When I first started writing blog posts back in 2012 I was able to write a few blog posts a month for my client without doing any keyword research and get fantastic results.
These days, it’s a different story. As more companies have seen the value in content marketing, they’ve invested in their website content, including their blog, their social media presence, podcasting, etc. That has made it much harder to cut through the noise and convince Google you’re worthy of one of their coveted first-page positions.
These days, I always tell people that I put a lot of work into the content I create for my clients before I even start writing.
- I sit down with them to go over their brand, their ideal clients, etc.
- I do keyword research
- I identify a goal for each piece of content
- I make sure each piece of content is aimed at a particular client avatar
- I identify where the reader is likely to be in the buyer journey when they’re reading this piece of content so I know what will make for a compelling call to action
- THEN I start writing.
That doesn’t even cover a lot of the work that should go into a website BEFORE you call me, or the work needed to do to promote your content AFTER it’s been published.
As important as blogging is, it’s not the end-all-be-all of SEO, or even of content marketing. It’s just one part of your funnel. Which begs the question: what do you need to create and maintain the rest of your funnel?
I’m glad you asked.
Table of Contents
- Before You Hire a Content Writer
- Website Designer/Developer
- Does Your Website Designer Understand SEO?
- Client Avatars
- Photographer/Videographer
- After You Hire a Content Writer
- Editor
- Social Media Strategist
- Email Marketer
Before You Hire a Content Writer
It’s always best to start at the beginning, so let’s talk about all the things you need to put in place before you hire someone to create content for your website.
Website Designer/Developer
I love creating website content for your landing pages. That means your home page, About page, sales pages, etc. But I don’t do website design or development.
I do have a lot of people in my network who do provide website design and development services because they are great referral partners for me and we can work on projects together.
First of all, website design and development are two different things. A lot of people who work in that space do both, but not everyone does, so make sure when you’re interviewing web designers that they also do development. If they don’t, ask if they have a referral for someone who does.
Along those same lines, you should also ask if they do website maintenance. A poorly maintained website won’t get the results you want from an SEO strategy, and it’s more likely to break down and/or get hacked the longer it goes without maintenance.
If you don’t know how to maintain a website, or if you just don’t have the time to DIY, hire someone who can maintain it for you. Again, a lot of web designers and developers also offer maintenance services, but not all of them do, so if that’s something you need, ask the web designers/developers you’re interviewing if they provide maintenance services. If they do not, ask for a referral.
Does Your Website Designer Understand SEO?
You should also make sure your web designer/developer has a solid understanding of SEO, because not all of them do. A website might look pretty, but if it takes too long to load, is hard to navigate, or doesn’t have a good, clear site structure, it will be hard for Google to get an idea of what your website is all about, which will have a negative impact on your rankings.
I can make your content Google-friendly, but that will only get you so far if your website isn’t Google friendly.
Although I put web designer/developer in the before-you-hire-a-website-content-writer category, and I have worked with a lot of clients who hired a web designer/developer before they reached out to me, I also know a lot of web designers who like to have the content written before they start designing so they know which content is going where, and how much space is needed for each section.
Ask your website designer/developer how they prefer to work when it comes to incorporating content into their design. A lot of web designers and developers already have working relationships with writers they know they like to work with, but not everyone does, so make sure you have everything you need (and they have everything they need) before anyone signs a contract.
Client Avatars
If you don’t already have a client avatar, I can help you create one, but that’s one of the things that makes me unique as a content writer. Most writers don’t provide those kinds of marketing strategy services in addition to writing, so either make sure you already have a client avatar before you hire a writer, or hire a writer (such as myself) who can help you create your client avatars for you.
If you’re going the DIY route with your client avatars, might I suggest this article to help you get started.
Photographer/Videographer
You need text on your website, but as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. We are visual creatures, and as much as we do want to know who you are and what you do, we also want to be able to put a face to the name (and the story). That means you need a good photographer to take your headshots for you.
I’m not talking about the old-school headshots where you stand in front of a dark canvas and look at the camera without any expression. I mean a headshot that shows your personality. Wear your favorite color. Go outside. Go to your favorite café or restaurant.
Just like the words you use should convey a sense of who you are as a person and what your brand feels like, your photos and videos should do the same.
While most of the photographers I know also do videos, not all of them do, so if you need both (and I recommend you get both) make sure you either hire one person who can do both. Your other option is to hire one person for photos and one for videos to ensure you have your bases covered.
After You Hire a Content Writer
Now that you have your awesome, Google-friendly website, client avatars, photos and videos aligned with your brand, and awesome content, a let’s talk about the services you’ll need after you hire someone to write your website content.
Editor
Most writers have at least one editor they like working with, but if by some chance you end up hiring a writer who does not come with an editor, make sure you hire an editor. Even professional writers need an extra pair of eyes to check our work.
Keep in mind there are editors and there are proofreaders. Editors are the ones who will make sure your content flows well, makes sense, is aligned with your brand, tells a compelling story, and caters to one of your client avatars.
A proofreader will make sure it’s grammatically correct and free of typos and misspellings.
Again, some editors do both, but not all of them do, so make sure you know what you’re paying for.
As with writers, there are also editors who are better at certain types of content. For example, technical editors are really good at technical content, while business editors can make sure your content is aligned with your business goals.
Social Media Strategist
A strong social media presence is critical to getting the most out of your website content, your SEO strategy, and especially your blog.
I used to offer social media services before I realized it requires a completely different skillset from that required of blogging. Yes, you need to know how to write, but you also need to know how to make the social media algorithms work for you. Each social media has its own algorithm, and they’re all different from Google’s algorithm. I know just enough about social media to be dangerous, but I decided I was better off focusing on what I do best and passing off the social media work to someone who really knows what they’re doing in that space.
I always recommend my clients get a good social media strategist on their team, because it’s one of the best ways to improve your SEO and make the most of your blogs. Want to get eyeballs on your blog posts as soon as you publish them? Promote them on social media.
Want to earn juicy backlinks and convince Google your content provides value to their users? Develop a strong social media presence.
It’s also a great place to build relationships with clients, prospects, and influencers in your industry and adjacent industries. A lot of the best collaborations, both online and off, have started on social media, so it’s definitely worth spending some time there.
That said, you need to be strategic about which social media channels you decide to leverage, and how you can make the most of your time there. That’s where a good social media strategist can be invaluable. You can either hire someone to do the work for you, or you can do the social media work yourself, in which case I recommend hiring a social media trainer to teach you the best practices to use on social media.
Email Marketer
Email marketing is one of the best ways to stay in touch with people who have already expressed an interest in your brand, even if they haven’t bought from you yet. While there’s a lot of value in building relationships on social media, fewer and fewer people are seeing your posts, even if they’re following you on that social media platform.
That’s because the social media sites want you to pay them to boost your posts to get it in front of more people, but anyone who signs up for your newsletter will get each message appearing in their inbox. That’s assuming your messages don’t end up in their spam folder, and there are ways to mitigate that risk.
The best thing about email marketing is it’s a great way to stay top of mind (even if they’re deleting your emails without opening them, they still have to look at your brand name before they hit that “delete” button) so when they are ready to buy, they’ll be more likely to hire you over a competitor.
Other benefits to email marketing include educating your target audience, letting them know when you’re hosting an event, being a guest on a podcast, or launching a new product or service. People sign up for your newsletter because they want to stay in touch with you. So make sure you use your newsletter to stay in touch with them and let them know what’s new with you these days.
And, of course, don’t forget to have a strong call to action. Getting eyeballs on your content is great, but it’s a waste of time and effort if you don’t use it to lead them to the next step in the buyer journey.
Speaking of calls to action, if you’re in the process (or thinking about starting the process) of building a new or revamping an old website, you’ll need content that gets Google’s attention, is aligned with your brand, and attracts your target audience. Did I mention we write website content?
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