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Originally Posted On: https://www.iwriter.com/blog/6-qualities-to-look-for-when-hiring-seo-writers-for-your-business-blog/

 

The Internet is by far one of the most useful tools that entrepreneurs can take advantage of. In fact, it’s even possible to run an entire business from a smartphone if that’s a method that fits your lifestyle.

A large part of bringing people to your company’s site is having quality content that they can find on their own through Google. But, not everyone has the time (or capability) to produce engaging content that’s also optimized for search engines.

When looking for content writers to fill this role, there are certain attributes to keep in mind.

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.

1. Expert Knowledge of The Subject

One of the most vital attributes that a content writer must have in order for you to consider hiring them is thorough, expert-level knowledge of the subject they’re writing about.

It’s important to note, though, that they don’t need to be a professional in the industry related to the topic. For example, there’s a chance that a writer who can create quality, engaging content about real estate has never worked in real estate at all.

As long as they can come off sounding like an expert in the industry (even if they have to research during the process), the result will be the same.

2. Can They Capture Your Brand’s Voice?

A content blog that has an inconsistent brand voice will give off the impression that all of its content was written by different writers. From here, the customer may feel like the brand isn’t ‘authentic’ or that they aren’t able to discern your brand’s personality.

So, your writer needs to be able to look at your past content that represents your brand’s voice and emulate this style. This will allow you to ensure that every post on your business blog sounds like it was written by the same person,

3. SEO Knowledge

Having stellar content on your site is always a benefit for your audience. But, they’ll have a hard time reaching these pages on their own if proper SEO techniques weren’t incorporated in the writing.

While formatting, linking, etc. are all important, you’ll need to focus on a primary keyword for each blog that people are searching for. A real estate blog, for example, might have a blog that incorporates the keyword ‘how to sell your house.’

A professional content writer should be able to seamlessly integrate your keywords into their articles in a relevant, natural-sounding way.

If you’re not sure what keywords you should focus on, Google’s free Keyword Planner tool can help you get started.

4. Fluency in English

Google ranks content on a large handful of factors in order to determine where it should be placed within the search results. One of the attributes of content that it focuses on is how ‘well’ the article is written.

If there are numerous misspellings, awkward-sounding sentences, or otherwise low-quality writing throughout your articles, you may be hurting your site more than helping it.

Any writer you hire needs to have full fluency in English. Depending on your industry and how complex you need your articles to be, they may need to have a graduate-level proficiency in the language.

For general articles, though, the bar is set much lower since you’ll want it to be easy for your readers to understand your content. As long as your content sounds like it was written by someone whose primary language is English, you shouldn’t run into any issues.

5. Accessibility

Some writers are the type of people to accept an assignment and then return it at the deadline with zero communication in between. While this isn’t to say that they’ll create bad content, it can be difficult to map out your content schedule for the month if you aren’t sure if the writer you hired is even working on their assignments.

A professional content writer should always be accessible in terms of communication, and it should never be difficult for you to reach them within typical business hours.

While their time zone may vary significantly compared to yours, it’s not unreasonable to expect a response or update within 24 hours of reaching out to them.

6. They Can Follow Detailed Instructions

There are plenty of writers who can more or less ‘shut off’ their brains and crank out generic content. Oftentimes, though, this generic content is exactly what blogs need since it’s what their audience is looking for.

Occasionally, you’ll need content written that has guidelines that are slightly more rigid than normal. You may not want to use a certain industry-related term anywhere in the article, or the tone of the content needs to be very specific.

For example, on a blog that sells firearm ammunition, the site owner may need the tone to be pro-second-amendment without sounding gun-crazy. But, the tone may also need to be inclusive of new or non-gun owners in order to prevent isolating any of the content’s readers.

Attention to detail is crucial when writers are briefed on your content guidelines and is an attribute that every writer you hire should always have.

Hiring The Perfect Content Writers Can Seem Difficult

But it doesn’t have to be.

With the above information about hiring content writers in mind, you’ll be well on your way toward ensuring you get the best service possible.

Want to learn more about how we can help? Feel free to get in touch with us today to see what we can do.