Website content is more than simply words. Persuasive sales pitches, informative articles and moving essays are just a few of the different types of content typically found on websites. SEO companies understand that the true power of the content included on a website lies not only in what it is saying, but the actual words used to say it. The best content attracts not just the human reader, but the search engine bot as well. In this way, a single piece of content can help you meet your goals with your client base and increase the visibility of your website. Content may very well be the single most important ingredient on a website over which an SEO company, content writer or website owner has control.

The content needs to be more than simply words strung together. Because content is viewed by both human readers and search engine spiders, it must be written to meet both of these goals.

Attract the Human Reader

• Use clear, concise language
• Use proper grammar and spelling
• Create content that is relevant to the reader
• Provide the reader with information they need
• Include a clear ‘Call to Action’ such as ‘sign up now’ or ‘purchase the eBook here.’
• Update content on a regular basis
• Be accurate when representing facts
• Develop a tone or style that is suitable to your needs. For example, if you are seeking to engender trust, use a friendly tone, while those who are attempting to establish themselves as an authority should use a persuasive tone.

Attract the Search Engine ‘Reader’

• Use appropriate and relevant keywords
• Use keywords in the proper density, typically 3 – 5%
• Use bulleted lists or subheadings
• Use keywords in titles, headings and subheadings
• Include frequently updated content

By combining these two lists of content rules, you can begin to develop content that will serve you well. Many SEO companies provide content services themselves or have a third party contractor that provides content, articles and even blogs.

Understanding how to artfully blend the two different types of content writing together will allow you to take advantage of both types of website traffic. SEO companies understand why content is so important. It attracts search engine spiders and bots, which in turn increase the websites rankings and visibility. This increased visibility leads to more visitors. The content will then serve its second purpose of educating, convincing or informing your visitors.

The best content always keeps in mind both audiences. Working with an SEO company that can provide you with this type of content will allow you and your business to succeed.

Well, there’s a short answer to your question, and a long one. I’ll give you both.

The short answer is that only well written content, plenty of high quality links, and maybe some Pay Per Click advertising will increase your traffic. It’s going to require some investment.

Here’s the long answer:

The Do It Yourself option is kind of obsolete in terms of SEO. Because search engines have gotten more sophisticated, there are a lot more facets of the process that you need to be familiar with in order to compete with the people who have good campaigns going already. There are definitely some things you can do yourself, but by and large, you should prepare yourself to get some help in dealing with all the various aspects of building organic and paid traffic. Here are some things you need to look into:

Content: This is something you can do yourself, but most people get tired of it after a while. It’s the most important aspect of your site. You need to make sure your site information is well written, and interesting to read. This is so much more than just putting in the right keywords. Even if something is stellar from an SEO standpoint, it won’t do much good if users aren’t really reading it. There are some good copywriting companies out there that can fill your site affordably. You also need to make sure that your content is going all over the web, and building good links back to you.

PPC : You’ll need pay per click ads with something like Google AdWords to get traffic to your site while organic traffic builds. This is something you need help with. It’s tempting to run a PPC campaign yourself to save money, but it’s really inefficient that way. You need someone who really knows how to find good keywords, manage bids, and change up the strategy constantly.

Links: Links are really big for getting you traffic, but they have to be in the right places. Google knows where all the spam is, so links that come from places like article directories won’t be as strong as a link that comes from someplace like YouTube. Try to get links posted on sites with a high page rank. That’ll help you out. Build links like crazy. You can do this yourself, too, but it does get really tedious.

Local Search: Make sure you’re doing some local SEO, too. Associate your site with your town, and put yourself in Google maps if you have a business. You can do this one yourself.

Long story short, if you really know SEO, then you probably didn’t learn anything new here, but if you’re kind of new to it, you might as well resign yourself to investing some money in marketing, probably with more than one company.

For more information contact the writer @ melinda@iwebcontent.com

However, there is a fatal flaw in the lack of a freelance writer’s ability to self-edit. As with any art, it can be exceedingly difficult to appropriately criticize your own work. Typographical and grammatical errors are easy to miss when reading your own writing, and there is no voice to tell a writer when they’re missing the mark.

When companies use several freelance writers at once, the result is an inconsistent mix of personalities, diction levels, quality, and tone. It can be a real mess for a blog owner who needs articles that are ready to be posted immediately.

That’s where companies are missing out – the editing process. The New York Times would never release an article for publication without first checking it. Not only do they look for errors, but they’ll ensure that the facts are accurate. They’ll check to make sure that the writer’s ideas are consistent with the views of the magazine. They’ll remove text that doesn’t engage readers, and order revision after revision. Why should your site be any different? Without a skilled eye to control the work of the writers, you’re only capable of producing raw text that may not accomplish your goals.

Every company needs a dedicated editor who is interested in the long-term goals of the business. Writers are fickle. They’re late with work, or they procrastinate, and turn in rushed work that needs incredible amounts of polish to become presentable. Few companies, however, have the budget for a skilled staff member like this.

That’s where a copywriting company comes in. While most copywriting companies use contract writers, what they offer is copy management. They can perform the editing process to the fullest extent, and they can monitor writers to stay on topic, and on deadline. They will ensure that not only is the content grammatically perfect, but that it elicits the response it was intended to. A freelance writer alone can only do the job of a freelance writer, but a copy writing company can deliver copy that is publication ready.

If you’re worried about the ability of your freelance writers to meet your content goals, you should consider a copywriting company who not only has top-notch talent, but can direct that talent so that it’s always providing the best work possible. The cost of a copywriting company won’t be very different from the cost of a freelance writer, but you will have the peace of mind in knowing that all your copy has been evaluated for you, by a qualified editor who has your goals in mind.