The below piece is written on WriterAccess (asked for 800-1,000 words, received a total of 950 words, cost $95.70).

Despite all of the changes in internet technology over the past few years, one thing remains true. Content is still king. Having good, useful, well-written, unique content on your website and social media pages is still essential to good SEO, high search engine ranking and active reader engagement. However, creating this type of content can be a full time job in itself. As a business owner or manager, you have a myriad of other responsibilities. It’s understandably difficult to sit down and be creative when you have other tasks looming in the back of your mind. That’s where content platforms like WriterAccess and TextBroker can help.

The benefits and challenges of using a content platform

Why should you outsource your content? The most important reason for most content managers is that it frees up their time to concentrate on their core business. A second important reason is to keep fresh content on your website, blog and social media pages. If you’ve ever tried to write all of the content yourself, you know that you may start out with a lot of enthusiasm, but that enthusiasm often wanes as you run out of new ideas and topics and when you find yourself running behind your content calendar. When you outsource your content, you’ll have fresh ideas from a variety of writers. At their best, writers found on content platforms have spent years honing their craft and will deliver content that is not only interesting, but also grammatically correct and error free. All you have to do is read, make a few (if any) small edits and approve the text. It’s a great way to keep your pages vibrant, interesting to your customers and ranking well with Google and other search engines.

The challenges with using a content platform usually come in the area of communication and how well you can convey your vision for your content to a writer that you aren’t talking with face-to-face or even via Zoom. At the basic level, both of the content platforms we’re profiling have you complete a form to order your content. Obviously, the more information you enter, the better you’ll be able to communicate to the writer what you are looking for. However, boilerplate order text and dozens of required keywords can sometimes muddy the waters and cause either the writer to give up or deliver something other than the content you’re seeking. One way to avoid this is to use managed services, which both platforms offer. However, this service comes at a much higher cost.

Other challenges include delivery time. Obviously, you need to give the writer time to complete your order. This can vary from a couple of days to a week or more, depending on the size and scope of the order. If you’re accustomed to sitting down and writing your content yourself and posting it immediately, this can take a while to get used to.

How it works and how much it costs

You may think that all content platforms are alike. However, WriterAccess and TextBroker operate somewhat differently. Below is a thumbnail summary of each:

WriterAccess

WriterAccess maintains a freelance writer pool of more than 15,000 professional writers. For a small, monthly fee, you have access to the writing pool. There are six levels of writers, each with a corresponding “per word” rate. You can also propose a flat rate for a project. WriterAccess makes it easy to search for writers with expertise in your industry. There are more than 300 skill sets and categories available. Basic access to the platform is $39 per month. This platform offers a free 14-day trial. There is no minimum commitment.

You can also opt for managed services, where a WriterAccess account representative will do things like handle your content ordering, propose article topics, access to low-cost quality images, interface with the writers and even proofreading and editing. Managed services at WriterAccess start at $349 per month in addition to the platform access fee. Content fees range from 2 cents per word for a two-star writer to $1 per word for a six-star writer. You can also negotiate special rates with six-star writers for large or special projects.

One of the hallmarks of the WriterAccess platform is their “delight guaranteed” policy. You only pay for content that meets your standards. To learn more, visit WriterAccess online.

TextBroker

TextBroker, unlike WriterAccess, has no monthly access fee. It’s free to sign up as a client on the platform, search for writers and order content. You only pay for your content, which ranges from 1.5 cents per word for a two-star writer to 7.2 cents a word for a five-star writer. Since TextBroker was one of the first content platform sites, they have more writers than WriterAccess, about 100,000 at last count.

TextBroker also offers managed services. They loosely define these services as “letting TextBroker handle your entire content project”. The fee for TextBroker managed services starts at $2,500 per project. According to their website, the final price depends on factors like “type and scope of each project (as well as) the length of the text, amount of research necessary, HTML tagging and keyword requirements”.

To learn more about working with TextBroker vs. WriterAccess, visit TextBroker online.

The choice of WriterAccess vs TextBroker really depends on how much content you need for your website, blog or social media pages; how much time you have to devote to content management and how much you have to spend on content. WriterAccess tends to be more selective in choosing their writers, whereas TextBroker offers a lower price for “entry-level, basic” content.

Full disclosure: The writer of this review is a full-time, six-star writer at WriterAccess.

The below piece is written on TextBroker (asked for 800-1000 words, received 1163 words, cost $72.40).

In today’s world, buyers turn to online searches when they need information. The websites that come up first on search engine results pages receive this traffic from searches and, consequently, get the chance to sell their products to these information seekers.

By creating the right type of content, you can achieve prominent search rankings for keyword searches that correlate with qualified buyers who are motivated to purchase. Thankfully, success in content marketing is open to anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort necessary to create great content that matches Google’s requirements.

Additionally, writing platforms, like Textbroker and Writer Access, provide the opportunity to get great content at scale and at little cost.

Importance of Content

In the early days of the internet, search engine algorithms were very rudimentary. Therefore, marketing experts would focus on manipulating search engines with spam, thin content, and even copied articles. In many cases, this low-quality content would appear first in search results, and users were negatively impacted.

However, Google has recently introduced a remarkably effective algorithm that essentially uses AI to detect attempts to game its ranking system. Today, if you try to use old SEO practices, such as buying links or even doing paid guest blogs, Google will quickly detect this activity. You will then either receive a severe penalty or completely lose all visibility.

To get the top rankings on search engines in today’s environment, you now have to create the best content. Google’s algorithm is very good at detecting high-quality content, and it will reward you with traffic when you consistently post great information. Therefore, if you want buyers to be able to discover your business, the best way to gain visibility is to publish great articles that address topics that are relevant to the needs of your buyers.

Challenges in Content Marketing

A few years ago, the few businesses that adapted quickly to Google’s shift toward favoring high-quality content were able to easily get exceptional rankings with little effort. Today, however, nearly all serious businesses have figured out that content is king, so competition in valuable niches is fierce.

Additionally, the reasons why some content achieves high rankings is not always clear. In some cases, articles that seem exceptional sometimes do not even make it to the first page on Google. As a result, marketers can face frustrating challenges that can lead to giving up. However, everyone faces the same challenges, so the key to overcoming your competitors is to keep pushing forward.

Significant Opportunities From Doing Content Right

Once you learn to make exceptional content for your business, you can reap the rewards of having a profitable digital presence. Content that ranks on search engine results pages can continue to drive traffic for years to come. Most importantly, content-based digital marketing strategies are highly sustainable because the content that you create provides real value to users. As a result, your inbound pipeline will be relatively impervious to search engine updates, and your portfolio of content will even increase the valuation of your business.

Textbroker vs. Writer Access

The best part about creating content for your website is that you do not have to create it on your own. Instead, you can use a writing platform to obtain high-quality content at minimal cost.

The most significant writing platforms that you should know about when investing in content are Textbroker and WriterAccess. Both platforms allow you to instantly order content from a pool of writers who have already been vetted. These writers consist of talented individuals who apply to become authors.

Since these platforms have many writers, you can find a writer who is knowledgeable in almost any field. Even doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs write on these platforms to make extra money. As a result, you can get insightful content whenever you need it without having to hire a full-time writer.

Advantages of Textbroker

Textbroker is unique among writing platforms because it seeks to merely act as a broker between writers and clients. As a result, authors are given total freedom to write anything on their own schedules while clients can post content in almost any niche.

The main strength of Textbroker is what it calls the “Open Order” pool. Open Orders are sent to a platform that is accessible to thousands of approved authors. Any author who has obtained a sufficient star rating can then claim your assignment from the Open Order pool. In practice, the Open Order pool works very well because authors who are knowledgeable in subject areas pertaining to your content will have the greatest incentive to pick up your orders. Consequently, you get high-quality content that is delivered within 24 hours.

Advantages of WriterAccess

WriterAccess delivers texts that are almost identical to what Textbroker provides, but it uses a different approach to content creation. This platform encourages you to take the time to find an author who is right for your project. Therefore, you can sometimes find more specialized authors if you have a large project that is complex.

WriterAccess also gives you have the option of sending your assignments to a system that is similar to Textbroker’s Open Order pool. However, its pool of writers is much smaller, so Textbroker is often a better choice if you just want your content created by whatever writer is willing to help.

Choosing Between Textbroker vs. WriterAccess

For big projects that require working directly with a skilled writer, WriterAccess is usually a better option. Textbroker gives you the option of working directly with authors, but it does not enable you to use modern tools, like Slack or Zoom, to communicate effectively with them. Textbroker forbids you to communicate with authors outside of its platform and closely monitors your conversations.

For most content, however, Textbroker is often the better option because communicating with authors takes time. It does not make sense to spend hours recruiting and communicating with authors over a handful of articles. Most content written for SEO purposes needs to be easy to understand, so ordinary people are usually better at composing content that is not too technical or difficult to read.

WriterAccess costs: Content costs range from $.02 per word to as much as $2 per word.
Textbroker costs: Basic content is available for as little as $.015, and high-quality content can cost as much as $.072 per word.

Getting the Right Content for Your Website

If you will have a recurring need for content, it may make sense to simply order a few articles on Textbroker and WriterAccess to see which platform you prefer. Both websites can be advantageous in certain situations, but Textbroker is generally best if you need to obtain content with minimal overhead while WriterAccess tends to be better if you need to work directly with authors. Once you have decided on your preference in terms of WriterAccess vs. Textbroker, you can continue to use the writing platform of your choice for all of your future content needs.

My WriterAccess vs. Textbroker Summary

Well, there you have it. This is only one specific comparison of the highest level writers, of course. However, I have tested both platforms extensively, and here’s what I think.

WriterAcces is somewhat more expensive, but you would also be getting much higher quality content. For me, the biggest hurdle was mentally overcoming the monthly fee that WA charges. $39 is not a deal breaker, but that’s like half an article on TB. On the other hand, I am not the type of buyer that actually asks for revisions. If an article is good, I’ll edit it myself. And if the article is terrible, I’ll trash it. It’s frustrating, but not the end of the world. I’ll also try not to work with the same writer again. It happens about 20% of the time on TB, so the cost difference is much smaller than it seems.

If you’re just starting out and creating niche websites, TextBroker will be easier on your pocket, but you will somewhat compromise on content quality. If you persist long enough and your site takes off, you will need to reinvest in content again to upgrade it. TB also requires much more work- you will need to spend a significant time editing as it seems the platform does not emphasize its writers the importance of HTML tags and links.

Although WriterAccess has a smaller pool of writers, I’ve never experienced any delay in deliveries. It also makes it easier to hire specialists in specific fields, which is great if you don’t want to receive a generic (and mostly boring) article.

In the end, both platforms are extremely helpful if you need to outsource the production of any content for websites or social media. TextBroker is free to use, and you only pay for actual orders, WriterAccess has several membership plans (the $39 will fit most independent and small businesses), and existing members (like myself) can provide new users with a 14-days trial and $50 bonus on the first order.

See also how Textbroker compares with WordAgents writing service.