6) Agree on word count per page

Always make sure your SEO copywriter gives you an indication of number of words they expect to write per web page. While it’s necessary to have a decent body of words on most of your web pages, you certainly shouldn’t have too many. What “too many” is all depends on your industry, objective of page, and needs of your audience. It’s always a delicate balance, but it’s certainly possible to rank highly with only 100-200 words per page. So don’t be fooled into paying for copy you don’t need!

7) Density targets & measure

SEO of a web page is NOT guess-work. A good SEO copywriter will talk about density measures. This is a measure of number of time keyword phrase appears on page. It’s expressed as a percentage of total word count of page. So if your page has 200 words, and your keyword phrase appears 10 times, its density is 5%. As a rule of thumb, your SEO copywriter should be aiming for a density of approximately 5% for your primary keyword phrase and 3-5% for your secondary keyword phrase. If your density measures are much higher than this, readability will be reduced, and you’ll risk being perceived as spam by search engines. Make sure your SEO copywriter understands keyword density, is prepared to state target density for each keyword phrase, and is also happy to be measured by that standard (should you decide to measure).

8) Where to place keywords

The question of keyword placement has been subject of much debate amongst SEO copywriters. While it is still unclear how much impact placement has, there is a general consensus that it has SOME impact. Be sure that your copywriter is aware of this impact. Popular opinion has it that keywords are more effective if they appear in headings, bolded text, links, and generally toward beginning of page.

9) Some comment on structure & links

Websites are generally better indexed by search engines if their spiders can traverse entire site using text links. This means your SEO copywriter should be linking each page to every other page using text links. If your site is complex, this may be impractical, so your SEO copywriter will need to create a hierarchical structure for your site. First, they should break your subject material down into categories. Then for each category, they should write a summary page. These summary pages should be accessible from higher level pages via text links. They should also be accessible from each other. Each summary page should link – using text links – to a number of pages discussing finer details of category. And each detail page in a particular category should link to every other detail page in that category (once again, using text links). This way spiders are able to travel from top of your hierarchy to bottom, and from left to right across any level.

10) Don’t believe grand promises

SEO copywriters can play a significant role in increasing your search engine ranking. But they can’t do it overnight. By optimizing your site for your target keyword phrases, an SEO copywriter is simply declaring relevance of your site. If you engage an SEO copywriter to write helpful articles containing a byline with a link back to your site, you can then submit these articles for publication on Internet, and this will steadily increase your ranking. But if an SEO copywriter tells you they can dramatically increase your ranking in a matter of hours or days, be wary. NOTE: Your SEO copywriter should be able to submit your articles to various submit sites on Internet. These sites are closely watched by hundreds of thousands of publishers of e-newsletters and article pages from all around world. High quality articles are quickly snapped up and published prolifically. And each time your article is published, you’ve got another link back to your site, thus increasing importance of your site (to search engines). If you’d like to submit your own articles, your SEO copywriter should be able to sell you a list of 50 or more submit sites for as little as USD$99.

Conclusion

An SEO copywriter is a valuable addition to your marketing function. But you need to make sure you choose wisely. When you know what questions to ask, battle is half won.

Happy hunting!

* Glenn Murray is an advertising copywriter and heads copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com for further details or more FREE articles.

Good copywriting does not come cheaply — you'll find writers who charge anywhere from $50 - $150 per hour and up. You'll pay more for an experienced writer, one with a particular specialty, or one who's also a proficient editor. (Many writers are also great editors, but not all writers are editors, and vice versa.) Some writers will even arrange for your piece to get a final review by a professional proofreader. (A very good idea, since there are almost always a few errors that no one catches until last minute.)

7. Work on more than a handshake.

True writing pros will give you an agreement they've drawn up for you. However, you'll occasionally find yourself having to draft an agreement for project. This doesn't have to be complex — a simple letter of agreement that you both sign should do fine. Be sure to include project size, number of revisions included (if applicable), timetable, and agreed fee (this can be a flat fee or hourly rate).

And don't forget to ask about what's NOT included. For example,many writers charge extra for in-person meetings, research time, and weekend or rush work. You should also expect to pay an upfront retainer. Serious writers charge one-third to one-half of total project fee upfront, and many won't begin your project until they have signed agreement and check in hand. And if you have sensitive or proprietary information, don't hesitate to have your writer sign a non-disclosure agreement.

8. Give your writer background info at start.

I've often heard story of a writer being hired for a large project, and first thing she's asked to do is come in and interview several principals of company. After several days of interviews, writer is then handed company's annual report, previous brochures, and marketing plan.

If this background info had been given up front, client could have saved hours of time and money! At beginning of your project, pass on any and all previous brochures or sales kits, direct mail, Web site URLs, annual reports, research results, or business or marketing plans.

9. Appoint one person as your "project captain."

Appoint one person at your company as project captain. If you allow too many people in your organization to work with writer directly, each of them will likely have a different opinion of copy and request different edits from your writer. She may be forced to make many unnecessary revisions, adding time and cost to your project.

If you need to involve multiple reviewers in process, have your project captain handle internal reviews and edits and decide which ones supercede others. Then give your writer one master copy that includes all edits to be made. Also, be sure to involve your final decision maker early on, be it your CEO or board of directors. This gives your writer clear direction and avoids costly revisions down road.

10. Give constructive criticism.

Although copywriters have egos of steel and are accustomed to criticism, make yours constructive for best results. "This paragraph just doesn't work" isn't nearly as effective as "What we need to do here is stress benefits of non-skid surface." Also, tell her what parts you do like so she can emulate them elsewhere. And of course, everyone loves to know when they've done a good job. If you like her work, be sure to share that with her.

11. Don't discount "chemistry."

You need to feel comfortable with your writer in order to work effectively together. Take time to find a great copywriter whom you truly like and develop a good working relationship together. You'll get top-quality work that will help your business thrive. And you'll have a skilled and knowledgeable copywriter on call for your next communications effort.