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Copywriter versus SEO Expert



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Copywriter versus SEO Expert

Who do you assign the task of content optimization, should you use a copywriter or an SEO expert? 

Building search engine friendly content is messy businesses, you need to have some solid know-how on how a search engine works, what the search engine likes to see and how are pages ranked for specific keywords. In essence, you probably need to be a full-blown SEO expert.

But most SEO experts out there are rarely writers and vice-versa. I'm not talking about freelancers here, most digital freelancers are multi-specialized and are capable of doing the small and simple tasks on pretty much any digital skill. I'm talking about full-blown, full-time SEO experts and Content Writers, you will rarely find someone that can do both of them very well. Why? Because one job reflects pure creativity and one is more technical and analytical in nature.  

So which one is better at optimizing content?

In my opinion, you would need both of them! But if I would have to choose one, I'd go the SEO expert.

Using them both is the best part, you can let the content writer go wild with creativity without having to worry much about keywords and a strict content structure. You can have the SEO expert optimize everything later making sure it haves all the needed keywords as well as follow an SEO friendly structure. Even here the SEO experts needs to be part content writer, if you have an SEO expert that doesn't want to create content at all, you will need to have the SEO expert give instructions to the copywriter first and inform him/her on what keywords to use and what kind of overall structure is needed, how many words, bullet points, headings, etc. 

Using only the SEO experts that are also capable of creating content. 
From my experience, the content that does best from an organic traffic point of view is the content that was written exclusively by an SEO expert or a content writer that can also work as an SEO.  It also takes a lot less time to write because you won't need to go back and forth between the copywriter and the SEO expert. 

A good SEO also haves a content architecture in mind that is usually based on user experience and how people that come from Google will interact with your content. This is highly important stuff that only an experienced SEO will know. 
What I hate most about content writers that have zero SEO skills is their general idea that people love to read: NO MOST PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET DON'T LOVE READING.

This is why we need an easy to follow structure: bold text, bullet points, numbers, straight to the point answers, etc - if people can't easily follow you content they'll abandon the page, Google will take notice on how users interact with your content and will rank you accordingly. It is all closely related!

Bottom line is: SEOs need to learn how to create content themselves OR content writers need to start learning some basic content SEO. I don't see any other practical solution, using both of them while hoping they'll somehow "complete" one another is just inneficient. 

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vinaya
Copy writer is a person who write copy (content), SEO expert is someone who optimizes the content (copy) for search engine. The former is basically a writer, and the later is similar to editor that brush up the written content in order to attract readers/visitors (traffic). Functions of copywriter and SEO expert are different.



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Robbie626
Thank you for the clarification on what a copywriter and an SEO expert are. Glad I know multiple sources of people to help improve content for a variety of things. Copywriter versus SEO Expert



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vinaya
In my opinion, it is always better to hire a writer who can write SEO contents. It saves you money and time. having someone to write content and hiring SEO expert is not only time consuming but also cost money. Therefore, when you are hiring, always look for writers who can deliver SEO content.



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Corzhens
Based on your explanation, the copywriter and the SEO expert are 2 different animals, so to speak, that we cannot compare an apple with an orange. From what I know about copywriting, it is the work that elaborates on the summary of a topic or points of interest of a particular subject matter. The copywriter takes care of the details when given the outline. It is more of a research for me. An SEO expert is one who can get traffic to your site via SEO methods.



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TommyCarey
Nowadays writers should know how to optimize an article since most of the times a person is only purchasing them because they want to target specific keywords. I would say that an article writer should be in charge of the article and you're in charge of the on page optimization for titles, descriptions, alt tags, etc.

This way you can be sure that your writer is churning out quality content and you're not outsourcing the work to an SEO expert who will likely outsource the work lol Copywriter versus SEO Expert I know that when I get a large customer, I don't always do the content generation myself. I will bring in writers and pay them $XX per article in order to relive myself of some of the work so I can focus on other aspects of the job. So I'm sure that most SEO's do the same thing Copywriter versus SEO Expert



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Corzhens
As the saying goes, content is king. That is a clear indication that a copywriter is the best way to enhance your website with good contents. Pardon me for this comment about SEO because according to what I have learned from the discussions on this site, SEO is not an exact science that even a self-proclaimed SEO expert cannot explain why the ranking goes down or why the ranking doesn’t go up despite the application of some SEO methods. And there’s always the face-saving line that says it takes time for the SEO to take effect.



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