Just because you have a story to share and can produce eloquent emails from time to time doesn’t mean that you’re a professional writer. There is a difference between a professional wordsmith and someone with a tale to tell, especially when it comes to optimized web content. What is an SEO specialist and why does it matter? An SEO specialist is a writer who knows how to optimize web content for search engines and make it attractive to readers. But it can be tempting, especially when resources are limited, to attempt to DIY SEO. Find out how difficult this delicate balance is to achieve, what it really takes to rise up the ranks of the search engines, and how this improves conversion rates.

Can’t I DIY SEO? Hiring a Writer Costs Money.

Running a business means making difficult decisions about where to best invest the profits. It can be tempting to take on a variety of projects to try to save money. When it comes to SEO web content, there are several smart reasons to hire a writer rather than struggle to do it yourself. Take a look at our top 5:

  1. Consider the Writing Process

Original writing is crucial to get noticed over the online din. There are plenty of flavorless articles written primarily for ranking rather than readers. An SEO specialist determines the target market, what they want, and the keywords they use to find it. The SEO writer must analyze the site and company goals, define the target market, and perform keyword research to craft optimized content that matters. All of this requires time and expertise. It can take hours to write a single article – time most business owners don’t have to spare.

  1. The Grammar Police on the Scene

Writing requires continuous focus. Business owners are always multitasking. In a hectic environment, the possibility of making mistakes increases. Readers expect well-written, informative web content. Broken links, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors make the site look unprofessional. The goal is to get readers to contact the company about doing business – not to ask you to correct site errors.

  1. It’s All About Them

When people write, they are eager to share their stories and opinions. When businesses share optimized content, it’s all about the audience. While people appreciate background information and amusing anecdotes, a monologue soon falls flat. Web articles should be impartial, accurate, and provide answers to the reader’s questions. Why should the reader take action? How do they benefit from doing so? What could happen if they wait or fail to take action? A capable writer knows how to infuse emotion into technically optimized content – and the reader never knows it.

  1. Beyond the Writing

A writer must know about the company and its industry before starting to write. Keyword and content analysis are done as well as topic research. All of this is used to craft compelling content around specific keywords. Internal and external links are added to the material for optimization and to provide additional value to the reader. Titles and background site data are written to ensure optimization once the article is published. Then images are chosen, final edits are done, and the article is published online. Then the article must be shared on social media and further optimized. This work takes additional time, and expertise business owners typically do not have.

  1. The Power of Words

Words have the power to inform, inspire, encourage, and discourage. Each word has a value in the overall message of an article. Short tail and long tail keywords must be used naturally, so they are never obvious or make the reading experience awkward. And the writing must go beyond the keywords into the reader’s feelings, desires, and goals. When it comes to keywords, more is not better – and using too many can lead to scrutiny from Google. The goal is to infuse the keywords into the content without compromising its overall integrity – a job best left to a trained professional.

The High Cost of DIY

Beyond the time and knowledge it takes to write SEO web content, there is a specific level of expertise required to rank well on the search engines. Google algorithms are consistently updated to give their users the best possible search experience. Best practices are continually revised to deliver quality content that readers can find on the search engines. Failure to keep up with this fast-paced world often means being left behind. Consider the high cost of DIY when it comes to creating optimized web articles.

Brand Reputation Matters

An SEO specialist knows the boundary between social interaction and brand integrity. It’s easy to get carried away, especially after a long day. Saying the wrong thing on social media can quickly become the kiss of death for a business. Media leaders and high-profile corporations have fallen due to making an inappropriate statement that seemed funny or witty at the time. Brand reputation matters, so don’t leave anything to chance.

The Cost of Lost Opportunities

By 2021, research anticipates 204.4 million people in the United States will buy goods and services online. There’s just one golden opportunity to make a first impression. Internet surfers move fast and only takes a few seconds for them to know if they want to stay or surf away. How can you get them to stay at your site and what makes you stand out from the competition? These are questions best answered by an SEO specialist. Think about the cost of lost opportunities. Driving traffic to the site is just the beginning. The right traffic needs to have a reason to act now or return to the site. SEO pros know how to make this magic happen.

Face Google Penalties

One of the worst consequences DIY writers face is being penalized by Google. When a site is penalized for improper SEO tactics, it is downgraded from the current search engine results. A site that ranked on the first page for a specific keyword may plummet to the seventh page. The worst case scenario is having the site eliminated from the search engine results. Regardless of its previous rankings, the pages will not appear in Google’s indexing at all. Getting back from such a blow can take a site months or years to accomplish. The cost of lost revenues can put companies out of business.

The Clock Keeps Ticking

Writing is immersive, and a person can get lost in the process for hours. Imagine spending several hours writing an article and still have a to-do list for the day? A business owner who tries to be a writer can easily face this daunting moment. Nobody wants to work around the clock, and it keeps ticking while you write. Business owners must weigh the value of their time. Often it is better spent pursuing new clients, and developing new products and ideas. Time is money, and both might be better used on business development rather than SEO writing.

what is an SEO specialist

Action, Not Just Words

Companies want brand recognition, notoriety, and a sense of authority. Getting caught up in brand imaging and content creation can mean losing sight of the customer’s needs. It takes more than words to get site visitors to take action. A writer gets into the shoes and lives of the readers to determine what they want. Writers identify the keywords that have an “intent” that is consistent with the company’s objectives and resonates with potential clients. The right words are used to answer their questions, alleviate their concerns, and show them what they need to do now to improve conversion rates.

Sharing Shows Caring

Sharing industry updates, actionable tips, and essential information shows a company cares about its audience. It takes more than knowing what readers want to connect with them. Compelling content is readable, persuasive, and actionable. Readers should immediately understand what the article offers from the title and first paragraph. The content should be well-organized with subheadings for readers to skim to the details they want. Sharing only matters when people understand what is said and know how to process it. SEO writers fearlessly guide the reader in a specific direction, making the content worthwhile to both the company and its target market.

It’s All About Trust

Rewriting the same tired web content seems like a cheap and easy way to populate a site. Modern Internet users are savvy and instantly recognize re-purposed

articles. Successful businesses always have something fresh and interesting to offer to readers. Facts and figures should be verified to show authority and the ability to pay attention to crucial details. Each well-crafted piece of content helps build trust as people learn to turn to you for valid information and relevant updates.

A Call to Action

Taking a journalistic approach to writing content gives companies an authoritative, professional online presence. But it is still crucial to remember this content is meant for marketing purposes. Failure to include a definitive call to action turns the site into a news resource rather than a profitable business portal. While obvious calls to action are cheesy and counterproductive, they can’t be so low-key people don’t notice them. An SEO specialist understands the fine line between over-the-top and understated, crafting calls to action that measurably improve conversion rates over time.

Profit Over Prowess

The online world is competitive, fast-paced, and alluring. Internet stars are born overnight by making one smart statement or writing a single compelling piece. Business owners may not always be impartial. They instantly get lured by the possibility of gaining attention and showing skill in a specific area of expertise. Both are excellent ways to promote a company but can become quite time-consuming. After a day of posturing, an entrepreneur may wonder why nothing else got done. Always remember to put profit over prowess – something that comes naturally to an SEO pro.

Qualities to Find in An SEO Content Writing Service

Now that you’re ready to invest in an SEO content writing service, look for these qualities to get the best possible ROI for your investment:

  • The ability to understand the business objectives you want the content to achieve;
  • Perform keyword research to determine the SEO keywords related to these business objectives that have enough volume to build an audience;
  • Determine which keyword an intent that is consistent with the company’s objectives;
  • Research the types of content preferred by the search engines for the chosen keywords;
  • Craft compelling content per the business objectives, industry standards, SEO best practices brand standards, search intent, and target audience;
  • Ability to review the content and its objectives with stakeholders;
  • A service that offers pipelining, an efficiency algorithm that breaks the process of developing SEO content into equal units of work, and each unit can be started again before the entire process is complete to increase the speed of the overall process of content creation; and
  • Consistent quality, reliable delivery, outstanding communication skills, and a flexible team that provides precisely the level of service and expertise you need.

Galileo Tech Media’s unique business model puts you in the power seat of every project. A skilled team of professionals seamlessly analyze your site to create a plan for optimization and content creation that reaches search engines and real people. Let us show you why DIY yourself doesn’t work and how an SEO content writing service can do it better.