You're Worth It!

One of the laments I hear in the writer/communications circle is 'what do I charge?' It's a fine line to walk between getting paid what you're worth and pricing yourself out of the market. I have to say that I am open-minded and willing to negotiate, but a line does have to be drawn. When I was recently told that the going rate for a 500 word article, complete with SEO keyword adjustments, was $10 I almost fell off my chair. I put a lot of thought into my articles. I spend a great deal of effort reading and researching to understand the topic and thus be able to write intelligently about it. I do not cut and paste someone else's work. If $10 an hour is the case, I would then be making less money than minimum wage and forgive me, but writing is a profession requiring skill. I could make more money pouring coffee into a cup at Tim Horton's.

I'm not exactly insulted as this is a rate that some writers are willing to accept. I just don't see how the quality (and originality) of the work can prevail in this case. I have done enough work on- and off-line to know that the fair price I charge is valued for the professional product that it is. Feel free to check out some of my pieces at www.communicationartistry.ca and see what you think.

SEO Content UpSwing

I have been negligent in updating my website as often as I should and saw my ranking go to #5 in Google. If I'm going to tell people how to do this SEO content thing then I had better get my butt back up to #1. So I made some adjustments and added some pages and we'll keep an eye over the next few days to see how quickly I get back up there.

The Internet is riddled with SEO experts and people offering tips and suggestions. My brain almost explodes with the information. Although much of it is useful, I have been studying this long enough that the vast majority of it is getting redundant. I am repeatedly reminded, however, that the truest way to higher search engine rankings is with your content. Plain and simple: write what people are looking for. That is what I do. Sure I can place the keywords where they need to be and I will certainly offer suggestions to the site owner where they could benefit from links and formatting changes, but in the world of the web it is the WORDS that are getting you found by your audience. My tag line is 'Get the Picture With Words' and that is exactly what my clients can expect from me. The keywords may land them on your page, but the engaging text is what will keep them reading to the final period and returning for more.