In today’s Digital Age, it probably goes without saying that if you have a business, you need a website. A website helps to establish your business’ credibility while making it easier for your audience to learn about your services, purchase your products, or get in touch with you. If you’ve had your business website up for a while now, and you’re not gaining the traffic that you thought you would, you might want to consider hiring a content writer.
There’s no doubt that you know your business better than anyone – but do you know the business of online marketing? Are you able to take everything you want people to know about your business and articulate it in a concise, captivating, and optimized way for search engines?
According to HubSpot, businesses that invest in content marketing see a 67% rise in lead acquisition over those who tackle the web on their own.
Most of this lead acquisition comes from a website’s content, adequately optimized for search engines. This style of content improves your site’s search engine optimization or SEO.
Understanding SEO
The main goal of hiring a content writer is to grow your business, and one of the best ways to succeed is to make it so that your website appears on the first page of Google. Yes – it’s possible to appear at the top of search engine results without paying for ad space!
Search engines – take Google, which owns 73% of the search engine market, for example – work by searching through websites for words that are most similar to whatever you have typed into the search bar. In the world of online marketing, these words are called “keywords,” of which there are two types:
- Short-tail keywords
- Long-tail keywords
Short-tail keywords are very general search terms that typically consist of only a word or two. Because they are quite broad, they have a lot of competition in the eyes of search engines. This means too many websites are using the same keywords, and yours may risk getting lost in the sauce.
For example: “scented candles,” “home improvement,” “self-help books”
Long-tail keywords are typically short sentences that are much more specific; therefore, they have less competition on the web.
For example: “handmade scented soy candles,” “home improvement projects for old houses,” “self-help books for young mothers”
The thing about keywords is that they’re a slippery slope. Google actually penalizes content that is “keyword-stuffed,” and your chances of showing up on the first page of search results will start to drop quickly. So, don’t begin to think that you can manipulate the #1 search engine in the world!
The reason hiring a content writer to grow your business works is because not only are they educated in the mechanics of good writing, they understand how to combine those mechanics with that of SEO.
Incorporating keywords into your website goes beyond your landing page. The most successful websites have multiple pages that are chock-full of valuable information that is easy to digest. The only place where you should have content that is more than a few sentences long is in your About Me and on your Blog page. Yes, that’s right! You’re going be a blogger.
Blogger? I hardly know her!
The content on your website’s landing pages is a great place to start, but the truth is that it’s just not enough to get recognized by the robots employed by Google. It would be best if you regularly delivered a constant stream of content relevant to your business, well-written, and intelligently crafted for SEO. Hiring a content writer to establish and maintain a blog is one of the best ways to do that!
80% of businesses with blogs on their business site see an increase in visitors and an increase in sales. Blogs also have the ability to:
1. Make you more credible
Blogging allows you to prove to your audience that you know what you’re talking about. You can start to make potential client lives a little bit better by sharing valuable information about your products and industry, enticing them to take the plunge and purchase your product. Opening this channel makes you more trustworthy to your audience because they feel like they can get to know you through your (or your content writer’s) writing.
2. Build brand awareness
Sometimes, it might feel like the internet is too saturated, and there’s no way to break through all of the existing content. That is absolutely not true! The internet is vast and limitless, and all you need to do is figure out how to carve out space for yourself and make your brand one that is easily recognizable. Your blog page is your opportunity to really let your brand’s personality shine. It can be as formal or informal as you want, as long as it’s true to what your brand values are.
3. Increase buyers with sharable content
Because your blog will be filled with valuable content that makes you a credible brand, people are going to want to share it. If you have a blog entry that tells a particularly compelling story (don’t be afraid to get vulnerable!) or shares a unique solution problem that you’ve been noticing, it helps to make you relatable. When people relate to something, they instinctively want to share it with others because, deep down, we all crave the feeling of being understood, and we look for ways to make our lives a little bit easier. If your blog is a source of that understanding and solution, you’ll start to see the number of viewers skyrocket.
4. Bring you closer to your audience
Although you don’t want to bend your business to the demands of others, it is important to meet your target audience where they are. You can do this by running analytics on your site – see what kinds of blog posts are the most/least popular. Read through the comments and check in on what your audience is talking about. There’s a fine line between staying true to your brand and giving the people what they want. Analytics helps you find a balance that is necessary for successful brands.
In addition to creating captivating blog content, hiring a content writer to handle your social media captions can boost engagement and raise your follower count.
Content writing for social media
You might have thought that social media is all fun and games, but there’s a serious science to it that can be perfected by hiring a content writer. Of course, you could learn the ins and outs of algorithms, preferred language, and timing, but who has time for that when you’re busy building an empire?
Running successful social media campaigns usually takes the work of two entities: a content writer and a social media manager. However, it is possible to find someone who fills both shoes at the same time.
A social media content writer can skillfully create captions that promote engagement. Unlike blogging, social media writing doesn’t necessarily utilize keywords. Most algorithms are based on engagement, which means you need captions that will entice people to comment on your posts, like them, and share them with others.
A social media manager takes the written content and applies it to an entire social media campaign. They will create a content calendar for your page, post according to the calendar, and interact with your followers to further increase engagement.
Finding a content writer that can also manage your social media is ideal. When you have someone functioning as a two-in-one, you can rest assured that their efforts are streamlined without worrying if everyone is on the same page.
Finding the best content writer for you
It can be hard to put your business’ content in the hands of someone else. Content writers are professionals that are trained in effective online communication, strategy, and – most importantly – writing!
You might find yourself surprised by what a content writer can accomplish with a little bit of direction and some research. The best ones out there know the right questions to ask that will pull out the necessary information to best understand you and your brand.
If you’re ready to hire a content writer, but don’t know where to begin, consider these tips:
- It starts with admitting that you don’t know where to start. Fortunately, there are plenty of individuals in your network who do. Hello — Linkedin — & Harford Designs.
- Ask to see data and analytics that show the results other clients have had with your content writer.
- Be ready to talk about you and your business to your (hopefully, Harford Designs) content writer.
When they said that “it takes a village,” they weren’t kidding. Take some of the pressure off of yourself and hire a professional content writer to optimize your website for search engines, create a steady stream of content with a blog, and engage your followers on social media. In doing so, you’re allowing your business to succeed, to rise above others on the internet, and create the success that you so deserve!
