What is SEO Article Writing?

What is SEO Article Writing?

Many freelancers have questions about what is SEO; what is SEO copywriting; what is SEO
writing. This article explains – in detail – what this is. And, how to make money from it as a
freelance writer.

What is SEO?

SEO is an acronym for the phrase “search engine optimization.” Search engine optimization
is all about doing specific things to your website to drive more traffic to it so that you can
increase online sales – and traffic.

What are some of these “things?”

There are many, but here we will discuss what it is as it applies to freelance writers. And, this
means writing text in a certain way so that web surfers (ie, internet users) can land on a
particular site.

What is SEO As It Relates to Freelance Writers?

What freelance writers need to be concerned with is keywords. What are keywords?
Keywords are the words and phrases that web surfers type in when they search for things
online.

For example, let’s say you were interested in starting a foreclosure cleanup business. You
may not know anything about it other than foreclosures are hot in the news right now and you
are interested in starting this kind of company.

So, you log onto your favorite search engine, (eg, Google, Yahoo! MSN, etc.) and type in the
keywords “foreclosure cleaning business” or “foreclosure cleaning” or “foreclosure cleanup”
or some other relevant keyword phrase.

Note: When you type words into a search engine to find something on the internet, the words
you type in are called a keyword (one word) or a keyword phrase (two or more words with
commas in between).

How Businesses Get to the Top of Search Engine Results

When you type in these words and hit “ENTER”, a bunch of sites pop up and you start to surf
(ie, click on the results) and start investigating the sites to see if they have the information
you need.

The sites that pop up are the results that search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, et al think
are the most relevant to the keyword phrase (aka search phrase) you typed in. Companies
pay a lot of money to be among the first two or three pages in the results that search engines
return.

Why SEO Copywriters are So In Demand and How They Make Their Money

One of the ways they get to pop up in the first two or three pages of results is to have
relevant text that contains the proper keyword phrases. And, this is where you as an SEO
copywriter can make a lot of money. You write the text that their site needs to pop up high
in search engine results.

Many times, companies will simply give you a bunch of keyword phrases and let you write
what you want — as long as it’s a certain length (usually 300-500 words).

There are many freelance writers – hundreds of thousands, if not a few million. BUT, only a
tiny minority know what SEO is and how to write this type of copy. And, this is why they’re so
in demand.

SEO copywriters have an in-demand skill. And, as more and more companies move larger
portions of their advertising budgets to internet marketing, there is an even greater demand
for their skills.

In the Search Engine Watch article, The SEO Copywriter: Wordsmithing the Web, William
Flaiz, underscores the importance of an SEO copywriter. He writes:

“The role of the agency SEO copywriter is unique because…. Suddenly, the writer must
optimize press releases, craft articles for social news, monitor social network communications,
and develop wiki content ... a strong SEO copywriter is adaptable and capable of internalizing
a lot of new information extremely quickly. These unique individuals have fast become the
backbone of many SEO engagements. If content is king, then they [SEO copywriters] are the
kingmakers.”

And this is why SEO copywriters can charge a premium for their services. If you’re looking for
a way to start or maximize your income as an online freelance writer, then SEO copy-writing
is they way to go.