How to Survive Google's 'Panda' Attack on Content Farms If You're a Freelance Writer

If you're a freelance writer and write online for any number of content farms, it's safe to say you're feeling the pinch since Google attacked content farms with its 'Panda' algorithm. Several content farms look on the verge of closing, others have fired hundreds of writers, even others, like Demand Studios, have given up on some of their websites and stopped paying writers to write new articles, as their sites continue to hemorrhage money. For online freelance writers, it's a tough world and, with the terrible global economy, a little bit frightening.

That's why, if you're a freelance writer who writes for content farms, there are a few tips you should follow to help you not only survive Google's 'Panda' attack on content farms, but actually to thrive.

Diversify - The most important tip, above and beyond all others is to diversify. Whereas less than a year ago it was possible to write for one or maybe two content farms, make good money, and feel financially stable, since Google's 'Panda', concentrating on just one or two sites is the dumbest thing you can do. The content farm world is unstable, any one site could go belly up at any point. That's why you should diversify. Unless you can live on $0 a month, that is.

Sign up for at least five content farms and write for them all, consistently. Once a month, add another content farm to your list so that, if one does collapse, you've plenty more to pick up the slack.

Some of the many content farms still alive and kicking include Suite101.com, WiseGeek.com, and HubPages.com. There are many more.

Get Private Clients - As the content farm world shrinks, some content farms will survive, most won't. That's why it's important to find private clients who, in the long run, will pay you more money than most content farms and, if you have a few of them, can provide you with a steady income. After all, most of them are not subject to the whims of Google.

Write Some Free Stuff - If you're working for a content farm that seems stable, write some free stuff occasionally to help them out.

I've written for Associated Content for more than four years and, although its had its ups and downs, AC is consistently the best content farm I've ever worked for. It's also still hanging on after 'Panda' and, overall, seems as stable as it's possible to be in this climate. So, beginning this month, I've made a pledge to myself to write at least 10 articles for AC that I put up as "Display Only", meaning I get paid for the page views but AC gets my article for free. (This is one of them, by the way).

Gestures like this help the website and, as it's Display Only, any articles I write can be published elsewhere, at a later date, if the right opportunity arises. After all, if you want a business to STAY in business, help it out.

Support the Sites You Write For - So many writers I come across on content farms all over the web write for the site, and collect their money. But, as far as actually reading articles on the site, they don't.

Support the sites you write for. Read articles there and send links to interesting articles to your family and friends. All content farms rely on page views and advertising, and if you can't even be bothered to read a few articles every week, in my opinion, in this dire economy, you don't deserve to be writing for them.

Start Your Own Website - Too many writers are depending on content farms for 100% of their income. Particularly for the ones that only pay with page view income, putting your work on these sites is stupid, if you don't have your own website too. You're giving your work away for free and making pennies for it.

Before you send one more article to a site that's only going to pay you in page views, start your own website or blog and put your work there first. After all, if someone is going to benefit from page views and Google AdSense advertising, it might as well be you. You can set up your own blog on blogger.com and they accept Google AdSense, or you can buy your own domain name, get a cheap monthly hosting package and you're ready to start.

(Extra Tip) Stop Using Google Search - If you're a content farm writer and Google has just targeted every place you work for, why are you still using Google search?

Use Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or any number of others. Just don't support Google. They're not supporting you.

Notes on What I Did

On a final note, just to give you an idea of what someone (ie: me) did to make sure they're surviving Google's 'Panda' and, in actual fact, prospering, I'll tell you what I did.

In February this year, when I saw 'Panda' was going to have a huge effect on online content writers, I immediately began to solicit more private clients. Nine months later, 90% of my work now comes from offline clients. Panda? What's that?

I also continued to write for Associated Content and, this month, opened an account with a second content farm. I plan on writing for both equally, with the goal of making $1,000 a month. If both keep their heads above water, that's easily doable.

And, as I said, I put up the occasional 'free' article to help AC and I read other AC writers' work to help the website and them. These few things alone have made my life, post-Panda, quite stable, thank you very much.

I'm no different than any of you, just maybe a bit more proactive. If I can do it, you can do it. Seriously, get off your a*s!