Tag Archives: content writing services

Why you should outsource your content writing services needs

Because I provide content writing services? Although this is a perfectly valid reason I am sure you’re going to look upon it with a tinge of cynicism and I can perfectly understand. It has to be some other, solid reason, the reason that affects you directly, or in the long run.

OK, let’s talk about this from your angle: why should you outsource your content writing services needs? You don’t write content as a profession, right? I mean, you might be providing IT services, real estate consulting services, dentistry, or selling a wide array of products and services, but you’re not offering content writing services (if you are, it would seem a bit awkward if I advised you to outsource your content writing and content marketing needs). Even if you can write quite well there is a big difference between “able to write well” and actually coming up with professionally written content that can fetch you business or increase your search engine rankings. This is more so difficult if you require repetitive content: you can either focus on your business or work on creating newer, fresh content for your website or blog.

Of course you can hire an in-house content writer and there is no problem in that. It’s just that, hiring an employee can increase your operational costs and it might be a bit difficult and sensitive to replace him or her in case he or she does not deliver. You might end up spending money on hiring the content writer, arranging space for him or her, availing resources like computer and software and furniture and then chucking him or her out and hiring another one in case things don’t work out.

Outsourcing your writing and content marketing job to an independent content writer (yours truly, for instance) is comparatively much cheaper and less risky, contrary to popular perception. You pay for only what you get. If you just need, say, 20 web pages written, there is no use hiring an in-house content writer or a copywriter. Even if you need regular content think how much you can save by not hiring an in-house content writer. You don’t need to pay the agency that sends the content writer to you. You don’t need to arrange separate computer and software. You are not using your office space or space at your home. You don’t need extra furniture to accommodate a new employee. You don’t need to worry about payroll and taxes. And you can easily replace your content writer in case you’re not happy with the content writer to whom you are currently outsourcing your content writing needs.

Above all, if you’re slightly careful about selecting your content writer you suddenly come across an experienced person who must have written for hundreds of clients prior to writing for you. Let us cut to the chase and talk about my content writing services. I have been providing professional content and copywriting services since 2003. You can easily imagine for how many clients I must have worked and on how many topics I must have written or worked with my writers. You cannot get this range of experience and exposure from a person whom you hire exclusively for yourself. I have been doing business on the Internet since early 2002 (I was providing web design and development services) so when you work with me you don’t just get writing services you also get the benefit of my experience and knowledge that I have gained throughout these years.

And I’m not saying that only I have this kind of advantage. There are many independent content writers earning a very decent living on the Internet through their websites, and in fact, many are quite good at attracting tons of traffic to their websites through their content.

So do outsource your content writing and content marketing needs whenever they arise because it makes business sense. But spend some time trying to find a good content writing service because otherwise — as it can happen with any other service — you may end up having a bad experience and this will leave a lasting negative experience upon your psyche and you will discourage others too from outsourcing services. I have seen this happening.

Overcoming the “So What?” problem while writing content

Thumbsdown for published content
Image source: Global Girl

Don’t know what’s “So what?” problem? It’s when you write something seemingly great and your reader thinks, “So what, big deal!” Alright, there are some readers who have an insatiable penchant for being critical and they will criticize you no matter what, but you can drastically decrease the number of such reactions by devoting enough thought to what you are writing/publishing.

Why do readers reject outright what you have written?

  • The information you have provided is of no real use
  • The same information is available on hundreds of other websites and blogs
  • People have been sharing the same “secret” since 1998, or may be since 1500 BC
  • You are drawing wrong visitors to your website or blog (you are not creating optimized, seo-focused content)

What sort of content creates the “now this is something really great” effect?

  • Your content reaches the target audience (or vice versa)
  • You pack lots of information that can be used in the real world
  • You are providing valuable information that is not easily available
  • You are offering easily available information with an interesting twist

Is it always about informing and educating your readers?

Not always, but most of the times. You have to make sure your content solves your readers’ problem, that it provides a solution, that it delivers what your readers want. So what about content writing for businesses and corporate websites?

The same thing applies. If you are providing online copywriting services then you must (ideally) be attracting visitors that are looking for (or may need in the future) a competent copywriter. So if you say you’re a great online copywriter it’s not going to make much of an impact because there are thousands of “great” online copywriters on the Internet; in fact these days anybody who can type starts calling himself or herself a content writer or an online copywriter. Rather, you should immediately address your visitor’s problem (that’s why it’s advised you should have targeted pages) and offer the most apt solution.

Here’s a good blog post by Chris I cam across that talks about solving the “so what?” problem while publishing your content.

Focused content writing actually means SEO

What exactly does SEO (search engine optimization) mean? It means generating and organizing your online content in such a manner that search engines can appropriately rank it for the related keywords and key phrases. If you are writing a page on providing content writing services or blog writing services then the search engines should be able to rank that page higher on the SERPs (search engine result pages).

Of course your source code must be free of unnecessary clutter and you must have the right information in your meta tags, but the real SEO juice comes from your content — what you are writing to describe your message. It’s important to know what keywords and expressions must be used and avoided; you don’t want to rank higher for all the wrong keywords (there is no harm in it but that traffic gives you a false sense satisfaction and that might be bad for your marketing efforts).

So decide on the topic, make a list of the words you must use to describe that topic and then start writing. Talk about the subject and try to focus on it — the search engines prefer focused, targeted content. Just be careful not to overdo it. There is a very thin line between keyword stuffing and optimized content.

When do you need content writing services?

When exactly do you need content writing services? When you need professional results out of professional writing. Websites no longer remain the way they used to be a few years ago. With the onslaught of blogging and social media websites, those 12-page websites are no longer viable. You constantly need to publish high-quality content on your website as well as your blog to give enough fodder to search engines and social media enthusiasts. No website can dream of succeeding today without publishing good content persistently.

A content writing service can provide you quality content on an ongoing basis at a great rate. Is it expensive? Depends on what sort of service you are looking for. Most content writing services — especially the ones operating from India, the Philippines, China, etc. — come quite cheap and they even provide great content, but I don’t promote myself as a provider of "cheap content writing services" per se.

I do provide bulk content writing at quite low rates but the quality is not good. It goes without saying that even low-rate content comes with spelling and grammatical errors. I do understand that the real benefit of hiring a content writing service is that you can get good-quality content continuously without feeling the pinch and that is why I’m constantly trying to find out ways to provide bulk content writing services at highly competitive rates. This involves closely working with writers that can write a lot in less time because the faster you can write, the more you can earn without charging much. Working on that.

OK, so coming back to the main question:

Why do you need content writing services?

Here are a few reasons:

  • You need good-quality content on an ongoing basis. As I said, it does you no good to just have 12-20 pages on your website and then wait for the business to pour in. A lot of search engine traffic is lapped up by websites that constantly publish new content, because basically that is what the search engines are looking for. They crawl and index millions of pages on daily basis to make sure their users don’t get stale content every time they search for a particular topic.
  • You want to improve your search engine rankings. Suppose you are a professional content writer working alone or running a service. With thousand of websites providing the same service, how do the search engines know that your website must be highlighted when people are looking for a good content writing service? They go through your various pages and then evaluate your significance both according to quantity as well as quality. Lots of content definitely improves your keyword density and also increases long tail traffic to your website.
  • You want to run a successful blog. Your blog not only improves your search engine rankings it also helps you establish your authority. If you continuously publish useful posts (related to the theme of your business or passion, of course) you develop a dedicated fan base that eventually gives you loyal customers and clients. Some also prefer to sell advertising once their blog traffic picks up.
  • You want to increase traffic from social media and social bookmarking websites. Content thrives a lot on social media and social networking websites. If people find your links useful they love to promote it and bookmark it.

Well-written content is the backbone of the entire Internet activity. May it be videos, images or text, it’s basically content that gets promoted and consumed. As a writer, for me what matters is the written content, and fortunately for me and other content writing services providers, it’s the written content that rules the roost.

Is your content a noise or a voice

Is your content noise or voice

Is your content noise or voice?

In a hurry to improve SEO for all possible keywords, sometimes we forget to differentiate between noise and voice when writing content.

Does your content have a voice or is it simply a noise?

The content that is simply noise adds no value.

It may attract people to your website because after all, search engine algorithms are not perfect, but once they are on your website, they cannot figure what you’re trying to say.

They leave your website disillusioned.

Sometimes so disillusioned that they make a mental note never to return to your website.

The content that is just noise is a waste of your time and money.

Instead, write and publish content with a distinctive voice.

The “noise” content is of low quality.

Low-quality content turns your content into noise. What are the traits that tell you that you’ve got low-quality content?

  • Your search engine traffic doesn’t increase.
  • Even if your search engine traffic increases, your conversion rate remains poor.
  • Nobody finds it useful, relevant or topical.
  • Your repeat traffic is very low.
  • Nobody promotes your links but you.
  • Not many people link to your blog or website.
  • Nobody talks about what you publish.
  • Even if people promote your link, it is due to some controversy regarding your views or opinion.

The “voice” content on the other hand is high quality content.

What features of your content make it a voice?

  • It improves your search engine rankings for relevant keywords.
  • Your visitors find your content useful and they subscribe to your RSS feed updates or email newsletter, if available.
  • People share your links with their visitors, followers, friends and colleagues using social media and social networking websites and they respect your opinion.
  • The other bloggers and publishers love to link to your content as valuable reference.
  • You are eventually able to establish your authority.

How do you end up writing and publishing “noise content” instead of “voice content”?

How do you end up writing meaningless content that is just noise

How do you end up writing meaningless content that is just noise?

Nobody purposely wants to write and publish junk content.

Well, almost nobody.

I have come across clients who proudly say that they don’t care what type of content they publish as long as they get traffic.

They think that if they can attract 10,000 visitors to their website and even if 10 visitors turn into customers, they are happy.

First of all, attracting 10,000 people is not as easy as it seems.

Even if somehow, you attract 10,000 people with irrelevant content, converting even 10 is a big problem.

Getting money from people is one of the hardest tasks to achieve.

People buy from you when they stay on your website and consume the information you have published.

They pay you money when they trust you.

With lousy, low-quality content, how do you make them stay on your website?

When you mislead them to your website, they feel betrayed and leave immediately.

When people quickly leave your website without reading your web page or without exploring further, it sends negative signals to Google.

Google knows how much time people spend on your website after finding your link in search results.

Even if initially your link enjoyed higher search engine rankings, as people spend less time on your website after finding that particular link, its rankings begin to thank, unless, it completely vanishes from the results.

It is not just misleading content that is meaningless noise.

Even content that is not relevant to your target audience is noise for them.

If I want to attract web design agencies that are looking for a content writer, it doesn’t mean I start publishing web design tutorials.

When people come to my website they don’t expect web design tutorials. They want to know if I can write content for their websites.

This leads them confused. My content becomes noise.

How to develop a unique voice for your content?

How to develop unique voice for content writing

How to develop unique voice for content writing?

Here is a quick list of steps you can take to develop a unique voice for your content:

  1. Understand your target audience and their preferences.
  2. Define your content’s purpose and goals clearly.
  3. Conduct thorough research to gather relevant information.
  4. Inject your own personality and experiences into your writing.
  5. Develop a deep understanding of your niche or industry.
  6. Read widely to expand your knowledge and vocabulary.
  7. Experiment with different writing styles and tones.
  8. Use storytelling techniques to engage and captivate readers.
  9. Incorporate humor, wit, or sarcasm when appropriate.
  10. Create a consistent brand voice that aligns with your organization’s values.
  11. Break traditional rules of grammar and syntax for creative effect.
  12. Use metaphors, analogies, and vivid imagery to paint a picture in readers’ minds.
  13. Incorporate personal anecdotes and real-life examples to add authenticity.
  14. Write conversationally, as if you’re speaking directly to your audience.
  15. Avoid jargon and technical language unless your audience is familiar with it.
  16. Show empathy and connect emotionally with your readers.
  17. Add a unique perspective or angle to your content.
  18. Take risks and challenge conventional thinking.
  19. Edit and revise your work to refine your voice over time.
  20. Seek feedback from readers and colleagues to continuously improve.

Benefits of developing a unique voice for your content writing

Benefits of developing a unique voice for content writing

Benefits of developing a unique voice for content writing.

Developing a unique voice for your content writing is crucial.

It sets you apart from the rest.

It grabs attention.

It captivates minds.

It leaves a lasting impression.

It creates brand identity.

It builds trust.

It establishes you as a thought leader.

Listed below are the primary benefits of developing a unique voice for your content writing.

  • Differentiation: A unique voice sets you apart from competitors, helping you stand out in a crowded content landscape.
  • Brand Identity: It establishes a distinctive brand identity, making your content instantly recognizable to your audience.
  • Memorability: A unique voice makes your content memorable, increasing the chances of readers recalling and sharing it.
  • Connection: It creates a stronger connection with your audience, fostering loyalty and building a community around your brand.
  • Engagement: A unique voice captures readers’ attention and keeps them engaged, leading to longer reading sessions.
  • Trustworthiness: A consistent and authentic voice builds trust with your audience, positioning you as a reliable source of information.
  • Emotional Appeal: Developing a unique voice allows you to evoke specific emotions, making your content more impactful and relatable.
  • Different Content Formats: A distinctive voice can be carried across various content formats, including blog posts, videos, podcasts, and social media.
  • Amplification: A unique voice increases the likelihood of your content being shared and amplified by your audience.
  • Thought Leadership: It establishes you as an authority in your industry, enhancing your credibility and attracting opportunities for collaboration and partnerships.
  • Audience Connection: It helps you connect with your target audience on a deeper level, understanding their needs and interests better.
  • Consistency: Developing a unique voice ensures consistency in your messaging, reinforcing your brand values and core beliefs.
  • Increased Engagement Metrics: Unique voices often lead to higher engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares.
  • Improved SEO: It can contribute to better search engine optimization, as it adds originality and relevance to your content.
  • Brand Recognition: When it becomes synonymous with your brand, it strengthens brand recognition and recall.
  • Increased Conversion Rates: It resonates with your audience and leads to higher conversion rates, driving business growth.
  • Enhanced Storytelling: A unique voice allows you to tell stories in a compelling and memorable way, making your content more engaging.
  • Niche Dominance: Developing a unique voice helps you establish dominance in your niche, making it harder for competitors to replicate your success.
  • Long-Term Sustainability: It becomes a long-term asset for your brand, enabling you to maintain relevance and adapt to changing trends.
  • Content Versatility: It can be applied to a wide range of content topics and formats, giving you flexibility and versatility in your writing.
  • Personal Satisfaction: Developing a unique voice allows you to express your creativity and individuality, bringing personal satisfaction to your work.
  • Improved Audience Loyalty: When readers connect with your unique voice, they are more likely to become loyal followers and advocates for your brand.
  • Increased Social Proof: It can attract positive feedback and testimonials, providing social proof of the value you deliver.
  • Enhanced Shareability: Content with a unique voice often resonates with readers, increasing its shareability and potential virality.
  • Competitive Advantage: It gives you a competitive advantage, helping you succeed in a crowded digital landscape by creating a strong and lasting impression on your audience.

Disadvantages of writing and publishing content that is simply useless noise

Pitfalls of publishing useless content

Pitfalls of publishing useless content.

Publishing low-quality, meaningless content on your website leads to numerous disadvantages.

It repels visitors.

It diminishes credibility.

It damages brand reputation.

It compromises customer trust.

It increases bounce rates.

It lowers engagement.

Aside from these, I’m listing major disadvantages of writing and publishing content that is simply useless noise.

  • Loss of credibility: Low quality, meaningless content erodes your credibility and undermines trust.
  • Negative brand perception: It reflects poorly on your brand, projecting a lack of professionalism and expertise.
  • Poor user experience: Readers will be disappointed by content that offers no value or fails to address their needs.
  • High bounce rates: Visitors will quickly leave your site if they encounter irrelevant or unhelpful content.
  • Reduced organic traffic: Search engines prioritize high-quality content, so publishing low quality material can harm your visibility and rankings.
  • Limited engagement: Meaningless content fails to capture attention, resulting in low engagement metrics and missed opportunities.
  • Lack of social sharing: Readers won’t feel motivated to share content that adds no value or contributes to the noise.
  • Negative word-of-mouth: Readers who encounter low quality content may share their disappointment, spreading negative feedback about your brand.
  • Decreased conversions: Compelling content plays a crucial role in driving conversions, while meaningless content fails to inspire action.
  • Missed lead generation opportunities: Valuable content attracts prospects and encourages them to provide their information, but low-quality content won’t entice them to engage further.
  • Loss of competitive advantage: Publishing noise-filled content puts you at a disadvantage compared to competitors who offer valuable, high-quality material.
  • Damaged brand reputation: A reputation for publishing low quality, meaningless content can be difficult to shake off and may impact your brand in the long run.
  • Wasted resources: Producing content that lacks meaning or quality is a waste of time, effort, and resources that could be better utilized elsewhere.
  • Poor audience retention: Readers won’t return to your site if they consistently encounter low quality, meaningless content.
  • Missed opportunities for thought leadership: By publishing meaningless content, you miss the chance to establish yourself as an authority in your industry.
  • Limited customer trust: “Noise” content fails to demonstrate your expertise and ability to solve customer problems, hindering the development of trust.
  • Negative impact on conversions: If your content fails to resonate with readers and provide value, it won’t effectively guide them through the buyer’s journey, resulting in lost conversions.
  • Lowered brand differentiation: Publishing low quality content contributes to the noise in your industry, making it harder for your brand to stand out.
  • Negative impact on customer satisfaction: Meaningless content fails to meet your audience’s expectations, leading to dissatisfaction and a negative perception of your brand.
  • Missed opportunities for growth: Quality content is an opportunity to attract new audiences and nurture existing ones, while meaningless content prevents you from expanding your reach and impact.

When it comes to writing content for your website and blog, developing a unique voice is important. People distinguish you with your voice. It sets you apart.