WORKING WITH FREELANCE IN WEB WRITING: HOW DOES IT WORK?

Working with an SEO web writing freelancer as a brand or as a service provider is a good way to develop your natural referencing and improve your visibility on Google. You gain in customers and turnover.

 

Why this theme?  As a freelance web writer for ten years and a blogger here since 2015, I wanted to share with you one of the facets of my professional activity. Always interested in new collaborations, this is also an opportunity to show you my way of working if you would like us to work together on your project!

 

In any case, this is the message that you will find hammered all over the web. If it's true – using a freelance SEO web writing can really boost your online visibility and your turnover – there are a lot of things to know before getting started. In this article, I will share with you my way of working and my experience as an rap ghostwriting services, as well as keys and tools to better understand the work of an SEO web editor.

 

HOW WEB WRITING CAN BOOST YOUR BUSINESS?

Writing and more specifically web writing is used as part of different marketing strategies to develop your business. The best known is the increase in natural referencing (known as SEO) but there are others, notably storytelling and copy writing. Because these two terms come up regularly, I will also mention them in this section.

Understanding SEO

Increasing natural referencing, also called SEO (search engine optimization), is the act of optimizing your site so that it is naturally (i.e. without paying) offered to people who carry out searches. It is very interesting to have your site well positioned on Google (let's be honest, it's the search engine that interests you the most!) since this will help increase visits and sales linked to your activity.

The three pillars of SEO are based

The technical architecture of the site: the software that supports the site (WordPress, Prestashop, Shopify, etc.), the speed of the site, the fact that the site is accessible or not on mobile... all these elements impact SEO.Site content: the site must contain keywords and quality texts in order to be well positioned when searches are carried out. It is essential to have a real content strategy to make your site visible – this is where the web editor has a huge influence.The positioning of the site on the web: a site connected to other sites in its sector and shared on high quality sites (media, sites with influence and a good Google rating) will tend to be well positioned.

SEA and SMO

Have you also heard of SEA and SMO?

The abbreviation SEA stands for “Search Engine Advertisement”. These are the contents that appear with the word Sponsored at the start of the results on the Google search page. In general, it is not necessarily web editors who manage this type of mission even if it is not incompatible (the creation of advertisements requires both good knowledge of the Google tool but also the mastery of words and key words). For my part, I talk about it again at the end of this article, I regularly work with companies to generate their ads and develop their SEA strategy.

The abbreviation SMO, for its part, corresponds to “Social Media Optimization” (optimization of content on social networks). The goal? Reach as many people as possible via social networks by understanding user requests but also knowing the particularities and algorithm of each network! Web editors are not necessarily required to work on these subjects – this work is more that of social media managers. My agency can support you on these aspects, I'll talk about it a little later.

What does SEO web writing mean?

SEO web writing is a type of writing which consists of knowing how to create content optimized for the web and search engines. There are indeed many writing rules for both the web and SEO (keywords are only a tiny part of what we call SEO web writing).

In bulk:

The architecture of an article and its metadataThe number of words needed in an articleThe main keyword and secondary keywordsThe way of processing images (it is not always the web editor who manages this part but it is still essential in terms of SEO)

Storytelling, personal branding and copywriting?

The terms storytelling, personal branding and copywriting appear regularly in content related to writing, web writing and content creation. If they are not all covered by web editors, it seemed important to me to talk about them here.

Story telling

Story telling is a marketing technique which consists of telling a story around a brand or a product to sell it better. The idea is increasingly strong that we are not buying a possession, an object, but a story and an experience. Story telling adapts to this way of consuming. Story telling is not the work of people practicing SEO web writing. In general, it is the prerogative of the founders of brands, as well as the designers surrounding them. The web editor is called upon to put the story told into words, as part of the About page of a site or on the product sheets.

Personal branding

Personal branding is also a marketing technique. It’s about putting yourself forward and making yourself a brand. This is a technique used by many stars and influencers-content creators. More and more entrepreneurs are using personal branding to showcase themselves in their entrepreneurial lives to promote their brand and their products. Again, personal branding is not the work of web editors – it is often the initiative of the people themselves. However, the web editor may be the person called upon to write blog articles, newsletters or Instagram posts to develop a person's personal branding.

Copywriting

Copywriting, finally, is a marketing technique consisting of writing to sell. It involves developing a specific sales pitch, most often on sales pages. You will find this way of writing in newsletters, in automatic email suites and in training sales. Infopreneurs have mastered the art of creating sales pages! Copywriting is the prerogative of certain web editors but it is a different expertise from SEO writing: the goal is not to provide information and answer a question but to push for sales. If we place ourselves in the context of a sales funnel, we could say that SEO web writing comes before copywriting: SEO web writing allows you to make yourself known to the future client, while copywriting allows you to sell to the person who already knows us.

Web writing and SEO: is it for you and your business?

It’s difficult to say or deny that you need SEO writing services for your business. Certain sectors are therefore more conducive than others for SEO writing. Some examples of digital communication strategy follow – note that these are particularly broad points and will always need to be refined.

The plumbing sector

SEO is interesting in this sector as the ads are expensive when you use paid referencing (count 5 to 7€ for a click on your site!).

The fashion and jewelry sector

Fashion and jewelry are an ultra-competitive sector where it is very difficult to stand out (omnipresence on social networks, omnipresence on Google Shopping, etc.). However, it is possible, with a brand that is different or very specialized, to make itself visible online via SEO.

The CBD sector

Having acquired very strong experience in the CBD sector, it is impressive to realize to what extent SEO is a massive development weapon in this sector. Moreover, all sites fight to obtain the best positioning on Google.

The sectors of publishing, writing, reading

These sectors can greatly benefit from SEO, because the users (the people who will consume the written content) are naturally readers. These are people who are not frightened by words and who will appreciate an article that answers their question(s). It's all about knowing their questions!

Sectors where teaching is important

More broadly, all sectors where the need for education is important (food, sexuality, cosmetics, etc.) are very favorable to SEO. Indeed, Google is the first tool people turn to when looking for information and solutions.

If you want the development of a more or less long-term communication strategy and consider SEO as a possibility, do not hesitate to contact me: my agency works on natural referencing, paid referencing and optimization on social networks. One of these solutions will definitely be interesting for your development!

THE SERVICES OF A WEB EDITOR

In the first part of this article, we saw what SEO was and what the mission of an SEO web editor corresponded to. Let's now look at the different missions that an SEO writing professional can offer to support you.

Every editor is different. He has his own background, his own experience. The services offered and the preferred subjects therefore differ from one professional to another.

Content strategy

A web editor is first and foremost a content creator. This is why he will generally be able to offer you the creation of a global content strategy for all of your media (social networks, website, print, etc.).

A content strategy consists of thinking about your target (your preferred clientele) and establishing a set of content for them to encourage them to discover you and buy on your site. It is as much about acquisition (via social networks, influencer marketing and natural referencing), as it is about transformation (copywriting) and loyalty (mailing, social networks). It covers a lot of information and can be refined as you collect information about your customers (yes, we are talking about the famous cookies! )

The editorial calendar

In line with the editorial strategy, the editorial calendar precisely establishes the topics that will be covered by your company as well as the dates on which these topics will be posted.

A web editor can offer you this type of service, particularly if you agree with him on a certain number of articles per month for several months (which I recommend to ensure regularity of posts!).

The SEO strategy

Establishing an SEO strategy consists of establishing a list of keywords to be treated, drawing up secondary keywords and questions to be treated, but also establishing a priority on the different words to be treated. It may also involve implementing tools to monitor the evolution of the site's positioning in order to validate the strategy deployed (I can only recommend it).

Not all web editors offer this type of service. There are SEO people who work on keyword strategy and article structure only – they then work with copywriters who compose the texts.

If you hire a web editor to boost your SEO, I can only recommend that you start by drawing up an SEO strategy. In fact, writing articles for the sake of writing articles has less and less SEO impact, especially if you are in a competitive sector.

Writing, web writing and SEO web writing

I told you about it at the start of the article: SEO web writing is different from web writing which is different from traditional writing. Each sector has its rules and knowing how to write is not necessarily enough to make a good editor (even if it is one of the must-haves!).

Here is an overview of all the texts that these editors can work on:

Content of the pages of a siteSocial media contentBlog postsProduct sheetsWhite BookNewsletterTransactional emails

SEO integration

Beyond writing texts, the way you integrate them into your site and your blog plays a huge role in SEO. It's about putting the right metadata, the right tags, the right information in the images used. A web editor may be able to do this mission if 1) you don't want to take it on or 2) you don't know how to take it on.

Copywriting

Copywriting, as we talked about a little above, is the act of writing to sell. We find this method of writing in product sheets, in pages dedicated to training and in emails, in particular email suites sent automatically based on pre-established scenarios (purchase of this or that product, birthday date, registration to the newsletter…).

If the scenarios and the implementation of scenarios for sending emails are not necessarily the prerogative of web editors (it is a question of communication and marketing strategy), the writing of these different contents is the role of web editors who most often indicate having a specialty in copywriting.

WORKING WITH A FREELANCER IN SEO WEB WRITING

Do you think you need an SEO web editor and/or copywriter as part of your professional activity and would like to know more about the modalities? Here are several elements of vocabulary and organization to understand how the majority of collaborations take place.

Each editor has their own way of working regarding rates, billing, specializations and so on. The elements given below are of a general nature but it will be interesting for you to ask all your questions to your editor to understand exactly how he works and make the working relationship fruitful.

Before you start: a long-term working relationship

Working with an SEO web editor means working for the long term. In fact, writing two or three articles with an editor will have almost no effect on your SEO... It is the recurrence of writing and postings that will increase your SEO and maintain it against your competition (especially if you are in a booming sector).

With a copywriting editor, these may involve shorter-term services, on assignment, on specific mailings or specific pages. In general, once this content has been created, you have to wait to see the results and modify them if necessary.

#1 Define your web writing needs

Before you even start looking for and choosing your web writing service provider, you must first make a list of your web writing and editing needs.

Do you need someone to set the tone of your texts and therefore to write the first contents of the pages of your website and your communication materials (brochure, press kit, etc.)?

Do you need to boost your online visibility and expand your audience through natural referencing? Do you already work with an expert SEO agency that provides you with keywords and briefs or do you need a copywriter who knows how to work without these tools?

Do you need to boost your sales to an already established audience through someone capable of writing emails that make you want to buy? Do you already work with an expert in email marketing strategy who imagined and implemented your scenarios or do you want to find a writer who can do this entire process?

Do you have a specific and very punctual need? Like writing an Book Marketing Agency to make your brand shine or a magazine to communicate internally during a seminar?

#2 Choose your web editor

Once you have established your list of needs, it is time to start looking for your web writing partner. To do this, I can only recommend that you start with word of mouth: ask around you if anyone has the contact of a good web editor. You can also go through the web, Facebook groups (I regularly respond to ads on groups and have found some of my clients this way) or through freelance platforms.

Finding professionals is a first step. The second will be to ask them their specialty (SEO, copywriting), their portfolio and their preferred areas. This last point is the least important, however: the work of a web editor is research and a spirit of synthesis. He may also ask your questions to refine the information in his possession.

The question of price and function is then essential. There are several ways to operate (billing by item, billing by word, flat rate billing for X items per month for X months and so on). As for the prices of web editors, there is a very big difference: some editors charge €5 for an article, others 0.1 cents per word. There is no right or wrong price. A more expensive writer will often have more experience in their work - it's up to you to see if this is something you are sensitive to.

What I can only recommend to start working with a writer is to do a paid trial (avoid unpaid trials, you will scare away all the experienced and professional writers). This first article will allow you to see how the collaboration is going and if the editor manages to find the style that suits you and provide you with the advice and feedback you want.

A little focus on the price of a web editor

Like all professions of experience and non-material production, there is a very significant variation between different editors. This is particularly because web writing is a job that can be done 100% remotely and French editors find themselves in competition with editors based in Africa where the cost of living is cheaper, particularly in Madagascar.

#3 Work with a web editor

Once you have chosen your web writing service provider, here are the most common steps:

Setting up a quote (the service provider)Validation of a quote and payment of a first deposit (you)Brief for a first article (together)Submission of a plan for the first article (you) or creation of the article plan (the service provider) – this depends on your operation and the specialty of your editorWriting the article (the service provider). In certain cases, particularly during the first collaborations, it may be customary to write a few paragraphs in order to validate that the tone is the right one.Returns (you). If you work with an SEO agency, you can request that specific secondary keywords be included in the article.Integration of returns (the service provider)Posting the article online (you or the service provider, according to your agreement)Final billing (the service provider)Payment of final invoice (you)

And the web editor’s tools?

Most often, the web editor will offer you tools to facilitate your discussions around articles. The tools most often used are:

A tracking table, often on Google Sheet or Notion, to follow the editorial calendar (topics to be covered, keywords chosen, URLs of current and completed articles, invoicing tracking, etc.)Files on Google Sheet or Notion to give you access to the articles once written. These tools benefit from tools like comments to allow you to provide feedback directly on articles.

Good practices

Everyone knows how to write. More or less well, more or less flawless and more or less quickly, but everyone has some notion of writing. This is why the work of an editor can sometimes be complicated: the feedback is numerous and normal. “I would have preferred it that way.” “It’s better if we do it this way.” Editors are used to hearing these phrases and will not be offended if you give them this type of feedback.

However, web editors remain experts in their discipline. They make certain choices for their own reasons and changing everything can harm you. This is for example the case in SEO: if you choose to change all the titles because you don't like them, you risk modifying the SEO optimization of the article. Do not hesitate to ask why this or that choice was made. If you are tempted to change everything, SEO may not be right for your way of working and your brand at the moment.

#4 Evaluate the effectiveness of a web writing service

Last but not least: how to evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of a writing, SEO or copywriting service?

While it is easy to measure the effectiveness of writing website or eBook pages (either you like the content or you don't), measuring the impact of SEO or copywriting is more complicated. To do this, it is essential to have data in place to track to verify the effectiveness of your changes. In marketing, we call this KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

In general, your service providers will help you have measurement tools and indicators to monitor the success of your collaboration. They will have every interest in sending them to you.

KPIs for SEO

Number of visits to the site linked to natural referencing (Organic Search)Priority entry pages on the site (where do people arrive on your site? If they arrive via blog articles, SEO is interesting!)Number of sales driven following an arrival through natural referencing. Please note: natural referencing is primarily intended to make your brand known, it is not necessarily intended to sell on the first visit. It will therefore be interesting to combine a natural referencing strategy with an emailing strategy – and therefore to monitor the number of subscriptions to your newsletter driven by natural referencing.Positioning your site on your preferred keywords

KPIs for copywriting

Change in number of salesBest performing emails (resulting in the most visits to your site and the most sales)