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How Long Should It Take You to Write a Freelance Article?

Whether you are just beginning your writing career or not, this question will pop up in the head sooner or later. Writing an article, how long should it take? 

how long does it take to write an article

How much time is reasonable to write a freelance article? 

Am I too slow? Or am I too fast? What is the reasonable time to finish 1,200 words? 

Today I want to share my personal experience on this matter as well as give some data-based insights. 

Freelance: How Long Does an Article Take to Write?

The simple answer – it depends. Several factors influence the time it might take one, such as: 

  • Writer’s experience; 
  • Writer’s expertise in the topic; 
  • Client’s requirements; 
  • Type of content; 
  • Word count.

The more experience you are in writing, the faster you can do it. At first, it took me significantly longer to complete a blog post. Experience allows researching more efficiently, using templates, and simply feeling more confident in your skills. 

Expertise in the topic is another essential factor. The more you focus on a specific writing niche, the more you’ll learn about that, and the less research you’ll need. You’ll already have all the fundamental knowledge. But if you take on an article about something completely new for you, research time is going to significantly increase. 

Clients’ requirements also differ. Some expect data-driven content; others want keyword-rich texts. These specifics will be much easier the more you do it. 

Type of content is another essential factor. For example, listicles are usually much easier to write than in-depth long-reads. How-to guides are easier for some writers than opinion pieces and vice versa. 

As for the word count, it is obvious – the longer the post is going to be, the more time it will take. 

I’m only starting freelance writing, how long 1000 word article would take me? – You might ask. 

According to my experience, the writing of 1,000 will take about 3-4 hours for a beginner. 

As for advanced writers, it takes about 1-2 hours. 

Longer content pieces, which are about 2,000-5,000 words can take beginners up to 20-25 hours. Experienced authors can do it in 3-9 hours approximately. 

But by writing I mean only actually typing the text. And it is important to count other things that get into completing a quality piece. 

When you are only starting your career in freelance writing, it is easy to get swept away with pumping out content. You have all those worries about how much having a blog would cost and how long should you work a day. But my advice is to always put preference on quality over quantity. 

First of all, whether you are writing for yourself or the client, the text is going to affect your reputation. If it is a low-quality filler piece, the client might never return with a new order. And on your blog, it won’t get any traffic. 

Secondly, for every article you do, you only need to write once. And after that, it can drive traffic forever. If it is a truly useful and interesting piece, it is worth investing your time in. 

What Else Goes into Completing an Article? 

As mentioned above, the typing part is far from being the only one in the whole process. Here is what it takes me from the start to the posting point: 

  • Coming up with an idea; 
  • Research; 
  • Outlining; 
  • Typing; 
  • Proofreading; 
  • Editing. 

IDEA! If you are doing a gig for a client, the first step is irrelevant as you already get the topic. If not, the time depends on the person. You can look into what competitors do or search for what the audience is looking for to get some ideas. 

Research can be one of the most time-consuming things. Sometimes it might take even longer than typing. It only depends on the subject. If you have knowledge of it and there is no need to put a huge list of sources, it takes about 1/3 of the typing time. For 1,000 words it can be around 40-60 minutes approximately. 

But if you are not knowledgeable of the subject, you need to cover the basics, which add 30-60 minutes. Also, if you need to find recent data, studies, and statistics, it will take significantly more time. For example, if a client wants only credible and peer-reviewed sources for the piece, the research might take about 2 hours and more. 

When writing for your own blog, you also need to conduct keyword research. Depending on the software you use, it can take 20-30 minutes. 

Outlining is pretty simple usually and takes about 10 minutes for me. I usually do it after research because all the information I need is in my head already. An outline is a basic plan of what you are going to type. It makes following the word count easier and makes your text cohesive and organized. 

Proofreading takes about 15-30 minutes when done right. When I was a beginner I even used to read my pieces out loud so that I can evaluate the flow better.  

Editing. How long should article edits take freelance writing beginners? I’d say up to an hour. By editing I mean: 

  • Check your grammar and style once more via tools like Grammarly; 
  • Checking keywords and links to be in place; 
  • Don’t forget checking keyword density, readability, and uniqueness; 
  • Formatting, fonts, subheading, etc;
  • Finding and adding visuals (pictures or videos).

After editing the piece is ready to be sent or published, all work is done. 

So, how long does it take to write an article? realistically, with all the work included, a 1,000-word article may take a beginner up to 10 hours of work if it is a quality piece with additional research. And for an advanced author, the time is about 5-8 hours. 

When giving a client deadline suggestion, remember that you won’t be working 10 hours a day without breaks. It is not healthy. So it is better to take 2 days minimum for such an order.

How to Write Faster

Every author has unique capabilities. Take famous writers’ daily word count for example: 

Hemingway did about 500 words a day. Stephen King does 2,000 and not a word less. Tom Wolfe, on the other hand, could write as little as 135 words a day. 

It depends. There is no ultimate answer as to how much is “normal” to finish a day. When thinking about the future income, consider the rates you are charging as well. On average, content writers on Upwork earn $15-80 per hour. And as content writing is one of the most popular freelance occupations, one might feel pressured to do more. 

No matter if you write for your own blog or blogging for business, remember about quality. And also that you need to sleep reasonable hours. And there are some things you might do to write faster:

  • Create a schedule for your blog and research topics beforehand; 
  • Stick to one or two niches to increase your expertise and spend less time on research; 
  • Write without critiquing and edit after; 
  • Put the headline and SEO to the last stage to not lose focus; 
  • Create outline templates for all types of content you do; 
  • Always have a clear objective for each piece you do – what you want to say and what you want the audience to do (follow a link, subscribe, leave email, read more, etc);
  • Write regularly. 

The main secret is….that there is no secret at all

Vasy Kafidoff

There is no magic secret to doing it as fast as Quicksilver. But the more experience you get, the easier it will be. You’ll learn how to research effectively, how to collect data, and how to formulate your thoughts better.

Good luck with your writing gigs, my friend 😉

Vasy Kafidoff
Vasy Kafidoff

Vasyl Kafidoff is the founder and mastermind of KAFIDOFF.COM. He has a strong interest in education, modern technology, marketing, and business management.

If Vasy is not working, you can find him somewhere in the world attending a Rock Concert with his mates.

Personal website
  • How Long Should It Take You to Write a Freelance Article?
    Whether you are just beginning your writing career or not, this question will pop up in the head sooner or later. Writing an article, how long should it take?  How much time is reasonable to write a freelance article?  Am I too slow? Or am I too fast? What is the reasonable time to finish […]
  • What are the Benefits of Blogging for Small Business
    Blogging is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy today. And it has many benefits for small business. It is not surprising as blogging numbers are only growing. There are 600 million blogs in 2021 with 4,800 posts being published every minute.  Of course, this type of content creation is open to everyone, not only […]
  • How to Rewrite and Update Old Blogs?
    Updating content is a necessary part of a successful blogging strategy, whether it is an individual or a brand blog. First of all, it simply doesn’t make sense to waste something you’ve invested time and money on. Secondly, it is actually extremely efficient to update articles and old content.  According to the recent 2021 study, […]
  • How Much Does It Cost To Have A Blog?
    This is one of the widely asked questions – how much does it cost to have a blog? At the first glance, it shouldn’t be very expensive. Someone who views blogging as a hobby can start for a fairly small price. But blog prices for those, who want to make blogging their main source of […]
  • Eye-opening freelance writing niches
    Overall, freelance writing niches can be divided by one of two factors – the topic and the type of content you create. The topic is pretty simple – is the thing you write about most, like tourism or parenting. Content type writing niches revolve around the form of your texts, whether it is a listicle […]

What are the Benefits of Blogging for Small Business

Blogging is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy today. And it has many benefits for small business. It is not surprising as blogging numbers are only growing. There are 600 million blogs in 2021 with 4,800 posts being published every minute. 

Of course, this type of content creation is open to everyone, not only companies. But a lot of entrepreneurs do not know yet how a small business can use blogging to their advantage. Some entrepreneurs worry about how much will the blog cost or how to use it as a proper marketing tool. Although those are valid questions, today I want to highlight the importance of blogging for small business in terms of growth, brand awareness, and attracting new clients.

Main benefits of blogging for small businesses

It Boosts SEO

The first and obvious advantage is the opportunity to rank higher on search engines. For example, blogs can lead to a 434% increase in indexed pages and 97% growth for indexed links. The higher the page ranks, the higher it will appear in the search results. 

But without stats, blogging for your small business is a very effective yet inexpensive way to boost the website and, as result, attract more audience. With some smart blogging tips for small business website like the use of LTK and fulfilling search intent, one can rank higher than well-established companies. 

You Can Establish Relationship with Customers

Blogging is a great way to connect to customers and establish a loyal community with them. You can connect via the comments, by answering frequently asked questions, or by making interactive content. It endorses trust, helps to increase brand awareness, and makes your relationships with clients deeper. 

Just look at the stats provided by DemandMetric:

  • Internet users spend 20% of their time on content consumption; 
  • 80% of users appreciate learning about the company via custom content; 
  • 68% of people research and read about the brand they are interested in online;
  • 70% of online users feel closer to the brand because of content marketing.

Blogging for small business allows directly connecting with the audience, answering its inquiries, and establishing strong relations. 

It Will Increase Sales

As result, one can see an increase in sales. It is easier to direct the user through the buyer’s channel. And a person that trusts the brand and its expertise is more likely to buy from them.  Another simple fact is that the more audience you attract the more customer you’ll get. Companies that blog get 55% more website visitors than those that do not. 

60% of people that read about a product will go and seek it out. 

When a person can read more about the product or service, they can get a better idea of the thought behind it. It is about giving value to the audience. 

You Can Showcase Industry Expertise

One can use blogging to help a small online business develop a brand voice and identity. It is also a powerful way to establish industry expertise. No matter how small your company is, if you are an expert ready to share insights, people are going to appreciate it. 

The creation of credible and informative content makes people come back to your website. They will come for the expertise of someone they trust. 

For example, take Huffington Post. In 2005 it was just a blog launched by Arianna Huffington. And in 2018 it earned $14 million in monthly revenue. It was an alternative to mainstream media. Before that, it was hard to imagine a small blog competing with media giants but here we are. 

And Get Amazing ROI

So what is the ROI of blogging for small business? How expensive such a strategy is? How much to charge small business for blogging? Let’s be honest – blogging is one of the cheapest marketing strategies out there. It is not free, but it is very affordable. Here are some numbers to illustrate my point: 

  • It costs 62% less than traditional marketing tools; 
  • It generates 3x more leads for each dollar than traditional marketing; 
  • 7 out of 10 respondents prefer articles rather than ads. 

Blogging helps businesses of all sizes

Blogging for small business owners can be extremely affordable if they are doing it on their own. They can learn how to write better, find a writing mentor, and provide original content. 

But even if you do not have time or skills to write posts yourself, working with professional content creators is not that expensive. And in any case, the ROI will be better than any traditional marketing strategy.

For example, my team and I help small businesses and companies with their blog content. We can even take it off your shoulders completely. 

Simply fill the reform below:

You may ask, “For a small business that sells products will blogging help to grow organically?”. The answer is yes, it will. As a result of al benefits mentioned above, you’ll enjoy such advantages as:

  • Getting more leads and organic traffic; 
  • Going viral or being shared and reposted; 
  • Repurposing old blogs for social media or rewriting them; 
  • Building links and website credibility; 
  • Staying ahead of competitors. 

In conclusion, it is effective, it is inexpensive, and it is industry-recognized practice. So there is simply no reason not to.

You can delegate blogging to professionals and enjoy all the advantages. 

Vasy Kafidoff
Vasy Kafidoff

Vasyl Kafidoff is the founder and mastermind of KAFIDOFF.COM. He has a strong interest in education, modern technology, marketing, and business management.

If Vasy is not working, you can find him somewhere in the world attending a Rock Concert with his mates.

Personal website
  • How Long Should It Take You to Write a Freelance Article?
    Whether you are just beginning your writing career or not, this question will pop up in the head sooner or later. Writing an article, how long should it take?  How much time is reasonable to write a freelance article?  Am I too slow? Or am I too fast? What is the reasonable time to finish […]
  • What are the Benefits of Blogging for Small Business
    Blogging is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy today. And it has many benefits for small business. It is not surprising as blogging numbers are only growing. There are 600 million blogs in 2021 with 4,800 posts being published every minute.  Of course, this type of content creation is open to everyone, not only […]
  • How to Rewrite and Update Old Blogs?
    Updating content is a necessary part of a successful blogging strategy, whether it is an individual or a brand blog. First of all, it simply doesn’t make sense to waste something you’ve invested time and money on. Secondly, it is actually extremely efficient to update articles and old content.  According to the recent 2021 study, […]
  • How Much Does It Cost To Have A Blog?
    This is one of the widely asked questions – how much does it cost to have a blog? At the first glance, it shouldn’t be very expensive. Someone who views blogging as a hobby can start for a fairly small price. But blog prices for those, who want to make blogging their main source of […]
  • Eye-opening freelance writing niches
    Overall, freelance writing niches can be divided by one of two factors – the topic and the type of content you create. The topic is pretty simple – is the thing you write about most, like tourism or parenting. Content type writing niches revolve around the form of your texts, whether it is a listicle […]

How to Rewrite and Update Old Blogs?

Updating content is a necessary part of a successful blogging strategy, whether it is an individual or a brand blog. First of all, it simply doesn’t make sense to waste something you’ve invested time and money on. Secondly, it is actually extremely efficient to update articles and old content. 

According to the recent 2021 study, 71% of bloggers named the content update as part of their strategy. The same study shows that bloggers who do refresh their old posts are 3 times more likely to get results. 

So how often should you update your website? How to choose posts for updating? What tactics work best? This guide will cover all of these questions. 

Why Blog Update is a Great Strategy? 

Refreshing and reposting blog content is useful for many reasons, such as: 

  • Matured articles give value to the audience that comes over the years. If you check your statistics, you’ll probably notice that a great deal of traffic goes to old posts;
  • It is incredibly effective in terms of SEO especially if you repurpose the old URL and backlinks; 
  • You already know how the topic performs because of data gathered over years; 
  • It is faster and often easier to rewrite a blog post than produce new content than spend time writing a new blog post. 
  • The post will be of the higher quality, as with historic data it goes more in-depth into the topic; 
  • It promotes the audience’s loyalty as it shows that you are not only pumping out fresh content to get views but care about the value and reputation. 

Also, reposting articles on your website allows the implementation of new SEO practices. They change every day and an article from 2018 is not optimized for search intent anymore. Yet the content is great and it would be such a waste to leave this opportunity hanging. 

How to Choose Posts for Website Content Updates

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

How often should I update my blog? – You may be asking. If you are not a beginner writer, usually, 1-2 years is enough for a post to become outdated and gain peak engagement. So, a good rule would be to look at the articles published at least a year ago. But it still performs great, it is better to not touch it. 

Do not go crazy with refreshing texts. It is completely fine if blog updates occur less than once a week.  The exact percentage and schedule are individual for everyone and depend on how often do bloggers post in general. For example, if you create 4 new pieces of content per month, you can add one update to make 5 releases overall. 

So how to update an old blog? To decide which ones are worth working on, follow these steps: 

Step 1. Make a list of old posts with titles and URLs. 

Step 2. Add performance metrics to them. These can be organic traffic, keyword ranking, conversions, and time on page, bounce rate, or social shares. These metrics will help to decide on how to refresh the blog. 

Step 3. Divide the articles according to such parameters as:

  • The ones that almost rank high (for example if the rank to the second page of Google searches, you can make it the first one with few optimizations;
  • All those that attract lots of traffic but can be surpassed by competitors or risk getting outdated in terms of data/research; 
  • The ones that created a lot of engagement when first published. 

Step 4. After prioritizing the posts that have the most potential, create a schedule for post update rewrites. 

Guide to an Easy Way to Update Website Content

Now, let’s get to different tactics and techniques that allow updating content. One can use them separately or all together. It truly depends on the type of content and how it performs. 

If you are to sell your articles online, you need to be sure that they are up to date. Overall, there are two ways to approach this task – to refresh with light touches and minor changes or to completely rewrite it. Both of them have their reasons and benefits. The first approach inclines about 15-20% of fresh content and the second one goes up to 70-80%. Of course, time and efforts are not the same as well. 

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Here is how you can update article for better SEO: 

Add FAQ or “often asked” section. 

To match search intent better and make a text more rounded, you can add the section with answers to popular inquiries. How can one get those questions? You can simply search the keywords in Google and look at the “People Often Ask” section. 

Another idea is to use “Answer the Public” which shows related searches to keywords and phrases. 

Link to New Researches

When you rewrite your blog or want to make it more relevant, a great idea is to link to new credible data sources. Studies, surveys, and researches appear every day in every industry. And there is nothing worse than having outdated sources or broken links. 

It decreases people’s trust and presents one in a bad light. Take a piece of evergreen content and add links to new data in this field. Write about trends that formed in recent times and how they apply to the topic in general. 

The most recent and relevant data also will increase backlinks to your site. 

Work on Formatting and Layout 

The best practice in SEO change every now and then. Probably the layout you used in 2015 is not performing great today. And it still affects the page’s ranking. So when refreshing content, pay attention to that as well. 

  • Add new paragraphs or divide big into smaller ones; 
  • Highlight important terms or definitions; 
  • Add summary;
  • Create an interactive plan for the post;
  • Add bullet-in list, etc. 

Work on Links

When the piece is ready to be republished and promoted again, make sure you add internal links to it. Also, add links to the updated content to other pieces on your site. Interlinking helps to guide the audience and stay longer on the page. It is a great practice to improve user experience in general. It should be done throughout the text or/and “you may also read” section. 

The next step is broken links in the outdated piece. Not only are they annoying for a reader, but they also decrease the Google ranking of the page. Remove all the broken links and consider adding new relevant ones. 

Add Visuals 

Another perfect opportunity is to add visuals, such as pictures, infographics, or videos. Infographics are great for getting backlinks referencing your work. Videos significantly increase on-page time and perform great on Google. 

And pictures are a must nowadays. You can also change alt text for all images and provide new product pictures as well. 

Small Tips with Outstanding SEO Potential 

  • Add the year to the article’s headline like [2021 UPDATED]; 
  • Update meta tags, keywords, and headlines in the post; 
  • Add LTK that are easy to rank for; 
  • Target new keywords according to search intent; 
  • Put in some expert quotes with references; 
  • Add schema markup of the page;
  • Rewrite introduction and conclusion; 
  • Promote refreshed content, upload your articles and keep updated about new articles.

Conclusion 

Rewriting old content is an amazing way to increase ROI and user experience. It also helps to keep up with the posting schedule of how often should you blog for business. Overall, it shows outstanding results in terms of SEO and organic traffic. Choose the outdated yet moderately performing pieces and go in with new takes, data, or visuals. You can also opt for outsourcing all the blogging process to someone else, in case you do not have enough time or experience.

After all, quality does more for bloggers than quantity when it comes to content. Believe me! 

Vasy Kafidoff
Vasy Kafidoff

Vasyl Kafidoff is the founder and mastermind of KAFIDOFF.COM. He has a strong interest in education, modern technology, marketing, and business management.

If Vasy is not working, you can find him somewhere in the world attending a Rock Concert with his mates.

Personal website
  • How Long Should It Take You to Write a Freelance Article?
    Whether you are just beginning your writing career or not, this question will pop up in the head sooner or later. Writing an article, how long should it take?  How much time is reasonable to write a freelance article?  Am I too slow? Or am I too fast? What is the reasonable time to finish […]
  • What are the Benefits of Blogging for Small Business
    Blogging is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy today. And it has many benefits for small business. It is not surprising as blogging numbers are only growing. There are 600 million blogs in 2021 with 4,800 posts being published every minute.  Of course, this type of content creation is open to everyone, not only […]
  • How to Rewrite and Update Old Blogs?
    Updating content is a necessary part of a successful blogging strategy, whether it is an individual or a brand blog. First of all, it simply doesn’t make sense to waste something you’ve invested time and money on. Secondly, it is actually extremely efficient to update articles and old content.  According to the recent 2021 study, […]
  • How Much Does It Cost To Have A Blog?
    This is one of the widely asked questions – how much does it cost to have a blog? At the first glance, it shouldn’t be very expensive. Someone who views blogging as a hobby can start for a fairly small price. But blog prices for those, who want to make blogging their main source of […]
  • Eye-opening freelance writing niches
    Overall, freelance writing niches can be divided by one of two factors – the topic and the type of content you create. The topic is pretty simple – is the thing you write about most, like tourism or parenting. Content type writing niches revolve around the form of your texts, whether it is a listicle […]