I have been writing SEO content for clients as a freelancer since 2007. The following is one of the most common mistakes newbies make in my SEO writing course.
Typing in the wrong keyword
What I mean by this?
Well, let’s say your client is a wedding photographer in Atlanta. Therefore, one of the keyword phrases that you may be commissioned to write as an SEO freelance copywriter is “Atlanta Wedding Photographers.” But when you write the article/blog post, you use “Atlanta Wedding Photographer” (singular version) as your primary keyword phrase.
So what is the problem? In one sentence, “time and money.”
Customers go through a lot of trouble to make of correction keyword research because they know which keyword phrases generate the most traffic. So if they’ve hired, say, a web analytics company, they’ve likely spent thousands of dollars figuring out which keywords they need to rank for to attract the most convertible traffic—that is, the web surfers they can convert into paying customers. .
And by the way, the web analytics firm will likely be the entity that hires you, the freelance SEO writer, to produce the content. These signatures can give you a lot of work, but if you write an article using the wrong keyword, you might get fired before you even get out the door..
So be sure to note when you get an order what the primary keyword phrase is and center your copy around that.
How Google has changed the SEO writing game
Google algorithm changes such as Penguin 2.0 and Hummingbird have made writing direct content with “keywords” with a specific keyword density a thing of the past.
For example, when I started in 2007, I used to get requests from clients with keyword lists and they would say something like “Give me 500 words in ‘Titanium marriage rings for men’ with a keyword density of 5%.
Nowadays, when I get SEO copywriting jobs from clients, they will say something like:
Our blog is about titanium jewelry for men. We want a series of articles that focus on our men’s wedding bands. The key phrase we are targeting is ‘Titanium Wedding Rings for Men’.
It is understood that the keyword density should be between 1 and 2 percent, and that secondary and tertiary keyword phrases will be used to complete the article. Enter the era of thematic SEO content.
conclusion
Writing SEO content is easy; it really is, IF you know some simple ground rules. With your specialized knowledge, you can make a living as a freelancer in this technical writing niche because thanks to “content marketing”, the need for qualified professionals is growing by leaps and bounds.
