Read This Before You Start SEO Content Writing Career
I’ve been a freelance writer for a long time now. I started writing SEO content many years ago – and it changed the course of my freelance career, not only as a writer, but it opened doors to two other lucrative income streams (self-publishing eBooks and affiliate/internet marketing).
In this article, I want to answer a couple of questions I receive from a lot of wannabe freelancers: the first question is, “Is now a good time to start an SEO writing career?” The second is, “Is the SEO copywriting field too crowded to be successful if I start now?”
The definitive answer is – yes, now is an excellent time to start this type of career. And, it will be for years to come. And why can be summed up in two words – content marketing.
What is Content Marketing?
Why the Need for SEO Writers Is Only Going to Grow
As the definition of content marketing alludes to, companies are going to need a lot of content in order to effectively compete online. This includes everything from simple SEO articles and blog posts, to more complex case studies and white papers.
And, who do you think many of them turn to provide it? You guessed it – freelancers; specifically, freelance writers who understand how to write search engine optimized (SEO) content. Proof?
Industry Report on Content Marketing Highlights Need for SEO Content Providers
[Source: Content Marketing Institute].
The report, entitled “B2B Content Marketing 2010: Large Organization Report,” found that larger firms are much more likely to outsource content creation than their peers at smaller companies. In fact, over three-quarters (77 percent) of large firms outsource some of their content development, compared to just over half (55 percent) on average.
What I See In My SEO Copywriting Business
Most companies, I’d venture to say as many as 95% — haven’t even begun to really invest in SEO content and content marketing yet. And I’m not exaggerating.
Most businesses online these days either doesn’t know what content marketing is; or if they do, they don’t see the big picture yet and why it’s important to their future success. I know, because of the questions they ask me when they contact my firm, e.g., how often should we update our website with fresh content, what is article marketing, what are some SEO writing guidelines we should be following, etc.
The Bottom Line on Starting an SEO Copywriting Career – Now
Many companies are starting to invest in content marketing. How heavily?
The aforementioned report revealed that forty-six percent of B2B marketers at large companies expected to increase their budgets for content marketing in the coming 12 months, while 47 percent claimed Almost no marketers (3 percent) reported their content marketing budgets would decrease in the coming year.
When companies who are investing in content marketing start leaving their competition in the dust, those firms will begin to figure out that they need to invest in it as well. This means tons of work for freelance writers. Learn more in this in-depth post, “Content Marketing: Conversation with a Leading Internet Marketing Expert on Why It’s the Wave of the Future and Why It Spells Opportunity for Freelance Writers,” on Inkwell Editorial. As I tell those who contact me asking if now a good time to start this career, you think SEO writers are busy now – wait until five years from now. This, too, I see in my business every day – the queries, the questions, the stops, and starts (ie, request a proposal, haven’t heard back).
It’s a fast-paced career – one that can make you a lot of money in a short amount of time. But, you have to be proactive. This means learning the trade (i.e., getting SEO Copywriting Training), and learning how to market for SEO writing work.Good luck if you decide to start this exciting freelance writing career.