Online Writing Sites that Are Open to Canadians

Feb 21, 2011
Allison Williamson

There are Many Writing Sites Open to Canadians - sxc.hu/kipcurry

Writing online can be a great way to make money. Many Canadian writers make money writing online. There are a few sites that pay Canadian writers.

If you are a writer who happens to live in Canada, you may be asking yourself, "What websites pay Canadians to write online?" The answer to that question is actually a very positive one. There are many writing sites now open to people who live in Canada, and some even offer upfront pay.

In the online content writing business, you are your own boss. You write quality content articles, and you get paid either by residual ad-share revenue generated from the various activities of your readers, such as page views, clicks on advertisements, purchases made through advertising done on your web page and so forth.

The other method of payment is by straightforward, upfront pay. You write an article, chosen based on an available title, and submit it. Once accepted, you receive the money for the article you wrote.

The third type of paid writing site (and the best option) available to Canadians is a combination of both features. You write an article based on a title you choose from a selection of available titles and are paid both an upfront payment as well as a portion of the ad-share revenue generated from advertisements on your article's web page.

For Canadian writers, the market is somewhat more limited than the online writing sites that are open to U.S. writers. Despite this fact, you can still capitalize on the many sites that are available to Canadian writers.

Each of the above-mentioned content writing options comes with its own set of pros and cons. While there are various content writing sites out there, let's take a look at the more popular, well-known and trusted sites that Canadian writers choose to write for and what kind of pros and cons go along with each one.

Writing Sites that Accept Canadians and Pay Upfront per Article

Demand Studios

This upfront pay writing site accepts Canadian writers. The site expects you to have top-notch writing skills, the ability to take direction and criticism as well as a willingness to learn. Demand Studios is almost always hiring new writers. Although it pays upfront plus residual ad-share revenue to its U.S. writers, the site only offers upfront pay to Canadian writers. (UK applicants are also eligible to write for Demand Studios.)

Pros:

The site has variety of well-known, high-traffic websites for which it produces content.
It pays a flat-rate, upfront amount per article.
It welcomes writers from a variety of backgrounds and experience.
It teaches you a lot about writing short, to-the-point, third-person articles, such as how-to articles.
It teaches you how to write according to the AP Style Guide.
It has a very active forum where you can interact with other writers and get advice and support.
You can write as many articles as you are capable of writing, and the site always pay on time, twice a week.
If you are effective with your time management and writing skills and learn quickly, you can make a lot of money.

Cons:

You will not receive any residual income from your article.
You do not have access to the editor who reviews your articles if you need to ask for clarification in the case that he wants you to make edits.
You will have to write many articles to make a living off of Demand Studios alone.
You will not have much time to invest in long-term gains produced by residual earning articles on other sites if you are writing for upfront pay only.
There are very lengthy guidelines, and the writing rules change frequently.
You must apply and be accepted (but this can also be considered a "pro," as bad writers who could damage the rating of the site may be filtered out).

All in all, Demand Studios is a great option for Canadian online writers who need to have a back-up income. You could reserve two days a week to write articles there and earn enough to pay your car payment, insurance and gas and maybe even a few other things, depending on how fast and effective you are at writing.

Websites that Offer Both Upfront and Residual Pay to Canadians

Bright Hub

Bright Hub is an excellent option for Canadian writers to make money online by writing content articles for both upfront pay and residual income.

Pros:

The editors are helpful, friendly and professional.
The pay is, as mentioned above, both upfront and by residual ad-share revenue produced from each article you write.
Editors are not too strict and guidelines are loose, allowing flexibility in your writing, angle and style.
There are many well-educated writers and editors, creating a professional atmosphere.
Interesting title selections are often available.
You can pitch your own titles to write about.
The site offers great training that is focused on traffic generation, SEO, quality content and readability.

Cons:

The site is still in its flowering stage and is not yet as powerful as some other sites as far as traffic goes.
Learning some of the material could be tricky for some people who are not familiar with writing for both readers and search engines.
There are sometimes limited title selections available (but then again, you could pitch your own).
You must write a minimum number of articles to stay active with Bright Hub and continue to receive your ad-share revenues. You cannot "set it and forget it."

Overall, Bright Hub is one of the best options for Canadians hoping to earn some money through online writing, especially if you are eager to learn, work with the system and work on building quality backlinks to your articles.

Writing Sites that Pay Residual Income Based on Ad-Share Revenue

There are numerous online writing sites open to Canadians that pay you based on ad-share revenue for the duration of the life of your article.

Suite 101

Suite 101 is a very well-known writing site that pays writers according to a number of factors, mainly based on ad-share revenue. Most writers feel that Suite 101 provides an excellent platform to gain recognition in the online writing world. Suite 101 has one of the largest readerships on the web, has been in business since 1996 and is not likely to "up and disappear" one day. Suite 101 boasts writers from some prestigious and highly skilled and educated backgrounds.

Pros:

There is massive traffic to your articles.
There is a huge earning potential for dedicated writers.
The site offers excellent training and education provided at Suite 101 for free.
You can write in any topic of your choice.
You have the option to apply for the position of Feature Writer, once you prove yourself.
The site employs a helpful, friendly editorial staff that treats writers professionally and does its best to guide you in the right direction.
There are great forums where writers can gain valuable information and converse with both staff and peer writers.
You will receive lifetime residual income, even if you never write for Suite 101 again.
You can write in a style of your own choosing and have ultimate flexibility and freedom, which most writers crave.
Many writers have gone on to great success after being with Suite 101.

Cons:

You must be accepted into this prestigious community of writers, and many people do not make the cut.
You need to work hard and understand SEO very well to reap the financial rewards.
You must be able to balance SEO and readability and write compelling, useful and insightful articles at the same time. (This is not necessarily a "con," but producing high-quality content is what works best at Suite101, and some writers are, quite frankly, lazy).
There is no upfront pay.

HubPages

HubPages is another residual ad-share revenue writing site that is open to Canadian writers. A few dedicated writers earn more than $1,000 per month writing articles or "Hubs."

Pros:

You can sign up right away.
You can monitor your own earnings and see which articles are producing hits and clicks and generating income by setting it up with your own Google Analytics account.
You are paid directly from Google AdSense. You can also set up Kontera and Amazon accounts to increase your potential income.
There is a great community atmosphere.
Some very talented writers are making serious income at HubPages.
It has a high level of incoming traffic.

Cons:

There is no upfront pay.
Some really poor writers can cause the site to appear less than professional.

HubPages is a pretty good place to write Hubs and make money so long as you are consistent and write well-researched articles with strong SEO. Interacting with the community can draw more traffic to your Hubs.

Bukisa and Infobarrel

Both Bukisa and Infobarrel are decent revenue sharing sites with which writers often tend to have some success. Bukisa is newer than some other established sites but still generates a healthy amount of traffic. Infobarrel only accepts original content, while Bukisa allows both original and previously published articles. Unlike HubPages, both of these sites review work before it is published and goes "live" on their website.

The pros and cons of Bukisa and Infobarrel are pretty much the same as the information given regarding HubPages.

Squidoo

Squidoo is a writing site that accepts Canadian writers, pays residual ad-share revenue and allows writers to create "lenses" (otherwise known as web pages). Writers are free to write about any subject.

Pros:

You have many add-on options that you can ad to your lenses.
It has a large community of writers who are willing to help you succeed.
It has good search engine ranking.
You can opt to donate a portion or all of your earnings to charity.
Some writers report high earnings from their lenses.

Cons:

You do not get to access or see how much each article is truly earning.
Building lenses can be both time consuming and cumbersome.
It is ranked lower than some other writing sites.
You will need to work very hard to make money at Squidoo (though it can be done).

List My Five

List My Five is a very new online writing site that is increasing dramatically everyday. New writers can quickly and easily start to see money trickling in within days. Writers list their "Top Five" lists about anything under the sun. It's fast, easy, fun and makes money quickly.

The site has a writers compensation program that will soon be open to Canadians, however, there are Canadians who are actually earning revenue already, having provided valid address information, regardless of the fact that the site says otherwise.

Pros

It's fun, fast, easy and makes money.
It gets a lot of traffic.
Many seasoned online writing professionals are taking part.

Cons

It has not yet gained the respect of Google as far as search engine ranking.
It is unclear as to how this site will eventually pan out.

List My Five is, quite simply, an easy way to pick up some cash. You can write Top Five lists quickly and with little thought involved.

If you are a Canadian wanting to write online, the websites above are all worthy of looking into further. Each one has proven to be reliable, trustworthy and worth the effort for most online writers.

Being Canadian does not have to be a barrier when you're thinking about writing online for money. You can earn just as much as anybody else if you work hard, think long-term and carefully integrate SEO tactics into your online content articles.

Why not give it a try? You never know, you might just have what it takes to make it as a Canadian content writer.