Thanks so much for your comment!

You’re right. SEO copywriting is more than “getting hits.” It’s connecting with the reader, giving them great information and helping them make informed choices. The GOOD news is – there are many clients who value good, clean content. Granted, there are folks who want you to stuff the keyphrase in the content 500 times (or more!). But, you don’t have to work with those folks. And chances are, they wouldn’t value your skills anyway…

If you read through the SEO Copywriting Blog archives, you will find a lot of information on smart (and ethical) SEO content strategies. You may also want to consider the SEO Copywriting Certification Training (please contact me if you’d like additional details.)

You may also want to check out this post:
http://www.seocopywriting.com/content-marketing/tips-and-strategy/books-web-writers-should-read/

I list 27+ resources every Web Writer should read.

Good luck – and please let me know how I can help. Thanks!

I would be so appreciate of your suggestions as well as others on effective ways to learn the ropes.

Again, so glad I found your site!

Now, I do other types of copywriting, but optimised copy is what I do most. And you know what? I enjoy it.

I like doing the research, picking those keyword terms I think will work best for my clients, thinking laterally to unearth the less obvious ones.

I like including them in such a way that the copy appeals first and foremost to people, not spiders. (Although I also like the fact that nowadays it’s about keyword use, not density.)

I like writing the tags properly – again, to appeal to both people and search engines. At 66 characters or less or whatever, it’s a mini challenge in itself.

I like the fact that I can convince enough people that it’s worth paying me a decent amount to write their site. It helps that much of the time they have found me via an online search. If I can do it for my own site, I can do it for theirs.

I also like the fact that I’m well-known enough among other copywriting friends in the agency world where I started out that I get work passed on to me because I have a recognisable skill in an area that they don’t.

And above all, I like, or rather love, seeing a site I’ve written progress up the rankings for keywords I’ve chosen and used, and to hear of how this has made a difference in traffic, response and profits, knowing that much of it is down to me.

Hate SEO copywriting? Not me!

There is a lot of higher paying work out there – work that you’d be proud to write. It’s just finding the right market.

Many SEO companies, unfortunately, don’t pay well. At the same time, other verticals (such as B2B companies) DO pay well. Plus, they really need the help and would love to work with a talented copywriter.

The key is to work on your value proposition and your rates. How much do you want to start charging? How can you justify that rate? Who is your perfect market?

(You may want to check out my Business Bootcamp for information about how to make more money as a freelance writer. Or, chat with a mentor. It sounds like all you need is a paradigm shift around your rates/target market – and you’ll be off to the races!)

Good luck!

What I know is that I breezed through my Comp I and II classes but I was going to Nursing School so I wasn’t as concerned with my writing skills.

Although, even in high school, I’ve always had a knack for grammar, spelling, etc. I never really enjoyed it until my college courses. After that, I realize how awesome it was to communicate with people. I also realized how powerful communication is in the real world, so I fell in love with it.

To be honest, my passion lies in argumentative/persuasive essays over a topic that requires several hours of research. I love proving my own assumptions wrong while researching material for an essay. After proving myself wrong, I will adjust the thesis of my essay to reflect the newly discovered information. To me, that is the only way to write.

Regardless, I don’t mind writing for SEO content. I like it, but I don’t love it. I might love it if it paid more.

For example, I’ve researched SEO Companies and I have a client that asks for 20 articles per week over this topic. I know enough about SEO that I can write without researching the topic anymore, which is a plus because I only get paid $5 for each article. But, it only takes me 15 minutes or less to write an article, so I’m averaging about $20/hr. which I’m happy with.

What I’m not happy with is the quality of those articles. I understand how important the editing process is with any article, essay, blog post, etc., so it’s hard for me to omit these things in order to make my hourly rate worth working for.

I’ve explained these things to my clients and they don’t care, which I suppose is fine, because I’m actually making a decent wage, but at the same time I get irritated by their lack of ‘give’a'shit’ when it comes to their content.

I would much rather spend hours researching a topic, learning all that I can on the topic, and then writing an article. Then I’d appreciate having the option of coming back to it the next day and editing it. Then I’d wait a few more hours and edit some more. I’d edit until there wasn’t one misplaced comma, nor would there be a ‘jink’ in the flow of the article. That’s what I want to do.

But, what I need is a place that will hire talented writers, such as myself, in order to provide extremely well-written content that will provide information that someone will find important.

Do any of you know any companies that hire writers for excellent content?

Thanks so much! Keep those awesome comments coming! Let’s show the world that SEO copy is more than making $10 for a poorly-written 500 word article. It’s a valuable skill set that helps our clients make more money!

One of my first writing opportunities was to write search engine optimized blog posts for a travel company. The keywords/phrases were important, but the emphasis was on providing quality and useful content for readers. Spammy writing wasn’t acceptable. Well researched and thoughtful writing was expected.

In general, I don’t think you can get away from SEO, but you can write quality content that hooks readers and keeps them coming back for more.

The smart clients are going to look at the value the copy provides.Those clients who think value vs. rate are the kind of long-term clients I want in my business.

Also, clients who have multiple low dollar sales- under $100 per transaction are a tougher sale than clients who sell high ticket products and services.

Clients have this perception about the value of writing. They believe anyone can do it.

Hey lots of people know how to drive a car, but only a highly skilled driver knows how to win the Indy 500.

Hey lots of people know how to drive a car, but only a highly skilled driver knows how to win the Indy 500.”

GREAT comment, Walt – and you’re certainly right! I may use that someday…