Guest Posts

If you want to bring in a steady stream of new freelance writing prospects, one good tool is your professional website. After all, many of the best writing gigs are never publicly advertised, and one way buyers find writers is by searching the Internet. If those buyers can’t find your website ranked high in search results, they’ll never know about you.

At the same time, ranking highly in search engines for the right phrases people are searching for isn’t always easy. You can’t just stuff a bunch of keywords into your Web copy or submit your site to directory after directory hoping to build easy links. So how can you help your business website rank better in search engines without selling your soul to the SEO gremlins and their constantly-changing algorithms?

You can do it by focusing on increasing the amount of quality content by turning your oh-so-typical business website into an all-out resource site for your target market.

Here’s the thing. If you want to rank well in search engines, precious little helps more than incoming links to your website. But that doesn’t mean any old links will do. You want high quality, relevant links — you know, the kind people share on their own because your site is just so damn good that they can’t possibly keep it all to themselves.

To get those kinds of links (not to mention repeat traffic from prospects, keeping you fresh in their minds), you have to give them what they want. And what they want will usually not be your sales hype and marketing copy telling them how great of a freelance writer you are. They want something that’s good for them, whether they’re ready to hire you right now or not.

You can give prospects that, and really set yourself apart from the competition, if you transform your ho-hum sales-oriented site into something more. Don’t get me wrong. Keep the marketing copy. Improve it if you can. And keep an emphasis on it. After all, that’s still why you have the site in the first place. But you can do that and still add other pages or sections with great content that keeps people coming back, and keeps them spreading the word.

When you do that, you build natural incoming links to help you stand out in Google — the kind that aren’t likely to disappear after a sudden algorithm change (like spamming links across a half dozen article marketing sites might).

When I say you should consider turning your freelance writing website into more of a resource site, what do I mean exactly? What kinds of things can you do or add to the site that would attract more prospects, help you build more links, and help you stand out in Google and other search engines? Here are five ideas to get you started.

 
1. Add a blog. — Blogs not only let you regularly update your content, but they also help you build relationships with readers — your prospects. You let them see that you know what you’re talking about in your specialty area. You give them plenty of advice and commentary that’s worth linking to. And you keep them coming back for more. Just remember to write about things that interest them — not about you and your business all the time.

 

 

2. Publish free e-books. – Free e-books are another option for giving away great information in a marketing capacity. You give more detailed information than you might on a blog, but not so much that your freelance writing services become obsolete. For example I have a short e-book on writing press releases available on my business site (I used to charge for it and later converted it into a freebie marketing tool). I teach prospects how to do what I do. But in the process they also see a lot of details they’ve never considered. And many, if not most, still come to me for either writing or editing help when they realize there’s more to effective press release writing than they thought. Sometimes educating prospects makes them really appreciate what you bring to the table, especially when they realize how much time you can keep them from wasting.

 

 

3. Conduct original research and publish industry reports. — If you work with business-oriented or technical-oriented client groups, maybe you could conduct some research (such as through a comprehensive industry survey). Then publish your findings in a free report. You become a go-to source for industry information, and that can open a lot of doors when it comes to meeting and networking with prospects, not to mention moving you up in the search results as more people discover and link to your site.

 

 

4. Offer free downloads. — Freebies don’t have to be writing-related. Anything useful to your target market will do. For example, you might create an iPhone app, software download, online tools and calculators, or downloadable forms and worksheets.

 

 

5. Feature FAQs or a knowledgebase. — Even if you aren’t ready to create an all-out resource-driven site to attract prospects and rank better in search engine results, you can at least set up a knowledgebase. You’ve probably seen tech-oriented companies use these to explain their software, hardware, or services. Why not do the same? You can offer a knowledgebase where you provide answers to common questions about the services you provide. But don’t make your answers overt sales pitches. Keep the information more general and helpful so people keep coming back and referring it to others. For example, a freelance blogger might offer a knowledgebase with information about setting up a blog, using different blog platforms, or formatting Web writing more effectively. This is a great way to highlight how-to articles if you don’t want to commit to the ongoing writing required in blogging.

 

The idea is pretty simple — give people evergreen content and tools they can use on their own, and you’ll be fresh in their minds the next time they need to hire someone in your specialty area. Messages of “Buy! Buy! Buy!” don’t cut it alone. If you want access to more potential clients than you could possibly take on, you have to make yourself stand out. Dropping the old school business site for a more diverse resource-oriented one gives you the best of both worlds — content that encourages word of mouth marketing and natural linking while you still have the marketing copy you need to convert those leads into new clients.

Every writer has a voice. Finding that voice involves discovering and embracing your unique style, mannerisms, and your way of saying what you have to say. It’s an interesting and fulfilling journey. Follow a blogger long enough or read several books by the same author and you’ll notice that each writer has a specific way of expressing themselves.

You see it in blogger Penelope Trunk as she dispenses sage advice about work and life with a touch of no-holds-barred honesty. You can tell that she cares more about sharing the intimate details of her life as an entrepreneur, a woman, and a mom through unfiltered lenses than she does about checking for every little typo or grammatical error.

Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman sticks out in her own way. Whimsically, she regales her readers with her life on the ranch as a city girl turned country wife, a homeschool mom educating her children, or as a cook dishing out another scrumptious recipe. Whatever the topic, she colors her words with a mixture of fun, mischief, and wit.

Both are successful writers who give their massive followings an inside look at their lives. And both express themselves in ways that are as distinct as the drawl of a Southern belle or the accent of a Boston native. They have found their voices as writers.

As a freelance writer though, there is a difference between finding your voice as a writer and finding your voice for a client. Writing for your clients is not about writing in your voice. Sure, it’s okay when you’re writing for your blog or a publication that will carry your byline, but the moment you start to write on behalf of a client, you become a ghost who needs to learn to find your voice for the client.

Freelancers have to learn the art of disappearing. You are being paid to write for their sake, not for yours. Whatever their message, whatever their goals, it’s your job as a freelancer to convey that message well and to help them meet their goals.

 

Know Your Client

You have to know your client in order for you to do your job well. That takes time and effort. Research their website and other places that will tell you more about them. Try to find out what others are saying about them. You have to talk to them, in person or on the phone. When you do, ask good questions: basic ones, thoughtful ones, and hard ones. Here are a few angles to come at as you try to learn more about your client.