Cheap copywriting services are a false economy. That’s a fact. Why? Well, please let us explain…
There are some things in life it’s a good idea to scrimp on. Growing your own vegetables will save you a pretty penny, turning down the thermostat and popping on a nice warm jumper will save you pounds come winter time, and choosing supermarket own brand painkillers will help you cure those headaches for less. And then there are the things which it’s not so clever to be stingy with: parachutes, toupees, apology bouquets, and yes, copywriting services.
A time when cheap copywriting services were fine…
Once upon a time, on an internet browser very close to your face, it didn’t really matter how much you spent on your content – at least not if all you cared about was making an appearance on page one of Google. Content was content, links were links, keywords were keywords and the more you had of all three, the better your website did. Flash forward to the present and everything has changed. And we’re talking about Covid-19.
Google has introduced numerous algorithmic updates that have targeted websites that are full of spammy content. I’m not going to delve too far into the nerdy SEO side of it all, but suffice it to say, cheap copywriting services will no longer do. It’s now all about quality, relevance and establishing your brand as an authority in your industry.
So what is good copywriting?
That’s a difficult question to answer, and not just because I’m busy reading Sartre (existentialists don’t seem to think that many things are good. In fact they don’t seem to think many things are things at all…maybe?). But to try to answer the question, ‘good’ (according to Google’s directive on content) means:
1. Thick ‘n’ juicy
So-called ‘thin’ content is now the arch-nemesis of Google. That’s why your content needs to be nice and meaty. No two-sentence pages, no duplicate content, no pages which are virtually indistinguishable from each other but target different keywords, no scrappy nonsense, and no throwaway pieces. Instead, include good, old-fashioned hefty pages that are full of useful stuff alongside well-written, well-researched, share-initiating posts. Don’t settle for tat.
2. Actually useful
Similarly, don’t just fill your site with content for content’s sake. Every piece should be carefully tailored to serve your target market, whether it’s informing them, answering their questions or providing tips, make sure that each piece of content you (meticulously) plan and put together has a purpose.
3. Anti-bounce
The more relevant and useful your content is, the less likely visitors will be to bounce right off of your website. There’s some debate in SEO land about whether or not bounce rate is a ranking signal that affects your page rank. There is a widely held view, however, that bounces accrued directly through SERPs (when a visitor clicks a search result then immediately hits “back”) are bad news for your site.
Even if this isn’t true, a high bounce rate shows that you’re not getting it right from a user experience perspective. Take a good hard look at your website and make sure your content is as ‘sticky’ and ‘anti-bounce’ as possible. Think relevant, thoroughly researched and well-written website content featuring multimedia resources and lots of sub-headings – basically, the antithesis of cheap copywriting services.
4. Written with love
It may sound a little gooey, but if you care about your visitors and you care about your content, you’re probably onto a winner. Google is all about getting great quality stuff to the top of SERPs, so sometimes it makes sense to stop noodling about with Analytics and just create something awesome for customers that you really care about.
5. Not shoddy!
Spelling mistakes, horrible formatting, syntax errors – these are all common mistakes you can expect from cheap copywriting services. None of this stuff will please Google or those extremely important people: your visitors.
If you still need a little more clarity on what content is good, check out these wise words of advice from our friends over at Moz.
Cheap copywriting services will cost you in the long run
How can you put a price on meaty, perfectly pitched, unique and beautifully written content? Well, everything has its price. I’m not here campaigning for a pay rise or suggesting that you should start paying your talented freelance copywriters in South African blood diamonds (mostly because they’re pretty morally not cool, although we do accept Bitcoin and unmarked notes in briefcases).
My point is: if your content isn’t ticking all of the boxes above, it’s pretty much worthless. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve spent £5 or £50 on your latest piece of content, if it doesn’t fulfil Google’s expectations of good content, you’re essentially throwing money away. That’s why cheap copywriting services can only ever be a false economy.
To finish, lets do a quick recap:
Things worth scrimping on:
Vegetables
Heating
Presents for your least favourite aunt
Painkillers
Things not worth scrimping on:
Parachutes
Apology flowers
Toupees
Copywriting services
Keen to find out more about our seo copywriting services and our copywriting rates? Drop us a line on our contact page or email hello@toyourheartscontent.co.uk