Writing for Real People

If you are a freelance seo writer, you are going to spend a lot of time figuring out how to write things to successfully appear in the search engine result pages. But what if it were easier than that - what if you could simply write good material and have it work? I am going to encourage you to try this tactic.

One thing I have seen in my ten plus years on the interwebs, is that more and more people pile in to the game every year. They are all trying hard to make the search engines pay attention, so they are trying different ideas - links, anchor text, keyword density, whatever else is the flavor of the month - to find that something extra.

I would think that at this point of the web's development, manipulating your content like this is a bit passe - it is thin, it is obvious, and it doesn't really work too well for too long. So one way to get your content to stand out from the crowd, is to ignore most SEO tactics completely. Not all of them, mind you, just most of them, and those you do approach, you should do so with a reason.

Thin out your keywords, and bring up the meaning and depth. Illustrate with concrete examples, and let the thin, effervescent stuff of 2006 fall into the trash bin. Write with heart - and you might be amazed to see that it is still very possible to attract an audience the old fashioned way.

So if you want your work to float above the rest, write it for real people. The search engines will find you too, I promise. :)

Charging for Freelance SEO Writing

I get asked about my rates a lot - both by writers and by prospective clients. So what does an SEO writer charge these days?

Sorry-there is no blanket answer here. Even with a single provider, in my experience it is going to vary a bit depending on the project you are doing and who it is for. So as the provider, you have to be aware of what your skills are worth, and why. For example, if you have a couple years of dedicated experience in code, it can translate into something billable to augment what you write - you might write something and then render it for the client using html, php, asp, or a specific language compatible with their website. You may be able to find and add images to your posts/work, and have an extra to present to the client. The point is, it is not always simply SEO copywriting for me, and so it gets harder to pull this out as a single service. Not that I can't; just that most of my clients hire me for a wider range of services than just the writing part - so the cost of the writing is affected by the project scope.

Most often, the cost of seo-driven writing will be dictated by the expected returns. If it is a simple link campaign where you are article or blogpost-spewing, the cost will typically be in line with the targeted sites. This means if it a place where anyone can post, you can pay anything at all to post there - there is almost no bottom to the market cost if you shop for labor worldwide. Pennies spent, but the writing is usually commensurate with what you pay.

If you are targeting better sites for the work (say in guest posts or something like that), the cost for the writing to get there is also going to scale. Unlike the cheap efforts, there is going to be a market price here, and right now, I see it at around $40-80 for a solidly written post somewhere with a bit of strategy and thought behind it. This is on the lower cost side, and would normally be tied into a bulk pricing...but not always. I think most people could spend this on a piece of written collateral (like a keyword-specific blog post or article) and be happy with it.


To get more than that as an seo writer, you typically have to be bringing something stronger to the bargaining table...like experts quoted, a following (you bring your audience with you), a spin unique to the niche, audience built-in somewhere to be tapped, viral support, social media or something like that. Not that a strong piece on its own merits can't fetch a stronger price tag - just that today's buyers have more competitive options than in years past, so the expectations and demand for work that WORKS in a tangible way is becoming much more common.

If you are a specialist in some field, it can mean a better fee. Generalist copywriters will tend to think more about hourly rates - maybe setting fees on how much they can do in a given day. Once you have more experience in different methods of writing, you'll know that there are different fees that are going to apply, because there are different levels of thought and mechanical application involved in everything you do.

Personally, I use a sliding scale. I have fee ranges for the different types of stuff I do - and a couple of hourly-with-retainer rates, based mostly on the time a client has been with me and the type of work they usually need. I haven't taken on too many new clients since about the middle of last year, because my roster is pretty full with the great folks I have...so my "normal" rates are affected a lot by the discounts I give to repeat clients.

Charging a competitive, yet affordable rate for the seo writing services you offer is a big part of staying alive as an seo copywriter. Base it on your experiences, pro-rating it on the types of work you have done in the past and the successes you have claimed. The more you can point to something that has been proven effective, and say "I did that" the more you can usually charge (be careful!) to do it again for someone else. Like I said at the start of this, there is no blanket to crawl under here, and make all your pricing dreams come true. But if you (as a copywriter offering seo) are aware of how your skills can be used effectively in a larger project, it will help you to set realistic price points where you are compensated for your time, your talents, and related prior experiences.  

What's in Your Portfolio?

Had a couple new writers asking me some things about how to best present themselves to potential new clients. In these cases, much like in the past, I tend to say the same thing: Work begets work. You need SAMPLES!

So how do you get samples if there is no one knocking at the door?
Simple answer: you start knocking yourself.

I tend not to wait for clients to come to me - I find people whose work or ideas I respect, and I find ways I can make myself attractive to them. I am pitching me, but it is not about me - it is about what I can do for them.

Because I have been doing this freelance seo writing thing for so long, I can usually convince clients (or leads) in a quick conversation that I do know what I am talking about, and that I have done this before. But a new writer doesn't have this luxury - they really do have to earn it in the boardroom every time they enter.

So one way to do this well, is by carefully selecting samples of work that represent what the client is trying to achieve. If you are pitching to do a sales letter, you want to show something similar. Bringing in an ad you worked on is maybe OK for showing off your tone or ability to be concise or something - but it is a different medium, a different approach entirely than a long-form sales letter.

Blending the two ideas then, pick someone you'd like to work for, and create a piece of work that is an example of the type of work you'd like to be doing. If your power is blog posts, write a few for a blog you admire, and see if you can get them published as a guest post. If you are all about ad copy, create a few mock-ups, and show how you would spin a campaign.  Even if the client you target is not interested, you may create a workable piece of collateral that can be "reconditioned" somewhere else and still put to good use.

Ultimately, go back to this simple mantra: Work begets work.
If you want to work as a freelance seo writer and are brand new and don't know where to begin, just start writing and don't stop. Everything else will usually follow accordingly.

Yipes - I still have time

Every day, you have the opportunity to do a variety of different things that might steer you in a particular direction.

Being a freelance seo writer, you need to adapt your strategies.

Google is changing a lot in 2010. The playing field is being shuffled right now, and it is not terribly clear who the victors will be. Will it be the spam doctors, or the specialists? Will anyone outside the SEO sphere give a hoot?

The end result is going to be the same thing that has been happening now for years. There is a change in Google, and people start acting like the Pope is pooping in Times Square.

Look, it is easy, and always has been easy. Build a good site. Mean it. If you struggle to express yourself, hire someone like me. But get your individual message across. You still have time to be brilliant.

There has never been a more exciting time than now. Capture that essence for someone who hires you, and being an SEO freelancer makes a lot more sense.

Year in Review - 2009 into 2010

At the end of last year, I listed the following ten things:

1. Schedule more time for my own stuff.
2. Keep the flow of projects steady, so one ends as another begins (reduce overlap).
3. Participate in more online discussions of interest.
4. Attend more conferences (try to hit 2 per year).
5. It's all about backlinks (today, anyway).
6. Bartering rocks.
7. Smaller businesses are typically more of a hassle, but can be extremely rewarding.
8. Communicating SEO in numbers is the best possible way to get more work.
9. Old clients can surprise you with new requests any time.
10. It's all about the relationships you make, maintain, and build upon.

I wanted to take a post to reflect, and see where it went.

1. Schedule more time for my own stuff. OK, I did start my new site. Am working new stuff - nothing scheduled yet, thank the Lord.
2. Keep the flow of projects steady, so one ends as another begins (reduce overlap). I actually did pretty well with this one...I hand-picked my clients well this past year. My projects were challenging and rewarding, and only rarely over whelming. There was a near melt-down in the early Fall, and the usual holiday hi jinks, but the year finished strong, and the projects speak for themselves.
3. Participate in more online discussions of interest. Yep, I am a forum nerd now. But only one, really...I have about a half dozen community voices I check on regularly, and learned to speak-up a little more in one.
4. Attend more conferences (try to hit 2 per year). Zero success here, beyond online training. Nothing beyond the cube.
5. It's all about backlinks (today, anyway). Duh.
6. Bartering rocks. Yep - did some great swaps again this year. Looking for more, always.
7. Smaller businesses are typically more of a hassle, but can be extremely rewarding. Duh again. Not sure what this frustration was all about, but OK.
8. Communicating SEO in numbers is the best possible way to get more work. Yeah, still believe this to be essentially true for cold calls, but I did more thru referrals in the last 12 months than otherwise.
9. Old clients can surprise you with new requests any time. Um, yeah. This year, I had almost an entirely new roster of clients. A couple long-termers, but most of my focus was on new people asking me new questions.
10. It's all about the relationships you make, maintain, and build upon. Duh.

So here, I will lob out more of the same to see what difference another year makes.

In 2009, the 10 things that made a difference in my business as an SEO freelance copywriter and will guide me into 2010:

1. Relationships uber alles.
2. Better clients, better company.
3. Fun is subjective.
4. Less coding - more writing.
5. Family time first.
6. Charge handsomely for every minute spent supporting someone else's dream.
7. Trust my own skills, and take the leap...again.
8. Borrowing brilliance is only a mistake when it lacks honesty. Building on it well is flattery.
9. Money is spoiling everything...collapse is certain.
10. High maintenance people are low paying investments. Mental health is non-negotiable.

That comes off more acidic than it feels. 2009 rocked. 2010 will be even better, I can feel it.

How Did I Get Started as a Freelance Seo Writer?

Perhaps the most common question I am asked, especially by college students, is how I got started as a freelance seo writer. This was again the situation in my last couple visits to local Atlanta colleges like Emory and Kennesaw State.

Let me answer that by giving you a short scenario. The writer will be played by me, the cold faced marketing director will be played by a Vietnamese dwarf named Miss Gengy, who has a peg leg, false teeth and a horrible disposition.

Scene: fade-in to an eager young writer, briefcase (new) stuffed to the brim with fake collateral from pretend gigs. See sweat on brow, and fidget in chair as another marketing director sees through the BS, and is perturbed at spending time in this meeting.

Writer: {clearing throat to speak} ...um...

Cold Faced Marketing Director: (Rising to leave) I think we're done here.

Writer clumsily gathers crap pile and stumbles blindly from office, a sadness in his heart but a stern look of determination on his face. Zero in his pocket. Rocky theme begins, and writer opens door, stepping into a world of uncertainty, more stupid than brave, more willing than not...

I make jokes, I laugh and kid, but I seriously went into meetings I was totally unqualified to be in, waving my arms like a monkey to try to get noticed. I was aggressive, and I was unstoppable. That is how I started as a freelance SEO writer - by my unwillingness to be anything else.

Sometimes, it can be that simple.
It was for me.

Personal and Professional Balance

I write a lot in here about the balancing of freelance seo writing and your personal life. This last week, I was again faced with this situation...but this time in a much more negative way.

I had a family crisis, and it pulled me out of commission for 4 days. It ended today, and now I am way behind.

A personal crisis can pull anyone out of a routine, but as a freelancer, this can be deadly. Gig-smashing. It is too early to tell if I did any damage, be it temporary or permanent. To the gigs I mean - the family is fine.

Priorities Depend on Circumstances
One thing I am finding more often this year, is that priorities are really dependent on the surrounding circumstances. Last week, my family was the most important thing in my schedule. This, sadly, is not always the case. More often, they know I need to keep working, and don't have near the time I would prefer to simply hang out. They're good that way.

But when the priorities shift a bit, it is important to take the time to really identify why it is you do what you do. Keeping control is sometimes as easy as articulating your direction.

I stay true to my business ideals, which is why most of my clients last for a long time...many times, moving from job-to-job themselves. My priorities are therefore handed to me, based on serving my ideals in being a freelance seo writer. And these ideals are pretty simple:

1. Offer creative, solid work with a focus on the ROI
2. Be honest, and lead with respect
3. Don't miss deadlines
4. Communicate
5. Don't miss deadlines

So you can see how this last week is wrenching with my own business ideals - by concentrating on family, I missed a bunch of deadlines. A shift in priorities.

Balancing the Personal and the Professional
For me, much of the lure of freelance seo copywriting is an ability to allow shifts in priorities. My family always comes first - they are why I work. But some gigs don't allow you enough time to be with your family as much as you might like. For me, freelancing must do it.

While it is true, this is a cool perk of freelancing, it also makes it less stable than other options, like a day gig. So you want to know whether or not you are cut out for this,what your personal thresholds are.

Ultimately, balancing personal and professional efforts is an ongoing dance. On a tightrope. With greasy slippers. Juggling weights and french fries.

Be prepared.

Handling 301 redirects

Here's a seo copywriter tip: understand what a 301 redirect is.
I just moved a pretty decently big site (250 pages), and had to make sure I did not slip in the search engines.
The site is a totally new way of presenting content to the world from this company, so I am tasked to make sure anyone who is used to coming here can still do so as they have been, and that new ones can find it as well. lots of new content, so lots of change and freshness to attract some attention - or at least, retain it.
Enter the 301 redirect.

Simple Explanation of 301 Redirects
If you don't already know, there are different codes that computers use for different types of commands and errors. Some of these commands are pretty universal across any computer, like a 404 error means a page can't be found, a 302 redirect is a temporary redirect to a different URL, and a 301 redirect is a permanent redirect of a URL.

You have a site, and want to move it. You want the old URLs to still find the new pages in the new place, so you push them forward with a little bit of code. The 301 redirect does this for you.

Conceptually, they are easy to understand.
Let's say, in the new site structure, what WAS a folder named "images" has had its content shifted to a new folder named "assets." Using a 301 redirect, you force requests for the old URL to find the new one. 301 simply means that permanently, this old URL will forever be this new one. The intent is that in time, the old URL will disappear, being replaced by the new one.

Your 301 might look something like this:
/images/my_image.jpg redirect /assets/my_image.jpg

You replace one url with the new one. In this example, I am using relative paths instead of absolute paths. It depends on how you deploy the 301 redirects as to which syntax is most appropriate for you - but whether it is best for the absolute or relative paths to be used, it is pretty easy to do this correctly.

The tricky thing about a 301 redirect, it the way that you handle it will depend on the server type and the kind of website you have built.

Lots of times, a simple solution is available. For example, on a Linux server, you can use what they call an ".htaccess" file to handle these commands for you, and very few things are easier to create that this file full of redirects. There is plenty of information on creating this file correctly out there. If you find you are using a Linux server and can use a .htaccess file, I strongly suggest getting to know this file, and what it can do for you.

Other times, like if you are using a Windows server or a technology that does not use a .htaccess file, you need to find what works within your situation. The variables you bring specifically will determine how you create and deploy this effort (one size will not necessarily fit all here).

In my case, once again I was not so lucky...this was not a Linux server. It was a Windows server, moving to another Windows server and a rather complex CMS/Portal solution. I had to find a different way to create my 301 redirects, and it was very important to get it right.

Research What Works
My best advice to an SEO writer to make the most of what a 301 can do, is know where to find answers for different situations you will encounter. Learn very specifically how a 301 works, and then learn how to code it in a couple different ways. Base your efforts on the ways that you usually code sites...be it in .php, .asp, .NET, or whatever. If you have a tendency to move sites to a specific type of web server, learn more about how to control and protect the information held by that server.

In my case, I asked the programmers what the server specs and site specs were, and found I could do my 301s most effectively using an XML file, which would be handled in a specific way by the CMS/portal we had in place. We tested a few urls, and created a snippet for me to work from.

I collected all known URLs, and connected them in a spread sheet to their new counterpoints. I wrote it in a syntax that would work for the CMS, creating the actual commands in the file using notepad, saving the final as an XML file...this was the researched and tested solution. The final 301 redirect sheet pushed more than 200 URLs to new locations.

In the end, I was able to protect my client's site through this very large-scale change.
I also created specific error page content to handle anything I did not repoint more specifically.
They were pleased the move went smoothly, and were glad I showed them all the links were working as we desired. It was all good.

Why is this important to a freelance SEO copywriter? Because the more you can offer to clients, the more valuable your services become to their projects. Show them continued, repeating value, and work then finds you. Cold calls will slow down as a necessity or even stop, and if you get lucky, you can get to hand-pick your clients.

I'd say that's worth it.

This week, I was wrapping up 3 clients websites, and realized I will finally have time to restructure my own site.

It's funny - I started this blog over a year ago, when I realized too much time was passing without me attending to my site. But time hasn't magically appeared - I have less of it than ever. So be it- work comes first for a freelance SEO writer.

But now I am back around to that starting point again - I am looking at rebuilding/redesigning my own site as soon as I can cut these other 3 loose. It is both daunting and exciting - I am looking forward to rebranding myself and my company.

How it has Changed
A lot has changed about the way I do business in the last 5 years. 5 years ago, I was very heavily a web copywriter. My gigs rarely strayed from me cranking out content that was put into other people's sites. Business was great, and I was fat and happy.

Then, as time wore on, my own interests ranged more toward the strategy and development sides of things. I was building more, involved more in the concepts and execution of larger initiatives, and stretched my wings a bit.

Creatively, this was great. While writing was still my strongest suit, being able to develop strategies and plans and technically execute them was becoming really attractive (and lucrative) for me.

Cut to now: In the past couple years, open source code is changing the way people develop websites. My ability to use various open source solutions, to modify and optimize a variety of solutions, is again changing what I offer my clients. So it is time to reflect this in my marketing, particularly in my website.

So in the next two-to-three weeks, I will be rebuilding the Articulayers site. I will be blending open source code with my own tweaks, and will build something that has modular growth as part of the design. I will be catering to aspiring SEO copywriters, as well as giving my clients a menu of related services that I can offer. I will have some advice, some case studies, and some freelance seo tips.

Great fun!

Many Paths Might Bring You There

This week, I was again reminded how many different ways you can do something.

I was building a new site for a client. So I was trying a couple different ways to get it done. But there were trade-offs for each decision made. When I went for options that allowed the client more long-term editing control, I lost some degree of visual control.

I am sure in time, I could manipulate the CMS-type options to work as I want them to but time does not allow me to do trial and error...we have a launch date to hit.

So I went back to the client, suggesting we concentrate on establishing a solid web presence to build the business. In time, we can look at rebuilding the site using more technological toys (like a good CMS tool), but it makes more sense to the business plan to get a site out there more quickly.

But even then, once I decided to code it from the ground up, I had to decide what language to use. I want to condense some of the repeating elements, so using server side include files made sense to think about. So I narrowed it down to either asp or php, for these are 2 languages I work with, and both can handle the scripts I wanted to write.

Point of all this is, there were many different ways I could do this project, and all of them might have been right. But my client is entrusting me to look at the options, narrow it down based on her criteria, and then help her make a decision.

And what makes it possible for me to offer this sound, sage advice?

Experience. Years of it. Hundreds of sites under my belt.

So get on it. Every site you work on matters. Every writing assignment should have something to be gained. Every meeting should teach you something. The lessons are there if you let them.
Pile it up, dive right in. Nothing gets work faster than experience, and experience tells you to never be afraid to seek out more experiences. Pretty cool the way that works out.

SEO Copywriter Tip

Been a while since I shared an honest to goodness seo copywriting tip. Here's a good one: don't work too hard.

I don't mean don't spend all of your time writing - we both know how foolish that would be. I mean instead, to simply write good pieces and don't sweat the seo tweaking...at least not right away.

If you're writing an article, do a little research so you can pull in some quotes or links that punch up the validity of your argument. Links out to other resources are good SEO practices, and they help your article too. Why? Because if you build the validity of your argument, you build your validity (over time) in the search engines.

Of course, the competitiveness of your niche matters a lot here. But from an seo copywriter's perspective, the approach is always from the same point of origin: reaching the audience in a unique way. So the SEO copywriter tip is don't spend too much time on SEO copywriting tricks...spend it on reaching audiences through the power of your writing.

Blending Strategies
Here's another SEO tip for Writers: Don't Underestimate Press Release titles
I had an experience a few months ago, where one of my clients was blasting a press release written by another PR firm. They asked my opinions on some of the potential SEO value we could get-we had a couple days to look at it before the scheduled release. So I worked with the PR firm to revamp the title, and the edit the first few lines of text. It was a few simple, but strategic changes, bringing some specific keywords to the front of the piece.

This was a good example of blending team strategies to reach a better conclusion for everyone. Knowing this article was going to be blasted and then heavily scraped (and it was), we were able to re-tool the title and introduction and get lasting results for the targeted keyphrases. The PR firm were experts at what they did, and my clients made the right move by bringing me in to help when they did.

9 months later, a direct-match search on the targeted keyphrase still shows 8 of the top-10 Google results are where this article was picked up--my client's site being in slots 2-3 at the moment (it varies in the top 12 slots). Many of these scraped articles have the links I embedded in them, many are instead straight up text. But the point is, for this key phrase a user is likely to read about my client 8 out of 10 times on the first page. And by having this article on some very reputable news sources, my client gets instant credibility and direct connection to the keywords I placed in the title.

I don't normally search too deep, but I am certain I have a really nice chunk of the top 100 slots for my client in some way here.

So this project, a press release, was really a huge success because the client had the foresight to bring in the elements they needed as they needed them. The event was covered by a PR firm, experienced in spreading the news. It was tweaked by an SEO Copywriter to get a little more mileage from the effort. The client probably spent about $2,000 to pull it together.

The results are traffic, links, and a direct match for this valuable keyword that will likely last for a good long time. A related conversion can be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands to this client, so even one sale more than justifies the cost.

So, the tips I leave you with are to work on a piece of writing to make it effective. When it is a solid piece of writing, look back over it with more of an SEO slant. Weave in a few keywords, if possible, to the title and first few paragraphs...but don't sacrifice readability for keywords. You're better off with a tighter, simpler article than one forced into answering objectives involving word count, keywords, or anything else sometimes evaluated by SEO writers.

Show the value of your skills by blending into team situations. Respect project hierarchies, but don't be afraid to suggest changes based on your expertise and experiences...it is usually why you are in the room to begin with. When you can seize an opportunity that offers long-term value, don't be afraid to make an investment, or to jump in with both feet.

SEO should stand for Search Engine Opportunity, if you ask me.

Changes in Attitude

The search engines change. All the time. Rank for something today, and 3 months from now, you might be nowhere to be seen.

So as a freelance SEO copywriter, what does this mean to you?

Change. Because you must to survive.

How To Change
If you know you must change to keep up, the question then becomes how to do it.

There's not really a good, clean-cut "it always works like this" answer for you here. Some changes (like the always increasing value in links, or specific links from specific sources) are relatively easy to see, and easy to accommodate. But most often, changes in the search engines are really pretty subtle, so if you are not watching them all the time, you may miss out.

Crank Out The Pages
A freelance SEO copywriter needs to know what works (as far as textually) better than other options when writing a webpage. So it is imperative to have lots of active sites going at all times, in various niches, so you can tweak them and play around and see what happens.

Blogs are good ways to test change, because they tend to get lots of traffic, you can crank out different types of text to see what sticks and why. You can host them a number of different ways too, which can tell you a lot. And perhaps best of all, they can be free...so you can launch a bunch of them (all with different objectives) and feel free test your theories.

If you don't have theories to test, you may be in the wrong profession.

What It Is
Most often, I am simply given a list of keywords to develop. It's my job to create something from nothing, and I rarely get much direction from most clients...they don't know how to express what they want other than they know they want new pages.

In the past, it was all about page/word count. For instance, right up until early last year, a client might have given me a list of 500 keywords, and want a page of 250 words devoted to each with specific keywords in them...it was a lot of bread-n-butter gigs to say the least. And I stayed really busy doing it, too -- I made a great income by simply being literate, so my wooden pages were grammatically correct and not nauseating.

Many times I knew little about what I was writing about and had no time to research, but the clients didn't care as long as there were keywords in the pages, I matched their company tone, I was on top of the sentence structures and all the keywords from the list were handled. Good for them, better for me - I switched on auto-pilot and spit out thousands of pages.

Fast forward to now, and that strategy doesn't work.

Now, I still get a list of keywords but the clients tend to want more solid materials, because lowest common denominator stuff stays below the fold. So if this was the only thing I knew how to do (filling up hollow pages with hollow text), I would be really screwed right now. But I am not at all screwed, because I know what is happening in the engines, and am pleased to say, it is much better to write solid, meaningful work and build links to it than to simply pile keywords into bland filler. I appreciate the shift anyway...for even though many experts always said this was true about solid SEO techniques, it was far too easy to manipulate the engines with repetition for most people to care about the actual VALUE. Those people are likely watching their cherished rankings fall now, because there is no structure under their efforts, no meat to go with the potatoes.

I don't see the search engines moving backwards. Instead I see them continually trying to refine the ways to determine a page of content is worthwhile...using links and other references is not new, but it is a much stronger part of the algorithms than it used to be.

What It All Means
What this all means to you, dear SEO copywriter in the wings, is that you need not concern yourself as much with what the search engines want, and just need to be a good writer. The money train for pap and fluff has stopped, and it won't be starting back up.

Are keywords still important? Hell yes. But relevancy, and craft, and solid writing are FINALLY much more apparent to the engines than it was in the past. This is a golden opportunity for a good writer, because you can focus much more on your craft, and leave the tweaky manipulative things to someone else. It wasn't always this way...I was there a couple years back when it was all about keywords, and knowing how many to hit and how hard to hit them. I was part of the mess that is now on the Internet - sorry, there were mouths to feed.

But sometimes, a little change is the best possible thing you can hope for.

So get lots of sites going...don't belabor them, just create platforms on which you can write. And write, and write and write. See what is working, and what doesn't. See what creates an audience, engages readers, and encourages traffic to build. Study traditional copywriting, and learn those lessons well.

But just keep writing -- it is, after all, what an SEO writer does for a living.

A Weird Week

It was a week of balance.

The Bad
One client was unhappy with some of the stuff I did. It was one guy on a team of directors, just happened to be the guy with the most say. My tone was off from what he wanted and we had to sort it out. It ended up fine, but it was unusual. I don't like missing the mark, so while this may have ended up okay for the project (I am still working), it is still pretty heavy on my mind.

The Better
But then I ran reports for two other clients, and both projects are shooting through the roof. They are both really new sites, but both are solidly indexed in less than a week, and results are showing tremendous promise. Many top-10 results, and both clients are simply glowing.

I also had 4 new offers for gigs this week - two fell of pretty quickly (tire kicking), but the other two are developing nicely. Again, very positive, very promising. One is a brand new client, one is a returning client I have not worked for in about a year or 2. All 4 calls made me pretty happy.

Also got a decent check in the mail, and one project that ended I was asked to continue for 3 more months. All really great things.

The Balance
So the balance comes because I am still pretty wigged out about the bad experience. I am not diminishing the great things happening, but the bitter ones stay for a while. My position as a freelance SEO writer has allowed me to get past it, and there's too much work to let me sit and stew. But still, it's simply not in my nature to allow failure to happen lightly.

So when you think about this as a career move, make sure to consider that you won't make everyone happy. Copywriting is pretty subjective. But still, you don't have to make everyone happy all the time. You could easily die trying.

The Takeaway
If this client and I didn't settle our differences, we could have parted ways pretty bitterly.

Instead, I listened to what they said. I did not argue or make excuses...just listened. I acknowledged their concerns, and allowed them to redfine what they wanted.

I saw where I was wrong, and offered to fix it for free. We all left the meeting satisfied that we'd be okay, and no damage done. But it was a little uncomfortable for a minute, that's for sure. Turned out, we just had a failure to communicate.

And then, the rest of the week it rained golden puppies of love.

Go figure...such is the life of balance as a freelance SEO copywriter.

Art Versus Eating

I just watched a great documentary (called "My Kid Could Paint That") about a suggested art wunderkind - Marla Olmsted, the 4 year-old painter from New York. It was a good film, in that it made me think. Don't care whether or not it is true - because it had the desired effect. It was good art, in and of itself. Many of the characters are pretty tragic, and not the point here.

As a freelance seo writer, I often get asked about why I do this. Especially by folks who know me, and know how much art has driven my life. I started out playing in bands and writing comedy and fiction. So there is some internal struggle from time to time as well - why do I do this? But the reason is so simple, it almost hurts. Art is communication. This makes anything you do well, anything that connects you and your message to other people, art. So for me, I simply had to re-think what I thought it means to be an artist.

I have a lot of friends that play music. Most have day jobs, some don't. But all of them have to play, because they do. I play - piano, drums, guitar - whatever. Sometimes with others, more often without. I decided a long time ago, I like owning stuff. Having stuff, and expecting music to pay for the stuff I like made a few decisions for me. I am a realist. Fiction is tough. Writing comedy is tough. Playing music is tough. One out of a million make enough to eat. That makes for a lot of hungry folks. So I aimed my art more specifically, I discovered and subsequently targeted my product(s) at an audience always willing to buy...I got into copywriting. To me, this is easy. Give me a specific direction, I'll give you the script for success. Easy.

But I think there is a great deal of art in what I do. I am mastering the art, by hitting the mark in fewer conversations. Less revisions. Quicker flips. If I can talk to you once and deliver, you benefit from my artistic bend.

I eat well. I had sushi for lunch today, and was happy that the high price didn't matter to me. I could easily afford it. My current art affords me sushi lunches, which is cool by me. Because I want my art to pay for my life. It makes me happy and content - I find creativity as well as monetary rewards.

Some of the best artists I have ever known struggle with paying bills on time. I don't. Some of them question their paths, don't know what to expect from their futures. I don't. I buy their art. I see their shows, and drop my money in the tip jar. I go home to a nice house, and have all the stuff I need. I don't feel I want for much. Freelance copywriting has been the key to my success.

So how this ties into Marla Olmsted and the documentary, I don't know. What I do know, is that I appreciate my art. I know how to create something from nothing, or can make simple ideas more beautiful. My professional detachment allows me to not be married to anything I write for work - changing my text is part of the drill. If I don't want a comma moved or a verb switched, I have fiction to save me. My art is still there, it is still mine. But when they are paying me, and paying me well to say what is important to them (not me mind you, but a collective them), I let them change whatever they want. I offer opinions on what's best, but don't let my art get in the way of my eating. Eating costs money...and so does my time. It balances out nicely.

Branching Out

As a freelance seo writer, I have a unique opportunity to help people. Lots of times, it is small business owners, who I help by offering affordable rates and honest service. But this weekend, I started a new thing, and thought I'd write just a quick note about it. Bear with me.

I know a lot of blues musicians here in Atlanta, and they are some really great people. However, though they are very talented, most cannot do much with their websites. It's a shame, because better sites would mean more people find them.

So I bought a bunch of webspace, and a couple domains, and I am going to help them. I am creating some sites to showcase a lot of their work, and will include calendars for where they are playing, and pix, videos and whatever else they want. I am helping them for nothing - simply because I believe in what they do.

So while most of the time, being a freelance seo writer means getting paid, in this case, it means using what I know to give back. It is like speaking to college students, or mentoring new writers. I just believe that these are important things to do, and am glad I have the chops to do something of value. You don't always have to get paid to get paid, if that makes sense.

So don't think that doing one thing for a living means that every time you do it, you always have to charge for it. Branch out a little. Do what feels good, just because. Balance your zen.

In the end, I know it will make me a better writer. If not, it will at least make me a better person - so how can I lose? When i get the sites up and running, I will post about here, so you can see why I care. Cheers!

Is SEO the Secret Sauce?

With the economy doing slow laps around the toilet bowl, many business owners are starting to panic. They look at a shrinking income coupled with rising costs, and they realize there is trouble ahead. Many of them are looking for any answer to try to breathe new life into the business. So is SEO the secret sauce that will save the day for businesses now struggling?

It sounds weird to hear me say this, but most often, probably not.

I believe SEO work is important for any business seeking to gain web traction. As a freelance writer who specializes in SEO, you know I believe that content is king. But SEO is a part of a web business, not a magic pill to suddenly turn the tide of the badgered economy.

A Little Syrup for the Eggo Above.
Ok, I know that probably sounds mighty waffle-like. On the one hand I think that every business on the web should be doing some SEO work, but on the other, I don't want them to think it is magic.

In actuality, for many businesses, organic SEO might be magic. A little SEO work by a professional can have some pretty quick results, and quick results make anything easier to swallow.

But for many businesses, it won't. Chances are pretty good that if the current state of economic affairs is the thing that is driving you to now consider SEO work, you likely have bigger issues to iron out. Does this mean you should rule it out as a strategy? No...not by a long shot. But it should be a strategy that works with others to improve the entire financial picture of the business.

One way to think of it, is say your business is like your arm (stay with me here...). Your arm gets cut, and starts bleeding. The cut is deep, and you need to think of a way to fix it.

• The Band-aid. One option is to go to the bathroom and put a band-aid on it. This may help a little with the bleeding, but since the cut is deep, it may not help much. Using only a band-aid you might also have some issues trying to get your arm to heal correctly because you are dealing only with the result of the cut - you are treating a symptom, not the issue.
• Getting Stitched up. Another option is to go to a Doctor for stitches. With stitches, you will invest a little more, trust a professional, and take a little longer to see the full effects of how it helps your arm heal. It may slow you down a little, but the professional is interested in the long-term healing of your arm. They want to close the wound, stave off infection, and help you get back to 100% use as soon as possible. If the professional knows what he or she is doing, you won't even have a scar.

So if you are thinking about how SEO might be used in your business, don't think of it as a band-aid that will allow you to survive a rough economic slide. It may work for you this way, but it also may not...and this is a dangerous bet for many businesses.

Instead, think of organic SEO as a careful, deliberate and ongoing effort to keep your business strong and healthy.

A freelance SEO writer is not a rainmaker. A genius, perhaps. A wizard or miracle cure, probably not.

So if you are freelancing for some businesses, make sure not to blow smoke up their collective dress about what SEO will do for them right now. If you are a business owner looking for a way out of tough economic conditions, think of organic SEO as a good tool, but certainly, only one of many. Be sensible.

True organic SEO work takes time. It takes effort. The work really never ends. It can be insanely profitable, while bad SEO work can be insanely expensive.

It All Starts with the Keywords

This week, I have taken on a couple of new clients. It made me think of how important the keywords are to any SEO project.

The most common thing I see is someone thinking a keyword will work, when it won't. Guilty of this one myself--I often think people will search on something specific when they in fact, don't. This is why you should try to limit your guessing in choosing your targeted keywords.

Start With a List

A business owner, or a freelance SEO writer on the job needs to free-associate some terms with the way they want the business to be perceived. List them out--that's what whiteboards and legal pads are for. Think of what you want the website to do, what the company offers--simple, basic ideas or more specific ones. Write them out and don't edit them. Do as many as you can.

In my experience, the initial list you develop here is seldom the list of keywords you will actually target in SEO.

Not to say you can't target them, of course...and you usually do. But the list a business owner and another web professional creates, and the list a street-level web user creates may not line up. They will usually intersect through obvious keywords, but many business owners are surprised to see the really odd things people type in an engine to find them.

There is often a gap between how intimately someone on the inside considers the business, and how a potential web customer sees them, or more accurately, searches for someone like them.

An SEO copywriter steps in here, to help bridge this gap.

Use the Tools

Take the brainstorming list, and run it through some really basic keyword analysis.

There are some great free tools to use to get a look at search volumes for specific keywords in various engines. Some even offered by the engines themselves. I suggest to try a couple out to see which one you like. I use more than one usually...simply because they all offer something different, and no one of them is perfect. I also like to gather as much data as I can before making a decision on keywords.

So get a few tools you like to use. Plunk in your keywords, and a good tool will not only show you the search volume on that specific term, it will list related ones. This helps you see things clearly from a user's perspective. Don't think of a keyword report like this as the Bible, or something carved in stone...try to see it as a direction.

I usually export out these lists in full, into Excel. Then I manually cull the lists, tossing out duds, and non-target worthy results. I sort the data by search volume, and the list starts to take shape. I combine the best words from the initial brainstorming list (because these are important to the business) with keywords from the analysis (because these are important to the web users) and I am able to map out a clear strategy where everybody wins.

Everything I do, depends on this list. I need to create pages that answer needs...a user's and my client's. I depend 100% on the research and data behind the keywords that make this all click together in our favor.

Take the time to really understand the keywords and search habits of your audience. Don't guess, dig deeper. The results are always worth it.

Freelancing Independence: the Trade

Since yesterday was Independence Day, it seems like a good time to address one of the lures of freelancing--the freedom.

There is no doubt that freelancing can free you from the routines and necessities that others (those with regular jobs) must face. You don't have to go to a single place to work, you don't have to follow anyone else's schedule most of the time. Technically, you don't have a boss. In most cases, you alleviate the repetition and the "big picture" demands that cause professional boredom.

What you get in return is (among other things) projects in many different situations, the power to determine and set your own schedule, and an uncapped earning potential.

Pretty sexy.

But it is important to realize that this trade-off has some requirements. It also means that a freelancing lifestyle is not for everyone.

3 Things You Trade for Your Independence as a Freelance SEO Writer

1. Stable Paychecks. Getting paid every two weeks has its perks. I can definitely say, as a full-time freelancer there are times when the money gets very tight, and others when it seems to fall from the sky. But paying your own bills won't wait for you to collect from a hard-to-reach client, so how does a freelancer deal with stabilizing their cash flow?
   Freelance Solution: Scheduling work and billing cycles accordingly. A freelance seo writer should realize that they need to stagger projects and payments to always have work cycling through. Look at pending work, existing projects, and outstanding invoices. You should keep all 3 at a nice steady churn to keep things moving forward smoothly. Also understand that completing a project and getting paid are 2 completely different aspects to a project. If you know it takes 6 weeks to collect from a client, you had better know what you are going to do for those 6 weeks to pay for gas and groceries. It means knowing how to schedule your time and balance your workload, how to save money when needed, and how to follow a personal budget. Knowing that some times are going to be stronger than others, you need to work as much as possible when the work is there and save that money. You may need it later in the year if things slow down. Create a weekly budget, and adhere to it. Be careful--If a client takes 3-6 months to pay for a project, receiving an unusually large check can be very tempting. But remember that larger sums of money represent a lot of time during which you likely had to use other sources of income. This aspect is very hard to understand or manage when you are first starting out, but as time goes on, you will see how proper project scheduling and balancing your budget wisely plays into your overall success rate as a freelance seo writer.


2. Company Sponsored Benefits. One of the reasons you are attractive to a company is they don't have to pay for your benefits like they do with their full time employees. But what happens if you get sick and need a doctor? What about saving for retirement?
   Freelance Solution: Finding individual plans to meet your needs. Talk to a couple insurance agents and find a plan that answers your needs. True, this will create a monthly obligation...but you don't want to get caught in the lurch by something. Nobody plans to get sick, or have an accident. But smart freelancers have insurance plans and leave less to risk. Similarly, planning for retirement is something that a freelancer should take seriously. Talk to a financial planner to investigate CDs, 401ks, stocks, bonds, or other investment opportunities. Freelance seo writing can be a very hand-to-mouth kind of existence, so don't be short-sighted. Take control of your own future, and plan for it. Be realistic, and be aggressive. See part of every paycheck as an investment in your future.


3. Coworkers. A lot of freelancers I have talked to start freelancing as a way to get away from people at work. Though some people can definitely be a challenge to deal with, others make every day more fun. A work environment offers a lot of opportunity to develop new friendships and get to know new people, so what does a freelancer do to increase socializing and relationship building?
   Freelance Solution: Networking. Like I have stated many times, relationship building is a big part of freelancing. Since it is not as easy to make new friends without a structured environment to encourage it, you simply have to be a little more proative and conscious about making connections. Join professional networks in your area. Look into the Chamber of Commerce. Look at industry-specific organizations to which you might belong. Find some bloggers to engage with or forums to join. Reach out however it feels best. Most freelance seo writers are really busy writing and finding work. Make sure to take time to come out from this little shell, and get personally plugged-in--both to your local business community and to the industries you serve. By doing so, you can surround yourself with forward-thinking professionals who are great resources to share with and learn from on a regular basis.

These three things are only some of the trade-offs you'll encounter when choosing freelancing as a career path, and they illustrate the point that this is not the right path for everyone.

The trade-off is something you must welcome or freelancing is going to be tough. The benefits of freelancing certainly look sexy, but contrary to what people think, a life of freelancing is never easy. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of preparing to be able to balance everything properly. But when it feels right to do so and to make the trade-offs necessary for success, you honestly rarely think about the effort you are putting in.

Keep your eye on the target. Research and understand as much as you can before starting something. Don't take things too seriously or too lightly. Relax, and enjoy.

Old Clients, New Work

I was reminded twice this week why as a freelance seo writer, I always try to keep relationships healthy.

I had two older clients come back to me this past week seeking long-term engagements. This is great--I can offer more detailed service and they get more work...which means more money!

But I didn't seek these new engagements--they found me. And I am doing SEO work for both, but have not done SEO work for either client before. They were both copywriting clients who learned of my specialty while I worked for them. When their needs came up, they remembered me positively, and I got the call.

I've said it before, but it is worth repeating. Freelancing is a lot about making and maintaining good relationships. You never know who is going to one day be in charge, and what that means to you.

So if you are just starting out in this field, make sure to keep your relationships solid. Meet your deadlines, and do your best to resist any weirdo tendencies. Keep your personal tweaks personal. I have lost some good relationships because I was too casual, and offered too much. I regret this, not just from a work standpoint but as a personal failure. It's fine, and all part of the learning curve--but I wish I would've been smart enough to be able to keep some relationships stronger.

And those are of course, the exception. As a rule, I make myself easy to find and easy to talk to...and my clients appreciate it. And they return, sometimes months or even years later. Which feels pretty cool.

SEO Copywriting Tip : Keep it Coming

Fresh content is an aspect of organic ranking many websites fail to do. My own website (http://www.articulayers.com/) is unfortunately a great example of this--I have not been diligent in doing new site updates. In fact, other than a few very minor tweaks, I have not done much to this site in almost 2 years...simply been too busy.

On one hand it is good, because it made me start to look a little more seriously at blogging and other aspects of the craft, but for the good of my site's organic rankings, it has been the kiss of death. I totally owned my keyphrases for years, and in the last 6 months, have been dropping like a lead balloon.

I am not too worried about it, because when the time comes for me to put more muscle behind it, I will--in the meantime I have been testing some off-site strategies to see what happens. But I do know if I don't do something to improve the freshness of the content in my site, it will slowly fall off the map completely...or at least not get beyond the second page of the SERPs, which for me, is not really ranking at all.

An Easy Sell
I have found that selling the idea of fresh content is usually pretty easy with established clients. They may hesitate at first, but once I can clearly show them (preferably using their site) the value of adding fresh SEO content (as well as non-SEO pages) , they are quickly in my camp, and ready for me to add more girth and pull to their site's content. An SEO copywriter should be able to show a client proof (and I use that term a little liberally here, since you can't really prove much in organic SEO) that this service will have a lasting value. From there, it makes writing and posting new content a relatively easy sell.

Keep it Valuable
Remember that this type of fresh content is an SEO strategy, and like all solid SEO efforts it should be focused on providing more user value per visit. So if you have a client selling widgets, you want to offer content all about widgets--what they are, how they work, what to look out for, and so on. Posting your Aunt's cookie recipes might indeed add content, but this is not adding to the perceived "widgets" value of the domain...so it won't work as you might want it to.

Every niche has a million and one things to talk about. As an SEO writer, it is often my job to dig up the dirt and understand instinctively (or thru trial and error) what fires up the audience. From here, I need to know how I can blend this user need into the architecture of the site without disrupting the flow of information, or impeding the call-to-action. There is a very fine line between providing enough information to earn trust and making a sale..it is an SEO writer's tightrope.

Simple Strategies
In offering fresh, regular content there are some very simple things you can suggest.
Blogs
If you can get a blog infused into the site's architecture, you are opening up a beautiful channel of opportunity. Blogs are easier to write than many other types of copywriting, at least most of the time. The language is a little more casual, the topics can range all over the map (within reason, of course). And most importantly, it is something I can train a person to eventually take over--so my client can reduce their cost by handling this in-house. Though I love people coming back for more of my work, ideally, I am really after finishing a project and moving on. If I can work with a client to make them more self-sufficient, they will appreciate me more than if they depend on me for every word. Blogs offer this platform...and will tend to boost the organic aspects of a site significantly. Discussion boards work well too, but blogs are so easy, it is a shame not to harness them.

Press Releases
Most businesses have a lot going on, so why not share this with the world through regularly scheduled press releases? Writing press releases is pretty much a formula--once you have done enough of them, you see the pattern. Intro paragraph summing up the release, second paragraph highlighting the benefits of the action, third (and fourth) paragraphs offering quotes from the principals, and a summary to close. Bing, bang boom. Blast it out to a free news wire (there are lots who do it for free) or put a little money behind it to have it picked up by a reputable news wire. Note that paying to have it picked up may cost a couple hundred dollars, but in doing so, you are greatly improving the chances that this release is seen by more people. I typically suggest both--using the paid services for the really important releases, and the free ones for the rest.

I will say, if I am doing a "blast" of the release in either manner, I am always very careful to have it on the home site before anyone else can get it. Stronger sites (like major news services) will outrank you for your own press release, but over time, they will typically fall below the original post. pay special attention to the way you word your titles too--this has more juice than many people realize. By not optimizing the title, they miss an easy opportunity for SEO progress.
Tips and Hints
Every business probably has some tips and hints to make it easier to use their products or services. So map out a strategy that adds a new tip every week, or every month at least. Again, the point is showing the engines that your site is actively trying to add to the discussion. Sometimes tips and hints can become the entry pages that bring in targeted customers.

Testimonials and Case Studies
These are excellent sales tools that really work well when properly executed. A case study or testimonial will have a user putting themselves in the situation described--which is perfect! People tend to feel more comfortable making a purchase when they see that other people who have done so are reaping the benefits. Illustrate that for them.

Watch, and Learn
Use your analytics and tracking programs to see how these new pages perform. Look at keyword referrals, entry pages, forward paths and time spent on the pages. When fresh content is working well, not only will these all improve, but so will your SERP positions. If you see something is working better than other efforts, put more muscle behind it--expand the keywords, the subject matter and the amount of information you provide.

There is not set formula to follow: adding X number of pages will not result in Y every time. This is simply another aspect of SEO writing that provides a little job security...and there is no denying the effect that fresh content has in today's organic SEO world. Could change tomorrow of course, but for now, just do it.