How and where to outsource content

As we’ve emphasized over and over again here at Casino Affiliate Programs — and as any other search engine optimization (SEO) authority won’t hesitate to tell you — the better your content is, the better positioned you are to succeed in SEO and online marketing in general.
But that can be a challenging prospect for some of us. We think, “Generating high-quality, unique content can’t be that easy, or everyone would be doing it.”
That may be true, but here’s a better way to look at it: Two of the three elements in creating quality content can be accomplished by literally anyone.
Those three elements are:
1. Uniqueness – Content that appears only on your website
2. Freshness – Content that’s updated often, regularly, and consistently
3. Voice – Content that is interesting and engaging to readers
So, of these three factors, only the third requires professional or at least inspired talent. That means, no matter who you are, you’ve already got two out of the three tools  you’ll need to create the kind of quality content that Google loves.
And if you decide you need help with that third one, you’re in luck. There are tons of content authors out there, and probably quite a few that specialize in your niche. Here’s how to find ‘em:
Buyer’s market
Remember: You get what you pay for. It’s a cliché, but try to find some examples of when it hasn’t proved true. Aside from a few lucky breaks you may have received over the years, there aren’t many times when the old adage doesn’t hold true.
Always keep it in mind, then, when looking for content to buy. Very cheap content is cheap for a reason. Here are a few things that may be wrong with that cheap content, despite what its seller may or may not be telling you:
•    It’s probably not really unique, but copied from a master document or, worse, plagiarized from an unknowing author;
•    It’s probably being sold to you in bulk, meaning it’ll be posted to lots of other sites besides yours;
•    It’s likely to be grammatically and factually incorrect — not the kind of content that would speak well of your site, in Google’s eyes or just those of the casual visitor; and/or
•    It may have been run through a translator a few times, again resulting in awkward content that’s likely to turn off smart (or impatient) visitors.
Understanding this, here are some of the leading sites that offer hook-ups with quality content providers:
•    eLance
•    LinkedIn
•    iFreelance
•    SoloGig
•    Freelanced.com
•    BizReef
•    Article Base
•    Informative Sources
•    Constant Content
Trading
Online marketing forums, whether they’re at Casino Affiliate Programs or WordPress or DigitalPoint, are also great places for affiliates to strike deals with each other. The result can be getting content by a trade instead of having to buy it.
For example, if you’re great at link exchanges but not so hot at content creation, then find an author who needs link building. Trading services not only gets you what you’re after for free, it hooks you up with another layer of networking — and linking — friends.
Putting it together
When it comes time to start a casino website, make sure you’ve got a plan for your content. If you’re confident that you can write it yourself — and you should at least try, at least once, and you may surprise yourself — all the better.
But if you think you’re going to need help, start looking around now, in directories, on the forums, on Facebook and LinkedIn. Find fellow affiliates looking for a trade, or who know content authors specializing in your niche.
If you can afford that kind of content on a daily basis, you’ll find it’ll soon pay for itself in traffic. And, if you’re a good marketer, that opens the door for conversions you need to keep the money coming in.
Managing writers
If you get to the point where you’re outsourcing multiple freelance writers — or maybe if you’re just outsourcing one, but are unsure of how to do it — you’ll want to learn to manage them as efficiently as possible.
For starters, the qualities you look for in hiring writers will turn out to be the qualities that play the biggest role in managing them. Particularly if you’ve got money to spend on quality content, you’ll want to check each writer you use for:
History. Is the writer really experienced in the topic you’re looking to cover, or is he or she just desperate to work? Unless you’re a charity, you’re better off paying more for writers who know what they’re talking about.
SEO skills. Look at sites the writers have worked on before. How does their content perform in search engines? Understanding that it isn’t entirely the writer’s responsibility for search engine performance, writers’ claims to be good at SEO are easily validated.
Background check. Is this writer guilty of any past plagiarisms or black lists? A thorough Google search is in order.
And here’s a great way to check on that last point: Copyscape plagiarism checker, which can tell you if any writers’ content is original or copied.
Comments!
What’s your experience with content and content providers? Have you gotten good deals in the past — or gotten burnt? If you can offer some advice or thoughts on the topic to your fellow affiliates, sound off with a comment and let us know your thoughts.