Now that we’re living in a world where Pandas are something to be feared and relevant links are worth their weight in gold, there is an even bigger focus on quality SEO content writing.

The only problem?

Far too many of the content writers out there can’t actually write! As a result, they prey on people like you – hoping you’ll believe their promises and never notice that they don’t actually have any talent. Sadly, the odds are high that you’ve been lied to by an SEO content writer. Heck, you may have been told several lies!

There are some real doozies being told out there, but these 7 are the most common – and they’re also the most damaging to your business:

1. “I don’t outsource any of my work.”

This is a classic example of the ol’ “bait and switch.” Lots of SEO content writers promise that they (or a trusted associate) personally handle all of the writing. Then, they outsource the work to the far-reaches of the globe – and you wind up being the poor sap that gets stuck with content that’s not even remotely close to what you were expecting.

Before you agree to work with any SEO content writing service, you need to ask how they operate. If the person you’re talking to isn’t going to personally handle the writing, you need to find out who’s going to do it – along with what kind of credentials they have.

2. “I’ll have this to you in 24 hours.”

Have you seen those SEO content writing ads that promise tons of high-quality articles in just 24 hours? If you believe you’re going to get quality craftsmanship out of an offer like that, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you!

When you take advantage of promises like this, you end up with two scenarios – and neither one is good.

The first possibility is that you might actually wind up getting your order on time. The only problem is that you’re not sure if your content was written in English or some kind of Klingon-spinoff language.

The second possibility is that 24 hours pass, and you’ve got nothing to show for the money you’ve spent. Then, when you try to get a status update from your content writer, you get fed more lies – like the fact that the writer’s cat had the hiccups and, as a result, they were far too distraught to focus on your order.

3. “I don’t use article spinners.”

You wouldn’t believe how many marketers have been fed this line – right before they were handed a bunch of poorly-spun gibberish content. I’ve heard this same story from a number of new clients. They trusted some “writer,” and it wound up coming back and biting them in the, you-know-where. Adding insult to injury, they had to pay me to either fix the mess or to start over from scratch.

4. “I have tons of experience.”

While it is possible to find a diamond in the rough, most of the good SEO content writers out there have solid credentials. Sure, writing involves having natural talent, but harnessing that talent – by doing things like going to college and majoring in something related to writing, or having legitimate professional writing experience – is what separates the cream from the rest of the crop.

Unfortunately, the world wide web lends itself to anonymity and resume-boosting (if not out-and-out lying). Some SEO content writers will swear up and down that they’ve got the experience you’re looking for. Then, they send you content that your third grader would be ashamed to put his name on.

A good SEO content writing service will be clear on its experience and qualifications right on its website. If you’ve got any questions, a good writer will be happy to answer them for you. If your potential SEO content writer seems a little too vague, chances are they’re not quite as experienced as they claim to be.

5. “I do tons of quality research.”

There are plenty of solid places to do research on the web. A good SEO content writer will take advantage of several of them, just for one article or blog post. The bad writers will tell you how thorough their research is – then head straight to Wikipedia and copy information that may or may not be accurate.

When you read the finished product, you’ll be able to tell immediately if your writer really did do solid research, or if they’re just passing on the same half-truths and rumors that are circulating around the web.

The best way to prevent this from happening to you is to check out other content that your writer has written – either on their own website or blog, or in a guest post somewhere. Even if the subject isn’t related to your niche, you’ll be able to tell if it’s chock full of legitimate facts, or if it’s all fluff.

6. “I can make sure that all of your keywords flow naturally.”

This is a big lie that content writers love to tell. After all, a huge part of SEO content writing is SEO!

Some keywords are tougher to incorporate than others, but a good SEO content writer will have the ability to make sure that none of them stick out like a sore thumb. The last thing you want is a keyword that screams, “Hey! Look over here! I’m a keyword! I hope Google loves the fact that I’m smack-dab in the middle of this sentence!” All you’ll get from content like that is readers that run screaming in the opposite direction.

How can you tell if your SEO content writer incorporates keywords the right way?

Ask!

A good writer will never say they have a “blanket” keyword density. They’ll say it depends on the keyword and how often they can incorporate it, while still having an article or blog post that flows properly. On the other hand, the bad writers will make crazy promises – like a keyword density of 3-5% for each of your target keywords, or promising to use each keyword at least 27 times in a 400 word article.

7. “I can create awesome SEO articles for just $2.”

The problem with content that only costs $2 is that it results in a terrible hourly wage for your writer. Personally, I write very quickly, so to research and write a 400 word article takes me about an hour (give or take, depending on the subject). Since I like having a roof over my head and food on my dinner table, I’m not willing to work for $2 an hour. I’m sure you couldn’t make ends meet that way, either!

When you’re paying a writer a couple of bucks per article, their focus isn’t on giving you a well-researched, carefully-crafted piece of content. Instead, their goal is to churn out $2 articles as quickly as they can, so that they can try to make enough money to live on.

Look at it that way, and it’s easy to see that you’re never going to get high-quality at those prices. But it makes for a great sales pitch, right? Too bad it’s completely untrue!

Bottom line – There are some amazing SEO content writers out there. They’re intelligent, hard-working, creative, and engaging. There are also a bunch of “wannabes” out there, who are only looking for a quick buck. If you don’t choose wisely, you’ll wind up getting these lies spoon-fed to you, and your business will have a real mess on its hands. Who’s got the time for that?!

---

Nicole Beckett prides herself on being a “somebody,” instead of a “wannabe.” If you’re looking for SEO content that can take your business to new heights, Nicole and the team of professional journalists at Premier Content Source can give it to you.

Related Posts