Many freelancers have questions about what SEO is; What is SEO copywriting? What is SEO writing. This article explains – in detail – what it is. And how to make money from it as a freelance writer.
What is seo?
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Search engine optimization is about doing specific things on your website to drive more traffic to it so you can increase online sales – and traffic.
What are some of these “things”?
There are many more, but here we will discuss what it is as it applies to freelance writers. This means writing the text in a certain way so that web surfers (i.e. Internet users) can access a particular site.
What is SEO as it relates to freelance writers?
What freelance writers need to take care of are keywords. What are the keywords? Keywords are the words and phrases that web surfers type when they search for things online.
For example, let’s say you were interested in starting a foreclosure cleaning business. You may not know anything about it other than foreclosures are in the news right now and you are interested in starting this type of company.
So, you log into your favorite search engine, (eg Google, Yahoo! MSN, etc.) and type in the keywords “foreclosure cleaning business,” “foreclosure cleaning,” “foreclosure cleaning,” or any other related keyword phrase.
NB: When you type words into a search engine to find something on the Internet, the words you type are called a keyword (one word) or key phrase (two or more words separated by commas).
How companies get to the top of search engine results
When you type those words and hit “ENTER” a bunch of sites appear and you start browsing (ie click results) and start checking the sites to see if they have the information you need.
Pop-ups are the results that search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, and others think are most relevant to the keyword (aka search term) you typed. Companies pay a lot of money to be in the first two or three pages of search engine results.
Why are SEO content writers needed and how do they make their money
One way to appear on the first two or three pages of results is to have relevant text with the right keyword phrases. And this is where you, as an SEO copywriter, can make a lot of money. You type in the text their site needs to appear high in search engine results.
Often, companies will simply give you a set of keyword phrases and let you type whatever you want – as long as it’s of a certain length (usually 300-500 words).
There are many freelance writers out there – hundreds of thousands, if not a few million. But, only a small minority know what SEO is and how to write this type of copy. This is why they are in demand.
SEO writers have an in-demand skill. And with more and more companies shifting larger portions of their advertising budgets to online marketing, there is a greater demand for their skills.
In a SearcheEngineWatch article, SEO Content Author: Wordsmithing the Web, William Flies, stresses the importance of a copywriter to SEO. he is writing:
“The agency SEO copywriter role is unique because… Suddenly, a writer must optimize press releases, craft articles for social news, monitor social network communications, develop wiki content… A powerful SEO copywriter is adaptable and able to absorb a lot of new information very quickly. These unique individuals have quickly become the backbone of many SEO engagements. If content is king, then they are [SEO copywriters] They are the kingmakers.”
This is why SEO authors can charge a premium for their services. If you are looking for a way to start or increase your income as an online freelance writer, then… SEO copywriting Are they the way to go.