{"id":6483,"date":"2024-08-30T16:07:47","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T06:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/?post_type=hub&#038;p=6483"},"modified":"2025-04-11T12:34:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T02:34:14","slug":"what-should-small-businesses-look-for-when-hiring-a-copywriter","status":"publish","type":"hub","link":"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/seo\/what-should-small-businesses-look-for-when-hiring-a-copywriter\/","title":{"rendered":"What should small businesses look for when hiring a copywriter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/what-is-content-marketing-and-why-you-need-it-for-your-business\/\">Great content<\/a> forms the backbone of any successful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/how-to-get-digital-marketing-help-without-blowing-your-budget\/\">digital marketing strategy<\/a>, but getting it right isn\u2019t easy. Small business content writing is a skill that can take years to develop, and if you\u2019re not an SEO copywriting expert, trying to do it yourself can negatively impact your brand and your marketing efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond this, creating an effective <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/content-marketing-strategy-template\/\">content marketing strategy<\/a><\/span> is also crucial for small businesses aiming to stand out in a competitive market. It all begins with understanding your audience \u2013 knowing their needs, interests and pain points helps you create content that truly resonates. When your content speaks directly to your customers, it builds trust, establishes your authority and ultimately drives more engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Content creation isn\u2019t a one-off task however. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/7-reasons-why-your-content-isnt-being-read\/\">Regularly reviewing and updating your existing content<\/a><\/span> is just as important. By conducting health checks on your blog posts, videos and infographics, you can assess what\u2019s performing well and what\u2019s not. This allows you to make adjustments to improve visibility, engagement and conversions. Content that\u2019s no longer relevant or isn\u2019t attracting traffic may need a refresh, while high-performing content can be further optimised to maximise its impact.<\/p>\n<p>With a well-executed strategy and continuous monitoring, your content can become a powerful tool to grow your small business, boost online presence, and drive more conversions.<\/p>\n<p>This is also where a good SEO copywriter can help, because not only can they work with you to develop an effective content strategy, they can also help you refresh existing content to make it work more effectively.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking to create compelling, persuasive and relevant copy for your business, investing in a professional could be the best way to go.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you find a great SEO copywriter? Here are some of the qualities to look out for.<\/p>\n<h2><b>First, it\u2019s important to understand what a SEO copywriter actually does.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>SEO copywriters create written content for the purpose of persuading, informing, educating or inspiring a business\u2019 target audience. This can include writing everything from website and social media content to ads, emails, taglines, product descriptions, case studies and more.<\/p>\n<p>Great copywriters know how to bring a brand\u2019s unique values to life and tell an engaging story that carries the reader on a journey. They also craft copy that compels readers to take action \u2013 to find out more, click on something, make a purchase or revisit a brand.<\/p>\n<p>Although <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/the-fundamentals-of-content-3-things-to-get-right\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">content<\/span> writing<\/a> is the main service a copywriter provides, many help with other things like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Refining the brand\u2019s tone of voice<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/content-ideas-for-every-industry\/\">Suggesting relevant content ideas<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Researching statistics and industry information<\/li>\n<li>Editing and proofreading existing copy<\/li>\n<li>Posting and publishing content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/what-is-content-marketing-and-why-you-need-it-for-your-business\/\">What is content marketing and why you need it for your business.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><b>How much does an SEO copywriter cost?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>This varies based on the copywriter\u2019s experience level and area of expertise. A general copywriter with a year or two of experience will typically charge a lower rate than a copywriter with a lot of experience, or one who specialises in a niche industry such as medical writing.<\/p>\n<p>As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to pay anywhere from $40\/hour to $150\/hour for a copywriter, depending on how much experience and specialist expertise you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/evergreen-content-and-how-it-can-help-your-brand\/\">Evergreen content and how it can help your brand.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><b>4 things to look for in an SEO copywriter.<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Knowledge of your industry.<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most copywriters specialise in certain industries, meaning they\u2019re comfortable \u2018speaking the lingo\u2019 in those areas and have a good understanding of the target audience. With this in mind, look for a copywriter that knows your industry or industries that are similar to yours.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re not sure whether a copywriter is suitable for your business, you can always ask them to write a sample piece to find out \u2013 you\u2019ll have to pay them for their time, but it\u2019s worth it to find the right fit.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Recommendations.<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just like your own business, reviews say a lot about a copywriter\u2019s capabilities, professionalism and service standard. Take a look at potential writers\u2019 LinkedIn profiles and online portfolios to see how other clients feel about working with them \u2013 ideally, they should have at least two or three recommendations attesting to the quality of their work.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Writing samples.<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ask to see examples of their work \u2013 any copywriter worth their salt will have a selection ready to share with you. Look at the quality of the work as well as the relevance. Is the writing clear and engaging? Does it serve a specific purpose? Is it relevant to your industry? Answering these questions upfront will help you sort the best from the rest.<b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><b>Digital marketing know-how.<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You might think you\u2019ve found a great copywriter, but if their experience lies in writing magazine ads or book blurbs, their skills probably won\u2019t translate to the online realm. To that end, look for someone who is well-versed in areas such as SEO, paid ads, social media and website content writing. With this kind of background, they should have the know-how to write content that aligns with your specific digital marketing goals.<\/p>\n<h2><b>The impact of AI on content creation.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>You\u2019ve probably heard of ChatGPT \u2013 nearly everyone has. Released in November 2022, the AI content-generating app attracted over 100 million users in just five days as it went viral on social media. Since then, ChatGPT has gone from strength to strength, with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/explodingtopics.com\/blog\/chatgpt-users\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">180.5 million users worldwide and 100 million weekly visits to the website<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Whilst there\u2019s a plethora of information around ChatGPT as well as the implications this can and has had on SEO, like any tool &#8211; knowing how to use it effectively is the key to making the most of it. That is why the team at Yellow Pages have put together a great guide on this very topic. Hiring a copywriter is still often the best option, but check out this <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/get-ai-on-the-job-with-these-chatgpt-prompts\/\">guide to ChatGPT prompts<\/a><\/span> and test it out for yourself before investing in a copywriter.<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to check out our recently published <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yellow.com.au\/business-hub\/content-marketing-ultimate-guide-smb\">2024 guide to content marketing<\/a><\/span> and work with your copywriter to take your content to the next level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":6487,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-6483","hub","type-hub","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","seo-seo"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.0.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What should SMBs look for when hiring a copywriter? - Yellow Pages<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Want to create compelling content for your business? 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