Can you picture your life without a cell phone? How many people do you know who don’t have at least a simple cell phone? Right? Well, the same can be said about how a freelance online writer learns to write SEO-friendly content.
In 2007, I learned how to write content that is search engine-friendly and added it to my list of skills. It was a good thing that I did, for the following reasons: 1.
I. Stand Out from the Rest of the People
SEO content makes you stand out from the rest of the online writers because many of them haven’t taken the time to learn what this type of writing is all about.
But have you looked at the requirements for a lot of online jobs in the last few months? There are things you’ll see: You should know SEO best practises; you should know content management systems; you should know how to write content that drives traffic; you should be able to write for social media; and so on.
The more you learn about SEO copywriting, the more skills you’ll learn. This makes you stand out from other freelancers who don’t know what this kind of writing is all about.
II. Able to Do More Jobs.
When you have this skill, you can apply for a lot more jobs and get hired for them. You no longer have to skip over those jobs when you see them online, or wonder what the heck they’re talking about when they say things like keywords, anchor text, or on-page SEO. You can now learn everything you need to know about these things and more.
You’ll find out.
III. The ability to make a lot of money.
For writers and authors, the average annual salary in 2012 was $55,940, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is about the same as what they make now. According to the site, the first level of education was a Bachelor’s Degree.
Compare this to SEO writing, where the average salary is $66,000 as of this writing (Winter 2014). Isn’t that great? You can learn SEO and start making money writing from home in just a few days.
Work from home jobs are recession-proof.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website said that the job outlook for “Writers and Authors” for the next ten years (2012-2022) was 3 percent, which was slower than the average for all jobs.
Now, look at the job prospects for SEO content providers. It’s growing faster than weeds in a well-cared for garden. Proof?
Conductor, a New York-based technology company, did a study in 2012 and found that the demand for people who had SEO titles and skills on their LinkedIn profiles rose 112% year-over-year, with pay packages going up to $94,000. This includes SEO writers.
Because search engine optimization is all about how businesses get found on the internet. This is why. Google and its algorithm changes aren’t going away any time soon, so if you stay on top of their rules, you’ll be a very popular online writer. If you can help businesses get more customers, they’ll pay you very well for it (ie, create a recession-proof business for yourself).
