Freelancer Artistry Blog, How to

Keywords for The Buyer’s Journey: How Can You Benefit?

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Key Points

  • The buyer’s journey is the process that a consumer goes through when considering a purchase. It is made up of three main stages: awareness, consideration, and decision.
  • Start by identifying the problem you have the solution for.
  • Think about the specific features and benefits of your product or service that would be most appealing to consumers.
  • Finally, use keywords such as “buy” or “purchase” to help convert your audience.

Keyword research is extremely relevant to the buyer’s journey. This is because it helps you understand the words and phrases that consumers are using. This helps give insight into when they are searching for information related to your business.

In fact, the buyer’s journey in content marketing generates 3 times as many leads as outbound marketing. Additionally, it costs 62% less, according to a study by DemandMetric.

By understanding these keywords, you create content that is tailored to the specific needs of consumers at each stage.

This article will discuss how to research keywords for each stage of the buyer’s journey.

Don’t give up now, keep reading!

What is The Buyer’s Journey?

The buyer’s journey is the process that a consumer goes through when considering a purchase.

So, what are the three stages of the buyer’s journey? They are: awareness, consideration, and decision.

Here are some strategies that businesses can use to target each stage of the buyer’s journey:

  1. Awareness: In this stage, the consumer becomes aware of a problem or need that they have. They may start researching potential solutions to this problem or need.
  2. Consideration: In this stage, the consumer is actively considering options and gathering information to make a decision. They may compare different products or brands, read reviews, or seek out recommendations.
  3. Decision: In this stage, the consumer has gathered all of the necessary information and is ready to make a purchase.

Understanding the buyer’s journey is important, because it allows you to tailor your marketing and sales efforts to meet the needs and expectations of consumers at each stage.

By creating content and offering support that addresses the questions that consumers have at each stage. In doing this, businesses can help customers to make a decision.

How Much of The Buyer’s Journey is Digital?

Consumers visit 3.4 websites, spend 18.5 minutes researching, and consider 1.9 brands before making a purchase, according to a study by Gartner.

The buyer’s journey refers to the process that consumers go through when making a purchase decision. In today’s digital age, a significant portion of the buyer’s journey often takes place online.

According to a survey by Google, 70% of the buyer’s journey is completed digitally. The consumer conducting research and gathering information online before making a purchase. This can include searching for product reviews, comparing prices, and looking for promotions or discounts.

With that said, the remaining 30% of the buyer’s journey may involve offline activities. This includes visiting a physical store to see the product in person or speaking with a sales representative.

How Do you Target Each Stage?

As a rule of thumb, the buyer’s journey is not always a linear process. A consumer may move back and forth between stages as they gather more information and make a decision. It’s also important to create a consistent experience across all stages of the journey to guide the consumer.

Here are a few tips for targeting each stage of the journey:

  1. Awareness stage: The goal at this stage is to get the consumer’s attention. This gives you the chance to introduce them to your brand or product. You can use content marketing to create educational materials. This can include blog posts or videos, that address the consumer’s problem or need. You can also use paid advertising to reach a wider audience and drive traffic to your website.
  2. Consideration stage: At this stage, the consumer is actively considering their options and gathering information. To target this stage, you can create more detailed content. Such as case studies or product demos. This showcases the features and benefits of your product. You can also use retargeting ads to remind potential customers of your brand. This helps to boost brand awareness and keep your product top-of-mind as they continue to research.
  3. Decision stage: At this stage, the consumer is ready to make a purchase. To target this stage, you can use email marketing to send personalized offers or incentives to encourage the consumer. You can also use live chat or chatbots on your website to provide real-time assistance and answer any last-minute questions that the consumer may have.

How To Find Keywords for The Buyer’s Journey Stages?

First, you’re going to need the right tool. You can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner which is a personal favorite, you can also use tools like Moz or Semrush. Whatever tool you decide to use, make sure you know it well so you can find the best keywords for your product or service.

Furthermore, there are several ways to find keywords for the different stages of the buyer’s journey:

  • Start by identifying the problem or need that your product or service solves. This will be the focus of the awareness stage. Use a keyword research tool, such as Google’s Keyword Planner or Ahrefs, to find relevant keywords that people might use when searching for information about this problem or need.
  • For the consideration stage, think about the specific features and benefits of your product or service that would be most appealing to consumers. Use the keyword research tool to find keywords related to these features and benefits.
  • In the decision stage, people are typically looking for information that will help them make a purchase. Use the keyword research tool to find keywords related to discounts, promotions, or other incentives that might encourage someone to buy. You can also use words like “buy” or “purchase” to target this stage.

Keep in mind that the keywords you use should be relevant to your business and the products or services you offer. It’s also important to use a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords to capture a range of search queries.

Short-tail keywords are shorter and more general, while long-tail keywords are more specific and tend to have less competition. Using a combination of both can help you reach a wider audience and increase your chances of ranking in search results or SERPs.

The buyer’s keywords

Buyer keywords are keywords that are specifically related to the different stages of the buyer’s journey. They are words or phrases that consumers might use when searching for information about a product or service, and they are typically associated with the different actions that a consumer might take at each stage of the journey.

For example, at the awareness stage, a consumer might use keywords like “problem,” “need,” or “solution.” At the consideration stage, they might use keywords like “compare,” “review,” or “recommendation.” And at the decision stage, they might use keywords like “discount,” “promotion,” or “purchase.”

By understanding buyer keywords and using them in your marketing and sales efforts, you can tailor your message to the specific needs and concerns of consumers at each stage of the journey and increase the chances of converting them into customers.

Google Keyword Planner for The Buyer’s Journey

google keyword planner

One of my favorite free tools to use is Google Keyword Planner. It is a tool that is part of the Google Ads platform. It can be used to help you find keywords for the different stages of the buyer’s journey by providing data on search volume and competition for specific keywords.

Here’s how you can use Google Keyword Planner to find keywords for the buyer’s journey:

  1. Go to https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/ and sign in with your Google account.
  2. Click on “Find new keywords” in the top menu.
  3. In the “Your product or service” field, enter a description of your product or service. This could be a specific product, a category of products, or a solution to a problem.
  4. In the “Your landing page” field, enter the URL of a relevant landing page on your website. This could be a product page, a blog post, or any other page that provides more information about your product or service.
  5. Click “Get results” to see a list of keywords and their associated data.
  6. Use the “Filter” options on the left to narrow down the results to specific stages of the buyer’s journey. For example, you could filter by “Avg. monthly searches” to find keywords with high search volume, or by “Competition” to find keywords with low competition.
  7. Use the “Keyword ideas” tab to see additional keyword ideas and their associated data.
  8. Select the keywords that you want to use and add them to a list using the “Add to plan” button. You can then download the list as a CSV file or save it to your account for future reference.

Keep in mind that the keyword data provided by Google Keyword Planner is an estimate and may not be completely accurate. Keyword research even for the buyer’s journey is always a risk. You may need to step back and reevaluate different strategies to find what works for you and your niche.

How Can You Benefit from Using Keywords?

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Using keywords targeted for the different stages of the buyer’s journey can benefit your website in several ways:

  1. Improved search engine visibility: By using keywords that are relevant to each stage, you increase the chances your website will rank. This helps you attract more qualified traffic to your website and increase the likelihood that those visitors will become customers.
  2. Increased conversion rates: By using keywords that are targeted to the specific needs and concerns of consumers at each stage of the buyer’s journey, you can create a more relevant and personalized experience for your visitors. This can help increase conversion rates by making it easier for consumers to find the information they need and encouraging them to take action.
  3. Better user experience: Using keywords that are relevant to the buyer’s journey can also improve the overall user experience on your website. By providing helpful and informative content that addresses the questions and concerns of consumers at each stage, you can create a more valuable and engaging experience for your visitors.

Overall, using keywords targeted at the buyer’s journey can help you attract the right kind of traffic to your website and increase the chances of converting those visitors into customers.

How Is Keyword Research Relevant?

Photo Found on Unsplash.com

By using these keywords in your content, you can attract visitors who are looking for information about that problem or need and introduce them to your brand or product as a potential solution.

At the consideration stage, consumers are likely to use keywords that are related to the specific features and benefits of your product or service.

By using these keywords in your content, you can help consumers understand why your product is the best fit for their needs and encourage them to consider it as they make a decision.

At the decision stage, consumers may be using keywords related to discounts, promotions, or other incentives that might encourage them to make a purchase.

By using these keywords in your content, you can help guide consumers toward making a purchase and provide them with the information they need to complete the transaction.

Lastly, keyword research is an important part of the buyer’s journey. Because it helps you create content that is relevant and valuable to consumers at each stage, which can help you attract and convert more customers.

How does keyword search volume affect keyword research?

Keyword search volume refers to the number of times a keyword is searched for on a search engine like Google. When conducting keyword research, search volume is an important factor to consider because it can help you understand the popularity and relevance of a keyword.

Higher search volume generally indicates that a keyword is more popular and relevant to a larger number of people. This can be beneficial if you’re targeting a broad audience or if you want to drive a lot of traffic to your website.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that keywords with high search volume may also have higher competition, which can make it more difficult to rank in search results.

On the other hand, keywords with low search volume may be less competitive but may also be less relevant to a larger audience. These keywords can be a good option if you’re targeting a more specific or niche audience.

Overall, it’s important to consider both search volume and competition when conducting keyword research to find the right balance for your business.

It’s also a good idea to use a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords, as these can help you capture a range of search queries and reach a wider audience. In fact, long-tail keywords account for 70% of all searches on the internet, according to a study by Ahrefs.

Lastly, incorporating long-tail keywords into your content can also help improve the user experience on your website by providing more detailed and relevant information for visitors. This can help increase engagement and conversions and ultimately drive more business for your company.

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Tips for Converting Visitors into Customers

Converting visitors into customers is important for sales because it helps businesses increase revenue and grow their customer base.

When a business is able to successfully convert a visitor into a customer, it means that the visitor has found value in the product or service and has decided to make a purchase. This can help generate more income for the business and build a relationship with the customer that can lead to future sales.

Converting visitors into customers is also important because it allows businesses to track the effectiveness of their marketing and sales efforts. By analyzing conversion rates and customer demographics, businesses can identify areas of strength and weakness and make adjustments to improve their sales performance.

Overall, converting visitors into customers is a critical part of the sales process, and it’s important for businesses to focus on creating a seamless and effective experience for visitors to increase the chances of making a sale.

Additionally, here are some tips for converting visitors into customers:

Tips

  • Make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for: Use clear and descriptive headings, categories, and navigation to help visitors quickly locate the information or products they’re interested in.
  • Use calls to action to guide visitors towards a conversion: A call to action (CTA) is a button or link that prompts a visitor to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
  • Optimize your website for mobile: More and more consumers are using their smartphones to make purchases, so it’s important to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly.
  • Use social proof to build trust: Social proof is the idea that people are more likely to trust a product or service if they see that others are using it and recommending it. You can use customer reviews, testimonials, and social media followers as social proof to build trust and credibility with visitors.
  • Offer a strong guarantee or return policy: A strong guarantee or return policy can help build trust with visitors and reduce the risk of making a purchase. Consider offering a money-back guarantee or a hassle-free return policy to give visitors the confidence they need to complete a purchase.
  • Use personalized marketing: Personalized marketing involves using data and insights about a customer to create a more tailored and relevant experience.

Let’s Wrap It Up

SEO is hard, and understanding keywords and the buyer’s journey stages can be fairly confusing.

Additionally, this is especially challenging for new bloggers or small business owners. If you need a small boost or just want to discuss any upcoming projects you may have, contact me today!

I got you!

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Freelancer Artistry Blog, How to

How to Talk to Clients During the Holidays

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Key Points:

  • When talking to your client about the holidays, be sure to clearly communicate the relevant information.
  • The holidays can be a stressful time, so it’s important to show understanding in your communication.
  • Be prepared to adapt your approach and offer solutions that meet their specific needs.

Need to know how to Talk to Clients During the Holidays?

It’s important to be clear, concise, and empathetic in your communication. Start by providing them with relevant information. This may include any changes to your business hours or services during the holiday season.

Consumers will overwhelmingly shop online during the 2022 holiday season. With 21% planning to shop more online than in-store this year compared to 2021. That means sales are usually booming this time of year.

For some, December is a time to relax, take a break, and wait until spring to begin working again. For others, the Holidays are an intense time that consists of marketing efforts, holiday campaigns, and stressful requests.

As a professional, you need to know how to stay talk to clients and stay proficient while still openly discussing your Holiday plans with clients. These talks consist of time off, travel time, and other expectations that sometimes get a little chaotic during the Holidays.

With that said, let’s jump into how to keep it civil:

How to Talk About the Holidays with Your Clients

You may be one to offer solutions and suggestions that can help your clients to plan for the holidays. Especially if you are planning to take time off ahead of time.

This could include providing holiday-themed content you’ve pre-designed or offering special deals or promotions. You may also find yourself providing support for any holiday-related challenges that your clients may be experiencing.

The best way to talk to your client about the holidays will depend on the specific context of your relationship and the goals you want to achieve.

Here are a few tips that may be helpful:

  • Be clear and concise: When talking to your client about the holidays, be sure to clearly communicate the relevant information. Avoid using jargon or complex language. This will help to ensure that your message is understood and that your client is able to make informed decisions.
  • Show empathy: The holidays can be a stressful time, so it’s important to show understanding in your communication. This can help to build trust and strengthen your relationship with your client.
  • Be flexible: Depending on your client’s schedule, they may have different needs and preferences when it comes to the holidays. Be prepared to adapt your approach and offer solutions that meet their specific needs.
  • Offer solutions: In addition to providing information, it can be helpful to offer solutions and suggestions. This can include things like providing holiday-themed content, offering special deals or promotions, or providing support for any holiday-related challenges.

Overall, the key to talking to your client about the holidays is to be clear, empathetic, flexible, and solution-oriented in your communication. This can help to ensure that your client is well-informed and able to make the best decisions for their business.

Why Reach Out During The Holiday Season?

How a brand reacts during a crisis has been shown to affect customer loyalty. 6 in 10 (57%) would be inspired to shop with a retailer that supported its staff and customers during the pandemic. (Accenture)

The holidays can be a busy and stressful time for many people, so reaching out and providing support and assistance can help to make their lives easier. In fact, stress levels reportedly increase during the holiday season for 38% of people.

Learning how to talk to clients during the Holidays can lead you toward a successful partnership.

Reaching out to clients during the holidays can help to strengthen your relationships with them. By showing empathy and understanding, and offering solutions to their challenges, you can build trust and demonstrate the value of your services.

This can help to ensure that your clients continue to do business with you in the future.

The holiday season can also be a good time to connect with clients who you haven’t heard from in a while or to reconnect with clients who you may have lost touch with.

Steps you can take to ask your client for time off

First, make sure to review and ask for your client’s policies on taking time off. Some companies may have specific procedures in place for requesting time off, so it’s important to know what these are and follow them.

Consider the timing of your request. If possible, try to ask for time off well in advance of when you need it. This will give your client plenty of time to plan and make arrangements for your absence, especially if you are a key member of the team.

When asking for time off, be professional and respectful. Make sure to provide a clear reason for why you need time off and how long you will need it. Also, be prepared to discuss any potential impact your absence may have on your work and how you will make sure that your responsibilities are covered while you are gone.

Lastly, be open to negotiation. Your client may not be able to grant your request for time off as is, so be prepared to discuss potential alternative arrangements.

Last year, holiday retail sales reached $789.4 billion despite the consequences of the pandemic. – NRF

Holiday Client Outreach

Client outreach is an important part of any business, as it allows you to build relationships with potential and existing clients and promote your products or services. You can use the Holiday season as a cheerful excuse to reach out to clients you are still building trust with, or old clients that may have a new project on their mind.

An easy template like this could work:

“Hey Bob! I haven’t heard from you in a while and just wanted to send you this quick note to wish you Happy Holidays! I saw on LinkedIn recently that you (insert cool thing here). I recently had some time open up and wanted to reach out to you to see if you need my (insert super useful service here)…”

There are several things that are important to know about client outreach:

  • It’s important to understand your target audience and what their needs and interests are. This will help you tailor your outreach efforts to be more effective.
  • It’s important to have a clear and compelling message that explains what your business does and why it’s unique or valuable.
  • It’s important to be persistent and consistent with your outreach efforts. This means following up with potential clients and staying in touch with existing ones to build and maintain strong relationships.
  • It’s important to measure the success of your outreach efforts and make adjustments as needed. This could involve tracking the response rate to your outreach efforts, the number of new clients you are able to generate, and the overall impact on your business.
  • Be yourself and reach out in your own special way. This type of personal outreach can be beneficial to building lasting clientele relationships.

That’s About It

How talk to clients during the Holidays is a process. Client outreach consists of building relationships with potential and existing clients in order to promote your products or services. It involves understanding your target audience, having a clear and compelling message, and being persistent with your outreach efforts.

Client outreach is an important part of any business, as it allows you to generate new clients and maintain strong relationships with existing ones even during the stressors of the Holiday season.

If you need any help with your efforts, contact me today, I got you!

Next Up…

Freelancer Artistry Blog, How to

Client Outreach: How Does it Work?

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Key Points:

  • Client outreach is the process of contacting a potential client or customer.
  • Pick the right communication channel and the right time to contact a client.
  • Use catchy email subject lines.
  • Be personal, friendly, and direct.

A HubSpot study suggests that eight out of 10 prospects want to talk to sales reps via email over any other medium, but only 24% of those pitch emails are opened. That’s why drafting a client outreach pitch is so important for freelancers and small businesses alike.

When it comes to your blog or business growth, retaining current clients and making new ones is the bread and butter of freelancing or managing a company. Whether you’re using your blog to reach clients or you’re simply sending out emails, this piece of content is for you!

Don’t stop now, keep reading to learn how to outreach the right way!

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What is Client Outreach?

What is client outreach? Client outreach is a term coined by businesses, freelancers, and other entities to describe the process of contacting a potential customer, client, and/or project/job hiring manager.

Client outreach campaigns can be super valuable for many reasons.

Additionally, you aren’t just increasing any potential revenue, but you’re also building a reputation for yourself in your niche.

You can use client outreach campaigns to gather feedback and even insights into your business strategies for further development.

In simplistic terms, the outreach process consists of you simply reaching out via email, phone, social media platforms, etc. to connect on a professional level. This type of professional outreach is usually done through emails

With that said, here are a few sure-fire ways to land new clients:

What are tips for client outreach?

  • Regardless of how you outreach, make sure to provide consistent value
  • Focus on your solutions to their problems, (similar to the buyer’s journey)
  • Keep it simple, don’t overstuff your outreach with overly complex jargon
  • Just like blog posts, don’t write long paragraphs
  • Be friendly but be clear about what you want and are expecting
  • Don’t be a shady salesperson because that’s bad m’kay
  • Keep your content digestible, easy to understand, and overall appealing

More pro-tips

How a brand reacts during a crisis has been shown to affect customer loyalty. 6 in 10 (57%) would be inspired to shop with a retailer that supported its staff and customers during the pandemic. (Accenture)
  • Research your target audience: Understand the demographics, pain points, and buying habits of your target clients to tailor your outreach campaign accordingly.
  • Personalize your messaging: Use the recipient’s name and mention specific details about their business in your outreach to make it more relevant and engaging.
  • Choose the right channel: Decide which channels are most likely to be used by your target clients and use them to reach out.
  • Use a compelling subject line: The subject line is the first thing the recipient sees, so make sure it is attention-grabbing and relevant.
  • Follow-up: If you don’t hear back, don’t be afraid to follow up with a gentle reminder.
  • Use tools: Use CRM, Mail merge, and Automation tools to scale up your campaign and track progress
  • Test and measure: Monitor the performance of your campaign and make adjustments as needed.
  • Be consistent: Keep in mind that client outreach is a long-term process and consistency is key.
  • Be Professional: Always maintain a professional tone throughout the campaign and be respectful of the recipient’s time.

Research conducted by Fidelity found that a whopping 64% of advisors have made content marketing an essential part of their digital marketing strategy. That means the content you create needs to be perfected. Whether you’re drafting an email, writing a pitch, or publishing a blog post, you need to consider your strategies for each piece you design.

That’s where I come in:

Taylor Swift Meme: hi..it’s me..I’m the content creator, it’s me…

Why is Customer Outreach Important?

Customer outreach is important because it helps businesses build and maintain relationships with their customers. It allows them to gather feedback, understand customer needs and preferences, and stay top of mind with potential and existing customers.

Additionally, it can also help businesses identify and address customer concerns, as well as increase customer loyalty and repeat business. Overall, customer outreach can help businesses better serve their customers and ultimately drive sales and growth.

Here are a few tips:

  • Be timely and relevant: Reach out to customers when it’s most appropriate for them and with content that is relevant to their needs and interests.
  • Use multiple channels: Different customers prefer different modes of communication, so use a mix of channels such as email, social media, and phone to reach out to customers.
  • Listen to feedback: Encourage customers to provide feedback and actively listen to what they have to say. Use this feedback to improve your products or services and tailor your outreach efforts.
  • Show value: Show customers how your products or services can help them solve a problem or achieve a goal.
  • Follow up: Follow up with customers to ensure they received your message and to see if they have any questions or concerns.
  • Automation: Utilize automation tools to streamline and personalize your outreach efforts at scale.
  • Track and analyze: Track the effectiveness of your outreach efforts by analyzing open rates, click-through rates, and customer engagement. Use this data to optimize your outreach strategy over time.

What is an outreach campaign?

An outreach campaign is a coordinated and strategic effort to reach out to a specific group of people or potential customers. The goal of an outreach campaign can vary depending on the business or organization, but it typically aims to build relationships, generate leads, increase brand awareness, or drive sales.

Outreach campaigns can be conducted using a variety of channels, including email, social media, phone, and in-person events. They often involve a series of planned and targeted communications, such as email drip campaigns, social media ads, or phone calls, that are timed and tailored to specific segments of the target audience.

The goal of an outreach campaign is to create a consistent and cohesive message that resonates with the target audience and encourages them to take the desired action.

How to Perform Client Outreach for Email Marketing?

I’m going to show you exactly how to do client outreach set-by-step. I have reached out to hundreds if not thousands of clients over the years. In fact, client outreach is an art form in itself and requires a lot of trial and error.

First-time outreach is usually the same whether you’re reaching out to a client or a potential customer (warm lead if you want to use a telesales term.) It’s all about the first impression.

Be personal, if you have a name use it.

Instead of, “To Whom it May Concern“, “Hello“, or “To Hiring Manager.“

Try: “Hey Bob! How are you? I got your email on LinkedIn and I wanted to reach out to you with an awesome collaboration opportunity. With that said, my name is Sally-Sue and I’ve been a Freelancer since 2015. I think we should connect on a professional level because….(reason)...

Sometimes being more authentic as a human being can win over more clients than a standard cover letter template you found on Google Docs.

A great personality can even make up for a lack of experience in some cases. Many clients may post projects to find the right fit based on sociability, not just experience.

For example, I was once hired by a client for a customer service role based on my personality. Although inexperienced, the client gave me the opportunity to learn based on that first impression.

Do this:

Actually, let me just teach you what I’ve learned so far:

  • As mentioned, be personal and authentically you
  • Pick the right communication channel and the right time to contact
  • Use the power of social media
  • Make your outreach personal, yet automated
  • Use catchy email subject lines
  • Understand your target audience
  • Ask your existing customers for referrals and use social proof as a starting point
  • Set goals for yourself
  • Respond to comments and replies on your posts (this can lead to a partnership)
  • Work on creating a strong brand presence (so you can be remembered!)
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Additionally, here’s how to launch a successful outreach strategy:

  • Write down what your needs are as a freelancer or business
  • Know what your client’s problem is and how to fix it
  • Set your goal and create a list (lists are proven to produce results)
  • Begin brainstorming a strategy (for example: collect target emails for SEO agencies who are known to hire freelancers, draft pitches, personalize, and send)
  • Make first-time contact and build a client rapport
  • Trial and error (keep track of what works and what doesn’t)
  • Assess your results and adjust accordingly

Client Outreach Template Examples

Without further ado, here are some templates you can use right now:

Emails are only opened at an average rate of 21.33%, so that means sending out more than one without being pushy, suggestive, or overly sales-y can sometimes be a good place to start. Especially if you are following this client on any type of social media like LinkedIn.

A first-time contact email could look something like this:

Email

“Hey Bob,

I noticed your success on your recent (insert successful project) and wanted to say congrats! What you’re doing has a major impact on (insert niche). My name is (Batman) and I just wanted to let you know how much I look forward to watching your (blog name/business name/ etc.) succeed.

Best,

(Your name, title, website, etc..)“

The key here is to keep your email short and sweet. You don’t need a working relationship just yet or right off the bat. This is just the introduction phase.

After any response or none, you may resend an additional email with something like this:

“Hey Bob!

I hope you’re having an awesome day, I noticed you published a new blog post today and I was blown away! Today I was doing a little research of my own this morning and noticed you might have a need for (insert your service). I could totally help you with that if you ever need anything.

If you don’t have any projects laying around that need completed, do you think you could point me in the right direction to someone who could use (insert services)?

Either way! Keep up the great work and I’m only an email away if I can help out with (insert their business needs and/or goals.)

Best,

Batman“

This type of email expresses your interest in your client’s niche and you also provide a solution to a potential problem. The worst that can happen is you won’t hear back or they will say no. In either case, you would just move on to the next. The key is to be friendly, helpful, and open to any opportunities.

86% of business professionals prefer to use email when communicating for business purposes.

Phone prospecting client outreach

I’m a way better writer than I am a talker. Although I started out in customer service, I have always been shy and laugh when I’m nervous.

Spoken like a true millennial – phone calls aren’t for me. In fact, email usage is highest among adults aged 18 to 29 and 30 to 49 at 80%. Furthermore, 76% of US adults used email or messaging services to communicate with others.

With that said, I can give some real-world experience tips for phone call templates but I always found emails work best in most settings:

“Hey Bob,

I hope you’re having a great day so far, my name is Sally-Sue (state any other relevant title on who you are, this goes a long way if warm or cold calling) and I noticed that you published an article today on (insert topic). Awesome stuff, I was calling because (insert how you be a solution or hold value to them.)

Would you be interested in a brief call with me to see how I can help your business grow? It won’t be longer than 15 minutes max. Please let me know when you are free and call me back at (insert number.)”

If you don’t receive a response, try a follow-up call or text. Not many people will take phone calls these days, so keep that in mind. I mean, do you remember the last time you answered an unknown number?

Do cover letters matter in client outreach?

In 98% of cases, it’s important to include a cover letter for any job or project application. Although, some hiring managers or recruiters won’t always read them. It’s more of just something that is expected in the work world. They expect candidates to submit one even if it’s never looked at.

Although overlooked, it looks super professional on your end. A cover letter can boost your chances of getting chosen and set you apart from other candidates with similar backgrounds and resumes.

Cover letters can be daunting to write especially if you don’t know what to write about. So, here’s a cover letter I wrote that has worked for me in many cases:

cover letter example

Wrapping it Up!

Whew, my fingers are smoking from all that typing!

Finally, that’s a lot of information to digest!

Feel free to share this post for future reference and let me know your experiences in the comment section below.

What challenges do you face regarding client outreach?

Next Up…

Freelancer Artistry Blog, How to

How to Check Keyword Traffic on Google

7 Comments
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Key Points:

  • A keyword traffic analysis can help you to find content topics and ideas that your audience will find useful or informative.
  • Use Google Analytics, Google Search Console, People Also Ask, and Wordstream to find keyword ideas.
  • Google keyword planner is great, it’s mostly focused on B2B marketers and SEO experts.
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Analyzing and understanding how to check keyword traffic on Google is vital to keeping track of your progress as a business blog. By digging into your keyword traffic, you can refine your SEO efforts. Additionally, you can then begin to target high-quality traffic in not only your organic searches but paid search campaigns as well.

In fact, 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine and Google makes for 93.87% of the mobile search engine market alone. That statistic is staggering and begs consideration when designing your content marketing keyword strategies.

With that said, let’s dig into how to check your keyword traffic on Google:

What is Keyword Traffic and Why is it Important?

A keyword traffic analysis can help you to find content topics and ideas that your audience will find useful or informative. Basically, it helps you to understand what your audience is looking for when they search and land on your website. It would be best to prioritize your content publishing efforts to target the most valuable keywords.

Not only will this strategy boost your traffic, but it will also help you to connect with your audience more. Doing so can give you some insight into each stage of your buyer’s journey.

Keyword traffic is the most helpful when targeting valuable, high commercial, intent-driven keywords.

To view your website’s keywords in Google Search Console you need to set up your domain. After that accomplishment, you can find your Google search information here:

google search console

Here you will see your performance in search results. This is where you can find keyword ideas for future content that will help you target your audience better.

For example, Freelancer Artistry was ranked for “Conversational keyword research“. At the time I saw this keyword, I did not have a piece of content that covered this topic.

So, I wrote a piece on conversational keywords. It was that easy.

google search console queries

It is important to track this type of data because to be able to keep and hold an audience, you need to understand what your target audience is actively looking for. Otherwise, you will end up with a 100% bounce rate, which is bad, m’kay.

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Wordstream’s keyword tool

The functionality offered by Google search console (formally webmaster tools), allows you to easily find keywords that are already driving traffic to your website. This makes it a great starting point in your keyword traffic analysis.

Using resources such as Wordstream’s Keyword Tool (a free SEO tool) to help you with your keyword research:

word stream keyword research tool

(Related article: Free SEO Tools to Optimize Your Blog)

Keyword suggestions are a great way to find additional content options that are relevant to your domain and already published content. All you need to do is enter your domain, your niche, and your area, and boom. There you will see a ton of keywords that are related to your blog.

Tools like Wordstream are a good alternative to Google Search Console. It’s also one of the best tools to conduct keyword analysis on terms that you may not even know you need to be creating content for.

There are many tools out there as Wordstream alternatives, that’s why it’s best to do some research before settling on one tool.

(Contact me today for backlink opportunities.)

Google keyword planner

Google keyword planner is a great keyword research tool. However, please be aware that to use it, you need a Google Ads account before you can use the free tool.

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You can use this free Google tool to help you discover new keywords that are related to your business, blog, niche, etc. Keyword Planner is mostly centered around in-depth keyword research. It’s not super beginner friendly, but it’s something you should consider in the back of your mind if you plan on continuing your SEO journey.

google keyword planner

Here are a few benefits of using Google keyword planner:

  • Accurate information: Google can be trusted.
  • Helps you discover new and unused keywords: find great suggestions here.
  • Help you to understand ad costs: use if you plan on spending money on ads.
  • Lets you organize your keywords: this helps you to understand how different keywords fit into different categories in PPC.
  • Campaigns: you can create new campaigns and edit existing campaigns.

Although Google’s keyword planner is great, it’s mostly focused on B2B marketers and SEO experts. If you feel that eventually, you will use this advanced tool, it’s good to start learning it now.

How to Use “People Also Ask” on Google?

“People also ask” is a Google snippet feature that you can find when entering search queries that will give you extra information that is relevant to your search.

“People also ask” began appearing under search results in 2018. Before then, if you searched for something, you would get more direct results rather than additional questions you may be wondering about your search.

Using this simple addition to search can give you a huge variety of questions that your audience is also curious about. By searching for your target keyword, you can come up with headers and sub-headers to include in your content.

Not only will this help you rank higher, but you will also become a resource for your audience to always come back to because they know you will answer their questions and then some.

The “People also ask” section may look similar to this:

Google’s “people also ask”

For the above example, the primary keyword is “How to Use “‘People Also Ask’ on Google?” however the content you should be answering isn’t just your target keyword, it’s the “people also ask” questions as well.

It would also be good to understand that 91.8% of queries entered on search engines are long-tail keywords. However, long-tails are responsible for a small percentage of total search volume according to Backlinko.

With that said, long-tail keywords are considered conversational or question keywords that aren’t often searched for, but when they are, they are targeted and bring in the right audience.

That’s About It!

Keyword research is sort of confusing at first, so if you don’t want to do it yourself, contact me today! I got you!

Next Up…

Freelancer Artistry Blog, What Is

What is Conversational Keyword Research?

9 Comments
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Key Points:

  • Conversational keyword research refers to the use of natural-sounding phrases and verbal cues that trigger search queries.
  • Study your competition
  • Find the keywords your competition is ranking for
  • Use Long-tail keywords.
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The first five organic results in the SERPs account for 67.6% of all clicks, which means that natural conversational keyword research has a direct correlation to ranking high on Google.

What makes conversational keyword research such an important and innovative way to find your audience and target each stage of the buyer’s journey? Conversational keyword research is a core targeting strategy used by thousands of large companies and small businesses alike to drive web traffic and audience engagement.

The remaining content explains conversational keyword research and offers blogging tips and tricks.

https://www.youtube.com/@freelanceartistry

Ready to dig in? Keep reading!

39.4% of internet users in the U.S. conduct searches by voice.

What is Conversational Keyword Research?

Conversational keyword research refers to the use of natural-sounding phrases and verbal cues that trigger search queries. Search queries are interpreted and indexed by search engines such as Google that use artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms (Google bots or crawlers.)

Instead of including only words and phrases that are grammatically correct, it would be best to be more natural in your writing. This ensures your content ranks in voice search SEO as well as Google’s SERPs.

First, voice search consists of the following:

  • Where
  • Why
  • When
  • How
  • Question modifiers
  • Long-tail keywords
  • Conversational and intent-rich

Additionally, there are four different keyword match types for Google:

  • Broad match: a broach keyword match is when your ads are displayed in SERPs for searches related to your keywords but aren’t an exact match.
  • Phrase match: a phrase match is keywords that are used either before or after your primary keyword, although it isn’t usual for in-between words.
  • Exact match: this is exactly as it sounds, an exact keyword phrase match.
  • Negative match: keywords that are used to exclude your content from specific searches to help you drive your content toward the correct audience.

Using the correct keyword match type ensures that you make the most of your money, time, and effort. Subsequently, it also makes it more likely to bring in the right traffic to your blog or business. New customers boost sales which maximize your ROI.

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How to Find the Right Keywords

Picking the best type of keywords is one of the more important aspects of SEO and blogging in general. If you aren’t using the right words then you may not bring in the right type of organic traffic if any at all.

Google’s algorithm is extremely complex and will only show its users the best of the best content.

Additionally, your business goals as a blogger or website owner ensure that your content is not only fully optimized but also keyword-rich.

That isn’t to say you shouldn’t write your content for algorithms, quite the opposite actually. Google’s Helpful Content Update reinforced that crawlers may begin to phase out SEO content in favor of people-first content.

With that said, here’s how to find the right keywords for your content:

  • Study your competition
  • Find the keywords your competition is ranking for
  • Think like your target audience
  • Search through “people also ask”
  • Check out what keywords you’re ranking for and make content for those keywords
  • Use the best tools on the market today (most are free!)
  • Analyze and track your results, efforts, and SEO metrics

Furthermore, the four elements of keyword research are:

  1. Relevance: keywords need to be relevant to your content or blog niche.
  2. Authority: focus on building authority to your domain via backlinks because Google favors authoritative sources.
  3. Volume: search volume matters, you may be ranking for keywords no one is searching for.

Lastly, make a list of important, relevant to you topics and base them on what you already know about your blog or business. Come up with about a dozen topics and begin entering those keyword or phrases into a keyword research tool. Focus on higher monthly search volume in SEO rates with low competition.

Conversational keyword research example

This conversational keyword research may look similar to this:

conversational keyword research

Let’s use graphic design as an example here:

Use your preferred keyword-researching tool. I prefer Google’s Keyword Planner. If that isn’t your cup of tea then you do you. If you don’t have a preferred tool yet, I will include a list below.

Close your eyes and pretend you are a designer with a new blog. You should start with a content idea piece, “how can I do graphic design for free?” Don’t forget to pay attention to the monthly searches and competition in SEO.

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Input that conversational keyword and see what pops up:

keyword research graphic design conversational keywords

It would be best to focus your content on that primary keyword and include naturally written secondary keywords that are relevant to your content. You would include those keywords in your captions, alt-text, headers, and first paragraph.

You would then go on to describe your process for creating free logos using Canva. Your content should answer questions your audience may ask. Furthermore, your content should also go above and beyond to fulfill any other questions your audience hasn’t asked yet. You aren’t just a content creator, you are a mind-reader.

SEO Boyz Example Logo

For instance, you would then fill in your content with your bucket list as your sub-topics within your copy.

  • How Can I Do Graphic Design for Free? (primary keyword)
    • How to Use Graphic Design for Business?
    • What Programs are Best for Graphic Design?
    • Where Can I Learn Graphic Design for Free?
      • Etc.. etc.. etc…you get it, right?

Pro tip: Find out what keywords you are already ranking for and make content based off of those keywords. Use Google Analytics to find those search queries.

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Best keyword research tools

Leads from search engines have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound leads (ex. cold-calling, direct mail, etc.) have a 1.7% close rate. Not only that but, 57% of B2B marketers stated that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing effort. That’s why natural and conversation keyword research is so important to incorporate into your web pages and content pieces.

List of the best keyword research tools:

Wrapping it Up!

Keyword research can be kind of confusing at first, especially if you’re new to the SEO world. Outsourcing content to freelancers like me can help to ensure that your copies get written correctly the first time without having to send them back for revisions.

Contact me today, I’m positive I can be an impact on your business!

Next Up…

Freelancer Artistry Blog, Graphic Design, How to

How to Graphic Design for Free

3 Comments
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Key Points:

  • By definition graphic design is the skill or art of combining text and images in advertisements, magazines, blogs, or books.
  • Graphic design helps businesses gain higher virtual visibility.
  • One of the best ways to gain design experience without a degree is to begin watching tutorials, reading articles, and begin freelancing.
  • Some free tools include Canva, Krita, and Blender.
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Need to know how to do graphic design for free without spending an arm and a leg on a Freelancer or expensive software like Adobe?

One important reason to learn graphic design whether you’re a business owner, blogger, or writer is that 94% of consumers will leave a website with poor graphic design.

If you’re trying to sell a product or service, you want your website design, content, and graphics to look just as professional as you are.

With that said, let’s jump into the basics of how to do graphic design for free, some pointers on color, and everything else you need to know moving forward!

Don’t stop now, keep reading!

What is Graphic Design and How is It Useful to Bloggers?

By definition graphic design is the skill or art of combining text and images in advertisements, magazines, blogs, or books. According to the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) graphic design is the practice of planning and then projecting concepts and ideas. These concepts are then turned into experiences with visual and textual content.

So basically, graphic design helps you to convey messages to your audience in a visually creative way.

With that said, how can graphic design be useful to bloggers? When you create a blog, website, or any other content online. You need to incorporate images into your content, whether you are creating a blog or social post.

How is it useful in business?

Graphic design helps businesses gain higher virtual visibility which can lead to an increase in sales and conversion rates. Interesting and engaging visuals affect the communication of concepts and ideas. Basically, higher visibility not only boosts sales but also increases credibility which tells Google and other search engines that your content is valid.

Let’s use these two pictures as an example: any SEO-friendly content and other website-based content will have images added to their blog posts.

It may look something like this:

Photo Found on Unsplash.com

Or maybe something like this:

75% of clients rate a business’s credibility based on its web design.

93% of all our communication is visual. Additionally, consistent presentation of a brand with the help of design can boost sales by 33%. That means that if you are trying to boost your brand, product, etc., you need to incorporate engaging images.

In fact, recent studies suggest that nearly 85% of people learn by seeing, and these are people who would prefer to be known things to understand information easier.

So, based on the niche of your content, you should include data-based statistics, infographics, or images that match the theme of your content.

For example, the first image above shows a business laptop with displayed statistics. The image has keyword-rich alt-text and is relevant to the topic. However, it doesn’t engage a user or hold valid information.

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Based on your content, you should decide which type of imagery you need for your content.

How to Begin Graphic Design?

One of the best ways to gain design experience without a degree is to begin watching tutorials, reading articles, and begin freelancing. Once you understand the software that is generally used, you will begin to develop a strong sense of the process and you can use different platforms to promote yourself as a graphic designer.

However, if you’re just beginning to develop your blog and you’re not sure where to start, this article is for you!

There are five principles of design:

  • Alignment: helps to keep your design organized.
  • Repetition: helps to strengthen the elements of the design.
  • Contrast or white space: this is a concept that helps to create emphasis using a design for impact. This is seen in colors, bold text, font choices, etc. It helps to create a central focal point.
  • Hierarchy: helps to understand how each element is organized according to its level of importance.
  • Balance: any good design needs to have a structure using symmetry or tension.

These principles help to create a great graphic design. They may also help to display a stable, organized, and consistent impact or message. By following these principles, designers and website owners alike can solve visual and conceptual problems as a part of their creation process.

For a design piece to be successful, you need to understand how these key principles work.

80% of small business owners think graphic design is very important or moderately important to the success of their business.

Understand typographic basics

Typography is the usage of formatted or arranged layouts in the text that plays a vital role in graphic design. Type includes fonts, point sizes, line spacing, letter spacing, kerning, and typefaces.

Type can be created by hand or even digitally, however, it’s worth noting that different types of specializations are within typography.

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These specializations include:

  • Lettering
  • Typeface design
  • Typesetting

As you learn to navigate your way around design, you’ll soon begin to understand the differences between these similar yet very different pieces of typography and how it plays an important role in graphic design.

Canva vs Figma

Canva is a visual design app. Figma is too. While Figma doesn’t offer Canvas options, it does offer tools to make it super easy to design prototypes for various production. Figma doesn’t have the fast collection Canva is well known for, Figma does support layers you can hide, lock, copy, and re-layer similar to Adobe Photoshop or Krita.

To start with, Canva allows users to create:

  • book covers
  • flyers
  • posters
  • infographics
  • presentations
  • social media posts.

Although Canva seems like the clear choice, it does have some competitors such as Figma that some designs swear by.

Figma is a graphic editing and collaborative UI and UX designing tool that helps to create apps, websites, and basically anything in between.

Here is an example of a Canva project:

example logo by freelancer artistry using Canva

Figma is known for its flexibility and shape tools to help you draw and size shapes using your drawing tablet or mouse. It comes with a drawing pen tool which is lacking compared to Krita’s brush collection.

Figma offers the following:

  • Shapes
  • Pen
  • Pencil
  • Frame
  • Slice
  • Text effects
  • Hand tool
  • Arc tool
  • CSS support for elements
  • Grid system
  • Layer exporting and duplication
  • Image support
  • Auto Layout

In my professional option, I would suggest Canva for someone who just wants a simple infographic or social post. If your workflow requires a bit more than that, give Figma a try.

Inkscape vs Krita for Graphic Design

Inkscape is a free open-source vector graphics editor that comes with a wide range of digital painting features which can be super useful when graphic designing. Artists and designers alike can freely express their imagination on a digital canvas.

Krita is open-source as well with amazing illustration and digital painting tools. Not only is Krita amazing for drawing, designing, and sketching, but it also introduces the basics of animation.

Krita is capable of creating artwork such as this:

artwork created by Freelancer Artistry using Krita

While there are a ton of Adobe Photoshop alternatives such as Inkscape and Krita. There aren’t many that are totally free. Inkscape and Krita are both completely free and useful to learn as their programs (short keys, UI, things like that) are very similar to more expensive paid programs.

Also, I’d just like to mention here, if you’re interested in illustration, animation, or digital sculpting try picking up Blender. It’s a super complex program, but it’s totally worth learning if you’re into that sort of thing.

Okay, let’s get back on track. If you were to compare Inkscape vs Krita, Krita is known for having wider functionality and powerful tools. A lot of brush bundles are also compatible with Krita so that’s something to keep in mind.

If you need a vector program with a great graphics editor, check out Inkscape because it’s the superior program for designers and artists who are at a higher level. It also has a neat drag-and-drop feature that makes workflow easier to manage.

Free Tools and Programs for Graphic Design

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There are tons of free tools and programs you can use right now to help you grasp at least some understanding of graphic design. Canva is my personal favorite, simply because it has a windows app, templates, and built-in features and helps you stay symmetrical and balanced.

Not only can Canva be used to create stunning graphics for website content, but you create professional logos, book covers, banners, cards, and so much more!

Additionally, here is my list of free tools you can download right now to help you get started:

RankProgram/ToolPriceDownload
1.CanvaFree +PremiumDownload
2.KritaFreeDownload
3.BlenderFreeDownload
4.Design WizardFree +PremiumDownload
5.Adobe SparkFree Trial +PremiumDownload
6.GimpFreeDownload
7.GravitFreeDownload
8.InkscapeFreeDownload
9.SketchUpFreeDownload
10.GeniallyFreeDownload
11.Paint 3DFreeDownload
12.Ibis Paint XFree +PremiumDownload
13.PhotoDirectorFreeDownload
List of Free Tools for Graphic Design

That Sums it Up!

Graphic design and SEO content can be difficult, so if you don’t want to figure it all out on your own, contact me today! I got you!

Next Up…

Freelancer Artistry Blog, Why

Should You Hire a Ghostwriter?

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Key Points

  • A ghostwriter is a professional hired to write something that someone else gets credit for.
  • 60% of all nonfiction books are products of a ghostwriter.
  • Hiring a ghostwriter in the right niche is legal and ethical.
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Should you hire a ghostwriter? Nearly 60% of all nonfiction books are products of a ghostwriter. Ghostwriters are seasoned freelancing professionals that have been writing for many years if not decades.

In certain professions or in academic studies, hiring a ghostwriter isn’t ethical. It could even result in a plagiarism lawsuit. Additionally, audiences or other professionals may even view it as unethical behavior.

If you’re considering hiring a professional ghostwriter but don’t want it to get messy, then you should keep reading!

Here is everything you need to know:

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What is a Ghostwriter Anyway?

A ghostwriter is usually a freelance professional hired to write something that someone else gets credit for.

From celebrity memories to presidential speeches, ghostwriters are found in almost every niche. A ghostwriter has outsourced to either draft a project or complete a project. Sometimes an entire project can collaborate between an author and a ghostwriter.

A ghostwriter is not credited as an author, in fact, the word “ghost” in the title says it all. Basically, a ghostwriter does not normally receive any credit for a book, blog post, or any other published content. When you outsource a ghostwriter, the published content is then yours to do with whatever you want.

Beginner ghostwriters can expect to make anywhere between $2,000 to $9,000 per book. However, blog writers can sometimes may much less. For example, when I first started blog post writing for content mills, I was making a whopping 2 cents per word. Which is, now that I think about it, pretty gross. Eventually, my income increased with experience.

(source: zippia.com)

Ghostwriters mainly help companies and personalities build brand awareness. Rather than taking the time to publish high-quality stories once a month, you can speed up your process by hiring one or a team of writers to help you publish your content.

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Is it Legal to Hire a Ghostwriter?

Yes, hiring a ghostwriter in the right niche is totally legal and ethical.

Here’s when it’s okay to hire a ghostwriter:

  • When sharing your expertise would be the right career move, but you don’t write well.
  • When you have been dying to write a book for ages, but can’t seem to finish it.
  • You’re an established author with zero time to write.
  • You need a ton of written content for an upcoming brand or event. (This is common in the blogging community.)
  • You don’t have enough expertise in your niche, but you need the content.

Actually, let’s dive deeper into this subject:

(source: zippia.com)

Should You Hire a Ghostwriter?

Hiring a ghostwriter can help you stay consistent and finish up projects that may either be giving you trouble or you can’t find the time to finish them yourself.

Additionally, here are some reasons why you should hire a ghostwriter:

  • If you’re an expert or professional in a niche with a ton of knowledge to share, ghostwriters can give your content the boost it needs especially if you aren’t the best writer yourself. You might have some awesome ideas or notes but aren’t sure how to pull them all together. That’s where professionals like me come in.
  • Additionally, if you have had an idea for a book for a very long time, but just can’t seem to write it out or have no idea where to start then hiring a ghostwriter might be the right move for you. Even if you just outsource a short draft to help get you started, you can then make edits yourself.
  • Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming, and Tom Clancy are all well-known authors who hire ghostwriters! That isn’t to say they aren’t great authors themselves, but many authors simply don’t have the time to write. Once an author makes it, most of their time is consumed by the business aspect of writing novels rather than writing novels. That’s why hiring a ghostwriter is sometimes necessary.
  • Lastly, many websites and blogs outsource their content writing. As a freelance SEO content creator myself, I can tell you, some websites have huge teams of dozens of ghostwriters, editors, and optimization editors. I have done all three, and have ghostwritten and edited for some pretty well-known companies.

Ghostwriting in the blogging community is super common and totally legit.

Disclaimer: Freelancer Artistry does NOT hire ghostwriters. I am a one-woman show.

Tips for Outsourcing a Ghostwriter

Additionally, here are some tips for outsourcing a ghostwriter:

  • Know your voice and tone before hiring
  • Plan out your budget beforehand
  • Know how to edit or write yourself (this isn’t necessary but can help)
  • Plan your digital marketing strategy ahead of time
  • Create a timeline of what you’d like to accomplish
  • Get a recommendation or check out the social proof of your ghostwriter
  • Hire a great editor
  • Don’t leave your SEO to your ghostwriter (if you’re blogging)

Where Can You Find a Ghostwriter?

Whew! Alright, this is going to be long. There are so many places to find ghostwriters, however, you need to always vet your writers with a paid sample test before continuing. Sometimes writers have really great editors, so the finished product of a writer’s sample might be from great editing.

That’s why it’s really important to go through a hiring process rather than just jumping right in from the get-go.

With that said, a good ghostwriter might cost you a whopping 30 cents per word depending on the experience level of said writer. Actually, based on 2021 data from Reedsy, you can expect to spend anywhere from $40,000 to $70,000 per book. Although children’s books may see a bit of a rate drop, you’re still looking at an average of 26 cents per word.

List of Best Places to find Ghostwriters

Here is a list of the best places to find a ghostwriter:

Additionally, the above list may also be a great place to look for ghostwriting jobs.

Note: if you are working with a professional ghostwriter, they will have either a website, a third-party freelancing platform account with reviews or a well-established social media account with social proof to back up their claims.

Beginner ghostwriters probably won’t have this type of experience and won’t cost you as much as stated above. However, keep in mind, sometimes hiring a newbie is a good thing because you can train them in your tone, voice, and writing style before they’ve been desensitized by the market.

(source: medium.com)

Should You Hire a Ghostwriter and Do You Need a Contract?

Yes, you need either a written or verbal agreement between both parties.

However, third-party platforms such as Freeup.net or Upwork make agreements between freelancers and clients easier and safer.

Out of every single client I’ve worked with in all of my years as an SEO freelancer, I’ve only been jagged by a client once. It was only out of 8 hours of work, fortunately, however, some freelancers have come out with some horror stories and vice versa. I’ve worked with a ton of clients who have had some really bad experiences with freelancers before speaking with me.

It’s perfectly acceptable to come up with a written contract. However, for most of the clients I work with, I’ve only spoken on the phone once if that. Most of this communication is through emails back and forth.

If you both are happy, just a verbal agreement will do. However, if you’re a little unsure or feel as if you need a formal agreement such as a non-disclosure then written contracts can help make each of you comfortable.

Don’t hire if you don’t trust

Let me tell you something though, I still get the jitters before a first invoice is due if I’m not using a third-party platform. So, I imagine it would be similar for clients waiting for completed work. That’s why trust is such a huge part of a ghostwriter/author arrangement.

Basically, If you can’t trust each other, then you shouldn’t be working together.

Let’s Wind This Down

Writing takes a lot of time, creativity, and patience to complete. Sometimes, you just need a little help, and that’s okay!

Contact me today! I got you!

Next Up…

Freelancer Artistry Blog, SEO Tools

Free SEO Tools to Optimize Your Blog

5 Comments
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Key Points

  • Some of the tools include Moz, Semrush, and Google Keyword Planner.
  • This article includes the best free SEO Tools you can use to optimize your Content.
  • Many tools on this list are free without premium costs.

Why should you use free SEO tools to optimize your blog? 

Because 86% of people ignore paid banner ads, choosing to only click on organic search results.

That’s why when new bloggers begin their journey they can become easily overwhelmed with all of the technical stuff on their SEO report. 

Additionally, you absolutely need to optimize your content, your website, and everything else to make sure that your helpful and high-quality content is shown to your target audience. 

Otherwise, Google may decide not to show your content to its users. You please the almighty algorithm and you please 85% of the search engine market. 

The rest of this content is going to give you the best free SEO tools you can use right now to begin optimizing your blog and gaining more traffic.

Ready to launch? Keep reading!

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Is it Possible to Perform SEO Best Practices using Free Tools?

Yes, it is possible to perform SEO best practices using free tools. 

There are tons, and I mean tons of free tools available in the form of plugins, browser tools, and apps to help you begin your process. Over time, you may feel like you want a premium tool, but those premiums are not where it’s at when you’re just starting out.

In fact, when inbound marketing techniques are considered, 61% of marketers say it is critical to improving their brand’s organic presence and SEO. If the big brands are performing SEO keyword research, that means you need to as well. 

There are many expensive tools like Clearscope that may provide you with outstanding results, help you check SEO scores, and so much more.

However, when you’re just the little guy, your blog may not even have the budget to afford some of those really expensive, high-dollar tools. 

That’s why investing some time to learn a few of these free tools will not only teach you how to optimize your content, but will also prepare you for more advanced optimization that may require some extra familiarity. 

Are Google Tools Free?

Yes, there are many Google tools that are free to use. 

In fact, Google has 271 tools as of 2022. That includes all of Google’s digital and physical products, online services, and apps. Google offers both free and paid tools to users and businesses alike. 

There are a ton of free Google tools that many people use like Google Sheets and Google Docs, so I won’t include them in the list due to their popularity. However, there are some tools that some people may not know about.

For example, are you aware that you should upload your content onto Google News via Google’s Publishing Center? 

In fact, Google News has a staggering 280 million (estimated) people who use it daily. While Google never guarantees traffic, or anything really, it’s still a great place to boost some of your brand awareness.  

Some other important SEO Google tools include:

With that said, let’s move on to the real question here:

How Effective are SEO Tools? 

Free SEO tools can be very effective in your content marketing strategy.

You just need to learn how to use them effectively before they can work effectively.

Also, who doesn’t like free stuff? Especially when that free stuff is making you money, boosting your traffic, and improving your overall ranking in SERPs.

SEO tools aren’t just great for measuring your metrics and rankings, but they are also good for performing keyword research. You can gain a ton of valuable insights on your competition as well as find out if your SEO efforts are paying off. This can be anything from a higher click-through rate to generating better ROI for your clients.

Additionally, many tools can help highlight your problem areas or issues with your website. This information is absolutely vital to ranking in search engines. They often need to be resolved quickly for your website to keep functioning at an optimal level.

Google Search Console is one of these helpful tools that can do this for you.

What Defines an SEO Tool?

There are hundreds of free SEO tools out there, however, I wanted to focus on the best and the ones that I have personally used and find most useful. Many people in the SEO community helped design these tools and these experts agree that a tool must meet three different requirements.

These requirements are:

  1. Widely and commonly used by the SEO community
  2. Offers valuable and actionable data
  3. Is actually well, free

Additionally, there are many different types of SEO tools that can be categorized as the following:

  • Analytics or metrics measuring
  • Crawling or indexing
  • Keyword Research
  • Link Building Tools
  • Local SEO
  • Mobile SEO
  • Multi-tool 
  • On-page SEO
  • Competitor research
  • Website page speed
  • WordPress Plugins

Each category of tools can be used for optimizing your content or manually checking the health of your website. These different tools are all very useful for the everyday or beginner blogger.

List of Tools

Finally, here is a list of the best SEO tools to optimize your blog:

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RankFree SEO ToolPremium
17.Google Search ConsoleNo
16.Google AnalyticsNo
15.SemrushYes
14.Google Keyword Planner Requires Google Ads account
13.The HOTH Keyword PlannerYes
12Yoast SEOFree Plugin with Premium
11.MozYes
10.Google Data StudioNo
9.Google Tag ManagerNo
8.AhrefsYes
7.Google PageSpeed ToolsNo
6.Bing Webmaster ToolsNo
5.Keywords EverywhereYes
4.AnswerThePublicYes (search limit per day)
3.SEO MinionNo
2.BufferLimited Free Version
1.SEO Check (Mobile App)No

Should I Outsource Someone to Do my SEO for Me?

Does this all seem a little confusing and you’re not sure if you want to do it yourself? Then you can hire someone like me to do it for you!

Agencies and freelancers with specialized skills can definitely get the job done for you. In fact, it’s very common for small businesses to outsource their SEO to agencies or freelance SEO content creators.

Overall, businesses are expected to spend over $700 billion per year on outsourcing by 2022. That means that if your competitors are outsourcing their SEO to professionals and specialists, that means you need to as well!

Contact me today, I got you!

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Voice Search: How to Optimize Your Content

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Key Points

  • Voice SEO is vital for gaining traffic, in fact, 40% of the total population in the U.S. are actively voice searching.
  • You can optimize your content by creating a FAQ page, using conversation keywords, and understanding your audience.
  • You need to keep your website fast and mobile-friendly to rank for Google snippets.

40.2% of the United States population use voice search features. 71% of those consumers prefer to conduct queries by voice instead of typing.

Additionally, in 2021, one-third of all US consumers owned a smart speaker.

If you don’t have an Alexa or Google nest by now, you probably will soon.

Big tech companies such as Amazon, Google, and Tesla are evolving massively every day. In fact, Elon Musk has stated he hopes to have a robot in every home by 2050.

I mean, have you heard of Neuralink?

But, I’m getting way ahead of myself here. The rest of this content will cover how to keep up with the times and optimize your content for voice searches.

Ready to destroy your competitors? Keep reading!

Voice Search Optimization for Websites (Voice SEO)?

Voice search or voice SEO is the optimization of keywords and keyword phrases for search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. According to thought-leading experts, voice SEO is vital for websites to rank effectively in SERPs (search engine results).

As well as searches conducted through voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Nest.

58% of consumers use voice search to find information about a local business online. Additionally, 27% of the online Google population is using voice search on mobile. One important thing to remember about voice search SEO is that you need to target a natural-speaking language.

That means question keywords and long-tail keywords are vital to voice search engine optimization. Not only will AI affect your Google search, but it may soon affect your smartphones and the rest of your life as it continues to evolve.

First, let me start off with a couple of great keyword research tools you can use starting now:

With that being said, let’s move on to how you can create a great content marketing strategy with voice SEO:

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How to Optimize Your Content for Voice Search

58% of consumers use voice search to find information about a local business online. That means if you’re reading this, you might have been a part of that 58% that asked a voice assistant for an answer. That’s a fairly large number considering, that’s one of the reasons it’s so important to create content that is not just optimized for Google, Bing, or Yahoo, but for voice assistants as well.

Another way to keep your website SEO voice-friendly, you need to use the following words in your content:

  • Who
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • How
  • Why

Many voice searchers begin with these words. “When did Queen Elizabeth die?” Also, consider conversational context and intent when someone asks a question. “Who wrote ‘The Raven’?”

So, I’ve thrown a lot of random information at you and a lot of statistics to express how important voice SEO is to your digital marketing strategy, so let’s jump into some actionable steps you can take right now to improve your pieces of content:

Know Your Target Audience

If you’ve ever read any of my other articles, then you know I’m always telling you to know your audience! I’m not just talking about demography either. I’m talking about creating and designing an audience persona.

Voice Search Optimization relies on knowing what your audience will ask before they do. So, it’s not exactly mind-reading, but it’s kind of close.

HubSpot has created one of the best Audience Persona Creators I’ve seen. Here’s how it works:

Think if yourself as your own customer. Who are you?

Let’s say you’re a finance blogger and your customers are your readers. Pick an avatar and pick their age. You can use real statistics from your Google Analytics, or you can take a guess.

You’ll then be guided through an in-depth look into who your customer would be. My best advice while doing this is to try and put yourself in the shoes of who you are trying to sell your product or service.

Once you’ve plugged in all of your customer information, you will be given a report about where online your readers hang out, and where you can find the best traffic.

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In a nutshell, your customer persona makes come out looking something like this:

Once you’ve discovered who your audience really is, then you can begin to create content around how they would naturally ask a question or better yet, what questions they haven’t considered asking yet.

For example, if you own a finance blog, then a voice question might resemble this:

“How much money should I save each month if I make $75,000 annually.”

This key phrase is detailed, it’s targeted, and it’s something your audience wants to know. It’s vital to answer your reader’s questions and then some.

Use Conversational Keyword Phrases

As I previously mentioned, keyword phrases are key to being able to optimize for voice searches. Conversational keywords refer to the use of complete sentences and other natural-speaking search queries. In other words, use natural language in your content.

Historically, internet searches were based on smaller searchers such as, “best stores near me.” While these keyword phrases are still useful within your content, you may be missing out on some voice search traffic. That’s one of the reasons it’s important to optimize your site for voice search.

Instead, your content needs to include questions or full-sentence keyword phrases to help boost some of your content for voice SEO strategy.

For example, instead of, “blog writers near me.” You can include, “Here is how to find blog writers near you.”

Moving forward, let’s dive further into how you can improve your SEO for voice search

Have a FAQ Page for Voice Search

SEO and voice search go hand and hand, in fact, a FAQ page lets you provide content around any keywords that you’re trying to rank for. For example, while you may want to address questions through your high-quality pieces of content, your FAQ is a great place to include other more direct long-tail keywords and phrases that your users may find helpful.

In general, good FAQ pages are great for SEO. Additionally, people won’t find any value in answers that don’t directly solve a problem or provide some type of solution.

That means it’s your job to answer any FAQ your audience may ask now, in the future, or during any stage of the buyer’s journey.

Use Google’s Featured Snippets

Google’s search results show listings or meta descriptions where there’s a chunk of information describing a page under a link. Results displayed in this way are called snippets. You’ve probably seen them a million times when conducting any given Google search.

The entity Google states that they display featured snippets when their systems determine that that format with help people diver what they’re seeking in a faster way. They are also especially helpful when on mobile or searching by voice.

Google continues by stating that Featured snippets come from web search listings and Google’s automated systems are the ones that determine whether a page would make a good featured snippet to highlight for a search.

Neil Patel states that you need to answer questions as quickly as possible, use headers, and stay within 50 to 60 characters. Always try to answer the people also asked section of your keyword.

If you can get highlighted by Google, then voice SEO is sure to pick your helpful content.

Additionally, you can submit your content to platforms like Quora, Google News, and Flipboard. This will help you raise your domain authority and rank which will then affect your ability to rank in voice searches.

Use Local SEO

Local SEO is determined to be one of the best ways to target your content for voice searches. Using keywords such as “near me” can help boost your content to be featured as a voice assistance answer to a question.

Local SEO can be boosted by filling out your Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) and creating a Google map business listing. Additionally, creating a local Google ad can help you boost your authority and traffic.

It isn’t necessary, especially if you’re just starting out, but it may be something to consider further down the road.

Also, as a second thought, you may also need to optimize your website for local keywords and mobile-friendliness. The faster your content loads, the faster a voice assistant can find and rely on your informative content.

That’s About It!

Content creation is hard, and if you’re extremely overwhelmed by all of this information, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional like me.

I got you!

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How to Start a Company Blog: Business Articles for Beginners

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Key Points

  • Company Blogs are one of the best ways to bring leads into the sales funnel and target each stage of the buyer’s journey.
  • Blogging for business allows an additional stream of passive income.
  • Company blogs go through a rigorous process of outlining, drafting, and editing before they can be considered high-quality content.

Business blogs have a 126% higher lead growth than non-blogging businesses and receive 2x more traffic from their email marketing and lead nurturing campaigns.

That means that marketers who are prioritizing blogging are at least 13x more likely to see a positive ROI from their SEO blogging efforts. 

You might be thinking “yes, this sounds awesome, but how the heck am I supposed to start a company blog and write business articles on top of running a brand?”

The remaining content will dive deep and provide blogs for small businesses with helpful information and valuable tips and tricks on How to Start a Company Blog: Business Articles for Beginners.

Don’t quit now! Keep reading!

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How to Start a Company Blog: Business Articles for Beginners

Blogging is well, saturated in general. There are over 600 million blogs online as of 2022 and there’s no sign of them slowing down. In fact, 52% of bloggers feel it’s becoming harder to engage readers every day.

That’s because it’s difficult to get noticed.

For example, a blog about freelancing can take 6-months to a year before SEO efforts are seen.

You have to look at your competitors and design kick-ass marketing strategies that make your brand outshine all of the rest.

With all of this said, how do you begin the process of starting a company blog?

I am going to make this as straightforward as possible:

Pick the Right Blogging Platform for your Company Blog

Before you begin to write a blog article. The first step always starts with a blogging platform.

Every Google “about blogging business” search query will result in the flowing website hosting companies suggesting the best blogging platform for you.

All of these articles will give you a few WordPress alternatives, show you exactly how to sign up for WordPress, pick a WordPress theme, get web hosting, and so on.

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Let me save you some trouble.

In a nutshell, these blogging platforms are the best:

  • WordPress: Will you blog about business? Pick this one.
  • Tumblr: Are you a social creative with an obscure niche? Use this.
  • Medium: Interested in a blog about writing? Use Medium.
  • Ghost: Want a WordPress Alternative? Use Ghost but less user-friendly.
  • Wix: Simple, sleek, not have a ton of features. Use it if that’s your thing.
  • Squarespace: E-commerce and Esty go hand-in-hand.
  • LinkedIn Articles: Post a blog post here for an increase in direct traffic and a boost in thought leadership.

Although these WordPress alternatives are great, WordPress has taken the blogging world by storm since its introduction in 2003. WordPress isn’t just a blogging platform, it is also a Content Management System (CMS), which means it can handle many different types of content such as images, videos, and much more.

Additionally, here are a few great republishing blog and article platform options:

With that said, you need to incorporate blog post writing with your company website. Most blogging platforms will allow you to domain transfer if you design your new blog on a different website than your business.

Tips and tricks for setting business blog goals

Here are a few actionable steps you can take to incorporate your new blog into your already-established website:

  • Internal linking: each article needs 3-5 internal links
  • Allow link juice to travel from your established domain to your blog
  • Promote your blog on your homepage
  • Promote your new blog absolutely everywhere
  • Look for ways to guest blog
  • Connect with freelancers like me for opportunities

It can be difficult to find topics to write about. However, once you begin to write and understand the way SEO article writing works, you get the hang of it.

There are a ton of different websites you can use to generate headlines:

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Additionally, a good way to incorporate your new blog into your already established target audience would be to blog about company events and other on-goings that are happening at your brand.

Not only will this engage readers, but it will also bring in a fresh audience. You could also show “behind the scenes” imagery on social networks as a way to promote your new blog.

Goals of The Business or Company Blog

First, here is why companies that have blogs succeed: 55% of B2B marketers consider articles as the most successful type of content for moving possible clients through the sales funnel.

Additionally, goals help your business thrive:

  • Business goals measure progress
  • Business goals provide direction
  • Business goals establish accountability
  • Business goals can improve decision-making 

That’s why setting business blog goals is so important.

What goals should you focus on for the first 6 months of your business blogging journey?

  • Stay consistent
  • Build a list of a few hundred email subscribers
  • Begin building your passive income stream
  • Create at least 5 pillar blog posts
  • Blog as a business but use your own voice 
  • Increase your traffic numbers from 10 to 100, to 1000 visitors a day
  • Practice patience
  • Set a goal to earn money within the first 6 months of your blogging journey

In fact, did you know that research has shown that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if they are written down? That is a huge increase that came out of a study by researcher and psychologist Gail Matthews.

“Writing your goals, intentions, and priorities down helps to increase your clarity and focus.”

JakeandGino.com

With that said, SET THOSE INTENTIONS!

Business Articles for Beginners

SEO written content is an art form in itself. There are so many small and tedious actions you need to take or you need to not take for your content strategy to be effective.

One pro tip I would suggest for any small business blogger is to create a standard writing guide.

A writing style guide is a document usually shared on Google Docs that sets a standard writing, grammar, and editing process for your business blog.

A standard writing guide includes:

  • Grammar and SEO standards
  • Copy patterns
  • Outline & draft examples
  • Voice and tone guidelines
  • Content types with tone examples
  • A list of brand basics and need-to-know FAQ
  • Loom videos or YouTube tutorials
  • Internal and external linking guidelines
  • Slack channel for your team (if you aren’t going at it solo)
  • Shared documents and any WordPress admin login information

This will help you keep a consistent voice throughout your content. It will also help you share your tone with other SEO blog writers if your choice to outsource your written content to a professional as you begin to blog as a business.

Here is a basic outline you can follow to create a generalized business article:

Business blog SEO outline for a company blog

Writing blog posts for your business can be difficult if you don’t have the right formula. Blogging for business is different than blogging for fun.

Business-to-business blogs (B2B Blogs) have structure.

Here is a company blog outline example:

  • Intro:
    • less than 150 words
    • begin the intro paragraph with a statistic
    • keep paragraphs less than 3 sentences long
  • Content:
    • use your h2’s and h3’s
      • h2’s are no longer than 250 words
      • Use keywords in your headers and sub-headers
    • do your keyword research
    • use internal links 3-5 times
    • use 3-5 external links
    • Answer your audience’s questions and then some
  • Incorporate a call-to-action (CTA) mid-content
  • Use 3-5 high-quality images such as graphs or infographics
  • Conclusion but don’t say conclusion “let’s wrap it up!”
  • Another CTA

SEO for blog writing basics

SEO is basically just a strategy for creating and designing website content to help Google find and index your information. Google’s recent big helpful content update may change some of how SEO is structured in the future.

You need to be aware that you shouldn’t create content strictly for SEO. Google states that they want bloggers to create people-first content and optimize only as a second priority.

To summarize, create helpful content, not content for ranking in search engines.

Optimize for SERPs, write for people

(Related article: Ultimate Blogging Tips and Tricks For Beginners)

Basic SEO for business blogs:

  • Write a keyword-rich title
  • Link-building is vital
  • Use question keywords and long tail keywords
  • Write long-form content
  • Blog consistently and keep a blogging schedule
    • ClickUp
    • Asana
    • Trello
    • Google tasks
  • Make sure your meta-data and URLs are clean
  • Use great images, and don’t forget your alt-text
  • Assign categories for your blog articles
  • Use WordPress tags

Additionally, as a business owner, you should be aware of the buyer’s and customer’s journey. You need to make sure that you are targeting each stage of the buyer’s journey when building your content strategy.

That’s About It!

What is your need for blogging in business?

Do you need an SEO blog post writer?

I’ve been writing blogs for companies for almost a decade. I am positive I can make a positive impact on your business.

Contact me today!

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