JanFishler

Author ~ Happiness Coach

Hiring a Freelance Writer — Three Qualities to Look For

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Of course, writing great copy, delivering on time, and staying within budget are important qualities to look for when hiring a freelance writer, but there are other traits worth considering.

I started freelancing when I decided that full-time work in the corporate world wasn’t for me. That was over twenty years ago. Don’t get me wrong — I loved the work, but as a creative person, I needed a schedule with more flexibility. That’s when I decided to step outside the box and become a freelance writer. At the time, I assumed that the only skills I needed were an ability to write anything and everything my clients required — from articles and brochures to training manuals and corporate training videos.

Competition was fierce, and I quickly discovered that I had to set myself apart from other freelance writers — especially those who had been in the business for a long time. This meant I had to look into my skill set and see what unique traits I had that would make me stand out. In other words, I had to offer more than my ability to write clear, concise copy, an impressive list of clients, and an elegant portfolio. If I was going to have a steady flow of freelance work, I needed my Excalibur.

It was then that I sought the advice of a business coach who asked me to state the three traits that made me unique. It took some conversation to uncover these qualities, but passion, desire, and integrity have kept me working over the years when others have been less fortunate.

If you are in the market for a freelance writer to help you grow your business through strengthening your online presence, then look for someone who has the following skills.

1.    A passion for work and for life.

People who are passionate about what they do will bring their enthusiasm to the table, be fun to work with, and energize your staff. People who have passion tend to be sincere in their efforts and bring out the best in others. These are people who you will want to work with again and again.

2.    A desire to do their best.

Writers with a strong desire to do their best will work relentlessly to exceed your expectations. They’ll go the extra mile just to prove their value and worth. They are only happy when you, the client, are happy. They are interested in creating a win-win relationship and look forward to receiving additional assignments from you.

3.    Personal integrity.

People with integrity are honest. They’ll tell you the truth about whether they can adhere to your schedule and meet your deadline.  They will be forthright about expressing concerns about the project should there be any, show up when they are supposed to, and be truthful about their skills and what they bring to the project.

The next time you’re in the market for a freelance writer, consider hiring someone who brings passion, desire, and integrity into the mix.

Keywords – What Every Business Person Should Know

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a mystery unless you have a basic understanding of terminology and how to put SEO to work for your business. For now, the most important thing to know is that Google rewards pages that are keyword focused.

Five years ago I took my first internet marketing course. That’s the first time I heard the terms SEO, PPC, Google PageRank, Linkjuice, Wireframe, ROI, and keywords. While many of these acronyms and words are now more familiar, then, the only one that made sense to me was keywords. Hey, I’m a writer — words are something I understand. I admit it took me a little time to grasp the concept, but keywords are literally the key to driving traffic to your website. If you don’t use them, it’s a lot like being on a dating site without a photo or a profile, or placing an ad without giving your contact information. You’re likely to end up alone.

Here are three questions and answers to help you understand what keywords can do for your business.

1.    What are keywords?

Keywords are the words and phrases people use when they are searching for something online. Last night, for example, I wanted to make something interesting with the ground lamb I already had in the fridge. My husband remembered a recipe where ground beef was shaped around skewers, so I entered “ground lamb on skewers recipe” into Google and found several options. I ended up making Ground Lamb with Moroccan Spices on a Stick, which I found at http://shecookshecleans.net/2011/08/20/kefta-kabobs/ Kefta Kabobs. Delicious!

2.    How can you find the keywords that will drive traffic to your site?

You need to know what keywords people use when they are looking for goods and/or services that you offer. Because Google wants to help you find those relevant keywords, they have created two invaluable resources: Google Keyword Tool and Google Trends. The Keyword Tool lets you enter your website, a category, and words or phrases to help you identify keyword ideas.

For example, my friend owns a feed store, and among other things, supplies hay, chicken feed, dog food, and food for horses. On the Google site, I entered the store’s URL, chose “livestock feed” as the category, and let the site search for keywords. Voila! Google provided a list of words that should be included in press releases, articles and other content. The three most searched words for the site were pet and feed, pet feed, and animal feed, followed by feed supply, farm supplies, feed store and store and feed. With Google Trends you can get insight into the traffic and geographic visitation pattern for your website.

 3.   What you can do with your list of keywords?

By targeting one keyword at a time in a series of articles, press releases, blog posts, and other content, you can help Google point the way to your website. This is not an exact science, but if you track conversion rates (the number of people who take a certain desired action) over time, you’ll know which keywords are the most relevant. Because most business owners are too busy to develop an original flow of fresh content for their site, they often rely on freelance writers to help them. A writer who understands Search Engine Optimization knows where to place the words and how to format articles to generate optimum results.

Keep in mind: keywords are a crucial component of online marketing. If you use them in your website copy, you’ll improve your rankings on Google, Yahoo, MSN Bing, and other search engines. If you ignore them, your site and your business could be lost in space.

SEO Articles — Guidelines for Effective Writing

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There are differences between articles written for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and those targeted for a more general audience. Here are some helpful guidelines for writing effectively when the goal is driving traffic to your website.

1.      Write articles that are informative and instructional

Articles written to attract visitors to your website are slightly different than those written for a general audience. SEO articles will usually be informative and instructional, or compare various products and services, while articles not written with keywords in mind might be inspirational or present a variety of opinions. SEO articles might also contain lists of product features, the benefits of working with your company, or the definitions of industry-specific terms.

2.      Use the proper tone and style

The tone and style of the articles should be conversational, rather than informal and some humor can be effective. Unless the author is a subject matter expert or has useful, first-hand experience to share, the first person perspective is rarely used; second person is acceptable. It’s not uncommon to see phrases like, You’ll want to…, or Let’s move on to how you… Remember, the goal is to capture the readers’ attention and get them to take action.

3.      Pay attention to headlines and subheadings

Headlines and subheadings are a very important component of SEO articles. It is desirable to begin your headline with a keyword, or at least have a keyword in the title and also in the subhead. If, for example, your keyword is “SEO Articles,” you might want to change the title, “How to Write SEO Articles,” to “SEO Articles – Guidelines for Effective Writing.” The headline also needs to grab the reader’s attention with tools like lists, secrets, tips, and questions.

 4.      Help search engines do their job with summaries and anchor text

Search engines appear to like articles that have a one- or two-sentence summary. Summaries or teasers let the reader know what the article will be about and also provide an opportunity for keyword placement. Search engines also like anchor text, the hyperlinked words on a web page. These are the words you click on when you click a link. Anchor text can be used in links from other sites, links on your pages, navigation maps, and links on your main page.

5.      Include a resource box

At the bottom of the article, be sure to promote yourself, your website, and your product or service. Typically, the box is between three and six lines (although article directory guidelines do vary), and it contains all of the author details and website links. This resource box is the recommended place for promoting what you do.

Remember, the goal is to have people read what has been written. It needs to be relevant, current, and interesting — something your customers and prospects want to read.

Should the Writer You Hire Be a Subject Matter Expert?

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When you’re looking to hire a freelance writer, how important is it for the writer to have previous experience developing content for your particular niche? It depends. How technical is your information? How motivated is the writer to learn about your topic?

In the twenty-five years that I’ve been a professional writer, I’ve written for a wide range of clients and have provided content on a variety of topics. On occasion, I’ve had to address the issue of whether my experience qualifies me to write about a particular topic. Nonfiction writers make money by providing clear, concise, and accurate content as quickly as they can. This is the reason many writers stick to a few chosen topics; once they have mastered the learning curve on a particular topic, it’s easier for them to meet the client’s needs. However, this is not true for all writers — especially those of us who like the challenge that comes along with learning something new.

I began my professional writing career as a scriptwriter for GTE Lenkurt — the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System. Fresh out of grad school with a degree in Instructional Design, my job was to create training videos and other collateral designed to teach employees things like Crystal Filter Assembly and everything you ever wanted to know about microwave radios. While my formal education did provide me with a procedure for extracting information from specialists in any field, I can assure you that I knew absolutely nothing about the telecommunications industry when I landed this most coveted position.

Two years later, I left GTE to produce a telethon for United Cerebral Palsy Association. I wrote all of the segments for the five San Francisco Bay Area affiliates. At the time, I knew nothing about Cerebral Palsy, but it didn’t take me long to get up to speed. Five years later I owned my own writing business and was developing brochures, articles and videos about everything from the fastest motorboat on the planet (well, at least it was at the time) to a video series for Stanford University on Cardiac Recovery.

Because most writers are a curious lot, we are comfortable learning about a variety of subjects. Most of us do this at an astonishing pace because we know how to ask subject matter experts the right questions and craft their answers into insightful, intelligent prose. If you’re looking to hire a freelance writer, and the only thing they don’t have is experience in your particular field, then ask them if they are interested in your topic. If they are, then you probably have the beginning of a beautiful working relationship. As a bonus, keep in mind the fact that if you’re paying a flat rate per article, the burden to learn about your business is on the writer.