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4 Things to Do Before You Hire a Writer

In Tech
July 10, 2020
Hire a Writer

Neil Patel says there are too many skills and job titles needed for content marketing to be left for one person. In all but the tiniest companies, this tends to be the case. Outsourcing content marketing is a potent choice. Yet, you have to be careful. Here are four considerations before you buy professional blog writing services.

1. Check Out The Length of Their Paragraphs

There is only a 16% chance that a visitor will read your entire article. Most people, 79% as a matter of fact, will skim your article. That’s why you need to hire an agency that makes paragraphs short and sweet. Before you pay for blog writing services, take a look at some of their previous work. If they’re penning long paragraphs like these, then it’s time to consider someone else for the job. That’s not writing for the web.

2. Check Out Their Subheadings

Proper subheadings are an essential part of content marketing. The Parent Center Hub says, “on the web, you live or die by your headings.” There are two major mistakes that content marketers make regarding their subheadings: not using them, or not being descriptive enough. You can find out more about effective headlines on Yoast. Anyway, you should only employ agencies that have mastered headlines. Look at their previous work, and see if Yoast would approve.

3. Check Out Their Use of External Links

Getting inbound links from high authority sites has always been SEO gold. However, external linking is often ignored. Some content marketing agencies or freelancers will send you articles with no external links. If all other factors are equal, the article with helpful links in it is always the superior source.

For one thing, as Moz said, “No matter how great a website you build, you can’t be all things to all people.” Links provide more value to readers; they allow people to investigate things for themselves. However, Moz also implied there may be an SEO benefit to linking to high-quality sites. Make sure you hire an agency or freelancer that uses links in their articles.

4. Check Out Their Images and Graphics

You’ve heard the saying, “a picture is worth 1,000 words.” It’s said so often that’s it’s a cliche, but it’s quite true. According to Jeff Bullas, “articles with images get 94% more views.” When you hire a content marketer, your real objective isn’t just beautiful prose. Your real goal is to create fantastic content, increase web traffic, and ultimately boost revenue. Having riveting pictures, infographics, videos, etc, is an essential part of any modern strategy.

Every agency (and freelancer) is different. It’s vital that you evaluate them and determine what they will bring to the table. For instance, some freelancers create top-tier images, while others don’t include images at all. Some agencies know how to find hidden gems on websites like Pixabay, a website where all the photos are virtually in the public domain. Uninformed marketers use trademarked images wantonly, potentially putting you in the soup. Other agencies know how to use websites like Canva to develop absorbing graphics. You need to know where your writer stands on images. If they can’t get enticing images for your article, then you need to provide them yourself.

Content Marketing Is Way More Than Lovely Prose

Buying professional writing services can save you time and make you money. However, article text doesn’t exist in a vacuum. You need more than fluid prose for content marketing success. You need everything — images, links, promotion, and much more to make your article a success. Here are nine key things you should have. Do you need professional blog writing services? Contact us for reliable service with a quick turnaround.