Do copywriters need to know SEO?

Sometimes, when I’m talking to new - or even regular clients - I find myself unintentionally teaching them how to suck eggs. Of course, some of my clients are well-versed in all things SEO, yet there I am telling them the ins and outs like they know very little.

On other occasions, though, I’m bleating on about SEO like everyone knows what it is. It’s a very fine line - and it’s one I don’t always know how to tread. So, when I remember (my passion for the subject means I get carried away sometimes) I allow my clients to do the talking; I ask them how much they know about ranking well online, and I tell them what I know (if they need, or want, to know it).

So, what is SEO then? Or am I teaching you how to suck eggs too?

SEO - or Search Engine Optimisation, to give it its full title - is the process by which online businesses ensure their website is found by people who are looking for it (or the services and/or products it offers).

Let’s say you own an online bookstore. How on earth do you compete against all the other web-based bookstores out there? Online bookselling is, no doubt, a highly saturated market.

Go on; try it…type in ‘buy books online’, ‘books online’ or ‘book store’ into Google and see what comes up. You’ll likely get the big hitters - people like Amazon, Waterstones, or maybe even a popular independent online bookstore or two.

So, can the much smaller bookseller be spotted online? That’s where SEO - the art of injecting well-chosen key words (let’s call them ‘phrases’ instead - key words is jargon unless you know what on earth I’m going on about) into your content. You see, it isn’t just about putting your website live and hoping for the best. You need to take intentional steps to ensure it is noticed. Those who don’t have an online business might be totally unaware of the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure a site gets spotted on Google. It’s a lot, but it’s all in a day’s work for an SEO specialist and/or copywriter.

Do copywriters need to know SEO, then?

Well, while it isn’t a necessity - after all, there are SEO experts for that - it’s certainly a bonus if the copywriter in charge of sprucing up your website’s content knows a bit about how to ensure you stand out online.

Do I know about SEO? I wouldn’t claim I know lots and lots, but I know enough. I know how to expertly weave key words into your content in a natural way. I know the kind of key words to include - and I know a fair bit about how Google (and its often-complex inner workings)…er…work.

Want to know more about why copywriters need to know about SEO - and why and how a copywriter like me can help your website get found online? Get in touch with me today and we’ll go from there.

You could also book one of my ‘Copy and Catch Up’ sessions. I won’t call it a copywriting ‘Power Hour’ because, well I hate that term. But, for £120 (an introductory offer for January and February), you can ask me anything at all you like - about your website content, SEO and everything and anything in between (well, as long as it’s about copywriting!) for a whole hour. Say hello via the link above and let’s chat.

Until next time…

6 Myths About Freelancing

If you’ve ever ummed and ahhed about the prospect of becoming a freelancer (or indeed a freelance Yorkshire copywriter) you probably have a few questions, including:

• Is freelancing better than holding down a full-time, in-house role?

• Can I make a decent living from being a freelancer?

• What do I do if the work dries up?

During your obligatory Google research phase, you may have seen a few things bandied around the Internet about what the life of a freelancer is actually like - but without giving it a go yourself, you may never know the answers.

I can’t tell you what every freelancer gets up to on a daily basis - we’re all different, with our work spanning a host of industries, too - but I can help bust some myths about going it alone and leaving your 9 to 5.

It’s a Lonely Life

Don’t get me wrong, there are days when I’d love a spot of company (besides William the friendly windowsill pigeon), but for the most part, I can still be sociable when working from home. ‘How?’, you might ask.

Regular check-ins with clients over Zoom calls, or the ‘old-fashioned way’ - over the phone. While it isn’t always the same as meeting up in person, it can fill the void a little when working on your own gets too much.

Before the pandemic, I’d regularly meet for coffee with fellow freelancers, or just head out for an hour for a walk during lunch time. Just seeing a few other faces on the route - or listening to a podcast while I walked - felt a whole lot better than being cooped up indoors.

So, if you’re worried you won’t hack the freelance life for fear of loneliness, don’t be. Build yourself a little community of sorts and you’ll be fine - even during the pandemic.

You Don’t Have a Boss

Err, yeah…you do. Aside from yourself, of course, your clients - and there can be many of them - act as your ‘boss’, in a way. They set the parameters for any given project - and the deadline. As a good freelancer, you’ll probably want to work in a way that suits them, if you can.

That said, one of the reasons I went freelance is because, sometimes, in a full-time office role, you have to work for someone who undermines you.

You don’t have to stand for that* when you work for yourself - and that’s great. Client not valuing you, your services or your time? Get shut of them.

*To be fair, you shouldn’t stand for it anyway.

You Work for ‘Free’

It still amazes me how many prospective clients take the ‘free’ in freelance quite literally. Of course, they know what a freelancer is and does, but that doesn’t stop some people pushing their luck.

‘Can you write me a sample piece of content before we decide if you’re the right copywriter for us?’. No, I can’t. Neither will I write something for you for ‘exposure’, or the ‘prestige’ of working with you and your high-flying brand.

You wouldn’t ask a painter and decorator to paint one wall first, before you decide if they’re the painter or decorator for you. Neither would you ask him/her to decorate your room for exposure - or because you’re a good client and it’ll ‘look good’ on their portfolio/website/other. Bore off - and, quite frankly, stop taking the p*ss.

There’s No Job Security

Does a full-time office job equal more stability? Lots of people seem to think so.

Sure, you have the reassurance of the same amount of dosh landing in your account each month, but as I often say to people who are considering going freelance, an office job isn’t the be all and end all.

If you’re made redundant from your office job, you’ll almost certainly have to look for another role. Lose one client as a freelancer and you probably have a few more clients to fall back on.

Once you’re established in the freelance world, you may have to lose two or three clients before the panic sets in. Heck, you may have to lose even more than that.

Freelancing can often mean you’re turning work down, which is a great position to be in. Go on; look into becoming a freelancer - you won’t regret it.

It’s Stressful

Like working in a full-time office role, freelancing can be stressful - yes. It’s only as stressful as you make it, though. For me, at least, that means pretty much zero stress. I won’t stand for any nonsense. I believe everyone should value your time and your services - just as you would them and theirs.

Don’t fancy working with a particular client? Just say ‘no’. Or maybe your existing client is difficult to work with. If so, see if you can set some boundaries going forwards. The freelance/client relationship works two ways - and it can be a hugely successful one if everyone involved treats each other with the respect they deserve.

We Work in Our Pyjamas

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked: ‘You work from home; do you get dressed?!’

Ha.

I’m not going to lie; if I’ve no Zoom meetings booked in, or if I’m feeling a bit groggy, of course I blinking well do. Sometimes, anyway. And so would you if you didn’t have to show up to a face-to-face meeting.

Do we also sit around, twiddling our thumbs waiting for work to come in? Perhaps in the early days, yes.

Now? I’m fortunate - like many a freelancer - to be in a position where I can say ‘no’ if a project doesn’t sound like it’ll be up my street.

When you choose the freelance life, it won’t be long before you’re doing the same. There is often no limit to the amount you can earn, too. Providing you have the time and the people to help you out, you can take on as much work as you can physically - and mentally - cope with.

We can also make our own hours, take as many holiday days as we like, and eat the full cake without sharing it with colleagues. In short, why wouldn’t you want to be a freelancer?!

Find this blog post useful? Let me know by saying hello via my website.

Until next time…

5 Mistakes I Made When I Went Freelance - That I Wouldn't Want You to Make Too!

• “I drunkenly called my ex and confessed my undying love”

• “I handed over my bank details to a scam caller.”

• “I got cornered on the high street by someone with a clip board and signed up to a year’s supply of something I didn’t want.”

The above have nothing to do with with my business, but my point is this: we all make mistakes, but we rarely fess up to them - at least not publicly.

Think of the last time you saw someone genuinely own up to something negative on, say, Facebook or Instagram. It might be for fear of looking stupid, or it might be because everyone wants to present the best version of themselves, but you rarely see someone say: “Hey, I behaved like an absolute d**khead today*.

I say, scrap that notion, own up - and own - your mistakes. If you can, share them with others.

If you’re a business owner like me, you probably didn’t get everything right the first time.

With that in mind, if you’re thinking of going freelance this year - or sometime soon - I want to share with you a few of the cock-ups I made when I tentatively dipped my toe into the self-employment pond. So you don’t make them too. Read on…

I Priced My Services Wrong

When I first went freelance, I had no idea what to charge. Up until that point, I’d been working in-house in a copywriting position, so working out my price went something like this:

My in-house salary ÷ 12 months ÷ working hours in a month = hourly rate

I then added in a small (and I mean, small) amount on top to cover freelance expenses and whatnot. What I didn’t take into account was that my hourly rate in my in-house role was ‘after tax’. I also didn’t take into account that holiday pay and sick pay is technically accounted for in an in-house role, too.

So, of course, when a local digital agency came a-knocking to take me on for four days per month in a freelance capacity, they snapped my hand off when I mentioned my hourly rate. Course they did.

It wasn’t too long before I realised I was VERY competitively priced. What did I do then? I put my fee up - and it has risen slightly with inflation (and experience) year on year.

The takeaway? Don’t undersell yourself or your services. Charge what you’re worth not what you think you should be charging. End of.

I Managed My Own Invoices

I’m not a numbers person. Not at all. So using my own template for invoices was never going to end well. I’d miscalculate things (usually totting up my services and arriving at a cheaper price for a set number of jobs) and my (very honest) clients would inform me I’d undercharged them.

When you go freelance, you immediately have to wear multiple hats. You’re not just doing your job - in my case, copywriting - you’re also:

• managing your books

• marketing your business

• drowning in admin.

• making your own brews and baking your own cake (I miss having colleagues).

Everything falls on you - and you alone. Now, I’m in a fortunate position to have a small team around me - but back then, I struggled. And I made mistakes on the money front more than once.

The takeaway? Use an online bookkeeping service to manage your invoices in one, handy place. I use Quickbooks - and it has literally transformed the way I manage the admin side of my business.

I Rarely Switched Off

When you’re working for yourself - or at least when you begin working for yourself - there’s a tendency to feel guilty if you’re not ‘on it’ all the time.

I’m not really sure where this comes from; if you’ve chosen to be your own boss, you’ve probably done so for the perks it brings, but hey, many of us freelancers feel the need to constantly ‘prove ourselves’, putting in extra hours at the weekend and working ‘til all hours in the week.

If a client emailed me on a weekend, I’d feel obliged to reply.

As soon as I let go of that guilty feeling, I found I could enjoy my weekends all the more. I didn’t leave a full-time role to work weekends - and neither will you if you choose to do the same.

The takeaway? Embrace being freelance - and the fact that you can work whatever hours you blimming well choose.

I’d Lower My Price if It Didn’t Meet a Client’s Budget

I hate to talk money again, but this one’s important.

Even when I was one, two and even three years into being self-employed, if a client told me my price was too high, I’d find a way to lower it. Now? I offer a payment plan if fellow business owners need a way to manage their budget. If not, I just say: ‘That’s my price’.

The takeaway? Don’t let imposter syndrome take over. Your price is your price and it’s your price for a reason.

I Showed Up to Things That Didn’t Complement Me - or My Business

I’ve talked a little bit about freelancers feeling the need to do things - just because. We must be seen to be busy - all the time. We must lower our prices to meet a client’s budget. We must. We must. We must…and so it goes on.

I say b****cks to all that. Working for yourself is nothing short of blimming brilliant. If I can give you one piece of advice it’s this: only do what you want to do - in life and in business.

I got roped into attending all kinds of tedious business networking events when I first started out, after being approached by well-meaning fellow businesspeople who told me it was beneficial for gaining new clients.

True, I would pick up a client or two, but on the whole I found the events an awful kind of forced ‘fun’ that I just shouldn’t have subscribed to, because…well…it wasn’t me.

A coffee with a new client or two? Yep. A lunch and a half a lager and lime in a beer garden with a fellow freelancer? I’m there with bells on. But don’t tell me I need to stand up in a room of suited and booted businesspeople and tell them what I do in 60 seconds to succeed. I ain’t going to do it and neither should you. Well, not unless you want to.

The takeaway? I hate this expression, but ‘you do you’, my friend.

Thinking of taking the plunge to go self-employed? Go get em, gal (or guy!). If you want to pick my brain for more mistakes, tips or tricks, say hello here.

Until next time…

Why use a freelance copywriter?

Copywriting? ‘Pah, I can do that myself!'

After all, it’s just putting pen to paper, ain’t it? Or fingers to keyboard?

Well, yes and no.

Anyone can write - it’s one of the first things we learn to do at school - but not everyone can write well. Or rather, write to sell.

It’s even harder when what you’re selling is yourself (not like that, folks - get your mind out of the gutter). Or your brand. If you’ve ever tried to write your CV (and I’m guessing most of you have needed to, at some point), you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Self-promotion is something our American cousins are pros at. Not us Brits, though. We’re rubbish at taking compliments and equally rubbish when it comes to shouting about ourselves and our achievements.

I’m a copywriter, as you know, but I even toyed with the idea of asking a fellow writer to pen my website’s ‘about’ page. Yes, really.

The thing is, writing about yourself is hard; we all know what we want to say, but knowing what our customers want us to say (or even our prospective boss, when writing that CV) is another thing entirely.

• ‘Do I sound like a big-headed know-it-all?’

• ‘Am I shouting about my achievements enough?’

• ‘Am I rambling?’

• ‘Do they really need to know this?’

• ‘Will telling them about X, Y or Z alienate them - or will they lap it up?’

• ‘Does anyone even read website pages these days?!’

How many of the above questions have you asked yourself when pulling together your own website content? If the answer’s one or more, you’ll benefit from using a freelance copywriter.

After all, we’ve been helping people like you stand out online for years - and because we do this every day, we know the kind of things people want to know when they visit your site. We also understand Google and its algorithms to ensure your website gets found in the first instance - and once people are on your site, you’ll want to keep them there longer. That comes down to what you write.

That said, we totally get it if you want to write your own website content; no one knows your business quite like you do.

So, perhaps you’d prefer to hire a freelance copywriter to look over what you’ve done, suggest some edits and give you the reassurance that what you’ve put together will pull in the punters.

I like to work with my clients, not on behalf of them. It’s a lovely, collaborative process, which means if you want to take the reins and write the content, that’s great. You can use a freelance copywriter like me to whip it into shape, if it needs it, or for an extra - and fresh - pair of eyes.

Similarly, if you feel your content would benefit from a complete overhaul, I’m your gal - get in touch via the link above and let’s see how we can work together - and don’t forget to take a look at this blog post, which goes into a little more detail about hiring a UK freelance copywriter.

Until next time…