Every business wants to be on the first page or at the top of Google search results. But reaching the top of a search engine result with low-quality content won’t result in anything positive. So while you should be thinking about what you’re doing to get there, it’s essential to think beyond search engine optimization.
We always hear about how content is king, and we know that Google’s algorithm rewards web pages with consistent, high-quality content with relevant, valuable information and smart, strong SEO. That’s not rocket science, though it can be hard to do in practice, especially with today’s resource-strapped marketing departments.
Many businesses take an oversimplified shortcut to the top: throwing some money into a short-term PPC campaign, keyword-stuffing pages, paying to boost social media posts, or producing clickbait-y content. Or they try a “#contentmarketing strategy” for a little while but give up too quickly because they aren’t getting instant gratification.
Achieving real improvement and great positioning in search engine results pages (SERP) takes work. Businesses that succeed have learned that outsourcing this type of content creation to experts — professional writers, brand journalists, and expert writers — can deliver results that drive SEO and strategically position brands as thought leaders.
Your business or brand can also hire a writer to create and publish organic content that is informative, interesting, and answers actual organic search queries. Today, we’ll discuss how professional writers found on a freelance platform can improve your Google search rankings and return content that boosts your brand.
SERP’s Up
First, you need to understand SEO principles, content marketing, and what you’re trying to accomplish with your brand publishing strategy. SEO is built around keywords, but it is important not to focus on data and metrics at the expense of the value you provide to your customers.
No instant solution can send your pages shooting to the top of Google search results. Instead, you must commit to a sustainable strategy and build a long-term plan.
One easy benefit of hiring a freelance writer to handle your brand’s content is that writers are keen to stay on top of Google’s ever-changing SEO rules. Because writing is their name, and helping brands is their game, professional writers know how to make SEO sing without a piece of content feeling like it has been stuffed with keywords and phrases.
Here are four ways you can improve your SERP when you hire a writer:
1. Freelance Writers Help You Find Keywords that Rank
When it comes to keywords, bigger search volumes are not always better. If you go after broad, non-specific keywords with seemingly huge search volumes, your web pages will face competition from brands that may be some of the biggest in the world – with marketing budgets to match. Or, you may just be shouting into a noisy, overcrowded online void.
Rather than playing the old game of competing on a non-level playing field for the most highly sought-after keywords, your freelance writer will help you develop a new game plan.
Using keywords that are specific to your brand can help you seek out customers with the highest conversion potential, improving your SEO and turbocharging your lead generation strategy to deliver you prospects who are more likely to become buyers. Particularly when there’s a lot of competition in your market, focusing on long-tail keywords can be a great SEO tactic.
Work with your writer to develop long-tail keywords and key phrases that “get less search traffic, but will usually have a higher conversion value,” allowing you “to gradually get more traffic to your site and be found by new and motivated audiences.” However, it’s important not to go too niche. Work with a writer who knows to check the monthly search volumes of all keywords using a tool such as Google Keyword Planner.
2. Professional Writers Create Powerful Front-Page Brand Content
If you aim to attract customers through search engine marketing, does your home page really need to “wow” people? The answer still is yes, without a doubt.
Powerful front-page content is an essential part of an online brand publishing strategy. If customers click through to your site and do not find front-page content that offers clarity and seems authoritative and professional, they are likely to click away, which can harm your site’s standing in the almighty Google algorithm.
Your website is the online home of your business. It must convince customers that your brand is trustworthy and reputable — and it must do so within the space of, at most, just a few seconds. Hiring a writer is an investment in effective brand content for your front page to keep customers on your site and improve your conversion rate.
3. Writers Help You Put Customers Front and Center
When you’re distracted by reams of data about keyword search volumes, page rank, engagement time, and other SEO stats, it’s easy to lose sight of the real needs of your customers or clients. Too many businesses lose their way chasing capricious metrics that may have little actual effect on the overall success of their brand publishing strategy.
Your freelance writer and branded journalist will help you create a content strategy that puts the customer’s needs first. Every piece of content your writer creates will serve your customers by educating them, entertaining them, or answering their questions. Your content from your writer will also be accessible and exciting without breaking your budget.
4. Use Your Writer to Incentivise Customers to Leave Reviews
In today’s world of online opinion-sharing, reviews can make or break a business — or improve your Google rank. Businesses with few online reviews are also especially vulnerable to negative reviews from disgruntled customers, which have a disproportionately large impact if you do not have enough positive assessments to balance them out.
So, how do you get customers to review your business online? Simple. You’ve got to ask.
Let your expert writer develop your social media text that includes incentives for customers to leave reviews. Many people who are perfectly happy with the service that a business provides never get around to leaving a positive review simply because it never crosses their mind to do so.
Use well-worded and well-timed posts and emails written by your brand journalist to remind customers to leave reviews after interacting with your business. You could consider offering customers a perk for doing so to dramatically increase the number of positive reviews your brand receives.
Use a Brand Journalist to Become a Powerful Brand Publisher
Now that you understand the basic principles of Google search results and the best ways to use your freelance writer to improve your ranking, it’s time to get started. But how exactly do you do that? What is the first step? Where should you focus, when should you expect results, and who can help?
If developing and executing a sophisticated, successful search engine-optimized content marketing strategy feels a bit overwhelming, don’t worry. We’re here for you as a creative, affordable and direct solution. With PowerPublish, you can outsource all your content needs, from blogs and articles to e-books and white papers, infographics and email marketing to social media posts, landing page copy, short-form videos, and more.
Our writers and editors leverage their professional talent for brand journalism and thought leadership to create, produce, and publish compelling content to bolster your SEO and send your web pages soaring up the SERP. Don’t just do content marketing; hire a writer to become a PowerPublisher.