Producing content is not quite as easy as it sounds.

A lot of blog/website owners would like to cash in on the booming blogosphere, but they find it difficult to constantly write unique posts that’ll keep readers coming. Even the best of writers can’t always come up with interesting articles (we have our bad days, too, you know) and sometimes, keeping the blog alive becomes more of a chore than a passion.

More importantly, not all writers can write keyword-rich articles — the not-so-secret key to internet success. SEO takes time and training; it would be presumptuous to think that just anyone can write an article that’ll shoot to the top of Google’s search pages. I’ve been a writer for years, and I still can’t write a search optimized article to save my life. Of course you could try doing the Google Adwords+Insert Keywords routine, but it’s not a guaranteed shot for rookies.

Which is why a lot of webmasters and even bloggers are turning to content producing websites for their copy. These sites cover a wide range of topics, from politics to petunias, and can even produce customized content depending on your needs. The amount you’re willing to shell out determines your rights in using the article; full rights to the article (depending on the content website’s guidelines) are usually more expensive.

There are two prominent content producing sites today: Associated Content and Constant Content. Both offer their clients a plethora of pre-written articles provided by an assortment of writers.

Instead of focusing on the buy side of this business, though, I tend to look at it more as a means for writers to earn more money online. If there are buyers, then certainly, we need providers. It’s another income stream for writers who can cover a wide range of topics, provide interesting articles and are willing to part with their unique content.

Let’s start with Associated Content. The website has a list of topics that writers can choose from. Once a writer has claimed a particular topic, he must now provide the article based on the specified guidelines. One good thing about AC is that it offers a range of publishing rights, depending on the author’s own discretion. The author can opt for “Display Only”, wherein the buyer can only repost the article without owning the copyright to it. As such, even previously published articles can be sold by the author through AC. An author can earn in two ways: Upfront payment and Performance payment. Upfront means the writer gets a particular amount immediately upon approval of the article, while Performance payments refer to the earnings that an article makes through page views. Unfortunately, Upfront payment is available only for US citizens age 18 years old and above. I have to admit that this particular rule threw me off, as I didn’t want to rely on the Performance earnings which I was certain would be way smaller and less predictable than the Upfront payment.

On the other hand, we have Constant Content. I recently signed up for this company (I signed up with AC two weeks back) and I must say it’s really a lot similar to AC, except that it does not have anything similar to AC’s Performance payment. Constant Content also allows you to sell pre-published articles under roughly the same rules as AC. Unfortunately, there is no way new writers can promote their own websites or blogs through Constant Content, as the company does not allow this practice at all. Constant Content allows private offers, i.e. clients selecting a specific writer to customize an article based on their content needs. This makes the website a good platform for more content writing projects, though still within its confines and under its guidelines.

Both provide good opportunities for content writers, so do check them out. Personally, I think Associated Content has a more efficient system; unfortunately, the citizenship rule can be quite a hindrance for many of us who aren’t US citizens but can provide content that is just as good (or maybe even better). It’s not discrimination, though. From what I understand, AC is force to do keep this rule for tax-related reasons. Hope they find a way around this soon, so we can all earn from both AC and Constant Content.

Check them out and let me know how it goes.

XOXO,