If you’re good at explaining your web design or development skills, writing about it can be an excellent way to supplement your income while sharing what you love to do.
Why Web Designers Should Consider Writing
Web design and writing are definitely two different skills. At the same time, if you are good at explaining how you do what you do, writing can be a great way to earn some extra income as a Web Designer.
Plus, writing can give you some additional benefits including:
- Extra money
- Diversifying your income
- Work from anywhere
- Have thousands see your expertise
- Special deals and offers: some companies may offer you something because of your writing
- Unforeseen opportunities: writers often get approached by companies with different opportunities
Before You Write
It is definitely worth your time familiarizing yourself with the process of writing for websites. Each website has their own guidelines and writing style and will only accept posts that match those.
So in order to give yourself the greatest chance of being accepted, here are a few things worth noting:
- Read the guidelines: All websites have different guidelines. Don’t bother submitting work that doesn’t match their guidelines. It will leave both you and the editor frustrated:
- Try again: If your article is rejected, don’t give up. Try again for the same site and / or a different site.
- Do quality work: If you’re looking to get out an article as quickly as possible just so you can get paid, it’s better to find something else to do. These sites are looking for quality posts they feel good about putting in front of their audience. Plus, when you do good work, they’re likely going to ask you to write for them more.
- One Article, One Site: Don’t try to use the same article (or a spun version) for another site. They’ll know.
- Word Count: Sites will likely give you an idea of a word count, however, that is secondary to the quality of your post. Is what you write going to best serve the reader? That’s the real question you need to worry about.
- Leave the Promotions Out: You’re essentially getting paid to either provide entertainment or education. No one is going to pay you to promotion your own website, products or services.
Getting Paid
Each site has their own payment terms and schedule. A select few will pay a portion when the topic and outline have been received and approved, however, expect to be paid once the article has gone live. From start to finish this process can sometimes take 4-8 weeks to completed depending on how popular of a site you are writing for, how many submissions they receive, and their editorial team and calendar.
Most sites pay via PayPal, however, some do offer bank transfers or other alternative methods. If PayPal is not an option for you do check with the site to see what other options may be available. If you need an alternative method, make sure to discuss this upfront.
Some sites have a fixed rate per article or tutorial while others consider other factors such as the type of article, length and quality to determine the final price they will pay.
How to Get Accepted
Each website has their own guidelines (see above). Many will request you submit basic information about what you would like ot write about such as title, outline and word county. Based on that information, the website editor will decide whether or not they are interested in the topic. The good part about this is it doesn’t take nearly the amount of time to put these details together as it does to write the entire article or tutorial. If one site rejects the post idea, you can simply take it to the next site.
Some sites will want the entire article submitted upfront. Keep in mind you are essentially applying for a writing job so the website editor is going to want to see the quality of your writing before agreeing to pay you for an article. If you write on your own blog, have written guest posts or have put together an example high quality article, make sure to submit it.
Some websites receive a LOT of submissions and will not respond if the post idea was rejected. Pay attention to their guidelines and the post submission page for information on how long they will take to get back to you (if at all). Some sites will state if you haven’t received a response in 1-2 weeks, you can consider the post idea rejected.
25 Websites for Web Designers to Get Paid to Write
Alright, let’s get to it! Here is the list of websites you’ve been waiting for:
#1 Income Diary
Topics:
- Creating awesome websites
- Blog design features and functionality
- Making money from websites
- Buying / selling websites
Pay Per Post: Up to $200
Article Length: At least 1,500 words
What You Need to Know: While Income Diary focuses on making money, web design skills can certainly help a lot of people make money online which is why they like to see these topics.
Submission Link: https://www.incomediary.com/write-for-incomediary
#2 Website Setup
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
- WordPress
Pay Per Post: Varies by post. Contact site directly for details.
Article Length: Requires in depth articles. Expect to write at least 2,000 words
What You Need to Know: Website Setup features in-depth articles to help new website owners create and run their website.They may have the most specific guidelines of all the sites so make sure to look at their editorial notes.
Submission Link: https://websitesetup.org/style-guide-for-writers/
#3 Scotch
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
- React
- JavaScript
- Python
- CSS
- And others
Pay Per Post: Up to $150
Article Length: Requires in depth articles. Expect to write at least 2,000 words
What You Need to Know: Scotch reports they only accept about 10% of the applicants they receive so they have very high standards.
Submission Link: https://scotch.io/write-for-us
#4 Entheos
Topics:
- Web design
- Photshop
- Dreamweaver
- HTML5
- CSS
- Illustrator
- New web design trends
Pay Per Post: Varies (accepts offers)
Article Length: At least 500 words
What You Need to Know: Entheos is looking for step-by-step tutorials on a variety of topics. They like optimized images included and submissions should be sent in HTML format. Submissions are reviewed within 48 hours.
Submission Link: https://www.entheosweb.com/write_for_us.asp
#5 GoDaddy Garage
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
- WordPress
- Working with clients
- Business / entrepreneurship
Pay Per Post: Up to $150
Article Length: Varies
What You Need to Know: As an author you will receive a byline on the article and a dedicated author’s page. You can write as a freelancer which means you will be assigned a topic to write about or you can be a guest contributor and write about a mutually agreed upon topic.
Submission Link: https://www.godaddy.com/garage/contribute/
#6 Plesk
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
- Web security
- WordPress
Pay Per Post: $50 – $200
Article Length: 500 to 1,500+ words
What You Need to Know: Plesk is a web hosting control panel used to build, secure and run websites in the cloud. They are looking for articles and tutorials on the above topics.
Submission Link: https://www.plesk.com/content-program/
#7 Site Point
Topics:
- Web development including CSS, JavaScript, PHP
- Web design including design and HTML
- Technology
- Online business
Pay Per Post: $150 – $300
Article Length: With a focus on quality, expect 1,000+ words
What You Need to Know: As this is a very popular website, it receives a lot of submissions so articles need to be well written.
Submission Link: https://sitepoint.typeform.com/to/DMmYfn
#8 Hongkiat
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
- Design inspiration
Pay Per Post: Varies but around $50
Article Length: Not specified but based on current posts, expect to submit around at least 750+ words.
What You Need to Know: Hongkiat is looking for writers to cover tips, tricks, tools and insights in the web design space. After reading the full guidelines, your can submit the full post and any images.
Submission Link: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/write-for-us/
#9 Smashing Magazine
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
Pay Per Post: Up to $200
Article Length: At least 1,000 words, likely 1,500+ words
What You Need to Know: As a well known web design website, Smashing Magazine likes to receive tutorials, articles, opinion pieces, case studies and ultimate guides. From topics on HTML and CSS to design, Photoshop and e-commerce, Smashing Magazine wants to help web designers deliver a better web experience. It’s best to submit an outline for an article instead of a full article so the team can help you make sure it is a fit.
Submission Link: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/write-for-us/
#10 Digital Ocean
Topics:
- Web development
- DevOps
- Production Systems
- Linux distributions
- JavaScripts
Pay Per Post: Tutorials $300; Updates to existing tutorials $75 – $125
Article Length: Varies but expect 700+ words
What You Need to Know: In addition to being paid, community authors participating in the DOnations program can select a tech-focused charity to receive a matching donation. First time writers need to submit full tutorials before being permitted to submit updates to existing tutorials.
Submission Link: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/pages/write-for-digitalocean
#11 Tutorials Point
Topics:
- Web development technologies
- Project management
- Open sources
- Java
Pay Per Post: $250 – $500
Article Length: Varies
What You Need to Know: Tutorial Points is looking for high quality tutorials based on your expertise and experience that helps the reader learn. You are required to submit samples of your work and if your work is approved, they may send you additional topics to write.
Submission Link: https://www.tutorialspoint.com/about/tutorials_writing.htm
#12 Web Designer Depot
Topics:
- Web design
- Tools
- User Experience
- Code
- Business
Pay Per Post: Submit your rate
Article Length: Varies but expect around 1,000 words
What You Need to Know: Web Designer Depot shares a range of web design topics include code, resources, inspiration, business tips and more. They prefer those with experience in web design who can effectively teach through writing.
Submission Link: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/write-for-us/
#13 A List Apart
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
- Content strategy
- and more
Pay Per Post: $50 – $200
Article Length: 1,500 words on average with a range of 600 to 2,500 words
What You Need to Know: A List Apart has very high standards so it’s important to read their guidelines. An editor will review your submission and send feedback. If your article is selected an editor will work more closely with you.
Submission Link: https://alistapart-com-develop.go-vip.co/about/contribute/
#14 UX Booth
Topics:
- UX
Pay Per Post: $100
Article Length: 1,200 – 1,800 words
What You Need to Know: Before writing an article, submit your pitch. If accepted, you’ll work with one of their editors to ensure the article follows their style guide. It can take several weeks for the post to be published.
Submission Link: https://www.uxbooth.com/contribute/
#15 Honey Badger
Topics:
- Ruby
Pay Per Post: $500+
Article Length: Varies but expect around 2,000 words
What You Need to Know: You need to be an advanced level Ruby developer for this position. Developers come to them to find and fix bugs quicker so they are looking for more in-depth posts that teach.
Submission Link: https://www.honeybadger.io/blog/write-for-us/
#16 Web Design Ledger
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
Pay Per Post: Varies by standard and volume of article
Article Length: Minimum of 300 words
What You Need to Know: A variety of articles and tutorials can be submitted including design related articles, opinion pieces, extensive tutorials (coding, Photoshop, etc). Topics can appeal to all levels.
Submission Link: https://webdesignledger.com/write-for-us/
#17 Noetic Force
Topics:
- Web design
- Web development
- Design tools
- Development tools
- Frameworks
- Content management systems
- Tips, tricks and tutorials on programming (JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, Node.js, Java, Haskell, Scala, Python, Swift, C/C++)
- UI/UX
Pay Per Post: Varies by standard and volume of article
Article Length: 1,200 – 2,000 words
What You Need to Know: Will pay for articles that are of high quality and match their style standards. No links to your website or blog are permitted in a paid article.
Submission Link: https://noeticforce.com/write-for-us
#18 Tutorials Teacher
Topics:
- Web Technologies
- JavaScript Frameworks such as Typescript, Angular 2/4, ReactJS, KnockoutJS, EmberJS etc.
- Database Development
- Web Hosting
- and more
Pay Per Post: Contact directly
Article Length: Varies but expect 1,000+ words
What You Need to Know: Both articles and tutorials can be submitted. Tutorials have 15 – 20 chapters to take the user from beginner to intermediate.
Submission Link: https://www.tutorialsteacher.com/aboutus/write-for-us
#19 Real Python
Topics:
- Python development
- Web development
- Programming and developer careers
- Tools & productivity
- Motivation and inspiration
Pay Per Post: Contact site directly
Article Length: 1,000 – 1,500+ words
What You Need to Know: Real Python has part-time writer positions. While paid these positions also have other benefits the other sites don’t including exposure, training, free stuff and other special opportunities. Note: to apply you must be an advanced level developer.
Submission Link: https://realpython.com/write-for-us/
#20 Instant Shift
Topics:
- Web design
- WordPress
- Web development
Pay Per Post: Based on the quality and volume of the content
Article Length: Varies
What You Need to Know: Looking for articles based on research and new developments around web design. All web design and development specific topics are covered.
Submission Link: http://www.instantshift.com/contribute/
#21 SpyreStudios
Topics:
- Typography
- Design trends
- Inspiration
- CSS & HTML
- WordPress
- jQuery
Pay Per Post: $40 – $150
Article Length: Minimum of 800+ words for articles (much more for tutorials)
What You Need to Know: Tutorials, articles, list articles and how-to’s are popular.
Submission Link: https://spyrestudios.com/contribute/
#22 Envato Tuts+
Topics:
- Web design
- Code
- Business
- and more
Pay Per Post: Varies with minimum of $200+
Article Length: Varies but expect at least 3,000+ words
What You Need to Know: At Envato authors can select from written or screencast tutorials. There is also an option to teach a 90+ minute video course on coding or web design.
Submission Link: https://tutsplus.com/teach
#23 Photoshop Tutorials
Topics:
- Photoshop (no surprise there ?)
Pay Per Post: $25 – $300
Article Length: Varies but expect 700+ words along with screenshots (if necessary)
What You Need to Know: Photoshop Tutorials is looking for writers to cover how-to articles that help a reader learn how to accomplish a specific task.
Submission Link: https://www.photoshoptutorials.ws/submit-tutorial/
#24 Creative Bloq
Topics:
- Web design
Pay Per Post: Varies
Article Length: Varies but expect 700+ words
What You Need to Know: Creative Bloq accepts writers for their Computer Arts magazine
Submission Link: https://www.creativebloq.com/news/write-creative-bloq-contributor-network-612326
#25 Codex World
Topics:
- Web development
- Web programming
- Web design
- PHP & MySQL
- Frameworks (CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Laravel, etc.)
- CMS (Drupal, WordPress etc.)
- Magento
- Ajax
- jQuery
- JavaScript
- AngularJS
- HTML & CSS
Pay Per Post: Varies and based on length, popularity of subject and quality
Article Length: Varies, submit your approximate word count.
What You Need to Know: Codex World likes content that web professionals can use in their projects. You can submit your article or tutorial title, category, description and approximate word count.
Submission Link: https://www.codexworld.com/write-for-us/
3 Steps to Become a Web Design Writer
If you think you’d like to diversify your income by writing about what you do best, it’s time time to do something with what we’ve covered here. Here’s how you can start the process this week:
Step 1: Download the list of sites so you can sort by pay and see which sites allow byline and personal links in the article.
Step 2: Note down 5 -10 topics you could write about and outline 1 idea
Step 3: Select 3 sites to submit the idea to and send in your post idea and outline
What would you love to write about? Tell us below in the comments ?
