How I Work — My SEO Copywriting Process

I decided to write a bit more about my processes here at Bridget Willard, LLC. I started as a freelancer back in 2017, and now that I have vendors and an LLC, I’m a marketing agency. But I still do the work — one of my mottos.

Maybe you heard through the grapevine that Bridget Willard is an SEO copywriter. It’s true. People pay me to write. I started offering this service for my Twitter Pro and Basic clients so that we would have things to share on Twitter. (I won’t allow a company to hire me for Twitter Pro if they don’t publish at least once a week.)

So the answer is yes. I write articles for clients. Frankly, it’s the breadth of my personal interests combined with my 34+ years working in various industries that makes me a good fit for nearly any industry and why I started Launch With Words.

What is SEO Copywriting?

I hate to admit it, but this is a true story. Literally, I never heard of this term until I visited my colleague Maddy Osman’s website. (By the way, I highly recommend her as well as Alex Denning.) Essentially, SEO copywriting is writing blog posts with SEO best practices in mind. I do this intuitively with audience insights I gain from managing Twitter accounts, common sense, and, of course, my own Google Search experience.

“A copywriter is someone who understands people, knows what his audience likes and chooses the words that will appeal to them. The headline, words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs used in the content have to persuade and cause readers to take a specific action. An SEO copywriter also understand how Google feels about certain words and phrases, especially long tail phrases.”

Neil Patel

What About Keyword Research?

You should rely upon your technical SEO vendor for keyword research who also has access to your Google Analytics. Their services usually involve proprietary tools and SaaS services that I don’t pay for. Also, keyword research is a technical niche. You really do want to hire a specialist like Pathfinder SEO or Pam Ann Marketing.

If I’m not provided with a headline and/or keyword for an article, I will choose the one that makes the most sense for the call to action (CTA). For example, if you want me to help you sell your lead gen services for those who manufacture hearing aids, the CTA for the article is either a click-to-email link or a specific landing page on your site. 

Do You Charge By The Word for SEO Copywriting?

Nope. I charge a flat rate for SEO Copywriting that is determined by the range of words. Meaning, a 300-500 word article is a different price than a 2,000-3,000 word article. It’s a range because you don’t want to pay for fluff, firstly; and, secondly, it takes a bit of time to research the topic and your marketing objective. Outbound links are included in the articles, and sometimes headings that come from People Also Ask (PAA) on Google. My pricing is competitive and I deliver a quality piece written by human hands — not AI.

“As one of the most common website copywriting services, SEO copywriting is a service your company should plan to use. What is SEO copywriting, though? Its site copy optimized for search engines, as well as your target audience — and it costs between $50 to $25,000 per page.”

WebFX

Do You Discount Your Copywriting Prices?

Yes, in the case where a minimum number of articles are paired with a Twitter Pro or Twitter Basic plan, I will offer a percentage off of the flat-rate pricing. I also offer a discount for bulk ordering (over 8 per month) and, of course, businesses in San Antonio, TX get 20% off automatically. 

Do You Have a Pitch Deck for your SEO Copywriting?

The answer, for now, is no. My body of work is my pitch deck. Also, I”m not raising money for a seed round. My best work is here on my accounts or work that I can’t show you because of NDAs or ghostwriting. 

Do other copywriters have a pitch deck?

Do You Do Spec Work?

Hard no. Nope. Nein. Niet. Sorry, not sorry.

Do You Write Press Releases?

I don’t write Press Releases. Firstly, I believe they’re outdated, but if you really need one, then you need someone who knows how to write them well and where to submit them. That’s a PR person, not a copywriter.

How Do You Feel About the Oxford Comma?

I don’t have a feeling about it; I use the oxford comma. It makes writing clear. 

What Is the Turnaround Time for the Articles?

I’d rather underpromise and over-deliver. Let’s say 7 working days. With that said, monthly clients who pay for 4 or more articles get theirs weekly on a regular day. One client gets his every Monday, another is the first and third Wednesday. Deliverables matter to me. 

Do You Write All of the Articles?

No. I have a team of writers that includes Jen Miller and my writing partner, Warren Laine-Naida. When I involve another writer, the client knows about it. I manage the content calendar during those bulk buys (when I bring in other writers), assign topics, edit the articles, and turn them into my client. They are briefed on the client’s business and marketing goals and have the same work ethic that I do.

Do You Include Revisions?

I include one round of revisions on the medium and long-form articles.

Do You Provide Writing Samples for SEO Copywriting?

It’s complicated. Many times I am a ghostwriter. This means I’ve been paid to write in someone’s place, assuming their identity for 500-2000 words. Like a method actor, I steep myself in their personality. So, for ghostwriting, I can’t provide samples.

It’s also a bit tricky to provide writing samples 

Writing samples are available organized by topic.

What Does Client Onboarding Look Like?

Once we’ve agreed to bring you on as a copywriting client, I’ll send you an invoice. Once the invoice is paid, I’ll send you a questionnaire. This happens whether I am writing one article or many articles. It helps me extract your essence. So it’s an important part of the process. I will not start working until I receive this document. 

If we are working in bulk, I will start a Google Sheet to organize our editorial calendar as well as collect ideas. If you have specific documents, headlines, or ideas, I will add them there. In the sales meeting, we would have agreed upon a weekly due date but depending upon when we start, that may change. It really depends on how fast you move as well. 

I’ll write the article in Google Docs and email it to you for review and /or approval. Once approved, the work is considered complete. If you’ve also elected that I post the article on your sit4e (additional charge), I will wait for your written approval, then post the article and seed you the link. 

My Copywriting Process

• Sales Call
• Invoice
• Editorial Calendar
• Writing 
• Delivery
• Done

Are You Accepting SEO Copywriting Clients?

I will always chat with a prospective client to see if we’re a match. In my free 20 min sales call we can talk about your goals and budget. If I feel that I’m not a good fit, I’ll send you recommendations including the ones mentioned in this article.

“Bridget has been fantastic in reworking old content to rank higher in search and be more relatable to our readers!”

Matt & Sharon Campbell, MyWeddingSongs.com