It can be a challenge to find good quality content, whether you are trying to create a brand-new website or just updating an existing one. It's a good idea to know what your options are in the world of online content.
If you are capable of writing yourself, this is the best way to go. It's cheap and you are your own quality control. However, many webmasters simply aren't good writers and in that case, it's better to look for a professional to take on the job. There's nothing worse than landing on a site full of poorly written articles and grammatical errors!
For a reasonable fee, you can hire a freelancer to write original content articles, just for you. An article of 500-800 words will run you anywhere from $5-20, depending on the level of experience your freelancer has. While some good articles can be had at the lower end of the pricing scale, you might find that the only writers with the abilities you are looking for are more expensive. Check their websites and samples before making a decision.
Budget websites won't be able to afford a freelancer, but don't worry, there are more options out there! You might look into PLR, or private label rights articles. These are articles which you can rewrite or use as is, put your name as the author, etc. You have full rights and can use them when and where you wish.
Membership content sites are a relatively new phenomenon that has sprung up recently. These sites charge a monthly fee and deliver a set number of articles on specific topics each month. The rates vary wildly, from $30-$200 a month, as does the quality. The good thing about these sites is that they limit membership, meaning that only a certain number (usually 300) people have access to the same articles. You won't have much competition that way, especially since these are PLR articles and can be changed to fit your site. The downside is that you may receive hundreds of articles on topics that you would never use, thus paying for useless content.
Another option for PLR articles is to buy individual article packs. These are groups of articles (5-30 articles) on a specific theme. You can buy just the packs that relate to your website, without ever having to deal with useless content. Prices range from $1-$5 per article, much lower than your average freelancer. The packs are also limited in the number that can be sold. Depending on the website, the pack sale limit can be as low as 25, or as high as 200. The lower the number the better, less chance of getting repeat content. But, of course, you can also change the articles and put your own name on them! The only problem with this option is that there aren't many article pack websites available yet, since this is a pretty new business.
Our last option is free content. Free content sounds like a great deal, but you will want to think about this option before diving in. While free content can actually be of excellent quality, you have to keep in mind that the reason it's free is because it's an ad. When you decide to put an article from a free article directory on your site, you are required to include the resource box at the bottom. This box contains information about the author and a link to his or her site. It's inviting people to leave your website! And don't think you can get away with dropping the resource box, most authors frequently check for pirated versions of their articles. If you don't mind people leaving your site at the end of an article, and other websites having exactly the same content, then this content is for you. It's perfect for a low budget website.
As you can see, there are a variety of choices, from low budget to high, through assorted shades of quality, in website content. You will probably find yourself trying more than one option before you settle on the one that works best for you. Once you find a good one, stick to it and watch your website grow.