You put a lot of work into your company’s content strategy. You have a blog, perhaps a video channel, maybe a podcast, some long-form content. But low-quality content can ruin your reputation despite even the strongest strategy.

Don’t let low-quality content be the downfall of your brand’s reputation. Here’s how you can identify it, avoid it, and do better.

What Constitutes Low-Quality Content?

First, what exactly is “low-quality content?” Here are some common examples or warning signs:

• All, or part, of your content is plagiarized.
• The content confuses popularity and credibility.
• Your content is difficult for your target audience to understand.
• Your content serves no purpose beyond self-interest.
• Content is too “shallow” in nature.

Now, why is this kind of low-quality content a problem?

How Low-Quality Content Can Hurt Your Reputation (& What You Can Do About It)

If you want to protect your professional or brand reputation, first you need to understand these common types of problem content you might come across.

Plagiarism

When someone hears the word “plagiarism,” they often think of the wholesale copying of someone else’s work. This is true. It’s a type of theft that can cost you professional credibility.

However, plagiarism can also include unauthorized rewrites or other derivative works without the copyright holder’s consent.

If you publish plagiarized content and you’re found out, not only do you risk a lawsuit for the copyright violation, but your customers or other target audience could lose trust in you and your brand. Once trust is lost, it’s not easily regained.

A Note on Plagiarism Checkers:

You might think plagiarism would be easy to detect. And you might think running your content creators’ work through plagiarism checkers is the answer.

It isn’t.

First, if you insist on doing this, do it quietly. Never advertise for a freelance writer telling them you’re going to use Copyscape or a similar tool.

That wouldn’t only be unprofessional and disrespectful on your part (implying they can’t be trusted before you build a relationship). It also demonstrates ignorance.

These tools can alert you if someone copies another’s work directly. But they won’t protect you against those who unethically rewrite someone else’s content or create another unauthorized derivative work. This can get you into just as much trouble.

A far better course of action is to make sure you only hire professionals. That means paying them appropriately.

When clients cut corners with their budget, they often end up with creators who cut corners in their content.

The Content Confuses Popularity and Credibility

Sometimes low-quality content masquerades as high-quality content by sourcing quotes, statistics, or other information from popular sources.

For example, you might assume linking to a popular blogger in your niche is a good move. You might even think it adds to your credibility. Chances are good your SEO pro told you to do this.

Here’s the thing though:

Popularity does not equal credibility. And someone’s ability to attract their own audience in no way reflects on their expertise doing anything else.

It’s not uncommon for even highly-popular blogs to publish bad information. I’ve personally caught a top blogger in the copywriting space plagiarizing from a book. Another very popular blogger didn’t vet their guest posts well, and their site is now littered with bad statistics, improper sourcing, and flat-out false claims the data they cite doesn’t even back up.

Even if most readers of a popular blog don’t always have these insights, you can bet others in their industry are aware. And when you cite people like that as a credible source because you mistook their popularity for credibility, you risk being seen as guilty by association.

You can avoid this by incorporating sourcing guidelines in your brand’s style guidelines.

Credible sources should be primary whenever possible. For example, instead of linking to a blogger who wrote about a new industry report, link to the person or organization who did the study in the first place.

When linking to popular sources, always ask what value it adds for your target audience. What more will they learn? Is there a reason your content isn’t already providing this information? Are you only citing a source because you hope it will get you some attention?

Focus on citing true experts instead – professional researchers, professors, journal articles with peer-reviewed studies, and even government organizations where you need relevant data. Leave other sources for when there’s a specific reason to talk about them, such as recommending a site or resource to your audience.

Your Content is Difficult to Consume

Another sign you might have a low-quality content problem is if its consumers can’t actually get through it or don’t engage with it.

For example, if you have a company blog, make sure your blogger is a native speaker (or equivalent) of the language of your target audience. Close is not good enough.

If you write your own content and you’re not a native speaker of that language, hire an editor who is.

You could also have a problem if your content is unnecessarily long and you target an audience with a shorter attention span.

Or you might have accessibility issues.

Or maybe you’re releasing content in a medium your audience doesn’t consume (maybe they’re not into podcasts or white papers or whatever your pet content project is).

Your Content Serves No Purpose Beyond Self-Interest

High-quality content isn’t about you. It’s not about your company. It’s not about your brand.

Instead, high-quality content is about what you, your company, or your brand do for others. The emphasis should always be on the interests of your target market.

For example, no one wants to read your company blog when all you do is announce company news. There are better mediums for that (press releases for example).

The same is true if your blog exists solely for SEO purposes to rank your website higher in Google’s rankings. That might be your goal. But it isn’t the goal of your readers.

Great content should benefit you. But it does that by benefiting its consumers first.

Content is Too “Shallow” in Nature

Another sign you might have a low-quality content problem is that your content is “shallow.”

What is “shallow” content?

It’s not about content length. Very short content can sometimes be complete (such as providing a definition for a term people often have to look up).

“Shallow” content is content that lacks substance.

Even a 2000-word article can be shallow content if it loosely touches on several topics but never actually answers readers’ questions about any of them. So don’t confuse long content with substantive content.

This all goes back to making sure your content has a purpose (and meets that purpose). Shallow content leaves readers wanting more, but not in a good way.

High-quality content is a choice. And it’s a choice that can help you build and preserve your professional reputation. While low-quality content might sometimes feel like an easy fix for an immediate problem, it’s never worth the reputational price you could pay.

The post Reputational Risks of Low-Quality Content appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Writing impacts your business on a daily basis whether you realize it or not. Effective copywriting makes your ads successful. Strong PR writing is what convinces members of the media to pick up your news story from your press release. Your web copy convinces visitors to become customers.

Think about it for a minute. Business writing is involved in many aspects of your business, such as:

• investor reports;
• advertisements;
• sales letters;
• help desk content;
• product descriptions;
• your company blog;
• email communication with customers;
• video scripts;
• internal memos;
• newsletters;
• and so much more.

There’s no question about it. Business writing is vital to your company’s success. So today I’d like to share five tips for better business writing, whether you choose to hire a pro or do it yourself.

1.Use templates and style guides.

When it comes to business writing, consistency is important.

Your writing style and formatting shouldn’t change drastically on different pages of your website.

For example, if you tend to publish serious B2B white papers and reports targeting high-level executives, more light-hearted pieces on your company blog might not cut it with that same audience. Consider creating a company style guide your staff and freelance writers can follow.

If you know you’ll create the same types of documents repeatedly — white papers, press releases, newsletters, etc. — consider creating templates to help you keep things consistent from one project to the next.

2. Avoid jargon.

Using industry jargon and buzzwords doesn’t make you look smart. It doesn’t make you look “in the know.”

If anything, jargon can frustrate your readers. Write in a way that your readers will understand and relate to. And don’t try to use fancy terms or complicated language that speak down to them.

3. Proofread thoroughly.

After you’ve written any kind of business document, read it. Then read it again. Then read it aloud. Take some time away from it, come back later, and read it with fresh eyes. Then have someone else read it.

Unless you’re working with a dedicated business writer or proofreader, finding errors falls on you. Errors in your copy can be costly, whether they result in a financial hit because you advertised the wrong price for something or in a hit to your reputation because of sloppy work.

4. Know your audience.

Not everything you write is meant for the same audience. Sometimes your business writing will communicate with customers. At other times it might focus on prospects, colleagues, board members, employees, or members of the community.

Always know who your writing is meant to reach and what they expect from it. Formal language might be fine with members of your board for example. But it might be completely inappropriate for your customers.

5. Focus on them, not you.

It’s not enough to know who your audience is when you jump into a business writing project. You have to remember to keep the focus on them. It’s not about you. It’s about what you can do for them.

For example, take a look at my homepage on this site. You’ll notice I don’t use words like “me” or “I” or “my” often. The bulk of the marketing copy on that page is about them — or in this case you.

Do you have business writing questions that go beyond these tips? Leave a comment below and I might answer it for you in a future blog post. Not sure you want to take on all of your company’s business writing on your own? Contact me with your project details and let’s see how I can help.

The post 5 Tips for Better Business Writing appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

• Bylined writers have their author name attached to what they write.
• Ghostwriters don’t get public credit on your site. The work can be published anonymously, under your name, under the company’s name, or under a pen name.

Depending on the type of content you need, there are benefits to both scenarios.

Benefits of Working with Bylined Writers

For example, if you need expert-level or highly-technical content, the credibility a subject matter expert brings to your company is often worth giving them a byline. Their reputation boosts yours by association.

Also, writers who provide both service types often charge less for bylined pieces because credit itself is valuable to them.

Benefits of Working with Freelance Ghostwriters

On the other hand, ghostwriters give your brand a more consistent voice. They specialize in presenting content as if it came right from your (or in line with whatever brand image you’re going for). Bylined freelance writers usually bring their own voice to the table, and maintaining their own consistency is important.

When you work with a freelance ghostwriter, you also boost your own visibility or that of your brand. When your content is promoted, visibility isn’t diluted between your company and the author’s brand. You’re the sole focus.

When you have a ghostwriter publish under your name in particular, the visibility focuses on you. And that’s important if you’re the primary source of the material being published or you’re looking to build your reputation as a thought leader in your industry.

If you’ve decided working with a freelance ghostwriter is a good option for you, you should know what to expect going in.

What a Professional Freelance Ghostwriter Brings to the Table

Here are some of the key things a professional ghostwriter contributes to your business:

1. Research skills — They know the difference between a popular source and a credible one and pick up on industry basics quickly.
2. Interview skills — Ghostwriters know how to interview you and other staff to pull out expert knowledge and weave it into cohesive content.
3. Adaptability — A ghostwriter is like a chameleon, able to maintain and move between consistent brand “voices” for multiple clients, departments, and projects.

Understanding what a freelance ghostwriter brings to the working relationship will help you better prepare for the process.

What Working With a Ghostwriter is Like

When you begin working with a freelance ghostwriter, you should be prepared to answer questions about your overarching content strategy. For example, a ghostwriter will need to know things like:

• what kind of content you’re looking for;
• what you hope to get out of that content (leads, subscribers, social media shares, visibility as an industry thought leader, etc.);
• the frequency of new content you’re expecting;
• what readers each type of content is targeting (customers, prospects, industry peers, etc.).

They should also review some of your existing content. If you have a content-heavy website, they may do this before accepting work from you. Otherwise, they’ll ask for it when they’re ready. If you don’t have much past content for them to review, expect them to pick your brain a bit more to get a feel for the style, voice, and goals you’re aiming for.

If you’re looking for high-level material (such as basic web copy or blog posts targeting beginners to the subject matter), chances are good your ghostwriter will be able to handle most research independently. This is also true with projects where ghostwriting is the norm, such as press releases or product descriptions.

If you’re looking for expert-level content, thought leadership pieces, or highly-technical content however, be prepared to play a bigger role in the research process. After all, if the aim of the content is to present you as an authoritative source, you should actually be the primary source for their content. (And by “you,” that could really mean you, or it could mean key members of your staff.) In that case, you should expect to be interviewed and quoted directly.

Remember, a key goal is to make the content sound like it’s coming from you, but as polished as possible.

The most important thing to keep in mind before you hire a ghostwriter is that it isn’t always a “set it and forget it” proposition. A ghostwriter will take the reigns and work as independently as possible. But if you want the best content possible for your brand, there’s a good chance you’ll be working together to some degree, especially on high-impact projects.

It might sound like more work than you were counting on, but remember that quality content matters.

If you’re ready to work with a professional freelance ghostwriter, contact me any time to tell me about your project. I can help make the process as easy on you and your staff as possible.

The post Working With Ghostwriters 101 appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

In this post we’ll explore both options and their pros and cons for your business.

Common Considerations in Business Content Writing

Before we compare the DIY content writing option with hiring a freelance ghostwriter, let’s look at some common concerns or considerations you might have.

Hiring decisions for content writing will likely revolve around one or more of the following:

1. Cost / savings
2. Time (staff or owner availability)
3. Technical considerations (HTML knowledge, SEO experience, etc.)
4. Subject matter expertise
5. Writing, editing, and research skills

Keeping those things in mind, let’s see how these two options stack up.

When it Makes Sense to Write Your Own Content

As a business owner myself, I know it can be tempting to take the DIY route to things early on. It can feel like you’re minimizing risks. And sometimes you are.

That might be the case if most, or all, of the following are true for you:

1. You have the available time, and that time wouldn’t be more profitable spent elsewhere.
2. You don’t have the budget to hire a professional writer yet (not uncommon for new solopreneurs).
3. Your content requires subject matter expertise you possess.
4. You have proven writing or publishing skills (that go beyond getting As in high school or college English classes).
5. Your content strategy involves building your personal image as a thought leader.

Time and skills should be primary concerns. It doesn’t make much sense to spend your time writing company blog posts, for example, if that takes you away from bringing more direct income into the business. And it’s not enough to be able to string pretty sentences together. You need to be able to write in a way that each piece of content helps you toward your larger business goals, like bringing in leads.

When it comes to your budget, sometimes it’s smarter to wait on building your content library if the alternative is half-assing it or buying cheap content that comes with greater risks.

If the primary goal of your content plan is to build yourself up as a thought leader in your industry, and you have the expertise to write competently in a way that your professional peers respect, you’re a prime candidate for writing your own content. If you have the time, that is.

But what if these conditions aren’t true for you?

When it Makes Sense to Hire a Ghostwriter

There are also times when it makes more sense to hire freelance writers. We’re going to focus on ghostwriters in particular, because they still give you and your business the benefits that come with credit.

When is it a good idea to hire a ghostwriter?

1. You’re ready to invest in improving your existing content, or want outside input on your overall content strategy.
2. You’re looking to expand your content strategy, but you don’t need enough to justify hiring regular staff.
3. There isn’t enough time to write yourself, but you still want input and credit for thought leadership purposes.
4. Your existing content isn’t performing as well as you’d hoped (SEO, lead generation, etc.) and you aren’t sure why.
5. You don’t feel your writing ability is up to par for the kind of quality content you want to publish.

There’s no shame in any of this. Part of being an effective business owner or manager is knowing when to delegate.

One of the biggest benefits of hiring a freelance ghostwriter is that they can offer objective third party insight and help you identify problems and opportunities you were too close to see. And they can do that while you reap all of the benefits and credit for the content you publish. Sometimes fresh eyes make all the difference.

Another key benefit to consider is the fact that ghostwriters specialize in learning how to write in their clients’ voices. This gives you a more consistent public brand image than over-relying on individuals. For example, if all of your content comes from one or two bylined subject matter experts and they leave your company, the readers they attract might follow them. But if the bulk of your content is tied specifically to your brand and ghostwriters maintain a consistent voice, those readers should stay even if you work with different ghostwriters in the future.

Are you thinking about writing your own content, but not sure where to start? Consider having a professional writer help you build the content strategy your future content will come from. I can help with that when you’re ready. Or get in touch and I can write your content for you as well.

The post When to Hire a Ghostwriter appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Let’s talk about the benefits of releasing an e-book or two through your small business, and how a professional writer can help you with a project like this.

The Business Value of E-books

You might be wondering why a business like yours would ever want to offer e-books. “How can they really help my company grow?” you might ask.

E-books aren’t just long articles or casual reading material. They can offer real business benefits. For example, e-books can:

Serve as a residual income stream.

You have them written once and you can continue to sell digital copies indefinitely without further production costs.

Lead to more email subscribers or site memberships.

Offer your e-book for free as an incentive to grow your audience or readership and then market paid products through your website or newsletter. E-books put eyes in front of your offers.

Build your recognition as an authority in your niche or industry.

If you want to be viewed as a recognized expert (to stand out among your competition), e-books are excellent PR and marketing tools for getting your name and existing knowledge out there.

More money. More subscribers. More members. More trust. More visibility.

E-books can help your small business with any of those things. But what if you don’t have time to write one yourself?

3 Reasons to Hire a Professional E-book Author

Now that you understand the ways e-books can help your business, let’s look at some of the reasons you might want to hire a professional e-book writer instead of going the DIY route.

1. You’re a business owner, not a writer.

You can be a brilliant business owner and still not be a strong writer. You might have wisdom to share that customers would happily pay for, but you aren’t sure how to communicate those ideas effectively. A professional e-book writer knows how to take your information, your voice, and your style and turn it into a high quality product on your behalf.

2. You don’t have the time to write an e-book on your own. 

Along those same lines, your schedule is probably already busy. You have to manage your own customers, clients, or employees. You have administrative work to handle. You have to market your business and make sales. Taking time off from those business tasks to write your own e-book could cost you far more than hiring a professional e-book writer. In other words, your time is more valuable elsewhere.

3. You want help through the entire process. 

There are several different types of e-books (from traditional “information product” .pdf e-books — the most common type I’m asked to write — to Amazon Kindle e-books). A professional e-book writer should be able to help you from start to finish — picking the right file type for your audience, helping you target your market appropriately before writing, and handling basic design and formatting (although extensive design work might require an outside design professional). That means you don’t have to keep up on all of the latest e-publishing trends. Your professional e-book writer does that for you.

If you’ve decided that hiring a professional e-book writer is the right option for you, get in touch to discuss your project.

The post Should Your Small Business Release an E-book? appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Some business communication is quite simple — an email to a vendor or colleague, a memo to your employees, a quick social media update (as opposed to a broader campaign). And sometimes you need to get something out before you could find, hire, and work with a professional writer (we can be a busy lot).

Today’s tips are for those times — when you want to tackle a small business writing project yourself, but you’re still not a confident writer. Here are three easy ways you can make sure your own business writing won’t miss the mark:

1. Write with purpose.

If you’re going to write to someone — an employee, a customer, a vendor, a partner, a distributor, etc. — know why you’re writing. Save the long screeds about how great your company is for your next company-wide meeting (no, don’t really do that). And save the rambling letters for your lover.

In business writing, there should always be a purpose. And that involves action. For example, you might want to:

• Inform someone of something important (like letting employees know about changes to a launch event so they’re prepared with up-to-date information if they’re asked about it).
• Get someone to agree to a meeting or call time.
• Ask a question if you need someone’s help.
• Solve a problem if someone requested your help.

Make it clear what you want or expect the reader to do.

2. Keep it short.

You’re a business owner or manager, so your time is valuable, right? So is your recipient’s.

Look. Not all business writing is best in short-form — sales letters, landing pages, and white papers can all be good examples of long-form copy. But you’re probably not going to tackle those kinds of business writing projects on your own unless you’re already confident in your writing ability.

For most projects you’ll take the DIY approach with, keep your copy short. Don’t make anything more complicated than it needs to be. Your clients, partners, and employees will thank you for getting to the point quickly.

Want a meeting? Don’t initiate a long back-and-forth by asking when is good for them. State a date and time that are good for you and simply seek confirmation. If it’s a problem for them, they’ll let you know.

Want to let your customers know about your upcoming product? Don’t try to draft a long update for your favorite social network. Keep it short. Share a photo. Entice them to click a link to get more info on your own website. Leave the longer updates to your social media team or copywriter.

3. Make it (a little) personal.

By “personal” I don’t mean write in an overly-casual way. What I mean is personalization — writing to someone and not at an audience.

Whether your business writing is intended for one person or a group, every reader should feel like your words are speaking to them. If it sounds like you’re on a box with a megaphone shouting at people, that’s not going to work very often. Your readers are people, just like you. Treat them as such.

This might seem like a simple thing, but it makes a big difference in getting people to like you, trust you, and act on what you say (including buying what you’re trying to sell them).

I hope these tips help you improve your next DIY business writing project. If you still feel overwhelmed or have a bigger project you’d rather not tackle yourself, it might be time to bring in a pro. Feel free to contact me and send me details, and I’ll let you know how I can help.

The post 3 Easy Ways to Improve Your DIY Business Writing appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Freelance writers can bring a lot to the table. It’s a topic I recently talked about on my blog for other writing professionals, where I shared 105 writing projects they could pursue to make a living. But that list is important for you too. Why? Because a freelance writer can probably help you with much more than you realize.

Here are some examples from the post:

• Ad copy
• Blog posts
• Brochures
• Books (such as ghostwriting books for your company’s owner or CEO)
• Case studies
• Industry reports
• Trade magazine articles (which can also be ghostwritten on behalf of your business)
• Job descriptions
• Employee manuals
• Product manuals
• Infographic content
• Op-eds
• Press kit content
• Presentation speeches and slides
• Social media profiles and updates
• Video scripts for product demonstrations and training material
• Public service announcements

While there are a few ideas in the original post that might not apply to you (such as songwriting and novel writing), check out the broader list of 105 types of writing projects. You’re bound to find something new. Or if you need help with any of these writing projects for your business, get in touch and see what I can do for you.

The post 105 Ways a Freelance Writer Can Help Your Business appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Here are five ways your or your business writer can keep your company in regular contact with customers.

1. Your Company Blog

Use your company’s blog to share news and special offers with customers. Allow them to leave comments. And make sure you respond to those comments when it’s appropriate.

2.Email

Send surveys, special offers, coupons, and announcements to existing customers on your email marketing list. Just don’t forget to give them the opportunity to opt out of future emails. You don’t want to violate the CAN-SPAM Act.

3. Social Media Updates

You can use your company’s social media accounts much like you would use your company blog to stay in touch with customers. Link to your blog posts. Share news, discounts, and coupon codes directly. Pay attention to what your customers say about you, your company, and your products and services.

Respond when it makes sense to do so (such as answering basic questions or inviting unhappy customers to contact you offline with further details about their problems so you can work things out — you do not have to respond to trolls who do nothing but try to bash your company).

4. Phone Follow-ups

While it won’t make sense for all companies, if you have your customers’ phone numbers, you might want to follow up with them with a call. Calling customers just to try to up-sell them is a sure way to annoy, though it can work in moderation. But sometimes it can be helpful to call with an offer to help — such as noticing a new customer hasn’t fully set up an online account or used their service yet. As an example, one of the domain name registrars I’ve used calls customers shortly before domain names are up for renewal to make sure they don’t forget to renew.

5. Snail Mail

Snail mail is still a great way for some companies to stay in touch with customers. You can send postcards announcing big sales or offering coupons. You can send circulars if that’s normal for your industry. Or you can even send surveys after a big purchase.

No matter how you choose to stay in touch with your customers, solid business writing is at the heart of effective relationship marketing, whether that means writing copy for a brochure, writing business blog posts, or writing phone scripts for your customer service representatives.

Do you need a hand with your business communications? Let a professional business writer help you with any of the projects I’ve mentioned here. Contact me to discuss your project.

The post 5 Ways to Stay in Touch With Customers appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

Yet many business owners don’t optimize their use of business writing. They ignore important types of business writing projects that could benefit their companies, often because they simply don’t think about them.

Are you missing out on important opportunities because you’ve neglected to try different types of business writing? Here’s a list of 50 types of business writing projects to hopefully inspire you to try something new.

1. Advertising copy
2. Advertorials / “native advertising”
3. Annual reports
4. Articles (such as guest posts or features for trade publications)
5. Biographies of key figures in your company
6. Books
7. Blog posts
8. Brochures
9. Business letters
10. Business plans
11. Case studies
12. Course materials (for the public or for internal use)
13. Direct response / direct marketing copy
14. E-books
15. Email marketing copy
16. Event invitations
17. Fact sheets
18. Flyers / posters (such as for event promotion)
19. Grant writing
20. Infographics
21. Letters to the editor
22. Marketing plans
23. Media advisories
24. Media kits / press kits
25. Memos
26. Newsletters
27. Online media room / press room content
28. Op-eds
29. Packaging copy
30. Portfolio copy (especially for independent contractors)
31. Postcards
32. PR plans
33. Presentations
34. Press releases / news releases
35. Product descriptions
36. Product manuals
37. Proposals
38. Reports – general (such as industry analysis)
39. RFPs
40. Sales letters
41. Sales reports
42. Scripts (for audio and video, such as PSAs or online videos)
43. Slogans / taglines
44. Spec sheets
45. Speech writing
46. Social media profiles
47. Social media updates / posts
48. Training manuals
49. Website copy
50. White papers

What types of business writing have been the most valuable to your business so far? Are there any project types you haven’t tried yet but would like to? Share your thoughts in the comments, or review my services and rates and contact me if you’d like to discuss working on a particular project.

The post The Big List of Business Writing Projects appeared first on Pro Business Writer.

You’ve heard the old saying “you get what you pay for,” and that couldn’t be more true in the world of Web content writing. Shoddy content, no matter how cheap, can come with real costs.

How Cheap Web Content Can Hurt Your Business

Here are some of the potential problems you’ll come across when you hire the least expensive content writers or bloggers you can find.

• Many writers in this price range aren’t native English speakers. Some writers who speak English as a second language are truly fluent and they’re excellent contributors to your site. But most are not. If readers constantly have to stop and say “huh?”, the writer isn’t the only one who looks bad to your customers. So do you. Show them you don’t believe in your product or service enough to invest in a professional Web presence and they’ll show you they don’t believe in your product or service enough to buy it.
• Plagiarism is common among extremely low-end content writers. If you’re caught, your business or website could take a major hit to its reputation. Is cheap plagiarized content worth the PR nightmare? Not really.
• If you receive this kind of “rewritten” content, it likely violates the copyright of the original author. No one but that copyright holder has the right to authorize a derivative work to be created. That’s what rewriting or “spinning” is. You might not pay much for a “writer” to slap that content together for you, but you certainly could end up paying if you’re sued for copyright infringement. And remember. Plagiarism checker tools like Copyscape can’t usually identify derivative works. So don’t assume those tools will protect you from this kind of common infringement. Plenty of these folks pride themselves on being able to “beat” Copyscape and similar tools without getting caught.
• You might assume that most people wouldn’t sue you for infringement anyway. First, that’s not true. Plenty of us protect our copyrights actively. And lawsuits aren’t all you have to worry about. When I find my content is stolen, for example, I usually go after the infringing party in a few ways — getting their content de-indexed from search engines to hit their traffic source, getting their ad accounts or advertiser relationships suspended for TOS violations using infringing content, and sometimes having entire sites shut down by hosts depending on the extent of the infringement. Those things are easy, and free, and they’re very real risks you face if you hire cheap content writers who can’t deliver unique work.

The next time you think about taking someone up on a bottom-of-the-barrel content writing offer, think about the shoddy content you’re likely to receive. And consider the risks to your business. Your best bet is to a hire a professional writer with experience in the type of writing you need or experience directly in your industry.

If you’re on a tight budget and you can’t afford a professional writer yet, consider writing your own content. You can always hire an editor to help you clean things up at a lower rate than hiring someone to craft custom professional content. Just make sure you look at all of your options before you settle on something that might hurt the business you’ve worked so hard to build.

When you’re ready to work with a pro on improving or expanding your web content, contact me to find out how I can help.

The post Why Your Company Can’t Afford Shoddy Web Content appeared first on Pro Business Writer.