Writing for the Masses: Different Types of SEO Copywriting

by | Feb 5, 2010 | Freelance SEO Copywriting Tips

In completing a few things on the boil this week, I just sent off a couple guest blog posts. They were really fun to write, and I hope they do well for us all. I also just tucked-in to a 17 page word document of new site content I am writing for a frame shop in Wisconsin – going to be reading and tweaking until my eyes slam shut tonight. Have an ad concept meeting on Friday, and gotta get a new statement of work together for a new project.

This made me think of the different types of work I have done recently, all of it tied in some way to SEO copywriting. I am going to list them here, and encourage you to use this as a reference if you are trying to figure out who might need your services:

  • Site content. Ah yes, the staple of our trade. Businesses ALWAYS need site content. But in this case I refer to the core pages of a site, the skeleton of someone’s corporate message. There is always a new business idea seeking the right presentation or a tired business needing a new idea, so as a writer, you can make a huge impact on a successful launch (or re-branding). If nothing is jumping out at you for where to find work, go where your passions lie and see who needs help. Ask, and ye shall find. Working on the right project recharges your batteries, and more experience (both good and bad) makes you ready for bigger and better projects.
  • Ad copy. Static ad copy that works is a very valuable thing. Making the most of a medium is key here, so if you have specific experience (e.g., in AdWords, Local Search, banners, Facebook, etc.)  it is no crime to mention it. Writing tight little ads for Adwords, Facebook, or other specific mediums is bank. Proof of your mastery is visible in days (in many cases). If you have experience (and no non-compete agreements to prevent it), look to the niches where you have already found success. Build on it. Ad copy (of the Adword variety here – not speaking of more traditional ad copy) is not usually something I land as a gig on its own, but I lump it into a larger web project quite often. 
  • Blogposts.Yes, blogposts. As I said, I have been doing some guest posts lately which have been fun. Sometimes I even write as me now! But I also write a lot of corporate style blogposts anonymously. Businesses appreciate all styles of writing for blogs, so find the tones where you are most comfortable and offer your services, if appropriate. If you like a blog, you can also just write a guest post and offer it – most people would love to have something authored by an expert, so get out there. If they reject your guest post, they may offer suggestions on what to do to bring it up to speed for them – it rarely hurts to try, anyway. Blog owners like having a day off where the content still flows. It works for you in strangely wonderful ways sometimes.
  • Press Releases.Press releases are gold for most small businesses. A press release is a legitimate way to spread positive propaganda about your business, and you can reach a really large audience very quickly if you handle it correctly. Knowing how solid press releases are written is a bankable skill in any industry. These are one of my favorite things to do, really – I find them incredibly easy, so I can spend a good deal of time strategizing the SEO and making them work really well. I have written press releases for auto salvage yards, doctor’s offices, financial providers, service providers, an international overhead door company, geospatial imaging specialists, architects, veterinarians, life coaches, a Vespa scooter dealer and more. All businesses have news, and knowing how to properly leverage a press release is a search engine strategy that still packs a mighty punch.
  • Product descriptions. Last year, I wrote catalog descriptions for two large-scale retailers. What it does for them, is it gives each product page more meat so the search engines appreciate the site a little more. It is a great strategy to pull in more long-tail searches. For me, it was good, steady work for months at a time. There are lots of businesses that can benefit from unique, focused product descriptions – the difficulty I have experienced, is usually more about finding someone willing to pay what it costs for creating that many pages. (But many business owners understand the power here, and know a moderate investment now pays for itself repeatedly over time). Not the most glamorous writing gig for some people, but I actually like the rhythm of it once I get the corporate tone in stride – kind of like riding on a train while you work. Some companies like really unique product descriptions too, so it is a lot more creative than most people might think. Sometimes.
  • Articles for article sites. A 200-800 word article on a specifically identified topic can help a business in their search engine efforts. I worked on a couple strategies recently that involved creating articles for article sites, so the embedded links could be leveraged from a topic aligned with the client’s business. The pay level is not usually high for this kind of thing, but it is something I can bump out without much effort. One important thing to know if you are not aware: power writers on article sites will get the love. If you are a freelance writer and don’t have many active clients, look to these article sites and aim to get enough solid material in one to raise your status to a power contributor. Personally, I don’t think enough of article sites any more to spend time developing my own profiles to gain power from them – I have other fish to fry. But I certainly have written my share of articles for these sites, and it is a strategy many businesses will hire you for. And if you become a power author, you have clout that can earn you some bank from what I understand.

The point of this list is to consider where you could target people looking for this kind of SEO copywriting. Or, if you are talking to someone about the possibility of hiring you, you might mention some of these as options for potential projects.

One last thing to think about from this list, is how widely varied the SEO copywriter’s tool chest can be. You can easily make a specialty out of any one of the things I listed above – or like me, you can go where they need you most.

Call it one small step for job security!

New SEOMoz Link and Site Analysis Tool

by | Jan 22, 2010 | Work Tools

http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/seoMoz

This neat little site explorer tool was released this past week by SEOMoz.

It’ll help you to do competitive research or learn more about your own site, and where you might be able to build some power into it.

I’ll add more to this post after I have had more time to play with the tool, but it is pretty swift. Highly suggest checking it out if you are into SEO copywriting – there is a ton to learn in here.

To get a better idea of what this tool can do, Rand Fishkin, the Big Cheese at SEOMoz wrote this post full of details and explanation.

On another site, I actually asked Rand about the site metrics, which he responded to almost immediately.

My thinking, is that in time, this tool will become very popular, especially in SEO circles. Go check it out!

(tell ’em Martypants sent you!)

Later observations:

  • The tool has a really nice interface and is very user-friendly. Pretty easy to figure out, even if you have limited SEO experience.
  • The clear indications of 301s and no-followed links gives some great “at-a-glance” info
  • (Entry date: April 17, 2010): I am realizing I use this tool mostly for some large overview glances into competion. I do not have a pro membership, so my results from my free account are limited. They do help, and I do think of this tool in my natural work flow now. I like the look at link profiles to see where I stack-up against the people I am looking at. I don’t get much value from some of the data (seem a bit abitrary, but if used as a constant in comparison and analysis, I guess they offer some degree of competitive insight), and referred to this tool probably 3-4 times. I will give it props though – it does offer value, even at the free level. And the sales tactics used to try to upsell don’t impede anything, so it is well presented in that way. For a free tool, it is one of the better ones out there in the SEO world, to me. That said, I use my SEOBook tools much more often, and still rely pretty heavily on them.  Go figure! 🙂  
  • (more to come…)

Setting the Stage for SEO Copywriting Success

by | Jan 20, 2010 | Finding Freelance SEO Copywriting Work

Before you connect, make sure your portfolio is ready. Slamming, in fact. The best it can be.

portfolio - Notturno by Gualtiero You must have some or all of the following: Email-ready samples of previous work, links or a company website.

You want to be taken seriously, so take yourself seriously. The very first thing a prospective client will ask is “Can I see some of your work?” Invest what you need to produce the best possible “quick glimpse” showcase of what you’ll be bringing to the table. Get them responding like Pavlov’s dogs about the idea of working with you.

A client wants to be able to visualize their goal through your talent. Most potential clients are busy people who will give you one chance to connect. It’s a little harsh, but once is all you get – to impress, to dazzle, to bring it home. You don’t ever get to explain why you failed- you simply get ignored or politely rejected.  

This means you need to make a power-packed first impression. 

It doesn’t mean cram everything you have ever done into a single PowerPoint slide, or email a 30-page attachment as a look at previous work.

Have something reasonable and appropriate to show your new contacts that you mean business. Show where (specifically) you have delivered to other businesses in the past. When you can include any data around the measured effect your writing had, it gets ’em every time.

Once you have a website in place or at least some email-ready samples, it’s time to find more work.

And that brings us solidly into the rest of our lives, people – balancing a decent portfolio with the right amount of cold calls and repeat visitors to stay fat-and-happy.

Here’s the Story of the New Site

by | Jan 10, 2010 | General Pearls of Wisdom

I have had a website for Articulayers since 2002.
This one is my fourth now for this company…each one I think, gets a little stronger.

I am now on WordPress with a modified theme by Thesis – a far cry from the “every stroke must be mine” approach shared by the first three efforts. Now, I am into steamlining. Quick is quicker now.

But this site was not meant to be released quite yet – so I am in a scramble trying to get things back together.

See, I have had my site hosted by this company down in Australia for the last 6-7 years. But they were getting increasingly problematic to deal with. I could never reach anyone in the support, and when I did, they rarely understood what I wanted.

After a couple years running with hassles that were mounting, but none big enough to make me leave, my site went down for about 6 hours. I finally got mad, and cancelled my credit card information – this was last spring.

The hosting plan actually ended in August, but they did not shut me down until last night. I did not really see it coming, so “Surprise!”

Now, I was in the process of building a new site (as you see here) and had it on another domain, almost ready. I was playing around, testing and tweaking for the last few weeks. This morning, I saw that the crappy Australian host had finally pulled the plug, so I scrambled all day to move some stuff over here.

This site is by no means ready, but it is world’s better than the one I had I think.  I believe I am going to lose a lot of my rankings, but I am fine with that. I am actually going to recapture them now a little more purposefully.

So welcome to the new site. I may have been a bit rushed today to get some things out here, but over time, I think it is going to be a wonderful thing.