As brands in various industries are increasing their focus on building their presence online, there’s been an increase in demand for freelance writers.
Ask anybody who is a healthcare writer, and they’ll confirm that demand is high for healthcare content. To keep up with these intense productivity requirements, writers are constantly searching for helpful online tools. The following list contains some of the best:
Hemingway App
When composing content, readability is a key concern. Writers must be able to take information that may be pretty complex and communicate it so that the average person can understand it. The Hemingway App is a free online tool that helps with that.
Writers simply paste their text into the Hemingway editor and receive loads of helpful feedback. Hemingway notes the use of passive voice, overly complex phrasing, weak writing, and sentences that are difficult to read. It even returns a grade level, so freelance writers know they are targeting their audience correctly.
Pexels
Many writers are asked to find and place images in the content they create. This imagery helps to improve SEO and makes content more engaging. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to source royalty-free images that are of acceptable quality.
That’s why so many content writers use Pexels. The website is an online repository of free images, photos, and videos that can be used in blog posts or other online content. Its image library is extensive and varied, which means that writers should be able to find appropriate visuals for virtually any content.
Grammarly
Grammarly is arguably the most well-known spelling and grammar checking utility for writers. There are several good reasons for that. The tool points out writing issues as you go, allowing writers to catch and correct errors quickly.
There are both a free and a premium version of Grammarly available. The tool can be installed as a Chrome extension, desktop app, and a downloadable keyboard app for Android. It uses artificial intelligence to analyze writing and find errors that other tools do not. This insight includes detecting verb tense issues and sentence fragments.
One of the more valuable features for specific topics, like healthcare writing, is the ability to select a business, academic, email, casual, or creative style. Then, Grammarly tailors its suggestions to that particular style of writing. For example, it may not flag sentence fragments in casual writing.
Headline Analyzer Tool
When it comes to search engine ranking and website traffic, it’s essential to have an optimized headline. Those few words at the top of the page have more impact than many people realize. A good writer will spend time conceiving a great headline, then ensuring it is optimized.
There are several things to consider here. The best headlines are 60 characters or less, written for humans, clear, concise, and contain a strong keyword phrase. Those are just a few of the details search engines are seeking. It’s easy to struggle with this.
Fortunately, Coschedule’s Headline Analyzer Tool is the perfect assistant. It analyzes and scores any headline. Account-holders will receive both a headline and SEO score along with other helpful information to let them know what does and does not work.
PubMed
Writers are frequently expected to back the claims in their writing with irrefutable evidence. This requirement is prevalent when content writers cover topics such as healthcare, wellness, and medicine. Healthcare writers should verify information, and it must come from valid research sources.
PubMed is a research database found on the National Institutes of Health website. The content that is contained within the database includes:
- MEDLINE
- Life science journals
- Academic research papers
- Peer-reviewed research
PubMed is highly regarded by reputable scientists, medical professionals, and researchers. Any content that sources research found on PubMed will carry a significant amount of authority. This site is an excellent tool for writers who are asked to produce thought leadership content.
Copyscape
Every writer, editor, and publisher should seriously consider adding Copyscape to their content marketing toolkit. While it may be viewed as a primarily academic tool, Copyscape can detect and flag plagiarism in content anywhere on the web.
This analysis protects writers from submitting content that isn’t original. More importantly, it ensures that unoriginal content is not published.
When a site is found to have published duplicate content, the impact can be quite severe. Accusations of plagiarism can irreparably damage a brand’s reputation. Google also penalizes websites that have published content that is not original.
Writers who are willing to invest in a premium upgrade may also access CopySentry. This tool scans the internet for copies of the writer’s work that may have been taken and used without proper credit. That’s important for any content creator who monetizes their writing or simply expects to receive acknowledgment for their work.
Moz Keyword Explorer Tool
Even though Google and other search engines have advanced over the past several years, keywords are still an essential part of content writing. A writer who knows how and where to use relevant keywords will have better results when it comes to traffic, engagement, backlinks, and other factors that impact search engine optimization.
The Moz Keyword Explorer tool analyzes keyword phrases for writers. It researches any phrase the user enters. Then, it provides longtail keyword suggestions and SERP (Search Engine Results Page) analysis information. The tool also provides data on organic click-thru rates, keyword complexity, and volume.
Writers can also use the keyword explorer tool for competitive analysis. To do this, they simply enter the URL to any competitor site. They will then receive information on that site’s top-ranking keywords and how those keywords are distributed.
This tool is free for up to 10 inquiries per month. However, users must create an account to use it. There is a premium version available that provides unlimited queries and additional insights.
The Right Tools for Writers
It’s worthwhile for freelance writers and their clients to ensure they have the best tools available to them. Everybody benefits when content writers have access to utilities to improve writing, boost SEO, and improve conversion.