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Fluff vs. Quality Content
By Devin Hansen (c) 2007

There are basically three types of content you can use for your
site. Fluff, leased, or custom. All three have their pros and
cons, but which would work best for ranking well with Google and
the other major engines? Let's first explore the definitions of
this varied content:

Fluff: Written cheaply by non-native-speaking writers, and used
to fill up a web site with inexpensive content.

Leased: Identical articles that are well-researched and written,
but sold to numerous web sites.

Custom: Well-researched, authoritative content that is tailored
specifically to meet the needs of you and your business.

Fluff content is fine for businesses just starting out. It helps
you to at least get a place in the race to the top of the search
engines, but for long-lasting results, fluff just won't cut it.
The wording is often choppy, incoherent, and doesn't achieve
your primary goal which is customer conversion. Also, if the
content of your site is sloppy, it will not instill confidence
in a potential customer.

Leased content works well because it is professionally written,
topical, and easy to find.

Search engine algorithms favor content that has keywords and
phrases that are strategically placed but those words and
phrases must also be embedded in text that is lean and carefully
crafted for consistent results.

The drawback of leased content is that it can be found in a wide
variety of other websites and cannot meet the unique needs of
your business or specifically target the audience that you want
to attract.

Custom Content

Custom content is content that has been professionally crafted
to feature the keywords and phrases that you and an SEO expert
have chosen to rank well with search engines and attract your
target audience. The strengths of custom content are:

Specificity

You can consult a copywriting firm to construct your content
exactly the way that you want it to convey the unique products
and services that your business offers and organically build the
rank of your site which leads to lasting results.

Readability

Custom content will engage the reader and invite them to read
further which entices them to linger at your site and explore
the other content.

Credibility

Custom content immediately lends legitimacy and lasting brand
recognition to your site because discerning readers can see that
you have taken the extra steps to tailor your message
specifically to them.

Lasting Results

Web statistics consistently suggest that the best way to earn
placement on that key first page of search results and retain
your ranking is customized content.

As search engine bots become more and more sophisticated,
keyword stuffing and other gimmicks get sniffed out and
dismissed because they do not offer the reader any rewards
for investing their time.

So, how do I hire a quality content writer?

Sure, anyone can write and practice keyword stuffing. You see it
on hundreds of sites everyday, full of fluff-content that was
written cheaply, and reads cheaply. Even the most basic
conventions of writing are abandoned, simply to reach a high
word count. Because of this, readers are having a hard time
finding good, quality content. They want information, not
gobbledygook.

Ask for Samples

The first rule in hiring a good content writer is reviewing
their work. Ask for writing samples, as well as references. They
should know the basic conventions of writing, and excel in
creating informative, easy-to-read content that people will
understanding.

Work Ethic

Good content writers, like any job, should also have a good work
ethic. Meaning, they respond quickly to emails, meet deadlines,
and keep in constant communication with the customer. People
that are conscientious and prompt in their correspondence are
likely to be quick and efficient in their work. This reduces the
chances of procrastination as well. A good content writer will
use the entire time to work on an assignment and produce good,
thorough copy, while a sloppy or lazy writer will wait until the
last moment and squeak in an unpolished product right before the
deadline.

You Get What You Pay For

As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for." There are
plenty of desperate writers out there that will work for
peanuts, but it is an investment to hire a more proficient
writer at a higher rate, and you will have much better results
on your investment. If you need quick, cheap content, then there
are plenty of people willing to produce it. But again, if it is
written cheaply, it will read cheaply.

Knowing the Audience

A good content writer should also have a feel for their
audience. Any good writer can complete an assignment, but
someone that is in tune with their audience can connect with
readers much better by tailoring their copy specifically to
them. A sympathetic writer should be able to imagine a piece of
writing from the audience's perspective and detect what that
reader wants or needs from it. This comes from in-depth
interviews with the client, and really learning what message
they want to convey to their readers.

Trustworthy

Lastly, a good content writer should be trustworthy. While
representing a company or employer, a writer must be privy to
certain information in order to write effectively. Make sure the
writer you are hiring has a good business ethic and won't turn
his back on you or exploit your ideas once he is gone. Although
it is possible to work with someone and still withhold sensitive
business tactics or information, it is much easier to work with
someone that can be trusted in an open correspondence. And even
if you do trust the writer, it is always smart to get a signed
contract.
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Devin Hansen is the owner of SEO Copywriters
(http://www.seocopywriters.com/), a web-content development
company based in Illinois . With a staff of American writers
and editors, they produce high-quality, unique content for any
business in any industry.
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