How to Be a More Organized Freelance Writer

If you've been freelance writing for a while, you know how easy it is to lose track of your web publications. As freelancers, we're looking to maximize our online visibility by linking our articles to forums, social bookmarking sites, and various websites. All these links and multiple publications form a virtual maze of inter-connected articles that can become completely overwhelming. Keeping track of your articles and links doesn't have to take up an excessive amount of time; all you need is a simple spreadsheet for maximum organization.

Open up an Excel spreadsheet. And don't panic. With my background in accounting, I'm fairly comfortable in Excel, but I know it can be intimidating to the creative whims of fellow writers. But anyone who's ever spent any time working in Excel knows that it's only as complicated as you make it. Just ignore all those scary formula buttons up top and stick to this more simple design: one row for each article publication.

Title the first column "article number." If you're not saving your articles by number, it's a great way to keep order in your document folders. Input the article number in this column. If you are publishing your articles on multiple sites, have a different line for each publication. For example, if your article number 108 is published on AC, Helium, and your own private website, (incidentally, be careful about over-doing it with these simultaneous publications - publishers and search engines don't generally like this) you should have three separate lines in your spreadsheet numbered 108.

The second column should be titled "article description." This is your spot for the title or subtitles of your article.

Make the third column is your "site" column. Use this column to enter the site where your article is published. Whether it's AC, Helium, Hub pages, or another website, track that information in this third column.

The fourth column is for the "date submitted." Many sites like AC require a delay while the article is reviewed. When submitting to a publisher, there will also obviously be a time delay between submission and publication.

The fifth column should be your "date published" information. Enter the date when your article actually went live on the website.

The next column should be for the article "rights." Track here whether the article is display only, non-exclusive, exclusive, etc.

Next, have a column for the "URL" of your article. Copy and paste a direct link to the page with your article on it. This creates a great point for quick and easy access to all your articles.

The next two to three columns should be standard social bookmarking sites. For example, Digg, Del.icio.us, Stumble Upon, etc. Use the sites that you bookmark to most often. Under these columns, enter the date when your article was marked to the site.

The next two to three columns should be for "specialty links." Use this column to enter your links made on sites with specific connection to the topic of your article. For example, if you've written an article on home decoration and you make a link directly from an HGTV forum, enter the forum name and the date the link was created in this column. Create as many of these columns you need in order to keep track of these links, as they're often the most important and helpful in driving traffic to your article.

Finally, have a column for notes. Use this space to record any special details regarding that particular article publication.

Use this basic template to create your own database of your articles. Staying organized is the best way to maximize your online visibility.