Boost rankings with an SEO copywriter

Are you searching for an SEO copywriter? We’re going to show you how you can hire an SEO copywriter that can capture the core of your message and communicate it in ways that engage with your audience. The result will be content that creates connections (and, as part of that, ranks well in search engines.)

SEO copywriters – and SEO copywriting agencies – are (or rather, should be) both technical experts and emotional engineers. By that, we mean they should have the skills to create rock solid briefs, create accurate and engaging content, and optimise and improve it to maximise its ranking potential. 

That’s the theory anyway. Unfortunately, too many SEO copywriters (and, yes, SEO copywriting agencies) are happy to pump out poorly written, inauthentic, inaccurate and ineffective copy – and it’s not them who suffers, but you and your business. 

You want to avoid that and so do we, so here’s how to analyse, assess and understand what an SEO copywriter does – and how you can top talent in a whole sea of SEO copywriting trash.

What does an SEO copywriter do?

Let’s start with some basics. (The information here comes from our top-rated SEO copywriting tips article, which you 100% should read today.)

SEO copywriting is defined by Google’s AI assistant like this:

“SEO copywriting is the practice of writing content that’s optimized for search engines while also appealing to human readers. The goal is to create content that ranks well in search engines like Google, while also being engaging and relevant to a target audience.”

Do you think that’s accurate?

When we think about SEO, we’re always focused on results and rankings. The problem is, focusing too much on this can impact on the readability and relatability of your content. Or in other words, too much SEO = junk content. You know the stuff, you read it all the time we’re sure.

At 42group, we’re all about building human connections – and that’s what the best SEO content does. 

Why does this matter? Search engine algorithms are becoming more and more sophisticated and they’re analysing, intepresting and judging your content. Coupled with user data, it can build a picture of what good content is, and it’s quite accurate. 

If your SEO copywriter or agency is solely focused on the technical aspects (and that includes using things like SEO writing assistant and software) they’re not going to achieve the best results. 

That’s some simple SEO science.

So, what can you do? Work with an expert SEO copywriter, obviously. 

How to boost ranking with SEO copywriting

OK, so you’re excited about commissioning and SEO copywriter and starting to look at agencies. Here are some of the doc and don’ts of working with an SEO copywriter. We can’t guarantee your SEO copywriting project will be a success (unless you work with 

Do your research 

The best SEO copywriting and the biggest ranking improvements will come when you know about your audience. While keywords analysis, persona development, user journeys and more cna be developed by your SEO copywriter, it’s better if you provide this to them. The better your research, the better the content. That’s a constant in the world of SEO copywriting (and all digital marketing, to be fair.)

Don’t rely writing assistants

Clients can access the same tools SEO freelancers and SEO copywriters and agencies use (we’re looking at you SEM Rush, but there are others).

It can be tempting to rely on SEO copywriting assistant to provide structures, keywords, titles and more. But don’t.

SEO writing assistants are used by pretty much every SEO agency, which means by doing so, you’re not gaining an advantage – in fact ,you could be destroying yours. Thinking differently, being original and being authentic is the best way to generate an advantage and secure good rankings. 

Free yourself from the constraints of SEO copywriting assistants and do something new. Your readers will love it and search engines will reward you. We call this “me first” content – doing something new and original, rather then processing the same junk. “Do we need another ‘Ultimae guide to SEO copywriting’ – probably not!)

Do trust your writer

You’re experts at that you do (whatever that may be) and so is your writer. When you hire an SEO copywriter, we know you want results and that can take time. It also relies on many more factors outside of the writers’ control (including technical aspects of the site, existing authority, competition in the niche, etc.).

If you’ve followed our advice and selected a suitable SEO copywriter, you must put your faith in their expertise and ability to create content that will deliver sustainable SEO results and, from that, financial returns.

(This is all part of building a relationship wth your SEO copywriter.)

Don’t use AI

This should go without saying, but don’t use AI. 

Why? Google doesn’t seem too worried about AI, but that situation could (and probably will) change very soon. 

Even so, AI content shows you have a disregard for your audience. You’re not providing them with content with any value. Insead, you’re going to be publishing content with no insights, potentially inaccurate information and limited benefits. 

AI content will damage you, your brand and your website. The only saving grace is that AI content is so easy to spot that it won’t rank well in the first place, so nobody will ever read it or access it.

(Did AI create this article? Of course it fucking didn’t. This was written by a 43 year old man, nursing a cup of coffee. Why the coffee? Because last night I got over excited and had the best part of a bottle of red wine. A good, oaky Rioja. Full-bodied, rich and with a summery, berry note that was beautiful when paired with a large bar of Dairy Milk. Have you noticed how Dairy Milk used to be 200g and now it’s only 180g. Makes you think that does. Mostly about how delicious Dairy Milk is and why anyone would spend lots on artisan chocolates. Personally, I find artisan chocolates to be overly engineered. There are too many flavours, the chocolate is often bitter and they can leave you feeling disappointed. Not Dairy Milk. That’s a constant source of delight.)

Do create solid briefs

One of the biggest challenges for a freelance SEO copywriter (or an SEO copywriting agency, for that matter) is to capture what you want to say in the way you want to say it. The most effective way to communicate this to a writer is in a brief.

A brief can be as short as a sentence. “Write me a blog on the key skills of an SEO copywriter.” That’s one we’ve had before. (Thanks boss). In other cases, it can be literally pages long, with links, sources, suggested structure, titles and CTA. 

The better the brief the more accurate and informed the content. There are other elements that will dictate whether it’s any good, but that’s another matter. 

We recommend investing a few hours at least in developing a brief. We can do this for you, of couse, but we’ll need to charge you .

Don’t dictate how your writer should write 

You can (probably) write, but if you’re commissioning an SEO writer, it’s unlikely you’ll be one.

The best – and often, the most successful – clients are those that give freelancers freedom to do their best work. This includes the freedom to work, think and innovate. Your writer will, if they’re any good, find new ways of tackling familiar subjects. A fresh approach can be effective in SEO, helping you to get results. 

Don’t dictate how your writer should write. Trust your SEO copywriter to produce something that’s fresh, original and with authority. 

Do optimise your content

Optimisation is important. It’s where you take the content created by your SEO copywriter and make it better. This can be done by an expert editor, the client or an SEO. In some cases, it’ll go through all these different levels. 

What is SEO content optimisation? Essentially, it’s ensuring that the structure, focus and style is going to deliver you the best chance of ranking well. There are technical elements that need to be considered, keyword placement, H1s (and H2s, H3s etc.), links and more. 

SEO copywriters may need a helping hand with their content. This isn’t a failing or skills gap. Oprtimisation – often by someone else – is a core part of the process.

Don’t try and game the Google algorithm

This stands to reason but avoid shady tricks or attempts to game the Google algorithm. We’re talking about dumb things like buying bad backlinks, keyword stuffing, using an SEO writign assitant and lots more poor-practice that we see every day. 

In the end, success will come from a steady stream of long-form content that tackles issues and covers subjects that your audience is interested in. SEO is that simple.

Do work with an expert SEO copywriter

If you want sustainable SEO results, you need to pay for high quality SEO copywriting. You may not want to hear this or believe it to be true, but those businesses who get to the top of Google usually pay the highest amounts for their content. 

Anyone can claim they’re an expert SEO copywriter, but what does that mean?

You’ll want to ensure your SEO copywriter has demonstrable experience creating content in your niche. Furthermore, the content shoul dbe high quality, readable and relatable. And, yes, it needs to rank, too. 

Ask your SEO copywriter for examples, encourage them to share ideas, collaborate on briefs and build a global brand – but don’t expect all this for free. 

Don’t cut cost or corners

We get a client a week who comes to us because their previous SEO content provider wasn’t delivering the goods. SEO copywriters, SEO freelancers and even SEO copywriting agencies vary in quality, consistency and impact. 

Our advice is never to cut costs or corners. Typical issues include: Shipping work abroad. Using a non-specialist content agency for complex work. Commissiong content at-scale from a small agency. Using a cheap freelancer and expecting pro-quality work. Using freelance SEO writers from Fiver. Working with content mills. Believing SEO agencies when they say they can write content for you. Geting someone with no knowledge of content marketing to create content strategies. Asking your SEO copywriter to work for embarrassingly small sums. Asking your SEO content agency to provide a discount for bulk content. Creating content with AI then asking a new content provider to edit it (at a much lower rate than content creation).

This is about 1% of all the problems we see. Don’t make the same mistakes as they did and try to cut costs and cut corners. It won’t lead to long-term success. Just short term pain – and lots of it. Like stepping on a plug with cold feet.