If you spend any time browsing skillsets advertised on a freelance writer website (such as WriterAccess), you will see SEO and keyword optimization mentioned time and time again. SEO or search engine optimization is certainly a useful thing, when it comes to content marketing but how do you know what to order from your freelance writer in terms of SEO-based content?
Think about content the way you would coffee, and choosing your content the way you would choose your drink at the coffee shop.
A cup of black coffee is your basic piece of written content. There are no frills, no SEO, no caramel sauce. In some instances, this is what you want. Black coffee is light and it gets the job done. Basic content is part of many content marketing plans.
Keyword optimized content is more like your Caramel Macchiato. It has a couple of shots of espresso, some sweetener and it is designed to “look good” as well as taste good. It costs a little bit more than black coffee, and it’s a little more fattening, but you like it, so it’s perfect for those occasions that you feel like you need something special.
Now, I will digress for a moment and mention that I worked for a large coffee shop chain in my early 20’s. I loved my job. However, I did not love the rude guy who came in everyday and ordered eight shots of espresso over ice. He was surly and grouchy and I think he had a caffeine addiction. No one needs eight shots of espresso.
For the past six years, I have worked as a content writer. Every now and then, I will have a client come to me and ask for a piece of content with a ridiculous amount of keywords in it. It may be a 350-word piece of content with 35 keywords or something crazy. The content is not pretty. Google does not like it. However, it is my job, so I write it. However, I think about grouchy man and his eight shots of espresso. Just because we sell it, does not mean it is something you should order.
SEO and especially keyword optimization has changed dramatically over the past few years. It’s worth researching and looking into what you might want to order—before you wind up with something that your stomach (or your marketing budget) will regret in the morning.
Writer Bio: Tracy S is a freelance writer available for projects at WriterAccess.
