Tag Archives: content writing services

5 types of content that I write

5 types of content that I write

5 types of content that I write

Although I have extensively explained on my website that being a writer I can write on a wide choice of topics and realms, many clients often ask me exactly what I do and what sort of writing I provide professionally.

I have spread my net quite wide in the previous years and I think this has been a mistake. There are many writing activities that are time wasting in terms of generating income. For example, email writing. Most of the clients think of email as number of words but sometimes, more effort is needed in writing a business email than writing a blog post. I’m gradually moving towards the payment model that is based on the effort and expertise rather than merely the number of words.

Broadly, I’m writing content for 5 types of requirements these days. I’m explaining below

1. Blog writing

I love writing blogs because it is mostly linear writing without fluff. It is educational. It is informative. It imparts value.

Although blogging requires research, in most of the cases clients these days send their own outline and sometimes even research material because I charge extra for that. As long as they are paying for my time, I don’t even mind extensive researching.

Although many clients hire me to write “SEO blog posts” I focus more on quality and relevance rather than simply stuffing keywords. This is primarily the reason why I charge slightly more than other content writers who don’t mind simply writing for SEO.

2. Web page writing

This involves writing for the homepage and other pages on the website such as the services page, the company profile, the about us page, or the product descriptions.

Web page writing is quite important, and I charge more than I charge for blog writing. This is where conversion happens. This is where you tell your visitors whether they should do business with you.

Web page writing or website writing is a mix of content writing and copywriting. You inform, educate, but more than that, you sell.

3. Email writing

As I have explained above, I’m shifting the focus to quality rather than the number of words. I like writing emails because I love to communicate. I can write convincingly. I can stick to the point. I can communicate what the client wants to communicate to his or her client or customer. The only precondition is, the client must be able to tell me what he or she exactly wants to communicate.

4. Case studies

A case study is a detailed examination of some problem a customer or client had been facing and how that problem was solved by a service or are product. Detailed method is described, including technologies.

A case study is like a story. You tell about a customer or a client and what problems he or she had been going through. Then how those problems were solved through your effort or through your product. It uses engaging storytelling to weave a narrative around what you offer.

5. Landing pages

Landing pages are very focused. Unlike the usual web page or the blog post page of a website, a landing page has a single objective – to prompt the viewer to take a particular action. This action might be buying a product, or a book, or subscribing to a mailing list.

Landing pages are used for PPC and email marketing campaigns. People are driven to landing pages by promoting the link to them. For example, if you want to draw people through Google AdWords campaigns or Facebook campaigns or even email marketing campaigns, you use a landing page.

Landing page is mostly copywriting.

Other than these five categories, I have also been writing e-books for some clients, but mostly it is blogging, website writing and landing pages.

Here I explain why I take full advance for my content writing services

Why I take full advance for my content writing services

Why I take full advance for my content writing services.

These days I insist that my clients make an advance payment (full payment, not 50% or 40%) before I schedule their work. It started with the onslaught of Covid-19 when many of my clients suddenly disappeared without making the payments for the work that I had done for them.

Then I realized that, both from mine as well as the client’s perspective, charging the full advance works better. Of course, most of the clients are apprehensive, and I take appropriate measures to allay their concerns. I explain.

Why I’m charging a full advance for my content writing services

As I have explained above, I started taking the full advance after Covid-19. I’m not blaming the clients but in total, I may have lost payments for 30-40 hours that I spent writing their content. If you can believe, I don’t resent those clients. The entire world went through calamitous times. I’m thankful that many of us have survived unscathed.

Over the past years I have realized that when clients miss making payments, it is not because they don’t want to pay or they want to fleece me – not all of them. They just lose track and once they have lost the track, they move on, and once they have moved on, it is difficult to make them pay.

Content writing is my full-time job. It is my bread and butter. In Hindi, you would call it my “rozi-roti”. Almost all of my income comes from writing content for different clients. Compared to my clients, my stakes are higher.

For almost all of my clients, getting content written for their websites and blogs is a side activity. I’m not saying it is less important, but after everything said and done, it is not one of their main undertakings. For example, you may be a lawyer, an accountant, a business coach, a web design agency owner, a photographer, a doctor, a real estate developer, an architect, or something else. That is your work. You spend a major part of your day doing your work or delivering your core competency. Writing content is not your major undertaking of the day.

Sometimes clients get busy with other responsibilities. Priorities change sometimes. Projects get shelved. There is suddenly some cash crunch and “adjustments” need to be made. In all this quintessential hubbub, they may not even give a second thought to that distant content writer who is spending his time doing the work they no longer consider important, but for him, it is. He is ignoring the work of another client to work on their project for which, they may not pay.

What if I take your money and then don’t do your work or do a lousy job?

This is a valid fear. Every person wants to be cautious before spending money. And it happens. People take money and then disappear. The Internet is full of such stories. I’m not saying the apprehension is unfounded. All the valid reasons are there.

So how do I counter this fear? How do I explain to my clients that giving a full advance to me is a safe bet and I’m not going to disappear with their money or I’m not going to do a lousy job simply because I’m no longer looking forward to payment from you (because I have already received it)?

Most of the people hold back payment thinking that the service provider will do his or her best to be able to get the payment.

Most of the service providers, especially those who take outsourced jobs such as content writing or web design and such, work on the percentage model. For example, they take 40% advance and then start working. Then they complete the work and show a portion of it and get another 40%. Then they deliver the work and receive the remaining 20%. Or 50%-50%.

I’m not pointing at particular clients, getting repeat payments, especially once you have delivered the work, can be a big drain on your energy and creativity as a writer. Some people may not have a problem with this, but I don’t feel comfortable asking for money repeatedly. So many times I have lost money because the client didn’t pay the remaining amount and after a couple of reminders, I felt too awkward to ask.

Full advance payment for content writing doesn’t mean there needs to be a big commitment

Here is the process that I follow that makes me and my clients comfortable.

  • Based on the specs I prepare an estimate.
  • I divide the project in smaller chunks (Phase 1, Phase 2, …).
  • I ask for a topic from the client and agree to submit a sample of 200-300 words.
  • If the client likes the sample, he or she pays the full amount for Phase 1.
  • When Phase 1 is done, if the client is still happy with my work, he or she pays for Phase 2.
  • And so on.

Does this process always work? Not necessarily. Especially when I’m writing content for companies. Their accounting departments have their own procedures. There are company policies that don’t allow them to make payments unless they have received the product. In such cases I go on a hunch. But with individuals, except for the rarest of the rare cases, I stick to my process.

 

Do I sometimes refuse to work with certain content writing clients?

Is it fine to turn away certain content writing clients?
Is it fine to turn away certain content writing clients?

Just now came across this interesting post on Copyblogger – Is It Time to Say Goodbye to Your Current Client? – that says that it isn’t always prudent to cling to a client, especially when he or she is creating a toxic environment.

How do I decide whether I want to work with a client or not? To be frank, it is often difficult to let go of a client with whom I have been working for a few months. There was some initial spark and that’s why we could survive beyond the initial documents.

It’s like a messy relationship – you feel committed, and you feel that it would be a failure on your part if you let things fall apart easily. Besides, it is difficult to see a source of money going away – one bird in your hand is better than two birds in the bush.

The post on Copyblogger rightly says that if you are providing a service like content writing or copywriting, you are constantly improving. Which means that a year ago if you were accepting clients matching your expertise back then, right now you need to accept clients that match your expertise now.

This is also important because if you’re still working with clients who hired you last year based on your expertise back then, they are still going to treat you like a less experienced content writer. Even if they grudgingly admit that you’re much better than you were last year, it will be difficult to make them pay you more.

According to the author, here are some reasons why you should stop working with a particular client:

  • He or she doesn’t respect your time.
  • He or she doesn’t recognise the extra effort you are putting to give your best.
  • He or she is paying far less than what you deserve.

Coming back to my own question: do I sometimes refuse to work with certain clients?

Yes, I definitely do, just as some clients decide not to work with me.

I like to work on projects where my work is appreciated not for the heck of satisfying my ego, but where I really contribute. Even if I contribute and my client does not realize that I’m contributing, this is not a good situation to be in, and I politely bow out.

As far as I can control, I never sully my relationships with people, because you never know the situation on the other side. I remember there was a client last year who talked very gruffly when I presented a counterargument. I was wary of moving forward but we were amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and I was taking many decisions that I wouldn’t take in normal times. I continued communicating with him and stuck to my argument. I told him that I would take full advance before committing. He paid double the amount I was asking for, giving me double the work we had initially talked about.

I have an hourly target. Whether I’m charging an hourly rate, per document, or per word, by the end of the project, I must reach my hourly target. If I exceed my hourly target, well and good, but if I don’t, it no longer remains an attractive proposition for me, and I refuse to work. I don’t hide this fact. I let it be known to the client that although I’m interested in the project, remuneration -wise, it is not feasible for me. Some understand, some don’t.

15 Article And Content Writing Outsourcing Tips For Best Content Results

Article and content writing outsourcing tips

Article and content writing outsourcing tips.

Need to publish informational articles to increase your brand presence and improve organic search engine rankings?

It’s better to outsource your article writing requirements rather than doing it in house.

A content writing agency or a content writer is always going to do a better job compared to an in-house writer.

I’m going to share some article outsourcing and content outsourcing tips here that will help you get the maximum out of the content writer you work with.

Article outsourcing means working with an outside article writing agency like Credible Content Writing Services to publish high-quality content on your website in the form of blog posts, webpages, and also get them published on other websites and blog posts to get exposure in front of a different audience.

Benefits of outsourcing your article writing requirements to a content writing service

Here, I’m not listing the benefits just because I have my own content writing agency and hence, it would be profitable for me if you outsource article writing.

Of course, it will be profitable for me.

But outsourcing article writing is actually beneficial to your business.

You can outsource content writing needs such as

  • Blog
  • Website
  • Landing page
  • Email marketing
  • Informational articles
  • E-book
  • Case study

Here is a list of benefits:

You don’t have a limited choice when it comes to writers

When you outsource to another content writing agency you are not stuck with particular writers.

Don’t like the writing style?

You can switch to another service or if the content writing service hires multiple writers, you can always request to work with another writer.

You will need to do some research but there are thousands of writers to choose from – writers who can make a big difference in your content marketing efforts.

Outsourcing is cheaper compared to hiring an in-house writer

It is cost effective to work with a content writing agency.

If you hire your own writer, you will need resources such as a computer or a laptop, software and other office resources.

Also, no matter how many quality articles your in-house writer writes, you will be paying a monthly salary, insurance and other benefits that you need to give to a full-time employee.

With outsourcing, you pay-as-you-go.

You can even pay per article for that matter.

You don’t pay for the computer.

You don’t pay for the furniture.

You don’t pay for the electricity.

There is no medical insurance to pay.

There is no monthly salary.

You just pay for the article that you get.

You can focus on strategy and business building

Writing is a time-consuming activity, especially when publishing high-quality articles is your priority.

On an average, a well-written, researched article takes anywhere between 3-4 hours.

Even if you work very fast, an article of 1000-1500 words definitely takes two hours including revisions and research.

If you want to publish 2-3 articles every week, do you really have that much time?

Can you regularly come up with great article writing ideas?

You can rest assured of continuity

Publishing regularity is as important as publishing high-quality content on your website or blog, and the same goes with publishing high-quality articles.

Once you have outsourced your article writing requirement to a content writing agency you don’t need to worry about publishing content regularly.

Depending on your contract and arrangement, you can get a high quality, crisp article in your inbox daily.

A fresh perspective on your article writing ideas

A writer writing from an outsider’s perspective will instill a breath of fresh air into your entire content writing process.

A professional writer is constantly writing on different topics. He or she is always “in the zone”.

Creative juices are constantly flowing.

Since a professional writer like yours truly makes a living out of writing, he knows how to research, how to gather information and then how to weave a narrative to make the writing interesting and worthwhile.

Scale according to your convenience

As mentioned above, you are neither stuck with a writer nor with the budget (unlike in the case of a salary).

You can always scale up or scaled-down your article writing requirements.

It isn’t necessary that if in August you published 10 articles in September also you publish the same number of articles.

If you have budget for just 5 articles, then you publish just 5 articles.

Then you suddenly have a budget for 20 articles.

You publish 20 articles.

Now we come to the main topic of this blog post:

15 tips on how to draw maximum benefit from article outsourcing

There are compelling reasons to outsource your article writing requirements but to benefit fully from your arrangement, there are certain things you must pay attention to.

It’s like any other collaboration.

Some sort of input and diligence will be required from your side whether it is about finding the right content writing agency or zeroing in on the best content writer for your article writing needs, or drawing up your long term content strategy.

The 15 article & content writing outsourcing tips listed below will help you create and maintain a rewarding experience both for you and the writer.

1. Prepare a vision and mission statement for your content strategy

Sometimes I prepare a mission and vision statement even for a single blog post or an article.

If the client is paying good money for the effort and time I’m spending.

Preparing such a document gives you a direction and helps you prioritize and focus.

You normally write a vision and mission statement for your company or your business and you must be wondering why you should write one for your content strategy.

Why do you need article writing?

Why do you need quality content for your blog or website?

Let’s say, what do you want to achieve once you have published at least 50 articles or blog posts?

Do you want to educate your customers and clients?

Do you want to increase the content depth of your website?

Do you want to establish yourself as an authority and an expert in your field?

Do you want to publish lots of helpful literature for your customers and clients so that they feel inclined to buy from you?

Do you want to improve your organic search engine rankings for your target keywords?

Do you want to increase subscribers of your newsletter?

How important high-quality articles are in the scheme of things?

Having a clear vision will help you decide what type of writer you should be looking for.

2. Do research on other websites and blogs

Businesses and entrepreneurs related to your business, all your competitors, are already publishing a ton of content.

Visit their websites and blogs and make a note of what type of content they are publishing.

Try to make sense of what they are achieving.

If you don’t agree with their content strategy, also make note of it so that you don’t do the same with your own content strategy.

Visiting other websites and blogs will also give you an idea of the quality of content they are publishing.

Preserve the list of websites and blogs you like so that when you start working with an article writer, you can share these links as an example.

Getting a sense of quality will also help you find the right writer for your article writing needs.

3. Find out why people would search information related to your field or business

What is generally the buyer journey in your business when it comes to writing and publishing content?

Do people search for information in the beginning and then gradually they decide to buy, or is the buying process is very fast?

I have observed that in the field of content writing and copywriting, especially when it comes to SEO content, clients have already researched a lot.

Most of my clients have worked with multiple SEO companies and content writers before they come to me or they themselves have spent a few months dabbling with various SEO concepts.

Is it the same case with your industry?

4. Prepare a list of keywords and search terms if you are planning to target search engine users

You can either do this on your own in the beginning, or you can leave this process right now and work with your writer later.

Choosing the right keywords and search terms is very important for your search engine rankings.

There may be hundreds of keywords and search term combinations that your prospective customers and clients use to find businesses like yours.

You may have to use a tool like Google Analytics, Serpstat or Ubersuggest to come up with a comprehensive list of keywords.

Having a finalized list of keywords will help you a lot later.

5. Prepare a list of topics based on your keywords and search terms

Again, either you can do it on your own or you can do it when you start working with an article writer.

Many of my clients take my help to come up with the most appropriate article topics.

Having said that, it is always better to prepare an initial list of topics on your own because you have a better understanding of your business and your audience.

Again, this will help you find the best article writer for your requirements.

6. Start searching for an article writing agency you can outsource to

Being in a constant state of hurry has become sort of a fashion these days.

Many clients who approach me say something like, “the deadline for publishing my article is like, yesterday.”

You are pressurizing yourself, and your pressurizing your writer.

This helps nobody.

Why am I mentioning this here?

Don’t start looking for an article writing service when you are pressed hard against the wall.

Give yourself a couple of weeks.

Allocate one hour everyday going through various article writing websites or content writing websites.

Whenever you come across a probable writer, save the information whether it is the website or the social media profile or an email ID.

7. Go through the previous work of the writers you have shortlisted

Most of the experienced content writers have their samples online.

Even if they don’t have their samples online, you can ask them to send you a list of online links you can go through.

You don’t need to worry about your niche focus when you are initially going through the samples.

Yes, industry and subject matter knowledge matters.

So, if the article writer you are looking for must have knowledge of blockchain development then you can ask for specific samples, but otherwise, frankly, it is the style that matters.

Make note of how the writer expresses himself or herself.

As long as he or she is comfortable writing on technology, it hardly matters whether he or she has extensively written on mobile app development, Java programming, artificial intelligence or Internet of Things.

Similarly, if the writer has been primarily writing for real estate builders, if the writing is engaging, conversational and professional, it hardly matters if he or she never seems to have written for a real estate agent.

I’m not undermining the importance of knowledge and subject matter experience, but pay more attention to the writing style and the way the writer communicates different ideas.

Does he or she write like a writer or simply writes like someone who knows how to write correct sentences?

There is a big difference.

8. Be patient, keep a long-term relationship in mind while searching for an article writer

Although, I have written above that you’re always free to move from one article writing agency to another, in the long term, for better productivity and efficiency, it is preferable that your relationship with the writer evolves.

There are many clients for whom I have been writing for 3-4 years, even more.

Sometimes, even in the beginning, if there was no synergy, we ended up working on many assignments simply because we came to understand each other.

All my clients know that I have a particular style of writing.

They know that I show 100% interest in the topic once I start writing on it.

I never do a half-hearted job.

From my side, I have understood their priorities and targeting.

I know what they want from their articles.

This understanding helps me flow.

My writing comes out natural and conversational but at the same time, professional.

One of my clients recently commented, “When you don’t meet my expectations, it is not that you haven’t tried, it is because I didn’t communicate what I’m looking for.”

This level of communication develops over time.

It takes time.

Hence, just because you can find 27 content writers or article writing services on the web, doesn’t mean you should always be ready to drop your writer.

You will need to grow together for a persistent supply of quality articles to your website.

9. Not a hard-and-fast rule, but avoid freelancing portals if you can

I’m not biased against freelancing portals.

After all, there is a great demand for them, and you can find excellent professionals over these freelancing portals.

It is just that, most of my clients haven’t had good experience getting writers from these freelancing portals.

It is not surprising.

The problem with freelancing portals is that a typical writer who registers himself or herself at the website doesn’t have high stakes.

It has taken me years to develop my website and bring it to the stage it is right now.

I have toiled for years to improve my search engine rankings to such an extent that 90% of my work comes from search engines and LinkedIn.

I run a full content writing business.

My stakes are high.

Unlike a writer from a freelancing website, in case something goes wrong, I cannot quickly remove my profile and recreate a new profile with a new username.

I have no experience with such writers myself, but the problem with such websites is that it is very easy to set up a profile and then start providing article writing services.

It is very easy to join and also very easy to leave.

Very little accountability as a result.

Again, not a hard and fast rule – there are some excellent writers working on these freelancing websites.

10. Understand that it is going to cost you money.

Publishing quality content on your website is not a whim, it is not a side activity.

It is a necessity of the times.

If you want visibility on the web in general and the search engines in particular, you cannot do it without quality content, whether it is your website content, your blog or your articles.

What I mean to say is, don’t plan to squeeze your writer.

He makes his or her living writing and he or she won’t be able to deliver you quality articles if he or she is constantly worrying about the payment.

Article writing is just like any other profession – it is an expertise.

You are looking for an article writing agency because you cannot do it yourself or you are not in a position to do for various reasons.

It is a valuable service.

It is going to improve your search engine rankings.

It is going to improve your conversion rate.

It is going to get you more business.

Hence, it is not a wasteful expenditure.

For that matter, it is the most important expenditure of running your business.

11. Give a single topic in the beginning

Although, you should be ready to make a long-term commitment with your article writer or the writing agency, just to test the waters, you can outsource just one article topic.

When my new clients want me to work on a single blog post or a piece of content, I find it fair enough.

It gives them an idea of how I write using the information or the topic they have provided me.

I also get an idea of how fast the client responds if I need more information or if I need some clarifications.

The initial 1-2 articles also give your writer an idea of how much time and effort it is going to take.

12. Trust your article writer when he or she starts writing

This is difficult, but important.

Remember that you’re not looking for a stenographer or someone who is simply going to take your dictation.

You have hired a writer.

A writer uses his or her own discretion.

He or she has his or her own style of conveying information.

He or she has a ton of experience writing for your audience or for a similar audience.

Sure, provide a guideline or a stylesheet if you have one.

But, beyond that, don’t meddle much.

Let the article writer write in his or her own manner.

He or she also has a better idea of how to communicate to your audience.

As long as the writer sticks to your topic, delivers all the information, writes in an engaging manner and writes in a style that is understandable to your audience, don’t try to control every sentence and every word.

13. Make available a content calendar for your content writer

You can either spend some time with your article writer and prepare a content calendar, or you can do it yourself.

You can use Google Calendar for this.

Decide in advance on which date you plan to publish which article.

It is better to have a list for the entire month, if possible.

This will give your article writer enough time to organize and research.

14. Respond fast if your content writer or your article writer needs input or feedback

I have observed that many clients take their own good time when it comes to responding to my messages when I try to contact them while working on their content.

A writer is in creative flow when he or she is writing and he or she needs a fast response in case a clarification is needed.

The flow is broken if you don’t answer for a long time.

The writer may even move on to another assignment and by the time you respond, it may take another couple of days for him or her to enter the right mental zone for your particular topic.

Being a professional content writer, it is not difficult for me to enter the “right mental zone” because my mind is tuned in that sense, but different writers react differently if you don’t respond fast.

15. Create a central repository of knowledge and data

For ongoing article writing and content writing, it is better to create a central repository that is accessible to your writer.

You can use Google Drive.

You can use Evernote and then share the notes with your writer.

You can use any other cloud drive service.

You can use a content aggregation service.

You can use an organization board like Trello.

Whenever you come across some useful information or an insightful article you want your writer to read, save it somewhere your writer can easily access it.

Concluding remarks

Deciding to outsource your article writing and content writing needs is a serious decision.

Your articles, your blog posts, your web pages, and your social media updates are going to be the backbone of your online brand.

When people read your articles and blog posts, they will be making impressions of you.

They will judge you.

Most of the people can read between the lines.

Hence, if you are publishing content just to increase your search engine traffic or just to get people to your website, they will easily be able to understand.

Hence, you need to focus on meaningfulness.

You need to focus on value.

You need to focus on relevance.

Hence, it is very important, in fact, one of the most important tips when deciding to outsource your article writing content writing needs, partner with the right writer.

He or she can make or break your online presence.

Following SEO Guidelines Still Matters For Quality Content Writing

Follow SEO guidelines along with quality content writing

Follow SEO guidelines along with quality content writing.

Do you often wonder why your blog or website doesn’t rank well despite continuously publishing quality content? Why doesn’t quality content writing improve your SEO the way it should?

Just now I came across this wonderful and comprehensive post on Content Marketing Institute about why it is important that you follow SEO guidelines and don’t assume that just because you are publishing great content, Google is going to rank you well.

The post explains, with examples, some websites having high quality content but not ranking well for the target keywords and some websites with low quality content ranking well.

Why does this happen?

Following SEO guidelines while writing quality content makes a big difference

You may also like to read 10 fundamental qualities of effective SEO content writing.

I have often written on my blog that you should never compromise with quality because ultimately, it’s your quality that sustains and improves your SEO.

But, how do you get your content indexed and ranked in the first place and why is it necessary to get indexed and ranked in the first place?

I will share my personal experience and I have made this observation with multiple websites, blogs, web pages and blog posts.

In the beginning when you publish a blog post or a web page Google crawls it, indexes it and then ranks it according to its analysis.

For this, it uses SEO guidelines. I will come to these SEO guidelines later.

Then, when your content has begun to appear on search results, with the help of its users, Google begins to evaluate your quality and thereupon, it’s your quality that decides whether you’re going to maintain your search engine rankings, improve them, or lose them.

Why following search engine guidelines is important while writing?

The above Content Marketing Institute blog post gives examples of websites that rank well despite having low quality content.

Just an extra remark: the “low quality” websites used in the above example don’t necessarily have irrelevant or misleading content; it is just that, the quality of the written content is lower compared to high quality content on their websites that are not ranking well.

These websites make strategic use of their keywords in the title, the headline and the subheading.

Your keyword must be in the HTML title tag.

Then, your keyword must be there in the headline.

Then your keyword and its various combinations must be there in the subheadings.

Then, of course, there must be a careful sprinkling of your keyword and LSI alternatives throughout your text.

This is the standard SEO guideline that I follow.

Google has published its own search engine optimization guidelines, something straight from the horse’s mouth.

I follow these SEO guidelines along with ensuring that I write quality content.

Following these guidelines in the beginning helps your content get crawled, indexed and ranked for the first time.

Despite what Google says about only quality mattering, in the beginning, I have observed, it does not.

Quality begins to matter afterwards when your content is already indexed and the search engine users have begun to interact with it.

Why following the SEO guidelines matters in the beginning?

Google needs to make sense of your content before it can index and rank it.

Kindly note that this is not a hard and fast rule because sometimes websites and blogs randomly get ranked even without mentioning the search query being used even once.

Anyway, in the beginning, the keyword in your title (the keyword can be a phrase or a search term targeting an audience) appears as a hyperlink in the Google listings.

It has been observed that if the search term that the search engine user has just used appears as a hyperlink in the search results, there is a greater probability of her clicking the link.

This shows how important the text appearing within your title tag is – Google uses it as a hyperlink.

In fact, every search engine, and even social media websites, use the text in your title tag as a hyperlink.

Then, Google evaluates your headline to see what it contains to make further sense of your content.

Then, it begins to analyze your whole content and then uses its algorithm to index it and rank it.

This is one part of the story.

How quality content writing impacts your SEO

Once your content begins to appear in search results, people begin to react to it.

Suppose, someone searches for “content writing service to improve my SEO” and comes to my website.

She finds lots of useful information and consequently, she spends some time on my website exploring it further.

Since it’s only the quality and relevance that can keep her on the website, quality content writing plays a very important role here.

If she comes back to Google after a few minutes and carries on with the same search, Google assumes that although my website contains some useful information on the search she just carried out, she needs more information.

It may or may not improve my rankings for “content writing service to improve my SEO”.

Instead, after visiting my website for the first time if she comes back within a couple of seconds or a few seconds, it sends signals to Google that my website does not contain relevant content for the search term she just used.

Google takes it as an indication that my website shouldn’t be ranking at this particular spot for the search term just used, and hence, lowers my rankings for at least this keyword.

Quality content doesn’t mean you ignore SEO guidelines, and vice versa

Google is an algorithm, after all.

It often comes to light that Google uses human evaluators in many cases, mostly, but when it comes to processing millions of web pages every hour, it is the algorithm that analyzes your content and ranks it.

After that, how humans react to your content begins to either pay off or take its toll.

Hence, when writing content, you need to pay close attention to both its quality as well as SEO guidelines so that it becomes easier for search engine crawlers and ranking algorithms to make sense of your content for the first time, and each time your content is crawled, indexed and ranked.

How to strike a balance between SEO guidelines and quality content writing

It isn’t very difficult, actually.

Publish as much topical content as you can.

What is topical content?

Topical content is content that talks about a topic: for example, my this blog post talks about why it is important to not to neglect SEO guidelines even when you are writing quality content.

To my utmost knowledge and effort, I’m paying very close attention to the quality of my writing.

I have used the keywords “SEO guidelines” and “quality content writing” at all the necessary places including the title tag, the headline and all over the body text.

I follow this template for my own blog posts, my own web pages and also, when I’m writing for my clients.

Most of the clients, when they decide to hire my content writing services, don’t know how my process flows to accommodate both the search engine whims and the expectations of human visitors.

They just give me the topic. Or just a random list of keywords.

Then, I make sure that when I’m writing quality content, I also organize the content keeping the search engine guidelines in mind