This particular firm (one that is well known in the industry…and no, I will not name them) contacted me because they wanted to outsource their SEO copywriting. This isn’t uncommon  – in fact, many SEO firms offer SEO copywriting services but don’t keep that particular skill set in house.

The exchange was pleasant, nice and positive. I sent over my prices. My contact wrote back and said that the price was too high. I responded that I work with a number of Certified SEO Copywriters – perhaps I could refer them? I then asked how much they were willing to pay per page.

The answer: $20 per page. And their old writer spent about 30 minutes per page.

I was floored. Literally floored. It takes a lot to shock me (as my friends know.) This was…shocking.  Let me explain the reasons why:

Quality SEO copywriting (or any type of quality writing) takes time. I’ve been a full-time writer for most of my adult life, and I would never – ever – spend 30 minutes on a sales page and call it good. That’s barely enough time to write a rough draft (and that’s on a short-copy page.) In order to write a good sales page (and not crap) you have to:

• Research the competition and know how to differentiate your client
• Create the best tone and feel for the page (or know how to replicate your client’s preferred tone and feel)
• Understand the micro and macro sales focus on the page
• Highlight the main benefits (both company and product/service)
• Write a headline (by itself, this could take 30 minutes or more)
• Create a rough draft
• Edit the draft mercilessly until it’s “right” (and this can also be highly time consuming)
• And then…finally…you’re ready to submit your draft.

You see what I mean? No matter how many efficiencies that you’ve built into your writing (and I’ve built in a number of them over the years,) writing quality content takes more time than 30 minutes. Much, much more time.

And then I started wondering, “I wonder if their clients – many of them big-brand clients – know that this SEO is paying their writer $20/page, marking it up to who-knows-what and selling it as quality content.”

(Mind you, I have no problems with a company marking up the cost – that’s just good business. But if you’re working with large brand companies and promising “quality SEO copywriting services,” shouldn’t you WANT the best for your clients?)

This situation puts the client (you) in a buyer beware position. It’s easy to trust a SEO firm when they say, “Don’t worry about the SEO copywriting. We have people who can help you.” It sounds all warm and fuzzy and nice and comforting – and you’d figure that of course the company would have good, experienced, whip-smart writers on staff.

But don’t count on it.

So here’s what to do if you’re thinking about having your SEO firm write your content.

1. Ask about their writers. Are they Certified in SEO copywriting? How many years experience do they have? How does the SEO company vet their writers before they hire them/ outsource to them? The last thing you want is to find out that their “experienced SEO copywriter” is someone fresh out of college who (as my father used to eloquently say) “doesn’t know their ass from third base.”
2. Ask about the company’s writing process. Can you have direct contact with the copywriter (highly recommended – otherwise, your information is being filtered through multiple people.) What’s the average time the writer spends on every page? Will the same writer be working on all of your pages, or will your pages be written by multiple writers?
3. Ask what kind of continuing education the SEO firm provides their writers. The SEO/social media world is constantly changing – and if the writer hasn’t updated their knowledge for a couple years, that can negatively impact your results.
4. Ask for writing samples from the writer assigned to your account. Always. If you don’t like the samples, request another writer.
5. Consider chatting with a SEO copywriting agency at the same time. It doesn’t mean that you have to use a copywriting agency over your SEO. But you may find that the prices are similar (often less) than what the SEO firm is charging – and you’ll benefit from more experienced writers (who get paid a living wage.)

Is all of this due diligence necessary? You bet. The writing on your site represents your brand. It’s your “silent salesperson” online. And yes, you deserve to be highly picky. You (probably) wouldn’t work with a SEO firm if you knew they outsourced your account to India. Why would you buy writing services from a firm who devalues the writing so much  – and cares about your branding so little – that they’re outsourcing to the lowest bidder (and yes, Demand Media and Associated Content, I’m talking about you too.)

Think about it.

As part of ClickZ’s Connected Marketing Week, Search Engine Strategies (SES) San Francisco is hosting its “learn-in” from Tuesday August 17^th through Thursday August 19^th, featuring the brightest stars of search and social marketing. And yes, our Heather is most prominently featured! First she will introduce the speakers for “Content Marketing Optimization,” and then present — surprise! — “Developing Great Content.”  The agenda details can be accessed at SES San Francisco.

Speaking of great content…other news and links well worth your while, from content mills to content as link bait, to landing page testing, content management, and a 12-step rehab program:

• You may recall the recent buzz /controversy over content mills/farming?  Well, take at look at this:  Blekko may be in prime position to become the new search tool of the day, allowing you to saw-zaw your way through, well, bad SERP listings and farmed content to get to those quality sources and sites that you trust!  It’ll be most interesting to how this scenario plays out!
• Search Engine Land boasts a post from Jordan Kasteler, of BlueGlass fame, sharing on How To Focus on Content to Create Great Linkbait. Now, don’t yawn or be too quick to dismiss – this brief article is loaded with great insights!
• Yes, it’s true – the 12-step program has found its way into content marketing, via a Landing Page Rehab Program that, once you stop laughing, is a fabulous, full-on infographic complete with 12 steps and “Doctors Orders.” 5 stars out of 5!!
• And finally, from Marketing Sherpa are two great articles, one specifically addressed to SEO copywriters, listing five specific tactics to ensure that your company or client’s content management system supports your SEO goals, and the second, a 6-step how-to on planning landing page tests.

Fast forward to the present day: Laura began her own freelance copywriting career last fall, having completed AWAI-affiliated programs in direct response copywriting and web 2.0  (Michael Masterson and Nick Usborne, respectively).  But what really captured her creative and highly analytical mind was Heather Lloyd-Martin’s SEO Copywriting Certification training program.  It all clicked then, everything Laura had thus far learned about copywriting, from the big direct response and web-writing picture down to the dirty, search-engine, content marketing details:  SEO copwriting.  (BTW, Laura’s website, still in the rough: Writer At Work)

What SEO copywriting/content marketing projects are you working on now?

I hit the ground running, landing two clients before I could even flesh out my website, let alone catch my breath!  Presently, I am sub-contracted with a virtual assistance business as their SEO copywriter, website writer, and content marketing writer (articles, blogs, press releases, newsletters, etc.)  Another client needs a complete SEO rewrite of her entire (20+ page) site.  I’m presently negotiating with a third client to develop the content for her new website.  Needless to say, it’s kept me busy and most gratified!

What would you say are your biggest “take-aways” from the SEO Copywriting Certification training program?

Wow!  I would have to answer “all of the above.”  Seriously, Heather’s course is so comprehensive, so thorough, and yet so “hands-on” detailed…. Starting with the fundamentals of research, for instance.  This is a step most of us would just as soon skip.  Sounds like tedious work; and most people are nearly allergic to the word “research.”  But it is the absolute cornerstone of solid SEO copywriting, and the way that Heather explains it, it is a SIMPLE, EASY, smart, and efficient foundation for all that follows!  I don’t want to be a spoiler, but…by the end of the course, you ARE a top-echelon SEO copywriter, and can charge accordingly!!

So, the short answer:  it’s given me the know-how and confidence to pursue my career as one of the exclusive, elite group of professional, certified SEO copywriters, taught first-hand by the widely recognized SEO copywriting expert of our time!  And, I get to display the SEO Copywriting Certification Badge of Honor on my website (when I finally finish it!) and on my marketing materials.

What are your hobbies, interests, other passions?

I absolutely love all things green and marine.  I grew up fascinated by Jacques Cousteau and National Geographic, and studied natural science, environmental science, and marine science as a student at MSU and UW.  An unabashed Ansel Adams’ fan, I enjoy landscape, seascape, wilderness, and black-and-white/ tonal photography, thrive on wilderness hikes, and am deeply attached to the coasts – almost all coasts, but especially those of the Pacific Northwest and Michigan.  I love great literature, great thinkers, and great poetry, as well.

As underscored in the previous Mondays’ posts, researching your competition and tracking social trends, you are not the only wonder in web town!  (I know: Surprise!) So to refine and improve upon your content, and one-up your competition, you first need to truly know thyself, and second, you need a fearless reality-check on where you stand relative to your competitors.

This is where SWOT analysis comes in:

• Strengths Even if your business is in its infancy, it still possesses certain strengths from the get-go.  For instance, can you sell your products at 10-percent less than your competitors?  Do you offer unique, fun products not found anywhere else?   Besides your intrinsic strengths, consider your external advantages: Do you have a great supplier who ships products fast and works with you on payment terms?  That is definitely a plus in the strengths column!  Try to come up with ten strengths your company has.  If you’re stuck, ask for the opinion of a trusted colleague, friend, or even a client:  you may be surprised by how wonderful other people think you are!

• Weaknesses Just as your business has inherent strengths to bring to the table, the reality is that it – like all businesses – has weak spots.  There is at least one internal vulnerability that you need to acknowledge and eventually overcome in your marketing materials (more on that in a later post).   For instance:  Are you a brand-new company competing against an established one?  Are your prices slightly higher because you can’t buy in volume like the big boys?   Again, list your top ten weaknesses.

• Opportunities Time to take heart!  These insights and visions – opportunities —  are what motivated you to start up your business in the first place, right?  Did you see the beginning of an emerging trend, and notice that there are very few sites offering what you want to sell?  Do you have scads of contacts from your last job that you could leverage as your own, first few clients?  From an SEO standpoint, opportunity can mean that you can optimize for terms and concepts well ahead of – or better than – your competitors.  Revisit your strengths:  what opportunities present themselves from them?  Write down five opportunities that your business has, right now.

• Threats Real or perceived, threats do exist and it is wise to acknowledge the worst-case scenario and make a plan to work around it.  It could be an ex-employee who starts up a competing business.  It could be that your supplier doubles their price of an essential product or service.  This does not mean your competition will take over your market share and drive you out of business.  But it does mean that you should be aware of such threats, and make a solid plan for surviving them!    Again, list your top five perceived threats.

Whew!  Great job, and nobody died!  Now that you’ve done your SWOT analysis, try putting everything you’ve listed – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats – into a matrix, like so:

Now, don’t you feel better, knowing where you stand and where you need to focus your efforts? Next week, we’ll delve deep into how to profile your perfect customer and thereby craft precision benefits statements!  Stay tuned!

Getting social with it:  this Wednesday’s roundup of the latest and greatest of SEO content marketing news and links features social media marketing, as content marketers grapple with such slippery issues as social media SEO, whether social media is helpful or hurtful to marketing campaigns, and how social marketing stands up to search engine marketing efforts.   Engage, enlighten, and enjoy!

Can social media actually hurt your content marketing campaign?  The case is made in a Hubspot blog that cites seven specific ways in which social media may sabotage your best marketing efforts.

So what about the customer experience with social media?  Backing up the Hubspot blog, Search Engine Land reports that this year’s American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has, for the first time, measured general consumer satisfaction levels with social media, and found it wanting as compared to traditional online marketing channels.  (And apparently, Google has dropped in its satisfaction rating).

Going viral:  on the flip side, Marketing Sherpa presents eight “inspirational” social marketing success stories for 2010, five from B2C and three from B2B campaigns, in which marketers were able to harness the power of their social audiences to spread their message and generate a viral response.

Social media marketing specialists made their respective cases for incorporating social media into content marketing campaigns, speaking at the Blueglass LA Session.  Published in Search Engine Journal, the hot topics included using social media to create customer advocacy, making content go viral, and the role of “influencers.”

The relationship between search engine and social media marketing, and whether there exists such a thing as “social SEO,” are explored in great detail with a case study in Wordstream, and an article in The Fire Horse Trail, respectively.

Finally, the thorny issue of measuring the success of social media marketing in terms of the return on investment (ROI) is tackled in Search Engine Watch and in iMedia Connection.

“Sure I have!” you may exclaim.  “I’ve defined my target market and have addressed their needs and pain points  – what more can I do to perfect my perfect message?”

Well, how about checking out the buzz around your product/service?  In last Monday’s post, I talked about checking out your competition.  Today, we are taking it a step further by researching your target market’s conversation about your stuff, so you can keep up with their concerns in real time, and update your content accordingly.

Remember, website content is a living document (as are all things internet) and it’s smart practice to be continually updating your message and content, flexing in sync with your market’s expressed preferences, lest you’re left choking in the dust!

Again, it’s a relatively easy and simple thing to do, thanks to the search engines.  For example, starting with your competition research, just expand it to include Google Groups, News, and Blogs.  Those resources can be found under “more,” on the far top right of the Google search engine results page:

Take a look, and note what people are saying about you, as well as your competitor’s sites:  what do they love? and what could they do without?  Then revisit your content message:  how can you improve upon it to more precisely hone in on your target market?  How can you better address their needs and desires?  How can you further differentiate yourself from your competition?

Another great tool for tracking your market’s buzz and trends is Twitter.  For up-to-the-minute trend information, simply go to Twitter search and type in some key terms into the search box, and voila!

For example, let’s say I’m in the business of writing professional resumes, and want to check out what’s trending in my chosen market.   Entering “professional resumes” into the box, these are my real-time results:

Thank you, Twitter!

Next Monday, we’ll delve even deeper into your SEO copywriting and content marketing strategy with an analytic tool designed to make you take a good, hard look at yourself!  Stay tuned!

…Or how many folks you have on your team…

…Or that you were the first to market.

Prospects just don’t care.

But here’s what they do care about, “What’s in it for them?”

And the way you tell your prospects, “What’s in it for them” is crucial to making the sale.

Denny Hatch wrote a post called “The Lure of Exclusivity” where he outlines the 7 key copy drivers:

• Fear
• Greed
• Guilt
• Anger
• Exclusivity
• Salvation
• Flattery

Case in point:

I’ve used Portland Adventure Bootcamp as an example before. Believe me, this is no easy workout. You have to want to do push ups, run stairs and jog first thing in the morning. As such, it would be easy for the target audience (women) to self-select out of signing up (heck, it would be easy for men to self-select out!). But look at these benefits:

Consider the emotions someone could be feeling as they read this (and remember – all sales are made based on an emotional response.)  You’re tired of your unwanted body fat (anger.) You imagine walking past a mirror and checking out your new, toned figure (flattery.) Your metabolism may have shifted, so you really do need personalized help figuring out what foods to eat (salvation.) Throw in third-party testimonials, specific benefit statements and an iron-clad guarantee and  the copy is incredibly persuasive.

Compare that to this:

See the difference?  The copy is OK, but there’s a lot the site owner could do. Even turning the vague statements into specifics would go a long way. For instance, instead of saying, “heading towards a healthier lifestyle,” the site owner could tweak it to, “Know exactly what foods to eat to keep your metabolism and energy levels revved-up.”

Just a minor tweak – but one that more specifically tells the prospect, “what’s in it for them.”

So remember, it’s not about how smart you are, or all the cool things you’ve done. It’s about how you use the written word to share that enthusiasm with your readers.

Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll be rewarded with higher conversion rates and additional income. And that’s a benefit statement we can all enjoy.

Today is the second of Wednesday’s blog post series featuring the latest and greatest of SEO copywriting & content marketing news and links! Today’s word:  the SEO content marketing landscape offers up divergent opinions and healthy debate about quality content and linking strategy!  So let’s get to it while it’s still fresh off the press!

The content quality debate is far from over!  A completely different take on web content mills (“content farming”), such as Associated Content and Demand Media, was posted at SEObook.  While I respectfully disagree with most of the author’s opinions, hey, we’re all entitled to them!  Debate is healthy!

Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words!   Closely related to the content quality debate is the practice of outsourcing SEO to those who know English only as a second language.  Case in point:  this SEOmoz article on how speaking “engrish” presents an SEO copywriting challenge unique to those not versed in the native tongue.  So for those considering outsourcing such precision-language work because it’s relatively cheap, you may also want to consider this:

Not quite as “newsy,” bit a topic near and dear to my heart, is, yes, the need for quality content as the essential first step in professional SEO copywriting and content marketing strategy.  A recent article posted in Huomah underscores this fundamental (yet surprisingly, often-overlooked) organizing principle for building a sound content marketing strategy.

Building your link-love:  This Search Engine Journal blog explores several concrete ways to increase your link-love with content on your site, specifically targeted to those of us who are weary of link-exchange negotiations.

A second article at Marketing Sherpa takes a 180-degree turn from SEJ’s blog, examining ways to build consistent, long-term, quality inbound links and boost SEO by forging link-exchange partnerships.

Finally, we have more content marketing meat with a case study from Hubspot, showing how one company shot to the top of Google search engine results with a coordinated website optimization and social media campaign.

“I don’t care,” you may say.  “I’m too focused on making money to worry about them.” And in a way, you have a point – you shouldn’t look to your competition as a way to determine your entire marketing strategy.

But – and here’s a reality check:  No matter how good you are, your prospects are checking out your competition. Every time they visit your website, they are measuring it against all the other competing sites they’ve seen. If you don’t know what your competition is doing, how can you do it better?

Real-life example: As a reaction to the economy and competitor advertising, Starbucks Coffee Company changed their entire marketing campaign to focus on providing “value at a less expensive price.”  Now, Starbucks offers special “coffee and meal” pricing in an attempt to compete with McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts. This helps them maintain their market share (and helps prevent people from going to a less-expensive competitor). Researching their competition and current trends helped them form their new pricing model.

Once upon a time, before the Internet, “research” meant time-consuming and grueling work. You’d have to call your competition, pose as a prospect and beg for a brochure (praying all the time that you wouldn’t be found out). The library would be your new best friend, as you spent days combing through trade journals, newspapers, and articles.

Now, much of that information is just a web search away. Instead of calling for a brochure, you can simply check out a website. Rather than heading to the library, you can do a Google News search. What took days now takes hours. It’s as simple as that.

Here’s how to do it.

Your first mission is to review your competitors’ websites. To get started, go to your favorite search engine and type in general search phrases that relate to your product or service.  Voila!  In less than a second, you can quickly review your top competition.

It’s not enough to notice the sites on the SERPs (search engine results pages.) Be prepared to spend some time clicking into the sites and making notes. Things to notice are:

• Do you like the writing? Why or why not?

• Would you want to buy from that company? Why or why not?

• Who is their target market? Is it the same as yours?

• What do they offer that you don’t? Conversely, what do you offer that they don’t?

• Does the site “feel” authoritative? If so, why do you think that is?

• Are there articles, blogs or product reviews?

• Is the company profiled on review sites like Yelp? What are their customers saying?

Consider doing a quick SERP competition check ever six months – more if you’re in a fast-moving industry. The more you know about your competition (and how they’re changing their site,) the better you can strategize your ongoing content campaign.

Need help with a SEO copywriting strategy? Review our online and in-person training solutions today.

In the July 6 issue of MediaWeek, the headline “Council to Counter Web Generators’ Growing Clout” was front and center.  The Internet Content Syndication Council (ICSC), comprised of representatives from firms such as Proctor and Gamble and Reuters, is complaining that content aggregators like Demand Media and Associated Content are “cheapening” the quality of Web content.

I couldn’t agree more.

For those unfamiliar with the business model, Web content aggregators make their money from syndicating content produced by freelance writers.  The production process is like SEO copywriting on steroids: Editors use savvy keyphrase research to ferret out SEO copywriting opportunities, and assign keyphrases to their freelancers.  However, rather than the emphasis being on the customer experience – that is, creating a quality, informative article that’s targeted towards a specific market, the emphasis is on content that’s “good enough” to get links or long tail rankings. For more information about Demand Media’s business model, check out this Wired article.

If you’re a site owner – and you don’t want to hire a copywriter or produce content in-house – you may be tempted to turn to Demand Media or Associated Content for an “article bank” of articles.  Heck, it’s cheap, easy content that you can instantly slap on your site. But personally, I’d think twice about using such services. Here’s why:

1. Syndicated content isn’t targeted. It’s great to fill content “holes” with new content – and that’s a great strategy. But you want it to be original content, targeted towards your audience and their specific needs. For instance, if I was writing an article about marketing with mailing lists, I’d be asking questions about the target audience, their existing knowledge levels and their pain points. Those specific writing touches helps to connect with your reader…and drives conversions. After all, “write for your reader” is the foundation of every writing gig for a reason.

2. You’re getting exactly what you’re paying for.  Writers working with sites like Associated Content aren’t making much money – at all.  For instance, Associated Content’s site lists upfront payment rates of $2-$15 per article. If someone has an $1,000 mortgage payment, they will need to write over 66 articles in a month just to make their mortgage. The focus isn’t on quality – it can’t be for those rates. Those rates breed a sweatshop, “Write it fast and turn it in” mentally (and how could it not, really?)

As an example, I searched Associated Content’s site for “SEO copywriting” and checked out the first article.  Here’s a direct quote discussing the advantages of SEO copywriting:

• “Helping to work out various steps to increase sales

SEO content writing aims to increase the sales rate and marketing goals to achieve maximum profit.”

Really? REALLY?  ::hits head against desk:: No, this isn’t exactly “high quality” content that should be syndicated. At all.

3. Bad content reflects negatively on your brand. Would you rent a rundown storefront in a bad area to save money? Heck no. It would drive customers away. Same goes for poorly-written content – if the content is inaccurate, poorly written or just plain dull, it’s not going to help.

As a side note, I’m a tad disappointed that a search engine like Yahoo – who is intimately familiar with the importance of quality content – would purchase Associated Content. From a SEO perspective, Y! would have to know that articles syndicated across multiple sites probably won’t position well. And from a pure copywriting perspective, it seems like they’d want to focus on quality content – not copywriting for “outsource-to-India” prices. From a revenue perspective, I get it – cheap copy makes money. But I’d like to see them up their game a bit. Shame on you, Yahoo, for promoting content that you know isn’t top-notch.

For more on this topic, check out MarketingVox’s take.