There is nothing more frustrating than searching for the answer to a question on Google, clicking a link only to discover the article has a great title but does not answer your question (or provide any answers for that matter!). This is something Google understands which is why they measure bounce rate. Website links with high bounce rates are less likely to pull up in future searches which benefits searchers but may also harm your marketing efforts.
Many claim “content is king.” At SMA we believe content within context is most important. And with the implementation of Hummingbird it seems Google agrees. Search Engine Land explains, “If you used a search engine during the early days of the Internet, you’ll recall how it could be difficult to find what you’re looking for when your knowledge of a particular subject was lacking. Hummingbird sought to solve this by focusing on synonyms and theme-related topics.”
As digital marketing strategies seek to incorporate more content the demand for freelance writing also grows, but as I’ve said before when it comes to freelance writing you get what you pay for. Still, for small businesses, the need for high-quality content adds yet another task to already overflowing to-do lists and is something easily outsourced.
Table of Contents
Here’s Why High-Quality Content Writing is Worth the Price
Content is a Long-Term Investment
An excellent piece of blog content will continue to attract buyers to your social media and website for an extended period of time. At SMA some of most searched content is from two or more years ago because it is still relevant today. Not only does high-quality writing continue to attract readers in search, it’s easily repurposed.
You can extend the initial investment of purchasing an article by reworking the content into a video or infographic, allowing for layers of opportunities to attract the attention of your ideal buyer with minimal effort.
Well Researched
Since most freelance companies pay by word count the writer does not have much incentive to research your company and take the time to learn about the unique aspects that set you apart from your competition. This often produces blog articles or emails that convey vague concepts about your industry but lack personality.
Philosophies differ among industry professionals. When a content writer does not have the full picture of your specific convictions, they are unable to develop articles which present your company’s ideas, mission, and values.
At SMA we’ve developed a team of content writers who work directly with our account managers to create content that is consistently on brand. Whereas many companies choose content based solely on which is the least expensive, we know that this strategy produces inferior content.
Our in-house writers are assigned to a specific account. As a team member they understand that the more accurately our content represents a client’s personality and mission the happier they are; as part of the SMA team they are invested in the account.
Seeing the full picture of the content calendar as well as the company’s buyer persona affords our writers the opportunity to create content that shares a common theme, forming a more cohesive story.
Conveys Personality
One of the most challenging parts of content writing is accurately representing a company’s personality. Even when a business owner writes their own content there is no guarantee that the reader will understand implied tone.
The better a writer understands a client’s preferences such as how much humor to include or which sources to cite for accurate statistics the higher-quality the content will be and the more accurate your personality will be represented.
SEO Inclusion
High-quality content writers understand the importance of implementing SEO best practices into every blog post, web page, and email they create. There are many details that make a piece of content high-quality for SEO.
Here are a few details to consider:
- Internal and external links
- Contextually appropriate links
- Headers
- Lists
- Word length of 400 words or more
- Accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation
You may pay slightly more for a high-quality piece of content, but your investment will save you time proofreading as well as restructuring articles to include SEO best practices.
Sounding Human
High-quality content that is SEO focused feels like it comes from the company that paid for it, and not a third-party writer. As you read a blog post ask yourself these questions from Hubspot:
- Is this the way a normal person will say things?
- How will someone feel hearing what I have written?
- Am I making my points clear enough? Answering yes to each of these questions will help you confirm you are working with a great content writer who is producing high-quality articles.
High-quality content increases your opportunities to connect with your ideal buyer online. As more consumers begin their shopping research in the comfort of their home it’s increasingly important for all businesses to have a strong presence online. An investment in high-quality content writing is a key component of developing a long-lasting digital marketing strategy. Ready to work with a writing team that prioritizes your company? Give us a call to learn more.
