Editor researches, writes and checks the images, text and other media published on employer's or his/her own website. The overall goals for the web portal editor are always the same: Help increase traffic to the web portal, showcase quality content, and make the experience an excellent one for website visitors. If the web portal is theme-specific, editor must have a detailed knowledge in the related fields. If you are a skilled writer and researcher, with a keen eye for detail, this job could be ideal for you.

Tasks:

1. Generating ideas, researching, writing and presenting text in ways that appeal to the site's target audience, overseeing artwork, design and photography
2. Putting (uploading) material on to the website, often using a content management system
3. Making sure site content is kept up to date
4. Monitoring and posting replies to online message boards and dealing with email enquiries
5. Editing and proofreading text produced by colleagues or freelancers
6. Developing new content and editorial guidelines
7. Creating and monitoring social media output and feedback
8. Making sure web portal is picked up by search engines (search engine optimisation)
9. Reporting on website traffic statistics
10. Negotiating advertising articles and raising the profile of the web portal

Key skills for web portal editor:

• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent standard of spelling, punctuation and grammar
• Organised approach and creative ideas
• Ability to work to daily deadlines
• Good long-term strategy building
• Good organizational skills

Average salary (2013):

The United Kingdom: £30,000 per year
The United States of America: $66,160 per year
Australia: AU$53,333 per year

Qualifications and training required:

The profession can be open to non-graduates, but most entrants will have degrees. A person can get into this career in a number of ways. Candidate may have a background/education in journalism or marketing, or perhaps experience within the area the website is aimed at, for example education, fashion or sport. Employers will want to see examples of candidates writing from previous paid or voluntary work. Many web portal editors start out as assistants at first. Others create their own web portals in specific field and with a specific target audience, thus becoming writers and editors for their own web portal.
Building up a portfolio of published work is a useful way of showing off writing skills to employers. Future web portal editors can get writing experience in several ways: through your existing workplace (producing marketing materials or news bulletins for the company intranet); voluntary work (creating articles, leaflets and information sheets for a community group, charity or local free newspaper); producing a blog or writing for social media channels; taking a training course at college or university.