There are many reasons why people hire freelance web content writers to work on their blogs and websites.  Some do it because they don’t have time to write as much content as they want to keep their site interesting and up to date.  Others do it because they need content in a different language.  Some choose to hire SEO writers because they themselves don’t know how to use SEO techniques, but know that employing them will boost their web traffic.  In any case, if you find yourself in need of a writer with good SEO skills, here are some tips to make sure you get what you need.

Where to Look for SEO Writers

You have two choices, really.  You can either advertise, either on professional writing and blogging sites or on freelancer sites like Elance, Freelancer and Scriptlance, or you can use social networking.  The sites where you can advertise your project for writers to approach you and bid on are easy to use and convenient, and you will get a decent response if what you are looking for is realistic, but there will be some small fees attached.

If you post on Twitter using hashtags like “#seojobs” your results will vary, though this can be a good way to find people you will need to ask a lot more questions to find out if they are any good – on freelancer sites they will usually have portfolios and ratings from previous buyers of their work.  You can also use writers’ forums, though these tend to have very strict rules so make sure you read them and stick to them or you’ll get banned.  I got banned from one on my first use and I have still got literally no idea why.

What to Look For

The SEO writer industry is a mixed bag when it comes to quality and price.  If you need very high quality writing then you will want to specify native speakers of the language you want the writing in.  There are many offshore copywriting services who will offer to do the work very cheaply, but in the experience of just about everybody I know who has given them a try, it comes back at best needing a huge amount of editing (to the point where you may as well have written it yourself) or at worst, it comes back unreadable and bearing no relevance at all to the topic you asked for.

I saw one example a guy I know got back from a writer that was supposed to be about dating tips, and the only sentences that made sense were about 1970’s cars.  Seriously.  Make sure the person you try has what you need by checking their credentials and asking for samples.  Don’t go for the cheapest offer if you think the person is likely to deliver garbage, it really is a false economy, and there are plenty of good mid-price writers out there.

Payment and Communication

Most freelancer sites have their own payment systems, which are secure and protect both parties, though they do take fees.  Otherwise, most writers will accept payment via systems like PayPal or Moneybookers.  Specify when they start work how soon you intend to deliver payment, i.e. whether it will be on acceptance of individual articles, on completion of a batch, or, for longer term arrangements on a weekly or monthly schedule.  Communicate regularly, and make sure your request is as clear as possible.  If you can, list out the keywords you want, tell them the tone of article (even better, show them the site where it will end up) and make sure you are clear about word count.

Hiring writers can be the best way to get well written and researched SEO content for your site or to compliment your own writing on your blogs, however it does pay to understand the market and know exactly what you are looking for.

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