Thinking about hiring an SEO writer? Make sure to ask these nine questions first. There’s a lot more to SEO copywriting than plugging in keywords!

1. Things
Your
SEO Writer
Must Know

2. 9 Things Your SEO Writer Must Know
Thinking about hiring an SEO writer? Before you
dig too far into the depths of Guru.com, make
sure you know about these nine qualifications
that you should keep an eye out for!

3. Tip #1: They Can Speak To You
We are big believers in
strong verbal
communication. Your
SEO writer may churn
out beautiful, keyword-
laden sentences. But
can they pick up the
phone and talk to you
about your company's
objectives?

4. They Can Follow Grammar Rules
Tip #2: (& Break them)
When you hire a
writer/writing agency,
you're also hiring a
grammar queen, an editor,
and a proofreader. If your
SEO writer can't be all of
those things, then it's time
to start looking elsewhere.
(Also, your SEO writer
should know when it's
acceptable to break with
grammatical convention.)

5. They Know the
Tip #3: Character Limits
Knowing character limits
for an SEO writer is
equivalent to an
elementary school teacher
knowing her multiplication
tables. Quiz a prospective
writer on this before
hiring. If they tell you a
meta description can run
250 characters long, then
they're a lot smarter than
us, or something's off.

6. Tip #4: They Can Link
"Sure," you think, "anyone
can throw in a couple of
hyperlinks." Well, there's a
lot more to it: good links,
bad links, do follow, and
no follow. It's a messy web
out there. Make sure your
SEO writer understands
the right way to link your
content out to the world.

7. They Can Research
Tip #5: Keywords
There are some SEO writers/writing agencies out
there that flat-out refuse to do keyword research. If
you're looking for a one-stop shop, then you best
make sure your SEO writer is willing to, and capable
of, performing some quality keyword research on
your behalf.

8. They Can Use
Tip #6: H1 and H2 Tags
SEO's have long debated
the merit of H1 through H6
tags. Form an opinion and
ask for opinions. What you
believe is up to you. The
important thing is that
your SEO writer is willing
to jump on board with you.
You shouldn't have to fight
with your writer about
tagging (or anything, for
that matter).

9. Tip #7: They Can Optimize Images
If your SEO writer
publishes a new blog post
for you with an image
titled "PIC_01327.jpg,"
then they've wasted an
opportunity. Be sure your
prospective SEO writer will
optimize images for you.
(Really, this is just one
example of many ways
your SEO writer might give
you a little edge.)

10. Tip #8: They Can Use WordPress
As of April 2012, more than
half of the top 100 blogs are
using WordPress. Though
WordPress is a great
platform, there's nothing
magical about it. Make sure
your SEO writer knows how
to use it (and use it well). If
you're not using WordPress,
disregard this tip, but we
have a sneaking suspicion
you probably are!

11. They Have Some Idea About
Tip #9: Visual Appeal
Writing isn't just about the
words. It's also about how the
words look. Jakob Nielsen
was a leading proponent
behind the F-shape online
reading theory, which states
that we read two horizontal
lines and then a vertical
stripe. Some believe it; some
don't. Again, just make sure
you're on the same page with
your SEO writer!

12. Content Equals Money is a content
writing service that serves a wide
variety of clients with top-shelf
shareable content. We cater to SEO
marketing agencies as well as small
business, providing content marketing
strategies applicable to many fields.
Whether you need content for yourself
or content for your clients, Content
Equals Money is the insource Writing
Service to suit your needs!