to or more than $10. 

Here is an example of how much you can earn based on your rating:

Other freelance content mill websites to consider are:

17. Verblio

18. Constant Content  

19. Great Content  

20. Hire Writers

21. Word Gigs 

Plus, SEO is not as difficult as some gurus make it sound, and you don’t have to pay TONS of money to learn it. 

I have extensive SEO experience managing 4 blogs, and with this knowledge, I have created this affordable SEO Masterclass where you will learn the foundations of SEO to skyrocket your blog or client’s blog traffic!

Freelance Portfolio Sites For Freelance Writers 

If you don’t have a website, or would like to increase the exposure of your writing expertise, creating a portfolio is key to displaying your writing abilities and skills. 

Some of the best FREE writing portfolio websites to show your writing work are:

• The freelancer by Contently
• Clippings.me
• Journo Portfolio

Want to get inspired? Here are some examples of freelance writing profiles on each site:

• Contently profile example 
• Clippings.me profile example
• Journo Portfolio profile example  

FAQs on Freelance Writing Websites

What Is The Best Website For Freelance Writers?

One of the online writing websites for freelance writers is Freelance Writing , in this website you can find jobs with rates and divided by level of expertise. 

However, other good alternatives are:

All the best articles websites mentioned above are ideal for you to look for a freelance writer job for beginners!

How Do I Start Freelance Writing If I Have No Experience?  

If you don’t have writing experience, some pro tips to get online writing jobs are: 

• Decide on the type of writing you want to offer.
• Create writing samples 
• Create a portfolio and ask for recommendations.
• Create a professional profile on LinkedIn . 
• Take writing courses to upskill and learn the best tactics to attract clients. 

What Types Of Freelance Writing Jobs Are There?

There are different types of freelance writing jobs, some examples are:

• Blog writer
• Email writer
• Copywriters
•  Sales page writer
•  Ghostwriter
•  E-book writer
• Social media content creation
•  Article writing
•  SEO writing

If you want to find out the most profitable types of freelance writing niches, check out my article: 21 Most Profitable Freelance Writing Niches (In 2021)

What Are The Best Freelance Writing Websites That Don’t Charge A Subscription? 

The best freelance writing sites for beginners that don’t charge a subscription are:

How Do I Get Clients To Visit My Site And Place Orders?

To attract clients to your freelance writer website one of the most important things to master is:

• Content promotion 
• Having client testimonials on your site
• A clear package of services 

Note: If you are eager to start your freelance writing career or are looking to find a freelance job as a beginner check out my masterclasses: 

• How To Become A Freelance Writer (In 60 Days)
• Finding Freelance Jobs (For Beginners)

Plus, you will get FREE bonuses such as pitch templates and pro tips to land jobs in Upwork from an expert!

What Do You Charge?

Sometimes when you go on freelance writing websites and apply for freelance writing jobs, the client will ask you ‘ what is your rate?’

When I was a freelance writing beginner, I didn’t know what to charge, but I took that online writing course and it guided me on what the going rate was.

The writing course recommends at last USD0.10 per word but at the beginning, I think I charged USD0.05 per word and increased it with every new client and as I became more confident.

Where Can I Practice Freelance Writing?

• Copyblogger
• Become A Writer Today
• Online Courses

1. Copyblogger

Copyblogger is a content writing site for beginners that has been educating individuals on how to produce top-notch written content since January 2006. 

Copyblogger began as a straightforward one-man blog. It grew into a highly lucrative business with 8 figures in yearly sales because of the helpful material, clever copywriting, and leading services.

If you need help figuring out where to start, look into their articles feature and check their useful resources such as the ones below:

• How to Start Writing: Zap Your Reaction to Criticism and Grow from ‘Good Enough’
• Writing Voice 101: Add Color and Richness … Without Making Us Want to Barf
• 3 Critical Tips for Beginner Writers Who Don’t Have an Audience Yet

2. Become A Writer Today

This site has got everything covered when it comes to article writing for beginners.

From courses to writing apps, writing tips, and even writing jobs, Become A Writer Today helps budding writers set the tone for their writing careers. 

3. Online Courses

Online classes are another excellent technique to educate yourself on how to write better content. You can select from a wide variety of content writing courses that are offered online. 

Regardless of where you are at with your writing journey, there is something for everyone. 

Websites like Udemy offers a ton of useful guide on how to start writing, the trick and trips to keep in mind, and mistakes to avoid when writing. Start with these videos to ease your way into becoming a better writer. 

• Writing With Confidence: Writing Beginner To Writing Pro
• Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer
• Ninja Writing: The Four Levels Of Writing Mastery

Can I Make 1000 A Month Freelance Writing?

Yes, you can make $1000 a month with online article writing. 

There is a tonne of get-rich-quick programs on the internet that claim it’s simple to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year writing.

Despite the fact that a small number of extremely wealthy writers exist, what the internet fails to show is the work it takes to earn such an amount. A decent starting point that is both practical and doable is $1000 per month.

Earning $1000 per month demonstrates that you have gained significant proficiency in writing. 

Query Hunter

How To Write Articles For Beginners?

Master good research skills, focus on the content, have content ideas at hand, get rid of distractions.

Let’s face it, it is difficult to write an article that is both intriguing and interesting. Regardless of how some writers may portray it, to make a piece of article stand out, extensive research is required.

Extensive research requires time and effort. 

There are numerous techniques to carry out research for articles. While some writers prefer to conduct their own research, others use keywords to discover information online. 

Choosing whether to write a long-form piece or a series of shorter postings is the first step in guaranteeing that your article is thoroughly researched.

Longform articles demand more time researching and assembling information into a gripping story with a solid ending that is both educational and enjoyable.

However, bear in mind that it is simple to get caught up in the trap of doing too much research instead of typing the words out to form the article.

One of the things you could do during your research is to try and be as detailed as you can in your search keywords if you’re seeking data or statistics to back up your claim.

This way, you already have a goal for the type of content you would like to produce. 

The process of writing articles for search engines like Google’s first page is known as SEO writing. This is accomplished by conducting keyword research on key terms and producing optimized content that addresses the user’s purpose.

For example, say you are searching on how to solo travel in Bangkok , the articles that pop up on the first page are articles that have been optimized to give you the exact results you are looking for. 

You may ask – Aisha, why is it important for me to write content that appears on the first page?

According to a study , when an article is on the first page of a search engine, it has a much higher chance of being clicked and read compared to articles that are not

More than 28% of users who conduct searches click on the first link on the first page. The percentages decrease after that first outcome for each placement on the page.

Writing for SEO is crucial since it is an advertising strategy that works as long as your website does. Having an article that is on the first page means more views, and more views mean more advertising revenue. 

As a freelancer, it is your job to deliver content that will bring in revenue to your clients. By having sufficient SEO knowledge, you can help them boost their ranking and increase their revenue.

You can browse through as many online writing sites as you want, but if there is one skill that can help you stand out amongst other writers, it is SEO knowledge. Here are some resources to help you get started.

• SEO Success For Beginners

It is a typical assumption that excellent grammar and punctuation equate to outstanding writing. In actuality, the content is what matters most in good writing.

All the jobs posted on these article writing websites have one thing in common, it is to find a writer who can produce content that is interesting, entertaining, and educational.

You could get sidetracked from the writing process if you’re always looking for errors, and your thoughts might grow stagnant as a result.

You will also note that it is challenging to put out fresh content when your full attention is constantly on finding errors.

The appearance of writer’s block is unpredictable and let me tell you that it can be the most frustrating feeling in the world especially if you have deadlines to catch!

Keeping a list of topics for prospective news pieces or short articles that could be developed into long-form content is important for this reason. Write down ideas as soon as you have them in a notebook or Google Doc. 

This way, once you have landed a job from any one of the freelance writing websites that pay , you can whip up content ideas to impress your client!

This may be a no-brainer but get rid of the distractions.

You did not spend your precious time scrolling through multiple content writing sites and landing a job only to fail at producing the articles because you are distracted. 

Many states that multitasking helps them operate more effectively.  However, when writing a whole piece of article in a short period of time, you will need to be laser-focused to produce the best outcome.

Turn off the television and notifications of any social media account before you write your first line so that you can concentrate completely on producing the piece. I personally like the Pomodoro technique in staying focused, perhaps you can give that a shot too.

How Do You Increase Your Rate?

Want to increase your rate as a freelance writer?  Check the following tips:

1. Niche Down 

To get the best paying freelance writing jobs, the best tactic is to upskill and niche down. For example, you can be an expert in a type of writing such as email writing or in a topic like SAAS.

By being an expert you will know the ins and outs of a topic. 

So, your writing will be of better quality which your audience and clients will immediately notice and therefore be more valuable!

2. Go The Extra Mile!

By going the extra mile, your client will notice that you care for their business and value their success, this will make you a valuable asset for them and keep coming back for your writing services.

3. Writing Testimonials 

Showing your writing clients testimonials on your website will increase your credibility and authority, this helps you demand a higher paying rate because clients see you are trustworthy. 

4. Offer Free Photos 

Speaking from personal experience, you can increase your rate by mentioning that you can include some free photos to accommodate the article.

You can source FREE images from these websites:

• Gratisography
• Offer SEO optimized articles

5. Offer SEO Services 

Also, I recently learned about SEO, Search Engine Optimization.

I read some free articles and bought a book on it and straight away my rate increased when I went on freelance writing websites and said:

‘I can offer SEO optimized articles.’

This just means I can use a free keyword tool (Ubersuggest) to find good keywords and place them in the appropriate places in the article.

If you are looking for a list of best SEO practices to include in your article, get in touch and I will send it to you.

I use it every time I write SEO optimized articles for a client.

If you found this article useful, save it and pin it!

Related post:

• Freelance Writing For Beginners: 8 Steps To Land Your First Job In 2021
• How To Sell Short Stories For Money
• How to Become a Well-Paid Freelance Writer
• How to Become a Freelance Writer with No Experience
• 17 Places Hiring Freelance Writers Who are Beginners
• 21 Most Profitable Writing Niches
• Best Freelance Jobs for Beginners: All You Need To Know

21 Best Freelance Writing Websites To Get Paid For Beginners

Similar Posts

15 Upwork Tips For Beginners [Personal Experience!]

Are you looking for the best Upwork tips for beginners? When I first started out with freelancing, I was lost as to where to find any freelancing jobs and that’s when I learned about Upwork! Upwork is a huge freelancing platform and its user and client bases are expanding quickly.  It is understandable why us…

How To Start Writing For Beginners + 17 Easy Expert Tips!

How To Start Writing For Beginners + 17 Easy Expert Tips! Have you always been drawn to words? Is reading one of your hobbies or are you working to start a side hustle by writing? It’s time to get excited, as this article will cover everything you need to know on how to start writing…

Upwork vs Toptal: Which Is Best For Freelancers? (2023 Guide)

Upwork vs Toptal, the battle of the best freelancing marketplace continues through multiple debates and reviews from both freelancers and businesses alike.  But which one is right for you?  I know you are trying to decide which platform has the best clients, which takes the fees, and which platforms are the ones where you are…

Upwork Vs Freelancer : Which Platform Is Best?[2023]

When you’re trying to choose between Upwork vs Freelancer as a platform of choice, there might be many factors pulling you towards each side.  You might be more familiar with one site or the other in your freelancing journey, whether it’s Upwork or Freelancer.  But one thing’s for sure is that both Upwork and Freelancer…

9 Upwork Scams: How To Spot & Avoid Them?[2023 Update]

Upwork scams are unfortunately spreading like a plague among hardworking freelancers, like us. I have heard from many of my freelance writer friends who claim they were left stranded after a client on Upwork disappeared once they handed in their work.  In fact, I got scammed too! O_O Yeap,  you read that right. I was…

Is Upwork Worth It In 2023? [My Personal Experience!]

Is Upwork Worth It? Is Upwork Good?  Are these questions running through your mind as you are starting out your freelancing journey just like they did when I started mine?  I remember when I just started out as a freelance writer and was bombarded with loads of information on Upwork, because it seemed to be…

8 mins read

7 Incredible Freelance Writer Websites That Get Clients

If you want high-paying freelance writing gigs, you need to know what great freelance writing is. More importantly, you must know how to present your writing to potential clients in an industry-best portfolio.

Shreya Bose

Written by Shreya Bose , edited by Protim Bhaumik , reviewed by Eric Hauch .

13. Oct 2023 , updated 8. Feb 2024

I've been writing professionally since 2017. In 2021, I switched to freelance writing.

So, fellow freelance content writer, whatever you're going through... I assure you, I've been there or am currently there. I know how tricky it can be to find potential clients, pitch to them with a portfolio, cater to their niche, and convince them to give you the writing job (which, 9/10 times, you probably deserve).

However, Murphy's Law exists, and anything can go wrong at any time, leading to you not getting that content-writing contract. It's not pleasant, but it's a sad reality of our careers.

Of course, there is no way to eliminate rejection completely (wouldn't that be a great world?), but there are ways to minimize it significantly. One of those ways — the one we'll discuss in this article — is creating a writing portfolio or a freelance writing website that really catches your client's eye.

In this article, I'll showcase and discuss seven freelance writer website examples. Built and maintained by copywriting, content writing, and content marketing experts, they exhibit the elements of a great freelance website. If you need to create a site to advertise your writing services (or one that proves that you're a great freelance writer), start here. These examples are the ideal sources from which to grab ideas to shape your own portfolio website.

7 Best Freelance Writing Sites for 2023 (and after 2023)

Carrie cousins.

Carrie Cousins is a content marketer, designer & writer with over fifteen years of experience. Her work samples testify to her writing skills and the depth of her research abilities, making her among the best freelance writers most clients will ever encounter. Her writing site is also a great example of what to do to make it in the freelance writing business.

To quote the "About" section on Carrie's website,

Modern marketing has no secret sauce. But we can cook up a pretty good recipe.

Lines like these instantly help you get a sense of Carrie's writing style and understand her writing niche. Making such quick impressions on clients is, in fact, a sign of Carrie's competence and skill within her chosen domain. Getting a writing gig or a freelance job for online writing is not a challenge for her at this point, so take notes from the expert.

Simon Denyer

Simon Denyer is a wildlife conservation consultant, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and author. He was also a former bureau chief with The Washington Post and Reuters. Simon has written the book "Rogue Elephant: Harnessing the Power of India's Unruly Democracy.”

To quote his portfolio site, Simon is,

Helping to design a new wildlife conservation strategy for Africa. Launched a new pangolin protection campaign in Cameroon in February 2022. Author of two studies examining bushmeat and pangolin meat consumption and attitudes towards wildlife in Cameroon.

This is a man who puts his money where his mouth is and is truly steeped in the ground realities of conservation. If you were a client in this domain, wouldn't you give him the freelance writing job?

Elise Dopson

Elise Dopson 's online portfolio is impressively minimal and doesn't say much except that she is a freelance writer for B2B commerce and marketing brands. Clearly, she prefers to let her work do the talking. She has worked with retail, e-commerce, and martech companies to create journalism-centric content.

On her site, Elise says,

I also coach freelance writers who want to scale their business and gain confidence.

This is definitely a person you should learn from, especially if you are a new freelance writer.

Muriel Vega

Muriel writes about tech, art, travel, food & more, and her design reflects this diversity. The playful whimsy and capricious coloring over a white background make you itch to click on the icons.

Her portfolio is only one-fold long. You don’t have to scroll for any further information. Everything you need to explore her work can be clicked through via the icons or the links on top. Clearly, she is a natural with minimal & charming but effective designs. We can hope this mindset also extends to the way she shapes content.

She has bylines at Delta Sky Magazine, DWELL, Apartment Therapy, Eater, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post, Atlanta Magazine, The Bitter Southerner, Outside Magazine, and others.

Tom Valcanis

Tom Valcanis doesn't say much in his portfolio except that he is a "Freelance copywriter and journalist. Based in Melbourne, Australia." He has bylines on publications like The Spectator Australia and Junkee, so I suppose it is quite easy for Tom just to let his work speak for him.

Rick Marshall

Rick Marshall is an award-winning freelance writer, editor, critic, and copywriter specializing in entertainment and tech-related content. He is also a Critics Choice Association member and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. His published pieces can be found in Digital Trends, MTV News, Fandango, Movies.com , IFC, Mental Floss, and other platforms.

Myke Bartlett

Myke Bartlett is a freelance journalist, editor, and copywriter. On his LinkedIn, he says,

I'm a communications specialist with a background in journalism. I'll edit your magazine, write you a feature article or three, host your event, run your training session, compose your website copy, produce your video, or oversee your social media campaigns.

If you're curious about his working style, read on.

I believe writing should always be a pleasure to read and pride myself on the creativity to find a hook to keep a reader interested in the driest of topics...

My training as an editor means I have a keen eye for detail and an unhealthy obsession with spelling and grammar – and means that I am very comfortable taking direction for other editors, as I know the importance of writers being able to fulfill a brief.

Alright, now you know what a winning freelance writing site must contain to appeal to clients. But how does one go about creating such a website for your freelance writing?

You use Authory.

Authory: A Tool for Creating That Perfect Freelance Writer Website (fast and with minimal effort)

Authory is a dedicated portfolio builder that literally does over half the work: finding all bylined content you’ve ever published, importing it automatically, saving it permanently (again, automatically), and letting you organize your content items into different collections (like a folder that can be sent via a URL to other people).

A self-updating portfolio (no need to keep adding new work manually)

Authory will AUTOMATICALLY import a copy of every bylined piece from every site into its own database. This includes articles, videos, podcasts, web and email copy, etc.

You don't have to track down links to your published work (especially older pieces). As long as you remember the URL of the site where your work exists, Authory will collate all your content for you in one dashboard.

Here's Authory's "automatic content import" feature in action:

Automated backups (never lose your content, ever)

All the content that Authory imports from different sources is saved permanently. Even if the original website where it's published goes defunct for any reason, you'll always have a copy safely stored on Authory's server.

All backups are in the original format — text and/or media. No screenshots.

Continued importing of past and future content (less effort for a 100% updated portfolio)

Once you enter a source, Authory won't just import your existing publications. Anything you publish on the same site (after you've fed its URL into Authory) in the future will also be imported automatically. In other words, Authory will import your past and future content.

Authory also sends email notifications for every new piece it imports, so you'll always know if something you submitted has been published.

Apart from these, you also get:

• Ability to search your portfolio and content database to find articles/audio/videos based on keywords . Prospective employers and hiring managers can use this to look for topics on your portfolio, and you can use it to find specific pieces within your Authory content bank.
• All imported content can be downloaded as high-res PDFs or exportable as HTML files — no lock-in period.
• Get a custom domain and personalize your online writing portfolio even further.
• In-built analytics that provides real numbers on content performance (engagement, readership) across the web and popular social media sites every 30 days . You get to see how your readers/viewers respond to your work.
• Widgets to display your personal portfolio on other sites, such as your personal website (if you have one).

As a freelance writer, I can vouch that Authory doesn't just give you an online portfolio. It actively makes your professional life easier for you. It's much easier to get freelance writing jobs.

Authory is used by a fair number of significant and successful professionals. There's 6-time Emmy award winner David Pogue , Steven Levy, Editor at Large, WIRED , and Brian Fung, a Technology Reporter at CNN , to name a few.

Get started with Authory for free and see for yourself what works for you as well as it did for them.

Seasoned writer & editor working with B2B & B2C content since 2017. Writes about music on weekends. Trying to overcome caffeine addiction.

More articles

The ultimate guide to creating a successful writing portfolio.

Step-by-step guide to creating your writing portfolio. Tips, examples, and everything you need to make a writing portfolio clients will love!

Protim Bhaumik

almost 2 years ago

10 Journo Portfolio Alternatives for 2024

A list of alternatives to Journo Portfolio that you can test out before building/upgrading your next incredible portfolio!

over 1 year ago

This Executive-Turned-Journalist Has Written for 54 Different Publications — Yet Keeps His Work Perfectly Organized

Howard M. Cohen has written for considerably more publications than the average journalist. That’s why finding a solution for how to present and protect his work has been vital for him.

over 3 years ago

Freelance life is a hustle — here’s how journalist Jeanette Beebe learned to handle it

In this interview, healthcare and tech journalist Jeanette Beebe shares how she keeps track of her articles, connects with readers, and puts public interest reporting at the center of her work.

about 5 years ago

Clippings Portfolio — Pros, Cons & Alternative

Does a Clippings portfolio work for you? Here's a detailed review of Clippings, a look at its pros & cons, and a look at Authory as an alternative.

Top 7 Contently Portfolio Alternatives: Contently Alternatives for Writers

Learn what the top 7 Contently portfolio alternatives are and which one you should choose to build your portfolio.

• Collections
• Journalists
• Content Marketers
• Thought Leaders
• Partner Program
• Writing Portfolio
• Journalism Portfolio
• Writing Backup
• Content Marketing Portfolio
• Social Media Portfolio
• Best Portfolio Builders
• Portfolio PDF Examples
• Twitter Archive
• Portfolio Creator

Quality content at scale.

Access content writing services from a network of specialized, professional writers..

Content that works

Whatever industry you’re in, you need expert writers who can engage your audience. We’ll find those writers for you.

We partner with agencies to support the content and copywriting needs of their clients.

We support digital publishers by writing targeted content for their different sites at scale.

We write product descriptions, web pages, and category pages with an emphasis on SEO.

We develop your voice and tone and write custom content for brands big and small.

Content You Can Trust

Testimonials.

Natalie Winzer B2C Marketing Manager

ContentWriters has been a great partner for us in providing relevant, helpful information to our customers.

Sam Kerstetter Senior Content Marketing Manager

The CW team is nimble and incredibly helpful. They not only help you execute on your vision, they truly endeavor to understand what your editorial needs are and how their team can best help meet these needs. They ensure the content CW is creating is not only engaging, but also purposeful.

Katie Hudson Creative Manager

Working with ContentWriters has been incredibly helpful for our brand. By relying on their team, we've been able to launch a blog, improve our SEO, and create new product descriptions quickly. I'd highly recommend working with them

Chris Freitas Director, Business Development

The ContentWriters team has been very professional, prompt, and proactive. I researched diligently for content creators and CW was by far the best option.

Michael Barber Director of Marketing

There are so many outlets to create content these days. We're fortunate to have found a partner in ContentWriters that enables us to move quickly, trust their team to execute reliably, and publish great content.

Alex Neal President

ContentWriters has been a great cost effective solution for us to get relevant original content in a timely manner. I would definitely recommend them.

Steven Collinge Founder & CEO

Since the very moment we started working with ContentWriters almost 5 years ago now, we found them to be just great to work with. Their services have been vital to our growth and the constant support is why we continue to enjoy every single communication and have done for all these years.

Matthew Rickerby Director of Marketing

ContentWriters have been such a help to our marketing team, they've created content that has helped us rank better for key search terms and have driven lots of organic traffic.

Aaron Rosenthal Director of Marketing

E-file.com was named the 79th fastest growing private company by Inc. Magazine. ContentWriters helped E-file.com obtain this growth without employing a single full-time writer on staff.

Chris Fasano Director of Marketing

We needed top notch quality writing and in volume, which ContentWriters provides for us week in and week out. We are very pleased with ContentWriters’ work thus far.

Trusted by the World's Best Companies

Content marketing resources.

Check out some of our latest blogs, white papers, and case studies to see how we help writers and clients work together to achieve success.

8 Content Ideation Tips to Keep Your Blog Fresh

June 26th, 2024.

Effective content ideation helps your team produce a steady stream of fresh, relevant, and valuable content that keeps your audience …

• White Papers

How AI Has Impacted the Content Marketing Landscape

February 20th, 2024.

We dive into the burst of generative AI and its impact on content creation and SEO. Learn how marketers are harnessing AI’s potential while navigating its limitations.

Case Studies

Points group agency & contentwriters boost traffic by 14% for healthcare clients.

ContentWriters frees up Points Group team's bandwidth and helps increase healthcare clients' online traffic.

Get the smartest content insights…

Before you go, take a quick second to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest in marketing, SEO, digital, and content industry updates!

Let’s discuss your content goals. Scale content with a dedicated account manager.

• Custom writer vetting and management
• High volume and high quality content
• Consistent publishing schedules
• Premium customer support

“The CW team is nimble and incredibly helpful. They not only help you execute on your vision, they truly endeavor to understand what your editorial needs are and how their team can best help meet these needs. They ensure the content CW is creating is not only engaging, but also purposeful.” Sam Kerstetter Senior Content Marketing Manager

• Contact Sales
• Contact Support
• Education & Day Care
• Medical & Healthcare
• Real Estate
• Sports, Gaming & Fitness
• Tech & Internet
• Travel & Lifestyle

Products & Pricing

• Products & Pricing Overview
• Order Content
• Blogs & Articles
• Managed Services
• Content for Agencies
• Content for Enterprise
• Content for Publishers
• Content for eCommerce
• Content for SEO
• Copywriting Services
• Content Writing Services
• How It Works
• Payments & Receipts
• Using Labels
• Content Deadlines
• Approving Content
• Requesting Changes
• Bulk Orders
• Exporting Content
• Success Stories
• Writer Signup
• Editor Signup
• Client Benefits
• Client Signup
• 100% Money-Back Guarantee

148 Mercer Street , 2nd Fl. New York , NY 10012

• 212-235-1103
• 800-891-0553
• Weekdays 9am - 6pm ET

Get smarter! Sign up for our Newsletter

• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Writer Services Agreement

©2024 All rights reserved. ContentWriters.com LLC

Home » Building Websites » Writing for the Web | 19 Expert Tips for Writing Online

Writing for the Web | 19 Expert Tips for Writing Online

If you click to purchase a product or service based on our independent recommendations and impartial reviews, we may receive a commission. Learn more

The Ultimate Guide to Writing for the Web

We don’t want you to join them.

We’re here to make sure you soar over the common trip hazards, and set you on the path to creating stunning online content. Beat your competition, dazzle your readers, and breathe new life into your website with our in-depth guide.

We’ll cover the most important rules of writing for the web, and bring you exclusive insights from real experts who rely on producing stellar content for a living. 

Even web writing pros can stumble and lose their readers’ interest. Whether you’re starting a blog, writing copy for your business website, or managing social media accounts, this guide will give you actionable advice for improving engagement and increasing conversions.

Our first, unofficial tip is to keep introductions short – so we’d better move on to the good stuff!

Our handy infographic shows all 19 steps you need for writing for the web. Feel free to save it, share it, and go back to it whenever you need some helpful writing tips!

If you prefer a good old-fashioned list, here’s each of the steps again:

Top 19 Rules for Writing for the Web

Now you’re fully armed with our 19 simple steps, read on for a full breakdown of each, plus some exclusive bonus tips from the experts!

Further Information

• Check out our Website Builder Comparison Chart if building a website is your next step – it compares the best builders around!
• Are you going to use our expert web writing tips to start a blog? You might find our review of the Best Blogging Platforms helpful.
• Looking for something a little more specific? Our How to Write a Call to Action guide has some expert tips on creating persuasive copy.

If you’d rather watch than read, our video run-through of our top 19 rules for writing for the web is the perfect solution!

Before You Start

Tip #1: Research Your Reader

Tip #2: Know Your Enemy

#1. Research Your Reader

Before putting pen to paper – or, rather, fingers to keyboard – you need to get inside the mind of your readers. It’s essential to know your audience so that you can grab their interest and fulfil their needs. Ask yourself: why are people coming to my site? What are they looking for?

Once you have the answers to these questions, there’s only one thing to do: give the readers what they want. 

Readers are fickle, impatient, and flighty creatures – use the wrong language, or give them the wrong information, and they’ll be leaving your site before you can say “please don’t go.” Here are a few tips for keeping the customers satisfied:

• Create personas – try to make between three and five personas that represent different sections of your audience. You can do this through interviewing real-life readers, using demographic data from your site analytics, and sneaking a peek at your readers’ social profiles.
• Tailor your writing to your target audience – use the same language as your readers. If you’re writing for an older demographic, don’t use teenage slang words, and if you’re writing for an English or American audience, make sure you’re using the right language and references.
• Don’t stop asking questions – even once you’re releasing regular content, don’t assume you know what your readers want. Keep checking and researching to make sure your readers are happy.

Advice from the Experts

“One of the most essential elements of writing for the web is knowing your audience. Four years ago, we were attracting just over 100 organic visits to our blog per month. In a shift in tactics, we began to write regular, quality, optimised content targeted at the interests of our website visitors, and we now generate 2,500+ organic visits per month.”

#2. Know Your Enemy

Once you know your readers like they’re old friends, it’s time to research your competitors. You need to know two crucial things: who your competitors are, and what they’re doing .

Competitor research is essential for understanding what you need to do in order to get readers to choose your site over anyone else’s.

First, you need to identify your main competitors. Try to list your top ten rivals – if you have no idea, you can find out by Googling your main service, product, or topic, and seeing which other sites pop up the most.

Now you know who you’ve got to beat, settle in for a virtual stake out. Look at what type of content they’re producing – is it videos, blog posts, news stories, or downloads? What’s the level of quality? How frequently are they publishing fresh content?

Once you’ve got a good profile of your competitors, you can ask the most important question: what can I do better? 

Luke Budka , Director at TopLine Comms

“Understand what your prospects are searching for and why they’re searching for it; take a look at the content that appears when you search for what your prospects are searching for; then write better content – in that order!”

More Information

• Interview with Kentucky Native Plants Project : See how this online resource creates content tailored to its audience and market

Don't Scare Your Reader Away

Tip #3: Use Headings

Tip #4: Hook Your Reader

Tip #5: Keep Language Simple

Tip #6: Tell Readers Where They Are

You might have heard of the comparison of web users with wild animals , and that’s exactly what we’re talking about here. Today’s online readers are hunting for information, but they don’t want to waste tons of energy taking down the web equivalent of a giant buffalo. Just like a lion picking out its prey, they are constantly on the lookout for content they can easily digest.

If a reader isn’t happy with what they see, you can bet they’ll be gone in seconds. Harsh, right? Luckily, there are ways you can send all the right messages so you don’t scare your reader away.

#3. Use Headings

The best way to instantly put a reader at ease is to use headings. This gives a clear indication of your page’s content, without the reader actually having to, well, read any of it.

When’s the last time you read a web page from the beginning to the end, without jumping ahead or scanning sections? We bet it wasn’t any time recently.

Headings make it easy for readers to quickly get the gist of your content and head to the section they most want to read. Think of headings like sign posts, catching you reader’s attention and waving them in the right direction.

Headings also make your page look more inviting. There’s nothing worse than being confronted with a huge block of text when you’re browsing the internet!

#4. Hook Your Reader

How do you grab your reader’s attention and get them to read your article, instead of hitting the back button ? You need to create a hook. 

We all love a bit of drama. Controversy, mystery, surprising facts – they all draw us in with one key effect: we want to know more . If you can start your content with a fact, a question, a controversial comment, or even an anecdote, you stand a good chance of getting your readers’ attention.

#5. Keep Language Simple

While in school you’re encouraged to expand your mind and reach for the thesaurus at every possible opportunity, writing for the web is a little different. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. 

You should keep your writing simple – around the level you’d expect 12 year olds to easily understand. That’s right, you need to imagine you’re writing for seventh graders!

Using simple language doesn’t mean “dumbing down” your excellent content. In fact, it can actually take more talent to make simple writing sound good. (At least, that’s what we like to think!)

Simple language is more scannable, makes your content more accessible to a wider audience, and helps people understand your message much faster. 

❌ 1: Writing in uncomplicated, comprehensible language is imperative when creating content for an online audience, due to the reading patterns and habits most often portrayed by online readers, which differ massively from the tactics applied when reading other types of published materials.

✔️ 2: Writing in simple, user-friendly language is key when writing for the web. This is because people don’t read online content like they would read a book.

Which example are you more likely to engage with? Especially when you’re on your phone, checking this article in the spare five minutes between meetings at work? Whether you like it or not, “simple” is the universal language of the web.

#6. Tell Readers Where They Are

Something a lot of web writers forget is that your readers might have no idea what your site is about. Unlike books, there’s no beginning, middle, or end, and your content needs to reflect that.

Never assume your reader has been to your homepage or explored your about page – it’s likely they’ve only just stumbled across your site and expect answers straight away.

If you’re writing a series of connected blog posts or related guides, make sure you link to the previous one so your reader can go back and get some context. If you’re reviewing something, make sure to quickly recap what it is first.

You get the idea. We always start out our reviews and comparisons by briefly explaining what a website builder is, how drag-and-drop works, or what hosting is and why you need it, before getting into the meat of the article.

People who know these things already can skip ahead, but including this information makes sure you don’t alienate any readers who were looking for those answers.

Keep Your Reader

Tip #7: Front-load Information

Tip #8: Be Direct

Tip #9: Use a Conversational Tone

Tip #10: Be Active, Not Passive

Tip #11: Keep It Short

Tip #12: Be Generous With Visuals

Once you’ve managed to grab your reader’s attention, you need to keep them on your page. This is easier said than done. On average, people will only read around 20% of the words on a web page . (So, if you’re still reading this article – congratulations!)

Here are some simple tips and tricks for getting the most out of your readers’ limited attention spans.

#7. Front-load Information

Did you hear that the average human attention span is now shorter than that of a goldfish? We’re more distracted than ever before, losing concentration after just over eight seconds. 

This is why it’s vital to front-load your information , placing the key takeaways at the beginning of your piece rather than waiting until the conclusion.

This isn’t an Agatha Christie novel where you build suspense and give people the answers right at the very end. Instead, you need to give out the most important information as soon as possible.

You may have noticed that at the start of this article, we outlined what we would be covering and then immediately listed the key takeaways. This assures the reader they will be getting actual answers, removes any feeling of being dragged along, and even acts as a teaser.

For example, if you’re writing a comparison piece, don’t wait until the end to reveal the winner. Think about what you’d want if you were the reader – give answers straight away, then encourage them to keep reading to find out the “why” behind your argument.

By giving a summarized version of your content, you can open up your reader’s curiosity – you’ve proven you know what you’re talking about, and now they want to know more!

#8. Be Direct

When one is writing for an online audience, it can be hard to connect. There are so many voices, how do they get their words to stand out from the crowd?

You might be feeling a little confused right now, because we just stopped using direct address. Direct address is where you actually address the reader as “you.” Don’t get muddled up with the ambiguous “they” or the outdated “one” – save that one for the characters in Downton Abbey.

Use “you” to address your reader, use “we” to speak from the point of view of a company, and use “I” for an individual voice. 

This is more direct, and immediately sets up a relationship between you and your reader.

There are exceptions, such as news reports, but on the whole this is an important rule to stick to. Even banking and legal websites use direct language to appeal to their audiences, and you’ll see it all across the web – those “About Us” pages are all using direct address!

#9. Use a Conversational Tone

Question time: do you prefer chatting with your friends, or being lectured by someone using formal, lecturey language? We’re guessing we know the answer, and that’s why we write in a pretty conversational tone of voice.

This doesn’t work for all websites, but if you can use chatty language, we recommend it. Using familiar words, asking questions, throwing in recognized sayings, and inserting some personality can go a long way in engaging your reader.

Think about your favorite brands, websites, and blogs – what sort of tone do they use? Do they make use of everyday language and make their sentences playful? If so, that’s because they’re aiming straight for their target audience and creating a personal reading experience.

And that’s exactly what you need to do. Sometimes, it means bending a few of the rules you learned in high school. This can feel weird at first, but once you get a taste of that freedom, you’ll struggle to go back!

Here are some examples of ways you can make your writing less ‘college paper’ and more ‘catch-up chat’:

• Break up your sentences: You can chop up your sentences a bit. You know, for emphasis. Like we’re doing now!
• Start sentences the “wrong” way: Grammar lovers everywhere, look away, because when writing for the web you can start sentences with “and,” “but,”, “so,” and “because.” Go on, we know you want to.
• Put special sentences on their own line: If you’re making a point, stressing a certain phrase, or want the reader to remember something, put it on its own line. This can also be effective in controlling pace and humor.
• Be a little bit casual: You can use noises like phew , strikethroughs ( like this) , and even share your own anecdotes to connect with your readers. Be careful of going overboard with these, though – ration them carefully!
• Let your voice shine through: Your writing should reflect your company or brand, but that doesn’t mean your own unique style can’t add value. Trust us, your readers will appreciate the personal touch!

These techniques will help your writing sound more human, which in turn will help people connect with what you’re saying. Don’t be faceless – let your readers feel like they know you.

Advice from the Expert

Andy Golpys , Co-founder and Creative Director at MadeByShape

“My first and most fundamental tip is to be yourself and represent the personality of your brand. If you’re an informal agency who is direct and concise – go for it. On the other hand, if you’re a very serious, formal company who wear suits everyday then the language on the site has to represent this.”

#10. Be Active, Not Passive

This is a nifty writing trick that may sound technical but is actually easy once you know what to look for.

It’s time we introduced you to active versus passive writing . To be technical about it, when you write in the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action, whereas when you write in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.

That sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is, so let’s use an example instead. Let’s take the famous phrase, “the cat sat on the mat.” This is written in the active voice. If we rewrite it so that it’s passive, it would go: “the mat was sat on by the cat.” Not quite so catchy, is it?

You should always try to write in the active voice. This is because it’s a lot easier for readers to process – it takes less effort for our brains to understand, meaning we’re more likely to read more of it.

The passive voice is much less direct and personal than the active voice, making it more tactful – this makes it useful when emailing a colleague or drafting a complaint.

For example, saying “you didn’t finish the project on time” could lead to some uncomfortable office dramas, whereas “the project was not finished on time” is a lot less accusatory.

Writing in the active voice also helps to keep things clear, concise, and impactful. Passive writing can be vague and wordy, and risks confusing the reader rather than delivering your message clearly.

#11. Keep It Short

It’s one of the main rules of writing for an online audience: you need to get your point across in as few words as possible . Long sentences may have worked in the hands of Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce, but sadly they’re a big no-no when writing for the web.

And it’s not just sentences, either. Simple words, short sentences, and snappy paragraphs are the golden trio of successful web writing. 

Short sentences and paragraphs help you stay concise, and stop your reader drifting off halfway through your point. It’s all about keeping your reader’s attention and making the most out of every word.

A great way of testing whether your web writing is too wordy is to use a readability tool. These scan your work and pick out words and sentences that are too long.

We’d recommend Readable , which you can use for free. It’ll tell you which words and sentences are too long, where you’ve used the passive voice, and even whether your tone is more formal or conversational. You also get an overall grade – aim for a B or above.

#12. Be Generous With Visuals

Articles with images get 94% more views than those without. Yep, it’s not just your writing that’s important when you’re creating online content – you need visuals, too. 

Whether it’s photos, videos, infographics, or diagrams, visuals help people process information and grab their attention.

Why are we so drawn to images? Well, our brains are pretty much hard-wired for visual processing, meaning humans find it easier to process images at high speed than text. So, pictures aren’t just there to be pretty – they’re essential for keeping your reader engaged. 

Try to use images that are relevant to both your topic and your target audience. For example, if you know you’re writing for college students, don’t use images of pensioners enjoying their retirement.

You don’t have to spend a lot (or anything at all) on professional images. You can download free, high quality images from sites like Unsplash, or pay for credits from Adobe Stock.

A good way to up the impact of your visuals is to use pictures of people. It’s been found that people pay more attention to images with faces than those without – for example, photos of people on Instagram are 38% more likely to receive likes than faceless pictures!

Faces help to create feelings of empathy in your reader, and can even influence where your reader directs their attention.

Eye-tracking studies have found that we follow the gaze of people in images. So if you’re trying to get your readers to pay attention to a subscribe button, for example, this could be a good tactic to try out!

Don't Leave Anyone Out

Tip #13: Write for Screen Readers

Tip #14: Layer Your Writing for Skimmers and Scanners

Tip #15: Leave Out Jargon

The internet is there for anyone and everyone, no matter their technical ability or experience. When you’re writing for the web, you need to make sure your wonderful words are suitable for everyone to enjoy!

#13. Write for Screen Readers

A screen reader is a program that takes on-screen content (such as text, images, and links,) and puts it into a format that people with visual impairments can easily take in, such as speech or Braille.

It’s important to remember your writing won’t just be looked at by your readers – below are some easy things you can do to make your content more accessible to all types of readers:

• Structure your headings – screen readers often use headings to navigate pages, so make sure you’re being clear and structured with your page’s layout. A structured system would be H1, then H2, then H3, then back to H2 if needed. Don’t jump around between H1 and H6, for example, as this will be confusing for a screen reader.
• Be descriptive in your alt text – when you can’t see an image, you’re reliant on descriptive alt text (the image’s description, which will appear when you hover over it) to tell you what the picture is showing. Alt text is important for SEO too, so you should be doing this anyway, but make sure it’s giving users the full picture.
• Make your links clear – think about whether your links make sense on their own. “Click here” doesn’t give any idea of where the user might end up!
• Be careful of autoplaying videos – if a screen reader is turning text to speech, and then a video starts autoplaying on your page, it’s going to be confusing and unhelpful for the user. At least provide an option to turn off autoplay.
• Don’t be vague – be careful and think about if your page will make sense to someone who can’t see it. For example, in forms don’t just say “Tick box to confirm you have read this.” A screen reader may have skipped the form – instead, reiterate what the user is agreeing to, such as: “Registering now will confirm your attendance. Tick box to confirm you have read this.”

Why not try navigating your site with a screen reader yourself? This will give you the best idea of how accessible your content is to visually impaired people, and show you where you’re acing it already!

For more information on what you can do to make your site more accessible, read this article: I Used the Web for a Day Using a Screen Reader

#14. Layer Your Writing for Skimmers and Scanners

It’s sad, but true – not everyone is going to settle down with a cup of coffee, put their feet up, and read your piece from beginning to end. Most of your readers will be skimmers or scanners. 

Skimmers and scanners are looking for particular information, as quickly as possible. Skimmers are trying to get an overall feel for what the page is about, and if it’s something they’ll enjoy or find useful. Scanners pay a bit more attention – they have a specific question in mind, and are on the hunt.

‘How dare they treat my writing like that!’ you might be tempted to shout – but don’t. Skimmers and scanners deserve a great reading experience, especially as they make up the majority of your audience.

We’ve outlined a few key things you can do to make your text ‘skimmable’ and scannable. (And we’ve put it in bullet points, for all you skimmers and scanners out there!)

• Use headings – again, headings are your best friend!
• Use bold – use it sparingly to highlight key facts or important phrases
• Use white space – white space surrounds paragraphs and images. It’s important to break up your page and let your text breathe – it lets your reader’s brain breathe, too
• Use lists and bullet points – they’re easier for readers to digest!
• Use boxes – you can break important information into boxes to draw the reader’s attention

Don’t feel like all your detailed, in-depth copy is going to waste, however. If nothing else, Google smiles on quality, long-form content, so creating beautiful web writing will help your site rank well.

#15. Leave Out Jargon

Just. Don’t. Use. Jargon.

At least, if you can avoid it!

There’s no way to lose readers faster than making them feel stupid with niche technical terms.

There are times when it’s unavoidable to use jargon, especially if you’re writing about tech, medicine, or business. Here at Website Builder Expert, we write about website builders, hosting, and even coding – we’re no strangers to jargon!!

When you do have to include jargon in your writing, make sure you always explain it clearly for your reader first. The first time you use an acronym or abbreviation (for example, SEO,) give the proper name and explain it so your reader knows what you mean.

Never assume your reader knows what you know. That way, you don’t exclude anyone who may have missed the jargon memo.

(Oh, and SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, just in case anyone was wondering.)

Post-Writing Tips

Tip #16: Proofread Properly

Tip #17: Don’t Neglect Your Microcopy

Tip #18: Take Care Over Your Metadata

Tip #19: Say Hello to Social Media

The sad news is that’s all for our tips on writing your actual web copy – but the good news is the fun doesn’t end there: we’ve got four more steps for you to master so you can dazzle your audience. 

You’re so close to becoming a web writing master, so we’ll get straight to it – there’s no time to waste!

#16. Proof-read Properly

Read your writing through. Then read it again. Then take a break, have a coffee, go for a walk, and clear your head. Then read it through again .

Proof-reading is a crucial step. If any spelling mistakes or errors sneak through into the final version, it can seriously impact your reader’s trust in what you’re saying. It doesn’t come across as professional or reliable!

We recommend getting at least one other person to read through your work before publishing. It’s good to get a fresh pair of eyes as it’s easy to become blind to any small errors when you’ve been working on a piece for a while.

#17. Don’t Neglect Your Microcopy

Microcopy describes the small bits of copy that help users navigate a website. Error messages and link buttons are both examples of microcopy.

Below are our main tips for crafting good microcopy:

•  Address your reader’s concerns – you’ll see this on subscription forms when companies promise not to spam you or share your data.
• Be specific – with error messages, don’t just say “form incorrect, please try again.” Instead, be specific, and give an exact suggestion: “Your password is incorrect.”
• Provide action – microcopy can be the last barrier between your reader and the exit button. Always give them a next step – for example, if they can’t log in to their account, provide a link to recover their details or get help.
• Keep it short – it’s called microcopy for a reason!
• Follow through – button labels should match what happens when the user clicks on it. Users shouldn’t receive spam if you’ve promised no spam. Build trust by following through on your promises.

Microcopy is small but mighty. Don’t underestimate its power to impact your user’s decisions – good microcopy can be very persuasive, while bad microcopy can have your readers running for the hills.

Hannah Whitfield, Content Manager at Website Builder Expert

“Word for word, your website’s microcopy is its most important content. It helps your users navigate through your site, and builds trust to enable them to take the desired action (or, ‘convert’) with confidence. Take the time to get it right. Look to brands you admire for inspiration, and use tools like Optimizely and Hotjar make sure you’re always testing, learning and improving.”

#18. Take Care Over Your Metadata

Metadata may sound like one of the robots from the Transformers films, but it’s actually just the page information that displays on the search engine results page.

It’s important to pay close attention to your metadata, because it affects how well your site ranks in the search results, and also impacts how many people choose to click through to your website, instead of the results listed above or below!

When you search in Google, you’ll see a meta title and meta description appear. The meta title is the blue heading which you click on to visit the site. The meta description is the little paragraph that appears underneath to tell you a bit about the page.

Meta Titles

Your meta title needs to be short and clearly tell the user what to expect from the page they’re about to visit. You should include your keywords in the meta title to help your page rank higher.

Your meta title shouldn’t just appeal to Google, though – you also need to persuade users to click on your link. There are a few tactics you can use to make your meta title more appealing and eye-catching than your competitors’, including:

• Use numbers – using numbers is especially good for guides, for example, “How to Get Your Dream Job in 5 Easy Steps.” It’s a good idea to use odd numbers when you’re trying to catch people’s attention – don’t believe us? Check out this case study on Odd vs Even Number Psychology .
• Use power words – carefully choose relevant power words to build trust, ignite curiosity, and generally make people want to click on your link. Example words include “amazing,” “exclusive,” “save,” and “top secret.”
• Include the date – you don’t have to do this, but it’s a good way of showing people your content is current and up to date.

Meta Descriptions

Unlike meta titles, meta descriptions don’t directly affect your rankings in the search results. However, they have a massive impact on whether people want to visit your page , so it still deserves love and lots of attention.

Meta descriptions shouldn’t be too long, but you want to cram lots of persuasiveness and information in there to entice visitors to your site. Be clear what the page is about, hint at what the visitor will find, and try to throw in a call to action as well , such as “start your blog today.”

#19. Say Hello to Social Media

We’ve come to the last step in our guide to writing for the web. Social media is a great place to share your writing with the world, but it’s also a platform that involves its own writing rules and pitfalls.

You shouldn’t try to share across every social platform that you can . Instead, pick the best ones for you and your target audience, and commit to producing some quality content for those channels.

It’s usually pretty obvious how you should write on social media – for example, everyone knows to keep it short on Twitter because it actually caps your character count – but there are a few little tips we think might help you out.

The first is to keep hold of your voice. Whether you’re an individual blogger or writing for a large corporation, your voice needs to be consistent across all your channels. That includes your site’s content, emails, and social media (get the most out of emails by learning how to increase your email open rate ).

The second is to keep your posts relevant. If you’re a legal firm, be careful about sharing cat videos or using abbreviations. Yes, these things are widely accepted on social channels, but aren’t so accepted for serious brands.

The third is to know exactly what you want to get out of your social media posts . Do you want to gain followers? Get people to click through to your website? Encourage existing followers to convert? Having this goal in mind will help focus your posts and keep your sharing relevant.

Writing for the Web: Roundup

Congratulations! You are now a fully fledged web writer, ready to create your own quality online content!

We’ve skimmed, scanned, dipped, and dived through the 19 steps you need to follow to beat your competitors and dazzle your readers. Let’s have a quick refresh of those steps.

Top 19 Steps for Writing for the Web

• Research your reader
• Know your enemy
• Use headings
• Hook your reader
• Keep language simple
• Tell readers where they are
• Front-load information
• Use a conversational tone
• Be active, not passive
• Keep it short
• Be generous with visuals
• Write for screen readers
• Layer your writing for skimmers and scanners
• Leave out jargon
• Proof-read properly
• Don’t neglect your microcopy
• Take care over your metadata
• Say hello to social media

From those early days of researching your readers all the way through to sharing your work on social media, you’ve come a long way.

We can’t wait to see what you’ll do with our tips – you’ll even come up with your own expert tips as you start to write your own web content. If you want some more advice, check out our copywriting techniques for actionable advice on writing better headlines, introductions, and more.

Now go forth and write, but come back to let us know how you get on!

Get Personalized Advice

Written by:, related posts.

5 Best Website Builders for Small Businesses

Published: June 19, 2024

As a small business owner, you may or may not have a dedicated technical person on your team. So when it comes to launching a website for your small business, I know how important it is to have the right website builder on your side.

With a small business-friendly website builder, you can build a great-looking website without needing to be a professional web developer. Plus, you won't need to sacrifice on design and features, as you can access beautiful premade themes and key functionality like ecommerce sales and appointment booking.

In this post, I've used my 10+ years of experience building websites to come up with my picks for the five best website builders for small businesses, including some unique tools that you might not find on other lists.

Table of Contents

What Makes a Good Website Builder for Small Businesses?

How i evaluated the best website builder tools for small businesses, best website builders for small businesses, the best website builders for businesses builders.

To help you choose the best solution for your small business, I recommend looking for the following key elements and features (which are also the areas that I focused on when coming up with this list).

Easy to use (even for non-technical people).

While large enterprises might have dedicated development teams, your small business probably doesn‘t have those resources. That’s why it‘s important that your website builder offers a no-code way to set up and manage your site, even if you don’t know anything about HTML .

Features online payments/ecommerce capability.

If you plan to accept online payments or sell products/services directly from your website, you'll want to make sure that your website builder supports that and doesn't charge large transaction fees (which can cut into your bottom line).

Has built-in search engine optimization (SEO) features.

If you want to be able to connect with customers in Google and other search engines, it's important that your website builder gives you the SEO tools that you need to rank.

Offers additional business tools and/or marketing features.

Depending on your business, and your approach to marketing, you might also want access to other tools with your website builder. For example, if you rely on appointment bookings, it can be nice to choose a website builder with a built-in appointment booking feature. For marketing-specific features, you might want to look for blogging/content tools, a built-in CRM , marketing automation features, and so on.

Integrates with your business tools and services.

You'll want your website builder to integrate with other tools that your business relies on. For example, if you use HubSpot as your CRM , you'll want to choose a website builder that lets you integrate with HubSpot ( which most do ).

Prioritizes analytics.

You'll want to be able to track the traffic on your website, either through a built-in analytics tool or support for third-party analytics platforms like Google Analytics.

Includes quality support.

If you do run into any issues, you'll want to be able to reach out to support and/or find community learning resources to help you solve the problem.

Of course, these are not the only features that matter, and your small business might have unique needs. But in general, I think that looking for a website builder that ticks these boxes for your small business should set you up for long-term success.

To come up with this list of tools, I leaned heavily on my own personal experience in a few different areas:

• My prior experience with all of these tools . I've used and reviewed all of these builders multiple times over the years, with over five years of experience with most of them.
• Hands-on testing with all of these tools as they exist now. I tested every single tool on this list again as I was writing this post. This helped me ensure that all of my knowledge and opinions were still up to date with any changes that the tool has made over the past few years.
• My experience building small business websites. I've built my own websites and worked with a lot of small businesses, which helps me understand the specific features that are most relevant to the small business use case.
• WordPress.com
• HubSpot Content Hub
• Squarespace
• SpreadSimple

Now, let‘s take a detailed look at my picks for the five best website builders for small businesses. To give you a hands-on look at how each website builder works, I’ll show you what it's like to build a website for my fictional “HubSpot Cafe” small business.

1. WordPress.com (or Self-Hosted WordPress)

Free Website Design Inspiration Guide

77 Brilliant Examples of Homepages, Blogs & Landing Pages to Inspire You

• Agency Pages
• Ecommerce Pages
• Tech Company Pages

Download Free

All fields are required.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Key Features

• Easy setup. You can launch your website just by registering for a WordPress.com account. Unlike using the self-hosted WordPress approach, there's no need to purchase your own hosting and install the WordPress software because WordPress.com already offers built-in hosting.
• Code-free editor . You can manage all of your content (and even your site's design) using the drag-and-drop WordPress Block Editor.
• Use any WordPress plugin or theme. With the WordPress.com Creator plan or above, you can install any WordPress plugin or theme on your site, including plugins from third-party developers. This lets you unlock the full flexibility of the 60,000+ WordPress plugins that are available.
• Tons of integrations . Because of how many plugins there are, you can find an integration for pretty much any tool that your small business relies on.
• Ecommerce functionality . If you want to sell products or services, you can add full ecommerce functionality using the WooCommerce plugin. WordPress.com also offers built-in features for accepting one-time or recurring payments, which can work well if you don't need the full ecommerce experience.
• Tons of SEO features . WordPress.com includes built-in SEO tools and you can also install SEO plugins to access more features.
• Dedicated support . You can get one-on-one support directly from WordPress.com Support Engineers, which is another advantage that WordPress.com has over self-hosted WordPress.

Website Building Experience

As I mentioned above, I recommend WordPress.com over self-hosting the WordPress software if you're looking for more of a “website builder” experience for your business.

When you use WordPress.com, all you need to do is register for an account to start building your site using WordPress.com's guided setup wizard.

You'll provide some basic details for your site to start. Then, you can choose from two different design experiences:

• Choose a theme . You can select one of the professionally-designed themes and then just add your own content as needed.
• Design your own . You can design your own theme using the WordPress Site Editor , which offers a code-free way to control every part of your site's design.

While neither approach requires technical knowledge, I personally prefer the “Choose a theme” method as I find it to be easier to quickly create a great-looking site. For that reason, I'll use that approach for the HubSpot Cafe website.

To begin, you‘ll choose the type of website that you’re creating — e.g., restaurant website, portfolio, event, blog, etc.

After that, you'll provide some additional details about your website, such as your business name and any Wix apps that you want to pre-install (e.g., the Restaurant Menus app).

You can then browse all of the templates that apply to your site. For my HubSpot Cafe website, I was able to find 30+ different templates for restaurant and cafe websites and I ended up choosing this nice, clean “Coffee Shop” template .

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

35+ Best Blogging Tools to Grow Your Blog in 2024

The 5 Best Content Hub Themes For Beginners

The 11 Best Content Hub Themes for Marketers

Our 14 Favorite Content Hub Themes for Small Businesses

The 15 Best Free Content Hub Themes For Your Website

How to Have the Fastest CMS Possible for Your Website

10 Joomla Alternatives & Why You Might Want Them

What Is a 413 Request Entity Too Large Error & How to Fix It

CRM vs. CMS: How to Use Both for Your Online Business

The 8 Best Video Content Management Systems for 2022

A free suite of content management tools for marketers and developers.

CMS Hub is flexible for marketers, powerful for developers, and gives customers a personalized, secure experience

Related Topics

• Types of Writers
• How to Become a Writer
• Author Overview
• Document Manager Overview
• Screenplay Writer Overview
• Technical Writer Career Path
• Technical Writer Interview Questions
• Technical Writer Salary
• Google Technical Writer Interview Questions
• How to Become a Technical Writer
• UX Writer Career Path
• Google UX Writer
• UX Writer vs Copywriter
• UX Writer Resume Examples
• UX Writer Interview Questions
• UX Writer Skills
• How to Become a UX Writer
• UX Writer Salary
• Google UX Writer Overview
• Google UX Writer Interview Questions
• Technical Writing Certifications
• Grant Writing Certifications
• UX Writing Certifications
• Proposal Writing Certifications
• Content Design Certifications
• Knowledge Management Certifications
• Medical Writing Certifications
• Grant Writing Classes
• Business Writing Courses
• Technical Writing Courses
• Content Design Overview
• Documentation Overview
• User Documentation
• Process Documentation
• Technical Documentation
• Software Documentation
• Knowledge Base Documentation
• Product Documentation
• Process Documentation Overview
• Process Documentation Templates
• Product Documentation Overview
• Software Documentation Overview
• Technical Documentation Overview
• User Documentation Overview
• Knowledge Management Overview
• Knowledge Base Overview
• Publishing on Amazon
• Amazon Authoring Page
• Self-Publishing on Amazon
• How to Publish
• How to Publish Your Own Book
• Document Management Software Overview
• Engineering Document Management Software
• Healthcare Document Management Software
• Financial Services Document Management Software
• Technical Documentation Software
• Knowledge Management Tools
• Knowledge Management Software
• HR Document Management Software
• Enterprise Document Management Software
• Knowledge Base Software
• Process Documentation Software
• Documentation Software
• Internal Knowledge Base Software
• Grammarly Premium Free Trial
• Grammarly for Word
• Scrivener Templates
• Scrivener Review
• How to Use Scrivener
• Ulysses vs Scrivener
• Character Development Templates
• Screenplay Format Templates
• Book Writing Templates
• API Writing Overview
• How to Write a Book
• Writing a Book for the First Time
• How to Write an Autobiography
• How Long Does it Take to Write a Book?
• Do You Underline Book Titles?
• Snowflake Method
• Book Title Generator
• How to Write Nonfiction Book
• How to Write a Children's Book
• How to Write a Memoir
• Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Book
• How to Write a Book Title
• How to Write a Book Introduction
• How to Write a Dedication in a Book
• How to Write a Book Synopsis
• Business Writing Examples
• Business Writing Skills
• Types of Business Writing
• Dialogue Writing Overview
• Grant Writing Overview
• Medical Writing Overview
• How to Write a Novel
• How to Write a Thriller Novel
• How to Write a Fantasy Novel
• How to Start a Novel
• How Many Chapters in a Novel?
• Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Novel
• Novel Ideas
• How to Plan a Novel
• How to Outline a Novel
• How to Write a Romance Novel
• Novel Structure
• How to Write a Mystery Novel
• Novel vs Book
• Round Character
• Flat Character
• How to Create a Character Profile
• Nanowrimo Overview
• How to Write 50,000 Words for Nanowrimo
• Camp Nanowrimo
• Nanowrimo YWP
• Nanowrimo Mistakes to Avoid
• Proposal Writing Overview
• Screenplay Overview
• How to Write a Screenplay
• Screenplay vs Script
• How to Structure a Screenplay
• How to Write a Screenplay Outline
• How to Format a Screenplay
• How to Write a Fight Scene
• How to Write Action Scenes
• How to Write a Monologue
• Short Story Writing Overview
• Technical Writing Overview
• UX Writing Overview
• Reddit Writing Prompts
• Romance Writing Prompts
• Flash Fiction Story Prompts
• Dialogue and Screenplay Writing Prompts
• Poetry Writing Prompts
• Tumblr Writing Prompts
• Creative Writing Prompts for Kids
• Creative Writing Prompts for Adults
• Fantasy Writing Prompts
• Horror Writing Prompts
• Book Writing Software
• Novel Writing Software
• Screenwriting Software
• ProWriting Aid
• Writing Tools
• Literature and Latte
• Hemingway App
• Final Draft
• Writing Apps
• Grammarly Premium
• Wattpad Inbox
• Microsoft OneNote
• Google Keep App
• Technical Writing Services
• Business Writing Services
• Content Writing Services
• Grant Writing Services
• SOP Writing Services
• Script Writing Services
• Proposal Writing Services
• Hire a Blog Writer
• Hire a Freelance Writer
• Hire a Proposal Writer
• Hire a Memoir Writer
• Hire a Speech Writer
• Hire a Business Plan Writer
• Hire a Script Writer
• Hire a Legal Writer
• Hire a Grant Writer
• Hire a Technical Writer
• Hire a Book Writer
• Hire a Ghost Writer

Home » Blog » The 17 Best Writing Websites to Become a Better Writer

The 17 Best Writing Websites to Become a Better Writer

TABLE OF CONTENTS

In the competitive world of writing, no one is perfect. Even the best of the best can make improvements to their craft. No matter how accurate you think you are, there are always things to learn.

This can be done in a few ways, with writing websites being one. These websites exist with the sole purpose of helping writers of all levels and types.

Writing websites can provide many things to a writer looking to improve themselves:

• Tips to strengthen your stories.
• Tighten up your publishing knowledge and skills.
• Empower writers to work hard and do a good job.
• Improve your methods of writing and storytelling.
• Provide daily motivation, inspiration, and general advice.

These are resourceful places to get all the information we might need as writers. The owners of these websites are, usually, genuine people who want to help growing writers become the best they can be.

Writing websites are a comfort zone for writers. You can go to them in times of distress, writer’s block, or uncertainty around your plotting. You will be able to find resources to help you know how to write a novel or a helpful nonfiction book.

Benefits of Using Writing Websites

• Writing websites give specific pieces of writing advice to all writers – established and aspiring.
• Writers get the ultimate guidelines from successful authors, whether they are looking for help writing or publishing.
• These sites offer literary techniques to help writers reach their full potential in their writing endeavors.
• Writers will learn how to correct mistakes and create credible work.
• Writing websites will provide resources, exercises, and things you can do to improve your writing skills.
• They offer writers free courses on a variety of subjects, so you are sure to learn a lot.
• Writing websites help writers learn how to market themselves and their work. This can help them get both published and hired.
• All the learning, whether from people or courses, is (mostly) free.
• Writing prompts are posted daily on some writing sites which can be useful for many writers struggling to find inspiration.
• Writing sites help a writer to keep on writing; it can give writers a boost and a push when they are feeling down and unmotivated.

Classification of Writing Websites

There are numerous writing websites online and of course, they all offer something a little different. You will need to look around a little to find what you are looking for, specifically.

Writing websites are generally classified into five categories, depending on the content.

[table id=7 /]

The 17 Best Writing Websites

There are so many helpful writing websites online. They all help writers learn different things. Listed below are some of the best ones.

The guides, tools, and advice on these writing websites are fantastic when used in conjunction with quality writing software. A good example of this is Squibler.

Squibler helps a writer do the actual writing. Organization, research, development, settings – it can help you put into practice everything you learn from these resources. Its Smart Writer enables you to begin writing your stories. You can also improve your stories with the Smart Writer. In addition, Squibler has an advanced feature that allows you to generate an entire book using a title and number of pages. You can also use an existing draft for your story book.

Daily Writing Tips

This writing website helps writers improve their grammar construction and word usage. The site gives writing tutorials and advice to writers.

The tips provided here are free, but if you want to gain some additional features, a $5 monthly price can be paid to get premium access. This includes comprehensive courses to help you improve your writing. 

Janice Hardy’s Fiction University

This website will help a writer that has a rigorous weekly schedule. You will be able to develop the discipline that can help you get through the week without giving up on your writing halfway through.

This blog publishes articles about writing, with a focus on novels. There are many areas in which you can find advice:

• Planning your novel
• Writing your novel
• Common writing problems
• Editing your novel
• Selling your novel
• The general life of a writer

With over 2500 articles published, there is a lot of good information here. In addition to their own articles, they also offer a comprehensive list of other resources. Some of these include:

• Other writing sites
• Agents and querying resources
• Writer’s conferences
• Editing and writing services
• Publishing-themed websites
• Communities
• Critique sites
• Writing blogs
• Book review blogs

The website is run by Janice Hardy, a writing teacher who is passionate about helping everyone learn to write. She offers her own expertise as well as plenty of posts and articles from guests who offer a different perspective.

Helping Writers Become Authors

This writing website is run by K.M Weiland, who has written a number of books – both fiction and nonfiction. She strives to help writers make the transition to authors.

She has many articles about the most basic elements of writing a novel. These include:

• Story structure
• Character arcs

She has published several books that are also written to help writers become authors. These books are an extension of the information found on the blog.

She offers a couple of freebies to start, with the rest being available for purchase on her website. 

Kristen Lamb

Best-selling author Kristen Lamb runs a blog that offers tips, advice, and help for writers. She has a fun and casual demeanor that is welcoming for readers.

Her posts are relatable and easy to understand.

She also offers a number of courses where she will teach on different aspects of writing. Some of these are downloadable courses while others are live classes.

At its core, Reedsy wants to create beautiful books. They do this by giving authors and publishers access to quality professionals, useful tools, and educational content.

If you are looking for a professional to help you make your book better, Reedsy offers a diverse team including:

• Ghostwriters
• Web designers

In addition to this they also offer a free writing tool that helps you with the actual process of writing your book. The software provides a space to create and organize your different sections and elements – such as characters, research, etc.

You can use the software yourself, but it also has a fantastic collaboration feature. With this, you can seamlessly write with others. This is especially useful for new writers who are still learning how to write a book .

Lastly, Reedsy offers a large database of writing prompts to get you started.

You can pick from a list of different genres, and get some specific ideas start writing about. You can use these to begin your next big novel, or to do some practice.

Write to Done

Write to Done is a writing website that covers many different areas of writing. They have sections for:

• Freelancing
• Copywriting

They have articles from several different writers who all have different perspectives and opinions to offer.

Writers in the Storm

This is a unique writing blog that focuses on inspiration and motivation. If you are in a metaphorical writing “storm” this is a good place to go before deciding to give up.

The blog is run by a few different writers who all come from separate genres. This offers a wide range of perspective.

They also have some articles and information on improving your writing craft itself.

The Book Designer

This site is one that focuses more on the physical book itself and the publishing process.

It is run by Joel Friedlander who uses his own extensive experience to create articles on design and self-publishing. His wealth of information has already helped thousands of writers.

Jerry Jenkins

Jerry Jenkins is a 21-time New York Times best-selling author who is revealing his secrets.

One thing he offers on his site is an extremely helpful free guide: How to Become an Author: Your Complete Guide.

Once you’ve downloaded this, you can join his network of thousands of other writers and sign up for his newsletter which sends writing advice right to your inbox.

He also offers a list of writing tools to help you learn how to write a book. These are tools that assist with editing, organization, and distraction. These are programs that he endorses personally, so you can be sure they offer a quality service.

Lastly, his blog covers pretty much everything you need to know to learn how to write a novel or nonfiction book . From ideas, to characters, to plot, you can find advice right from the mouth of a seasoned writer.

Writers Helping Writers

This writing website does exactly what it says – it has writers helping other writings. They offer coaching services in addition to their articles on writing and publishing.

They also have a series of writing tools available for download. These are designed to help writers in a few different areas:

• Character arc progression
• Setting planner
• Character profile questionnaire
• And many more

The website is run by two women: Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. n addition to running the site, they have co-authored a series of books to help writers.

The books are all part of the “thesaurus” series. It includes titles such as The Emotion Thesaurus and the Positive Trait Thesaurus.

Language is a Virus

Here you will find some articles on the writing craft. However, this is not their focus. This website contains several tools to help you either get started or keep going in your writing.

Their home page itself has a writing prompt right on it, with the option to generate another if you don’t like it.

They have a series of writing games, exercises, and generators to help you get inspired and motivated.

This is a fantastic resource for writers who may be feeling stuck or defeated.

Story a Day

Story a Day is an initiative that hopes to inspire creativity. They run two month-long challenges each year – one in May and one in September. The challenge is to write a short story every day.

This alone can be inspiring for writers, but they offer many extras:

• Accountability group. On the first of each month you can publicly post your commitments for the coming month.
• Weekly writing lessons and prompts.
• A blog with regular posts on writing and creativity.
• Twice-monthly podcasts with writing prompts and pep talks.

This writing website provides a community based challenge. this not only stimulates a writer’s imagination, but it does so with the support and accountability that others can provide.

The Intern Archives

While no longer an active blog, this archive can be extremely helpful to those embarking on a publishing journey. “The intern” also known as Hillary Smith, worked as an intern for several years.

In these archives, she shares insider information about the publishing industry that she thinks will be helpful to new and aspiring authors.

Positive Writer

This site was created to help writers stay positive. The blog contains posts on many positivity themed categories:

• Writer’s doubt
• Positive thinking
• Goal setting

In addition to these inspiring and motivational articles you can also find information on writing, blogging, and publishing

Writer’s Digest

 This site is for writers who want to be successful. The website is vast and extensive, but a few of the key features include:

• Writing Prompts
• Competitions
• Online writing workshops

From poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, you can find advice, tips, and resources to help you. The workshops and communities available will only serve to enhance your ability by connecting you to others.

Poets & Writers

Poets and Writers is a non-profit that looks to serve creative writers of all kinds. In addition to their helpful and informative website they offer a number of other services:

• A magazine.
• Financial support for readings and other events.
• sponsorship of writing prizes and awards.

The website offers articles on writing itself, as well as publishing, agents, awards, and writing news.

Writer Beware

Everyone appreciates getting help with their writing and publishing efforts. There are many people out there telling writers what they should do, or at least consider doing.

Authors everywhere choose some programs or websites to endorse, and they send their readers on their way. Writer Beware has taken it upon themselves to warn writers and authors of scams, schemes, and fraud they should be avoiding in the writing world.

Founded in 1998, they have been around long enough to see a lot of shady things go down. They know what they’re talking about.

Especially if you are close to publishing, take a look around this website. Make sure you don’t fall victim. This would make your experience learning how to write a book more negative, where you should only be doing positive things to move forward.

Improve Your Craft with These Writing Websites

This collection of writing websites should be enough to get you going. With a combination of advice, tips, insight, prompts, inspiration, and tools, you have more than enough to start learning how to write a novel or book of any kind.

Here are some frequently asked questions related to the best websites for writing stories:

Which website is best for writing?

For young writers starting their writing journey and looking for writing resources, Daily Writing Tips is a great website for improving writing skills and learning about crafting your own story.

Is 17 too old to start writing?

No, 17 is not too old to start writing. Whether you’re exploring your writing style, using a writing app, sharing your story online, or seeking a professional editor, it’s a great age to begin. Look into story starters to spark creativity and dive into your writing journey.

What is the best platform for new writers?

For new writers, platforms like Daily Writing Tips, Reedsy, and Tumblr offer great resources, community support, and opportunities to develop and share their writing.

Which site pays for writing?

Several sites that pay for writing include Medium (through its Partner Program), Copyhackers, The A.V. Club, and Bustle.

Related Posts

Published in Writing

Join 5000+ Technical Writers

Get our #1 industry rated weekly technical writing reads newsletter.

REVENUE DRIVEN FOR OUR CLIENTS

• Client Login
• 888-601-5359

Showing 1 - 10 out of 832 for:

• Web Design The 6 Best Free Website Builders You Need in 2024

The 6 Best Free Website Builders You Need in 2024

• Celeste has worked in the online marketing space for twenty years. She has written for sectors including tourism, sustainability, education, lifestyle, food, and marketing. You can find her work featured by Green Building Media South Africa, Stodels Gardening, and The Post House Hotel. In magazines, you may have seen her in The Cape Times, Oprah South Africa, and The Property Magazine. While you can find her writing up on the latest SEO trends and exploring digital techniques during the day, her love of story-telling carries on in enriched games and books after hours.

Websites are the starting point of your marketing — it’s where your audience will find you. Your company website holds all your information about who you are as a company and what you can offer clients. 

Today, you can create a free website with very little, if any, coding knowledge. 

Website-building companies have tried to make it as user-friendly as possible for anyone to start, create, and sell in minutes. The sites are all precoded to be easy to use for business owners. The best free website builders offer customization and selling tools, as well as connections to analytics and marketing tools.

Which one is right for you? Each one has different functions and possibilities. It’s all about finding a website builder that you are most comfortable with. Of course, it also needs to align with your business objectives.

Here are the website builders we will cover:

What is a website builder?

Who should use a website builder, 5 features to look for when picking a website builder, best free website builders.

Of course, if you prefer not to be involved at all, then you can always reach out to us . WebFX can create custom ecommerce websites that are packed with search engine optimization (SEO) content and have responsible designs, perfect for mobile phones. Call us at 888-601-5359 to chat with a specialist!

A top free website builder is an online tool for creating websites without needing to code. The builders provide the following services:

• A user-friendly interface for uploading and designing content
• Customizable website templates and themes
• A mobile-friendly design
• Options for shopping carts and secure payment gateways
• Features for inventory management integrations 

Individuals or businesses just starting out can use a free website builder. However, if you can afford a professional or need a complex site for your products and services, working with a web design agency might be better. 

The most common professionals that need sites are:

• Artists looking to create an online portfolio
• Photographers who also need an online portfolio
• Small businesses looking to make an ecommerce website
• Freelancers and service professionals wanting to showcase their previous work and rates
• Writers or content creators wanting to share stories, travels, or blog posts

Each top free website builder option has different factors and features. The basic option, which is usually the free version, will have limitations, such as the kind of content you can upload or the lack of an ecommerce function. 

Depending on the payment model, you must pay either a fee or a subscription for added features. Here are some of the common features to consider:

1. Hosting and domain

You can get hosting and domains for free, but there are limitations. For example, you can host freely on blogging websites , but they usually end on the blog’s URL. Your site URL would be www.yoursite. wordpress.com or www.yoursite. tumblr.com .

If you want your own .com, .org, or even .solutions website, you will probably have to pay for the domain and the hosting. 

For some website builders, you can download the software and then install it on your own domain or hosting company. This is a viable option if your hosting company is cheaper or more locally suited. 

2. Design choices

A few website builder companies have gone with block template options, where you can really get involved in building your site from the ground up. Others still use predesigned templates that are easier to color-match with your own brand.

The more template options, the better, as you need to find something that works for you. Also, ensure that there are font and style options available. Sometimes, the website builder will ask you to upgrade your package for these options. Finding similar fonts or colors that work with your design might be cheaper.

3. Different types of content

Content management systems (CMS) have different options for showcasing your content. For example, some sites are better suited for products rather than blogging. Think about the types of content you want to share. 

Here are some types of content that you can use on the internet:

• Infographics
• Ecommerce listings
• Photos or images

Investigate whether the website builder caters to your offerings. Also, consider the complexity you want. If you just want to share photos, an entire back end with audio uploads and animation might be more than you need.

4. Upgrades and scalability

Website builders will offer upgrade packages. These packages will enable you to expand your site with more space, functionality, and features as you grow your content. 

Ensure that when you create a free website, you have options that align with your own scalability and growth for when you can afford to pay.

5. Customer Support

Once you’re up and running, you’ll probably not care so much about customer support. But if you haven’t used a website builder before, ensuring they have ongoing communication is a good idea. You’ll be looking for a mix of support options, including a chatbot for quick questions, or maybe a FAQ for items that you need more understanding on. Then, you’ll also want a contact in case you run into a bug. 

The website builders we suggest here all have free versions. They might be “lite” versions, with limited capabilities, but they are enough to get you up and going. 

I will not recommend website builders with a 14-day “free trial,” because — let’s be honest — that’s not free. That’s 14 days of setting up your website and then paying. 

So, sites like Weebly, Dorik, Shopify, and Squarespace are all out. Let’s look at ones that are actually free and remain free until you are ready to upgrade!

1. WordPress.com: Free content and portfolio

WordPress.com is considered the best free website builder. With over 40% of all websites on the internet built with WordPress.com, it’s a landslide win. It has unlimited pages and a built-in newsletter, perfect for blogs and content creators. The free version never expires, and you can use it forever. 

You alsoget a small selection of payment buttons and even look to get paid subscribers or a paid content gate. There are plenty of design options, and with 1GB of storage, you have a decent amount of space to upload images freely. 

But then you start to hit a few walls.

You can’t upload video or audio files. Or ebooks. You also don’t have ecommerce functionality, and you cannot get live chat support. It’s not that WordPress.com doesn’t have these options — they are available, but they all come with a cost and are unlocked in each upgrade. 

And, if you choose to buy a domain and hosting with a third party, you can download a free version of WordPress.com and install it on your hosting package from wordpress.org . Yes, you will have to pay for the hosting, but the self-hosted WordPress.com options allow you to have maximum control and customization options, including installing plugins, getting themes from third-party sources, and even modifying the code. 

What’s the best feature of WordPress.com?

It has to be the ease of templates. There are predesigned options that you can customize and change to your brand colors. But they also have a creator option, which means you can build it using “blocks.”

It does take a little practice to get the hang of it, but with preset patterns, you can very quickly build a fairly customizable, unique website.

WordPress.com is originally a blogging platform, so your content is first and foremost. They have an easy backend that allows you to add your static content to pages and your fresh, exciting articles as blogs. You can categorize as you want, use tags, and create easy navigation for everything. 

What’s challenging about WordPress.com?

If you want to do anything other than create content, like running a shop or integrating a plugin, then you are going to run into some expensive walls very quickly. Also, if your content is amazing (which I am sure it is) and you get some traffic, WordPress.com will want a cut of that and start showing ads.

And those ads are everywhere. You have no control over where they pop up, which can quickly ruin your design. 

2. Weebly: Free ecommerce capabilities

Weebly is one of the few ecommerce website builders that has a free version with abilities to upload your products. A lot of the free features that it offers are a small business owner’s dream, such as:

• Automatic tax calculator
• Coupons for your customers
• Gift card options
• Inventory management
• Instagram feed integration

You won’t get as much information about your actual clients and their behavior on their site as you probably would like. But it is enough to get you going as you start your journey to success. The upgrades are all there for when your business really starts to get pumping. 

What’s the best feature of Weebly?

It is incredibly user-friendly. The drag-and-drop editor is a lot easier than the “block” editor option with other website builders. There are also over 500 templates to choose from, and unlike other sites that ask endless questions about who you are and what you are selling, Weebly just gets straight to the point. 

What’s a challenge about Weebly?

The downside of an easy-to-use design is that it is also very difficult to customize. With everything already pre-sized, padded, and margined, you don’t have too many options to change it and be specific about customization. 

3. Google Sites: Free service or business option

If your business just needs to have a presence on the internet, but you are not concerned about regular updates, fresh content, or selling a product, then a Google Site is the best free option for you. 

Google offers a fairly simple alternative to the hassle of extra features you are never going to use. The interface is a little more basic than most. You might feel like you’re creating a website on PowerPoint or Word a little, with the simplicity of it all. But it gets the job done. 

What’s the best feature about Google Sites?

It’s quick and easy, and you can just use it as a once-off. So if you are looking to showcase your skills or services during a job application process or maybe to impress a client, then you can just upload, show, and delete. 

What’s a challenge about Google Sites?

There are no upgrade or expansion options. The functionalities on the free version are the only options you are going to get. If your business grows and you’re looking to make your site more dynamic, you’ll have to move to another platform. Anything with your website details on, like business cards or marketing materials, will have to be changed. 

3 honorable mention website builders

Now we know there are completely free website builders available for download. However, you will have to find a third party to buy a domain and host them. A domain usually costs an annual fee, and hosting is usually not too expensive, so getting a free website builder and paying for the rest could still be cheaper than paying a subscription model.

Plus, with a self-hosted option, these websites have way more functionality than anything free. You will have full control over templates, colors, fonts, content uploads, and functionality. 

• WordPress.org: As mentioned previously, there is a free version of WordPress that you can download from WordPress.org and install. You get all the functional, with none of the cost. 
• Joomla: You will need a little web development knowledge with Joomla. It is still a website builder, and there is loads of support available online. But there is a learning curve involved. 
• Drupal: Durpal is a website builder that has been around for decades, so you will find a lot of support for it. However, it is a developer’s type of website builder. It is not particularly user-friendly. If you do have time to learn and are up for a challenge, it is free, and the customizations are endless. 

We can help you with your website design!

Just remember, all businesses have to start somewhere. Even the large companies started with just a few website pages. I hope this article gives you insight into how to take that step and bring your business into the digital realm. 

If you’re not up to learning curves and find the idea of creating a whole site daunting, we are here for you. We have an award-winning team with over two decades of experience, ready to shoot your business forward and give you that presence on the web you need.  

The benefit of using WebFX to do your website design is that we have the knowledge to incorporate search engine optimization. It is all part of the package! Our team has the experience to capture your band and create a customized style that will blow your competition away. 

All designs are responsive and will be built into a content management system (CMS) to facilitate content uploading and marketing. 

If you would like us to help you with this and tick it off your list of things to do, call us at or use our online form .

WebFX is a full-service marketing agency with 1,100+ client reviews and a 4.9-star rating on Clutch! Find out how our expert team and revenue-accelerating tech can drive results for you! Learn more

Make estimating web design costs easy

Website design costs can be tricky to nail down. Get an instant estimate for a custom web design with our free website design cost calculator!

Table of Contents

• What is a Website Builder?
• Who Should Use a Website Builder?
• 5 Features to Look for when Picking a Website Builder
• 1. WordPress.com: Free Content and Portfolio
• 2. Weebly: Free Ecommerce Capabilities
• 3. Google Sites: Free Service or Business Option
• 3 Honorable Mention Website Builders
• We Can Help You with Your Website Design!

Share this article

Web Design Calculator

Use our free tool to get a free, instant quote in under 60 seconds.

What to read next

Related Resources

Marketing tips for niche industries.

Welcome to Writer.

Used by over 959,000 writers, Writer is the coolest and fastest distraction-free writing app around. No fonts, no bold, no italics — just you and your words. It's the perfect online writing tool that helps you focus and finish. Learn more...

"This is what my Chromebook needed to turn it from being a great gadget into a productive tool. Seriously, as a jobbing journalist, Writer does all I want it to. Highly recommended!" —Davey

Register for free and start writing

Already a member? Sign in.

Distraction-free focus

Writer lets you focus on what's important: your words. Writer eliminates distractions so that you can concentrate, be more productive, and get your writing done. Its no-nonsense, minimal interface gets out of your way. But don't let that fool you... Writer packs a ton of powerful features into its sleek design.

Write as much as you like

Do you write a lot? Not a problem. Writer lets you save an unlimited number of documents of any length. All of your writing is saved online so that it's available no matter where you are or what computer you use. You never have to worry about running out of storage space.

Safe and secure automatic backups

We know how important your writing is. Multiple revisions of every document are saved automatically as you write so you can go back to your document as it existed a day, a week, or years ago. And all of your writing is transmitted securely to our servers and backed up nightly. Never worry about losing your novel just because you lost your computer.

Plays well with others

Writer has built-in exporters for Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, WordPress, and more. You can also automatically convert directly to PDF, HTML, and even ePub ebook formats. Writer has you covered no matter how you want to share or distribute your documents. Your writing belongs to you and we try to enable as many ways as possible for you to use it.

Vintage typewriter sounds and customization

Take your pick from electric or mechanical typewriter sound effects to complement your writing. Get into the flow and zen out. Or turn off the sounds entirely. Choose paper and text colors, fonts, sounds, and line spacing. You can make Writer your own by customizing it so that it looks and feels exactly the way you want.

Writing goals and statistics

Writing goals can be set per document or per session. And you can set a word or character count goal or a timer. Writing goals keep you focused, on track, and make sure you can hit your daily word count. Writer also keeps track of your writing history and can chart how many words you've written over time, when you're most productive, and keep track of streaks.

"Love it—distraction free, quick, and it works well. I also love the writing goal at the top of the page, really great program!" —Greg

Feature	Free	Pro
A fast and distraction-free fullscreen writing environment
Saves automatically as you write
All writing is private, secure, and backed up regularly
Save an unlimited number of documents
Works online and off
Customize colors, fonts, and line spacing
Optional typewriter sounds
Automatic word count and writing goals
PDF and text export
Markdown formatting
No annoying banner ads
Export to Dropbox, Google Docs, Evernote, WordPress, and more
Built-in thesaurus
Word count updates as you type
Hemingway mode (backspace disabled)
Revision history
Create downloadable eBooks
Organize your writing with folders
Track your productivity with writing statistics
Downloadable archive of all your writing
Premium support

Writer is free to use. Create a new account and start writing immediately with no credit card required. Pro accounts that add a ton of helpful features are available in monthly and yearly subscriptions and a lifetime (one-time payment) option.

	Free
	$5/month
	$48/year
	$99 once

Copyright © 2024 John Watson LLC . All Rights Reserved. Terms | Privacy | Press

Supercharge Writer by upgrading to a PRO account!

More From Forbes

7 chatgpt prompts to improve your writing.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Photo by NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

On writing , author David Sedaris once said, “You need to do the best that you can do, and then you need to take the best that you can do and you need to rewrite it, and rewrite it, and rewrite it.” That’s the dynamic essence of the writing process. Writers refine their drafts, just like they continually refine their craft. I didn’t study writing or literature, so I was intimidated when I began contributing to major publications. But my confidence grew with each byline, and I began to find my voice.

While ChatGPT can be an impressive imitator, it can never generate your unique voice and perspective. It can, however, be a powerful tool for improving your writing, whether you’re penning business articles or important emails. It all starts with the right prompts.

Here are seven that you can use to level up your writing skills.

Automate Your Busywork

There are no shortcuts to becoming a better writer. The prolific author Stephen King once said, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” That said, you can use AI tools to eliminate some of the tedious tasks involved in writing and leave more time for honing your craft. Here are some prompts to delegate your writing “busywork” to ChatGPT.

1. Generating Ideas And Topics

AI shouldn’t do your writing for you. It lacks the necessary human context and isn’t immune to errors. But it can be a powerful writing partner. As Wharton professor Christian Terwiesch (who challenged ChatGPT to come up with product ideas and compared those ideas to student ideas —ChatGPT won), has said , “Everybody should be using ChatGPT to help them generate ideas.” At worst, you reject all of them. At best, you enrich your pool of ideas.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

Here is a prompt you can use to help get the idea wheels turning:

"I'm an [role/title] writing for [outlet description] targeting [target audience]. Can you suggest some fresh and engaging topics that would appeal to this audience?"

If you’d like ideas related to a certain topic or tailored to a specific style (e.g., a “hot take” versus a personal essay), remember: the more context you provide, the more concise the results.

2. Editing For Grammar And Style

Whether you’re sending an email or publishing an article on a high-traffic website, typos are an embarrassing—and avoidable—faux pas. In today’s world, where internet content exists in perpetuity, anything attached to your name should be error-free. ChatGPT can be a near-instantaneous proofreader. Test out the following prompt:

"Can you proofread this [content] for grammar, punctuation, and style consistency? The intended audience is [audience/recipient]. Please provide a list of any suggested improvements.”

3. Hitting The Right Tone

Spelling and grammar are a crucial part of editing, but they’re relatively objective. Perfecting the tone is more subjective and sometimes more challenging—but just as crucial.

The proper tone can ensure that your text is engaging. It can foster trust and understanding with colleagues and business partners. It can persuade your audience to get on board with your viewpoint. Writing that misses the mark on tone, however, can cause misunderstandings, hurt feelings, damage your credibility, and lose your reader’s interest.

With that in mind, here’s a prompt that can help you achieve the right tone in your writing:

"Can you help me rewrite this [content] for [audience], ensuring it maintains a [describe the desired tone]?

Add context to make ChatGPT’s reply more helpful. For example, if your content should show sensitivity to a certain issue or audience, add it to the prompt.

4. Adding Data And Research

One lesson I’ve learned from contributing to Forbes and other widely-read publications is that my word alone is rarely enough. I can share my personal experiences, but research and data can strengthen any piece of writing.

Instead of researching the traditional way—reviewing your writing and identifying facts that need outside sourcing, then Googling for relevant insight—ChatGPT can speed up the process, leaving you more time to polish those personal anecdotes. Try this prompt:

"I’m writing [describe the content and subject matter] for [target audience] and want to include relevant data and research. Can you review the following text and provide researched-backed statistics and insights on this topic?"

Importantly, always check the sources that ChatGPT generates. It will almost certainly come up with helpful results but they’re not always accurate—that’s where you, human editor, come into play.

Refine Your Craft

To continually improve your writing skills, you can take a page from the habits of professional writers. The following prompts can help you develop practices to become a stronger writer.

5. Daily Writing Prompts

I’ve written before about my morning pages . It’s a great way to clear my head before the day begins and to practice fluidly translating my thoughts into words on paper. If a blank page feels intimidating, writing prompts are a great way to get started. ChatGPT can generate writing prompts in an instant. You can keep it general:

“Can you suggest a couple of writing prompts that I can use to practice the craft of writing?”

Or, if you have a goal in mind, add more context. For example:

“I'm trying to improve engagement with my readers. Can you generate a couple of writing prompts to practice writing engaging content?”

6. Experiment With Different Styles And Voices

If you call your grandmother on the telephone, I’d bet your voice and speaking style sound vastly different from when you’re chatting with your best friend. Writing is the same.

ChatGPT can help you practice toggling between different styles and voices, and in doing so, help you find yours. You can ask ChatGPT for writing prompts to practice a certain style. For example:

“Can you generate three short exercises to help me practice writing in different voices and styles?”

ChatGPT will not only generate exercises, it will also break down the structure and elements of different writing styles and specify the tone.

Or, you can submit text to ChatGPT and ask it to analyze the style and voice. Try this prompt:

“Can you analyze the voice and style of the following text: [insert text].”

I used this prompt to assess the introduction to one of my recent Forbes stories, and ChatGPT said it was “Conversational and Relatable,” “Encouraging and Reassuring,” and “Informative and Practical”—encouraging feedback from my AI editor.

7. Rewrite, Rewrite, Rewrite

In A Moveable Feast , Ernest Hemingway wrote, “The only kind of writing is rewriting.”

If you want to become a writer, you have to embrace rewriting, whether you’re retyping every word or pouring over (and over) a Google Doc draft. Here are a couple of prompts you can use so that ChatGPT can assist in the rewriting process, one excerpt at a time:

“Rewrite this paragraph in the style of [Ernest Hemingway or any other author]."

“Rewrite this introduction so that it sounds like a story in [publication]”

“Rewrite this email so that it will resonate with [audience].”

“Rewrite this paragraph for clarity and concision.”

Importantly, ChatGPT only does part of the work. It falls to the writer to analyze the results, apply those lessons in future drafts, and, of course, to keep writing.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

In accordance with international sanctions, the Semrush platform is no longer accessible to businesses registered or based in Russia. We’re sorry for the inconvenience and if you believe there is a mistake, please send us an email to [email protected] so our team can review.