If you have a website that needs fresh content, there are several means to get that content. Some people choose to pay writers low rates to spin content from other sources. A spun article is supposed to retain the meaning of the original while switching enough words for it to pass undetected as a duplicate.
But spinning may not be as cheap as you think in the long run. Heres why paying a professional web content writer is an investment youll be glad you made.
Spun Articles Result In Low Conversions
Good copywriters and web content writers are paid to craft articles. They write each piece carefully, paying attention to the way the content flows as they build it up. Readers develop relationships with blogs and ecommerce websites because they like the style of the content. Normally, thats because it reads well and its nicely paced. A spun article never reads naturally, simply because it wasnt written organically, and thats a huge no-no for readability.
If the user doesnt engage and doesnt enjoy reading the piece, they bounce straight back to Google and look for a competitor. They dont add that site to their bookmarks folder or RSS reader. Content should convert: spun content doesnt do this.
To ensure you turn visitors into conversions:
- Always ensure your content is written in a suitable tone. Try to picture your ideal customer, and keep them in mind as you write.
- Ensure your content is fresh and offers the reader a benefit. Re-hashing other peoples ideas isnt much better than spinning, and if you lift ideas too closely, it will harm your SEO in a similar way.
- Concentrate on calling the reader to action to encourage conversions. A good quality article will do this naturally if the subject area fits: if not, you may have to place obvious action calls in the text.
Getting Sued For Plagiarism
Plagiarism is theft. Once it was enough to spin an article to get around plagiarism detection, but Googles algorithms are ever more sophisticated. They are flagging spun content more frequently, trashing the page rank for the duplicate. Sites like Copyscape quickly scan content across thousands of websites in a matter of seconds, flagging up anything remotely similar to the original. Its very easy for a blogger to scour the web for articles plagiarizing anything at all on their website, and you can be sued for using derivative works.
To avoid plagiarism, put some simple checks in place.
- If you are working with a new writer, run their content through Copyscape. Cheap articles are often lifted wholly or partially from Wikipedia, and that could get you in trouble.
- Dont pay basic rates for good content. Factor content writing services into your marketing budget, rather than your design and development budget: it is a marketing tool after all.
- Brainstorm ideas for content in your team rather than writing alone. A diverse source of inspiration helps to keep articles fresh and avoids the temptation for writers to lean heavily on existing works.
Paying A Copywriter To Do It Right
Ever heard the saying buy cheap, buy twice? This is especially true when it comes to web content. If you pay someone a few cents to spin content, itll be a matter of time before you get hit by a drop in conversions (and a poor ROI despite the low cost of spinning) - or you get sued.
OK, good writers may not come as cheap as article spinners, but they need not cost the earth.
- Be wary of any writer who charges less than the minimum wage. Those writers are desperate for work and will have to create articles very quickly to make good money.
- Ask for examples from your writer. If you see mistakes, plagiarism or there are no examples to show - walk away.
- Draw up a contract specifying your SEO requirements, word count and specs. Hint: a good copywriter will offer you one before you even have chance to suggest it.