I am trying to help me wife with a career change as a freelance writer, but despite being a technical writer for a long time, I am not feeling very helpful. She came across an ad on CL for an SEO writer for the auto industry. They want a 400 word sample that shows research capabilities. It’s not a long sample, so it seems like it’s worth a shot, but it’s not really clear to either of us what should be in the sample. The ad is very clear that they’re not interested in creative writing. The keywords are “2017 Toyota Camry in Seattle”.
SEO is part of my job as a technical writer, but I have never done much research. My sense for SEO is to load the topic title with relevant words to improve search results. Maybe add a nice little summary at the top of the article. Have any of you guys done any writing like this before? What should the article look like? The latest features of the Camry? Specific dealerships/cars in Seattle?
Thanks for your thoughts!
I think you’ve got the gist of it already with your own understanding of SEO. I’d say that the other thing to do would maybe be to use a tool like this on the header for the article. It’s so dumb, but that Google algorithm loves emotive directives in headlines, which is why we see so many “You should” and “You won’t believe” headlines even to this day. They score.
And while keywords they’ve given you are great to use, be sure not to overuse them either. Hit those keywords in exact order at least once or twice in the opening paragraph and return to the major components (2017, Toyota, Camry, Seattle) in close proximity throughout the piece, but don’t overdo it because that also sets off the spam algorithms with google and quashes a post.
And yeah, I’d approach it from the angle of best dealerships or best places to buy a 2017 Camry in Seattle…or advantages to owning a Camry in Seattle, or best yet: why a Camry is a great car for Seattle drivers, and some great places to find a 2017 model. or something.
Hey, thanks so much for the information triggercut! I didn’t realize about the emotive qualities of headlines, so that’s pretty cool to know. Also, the stuff about how to place the keywords. I’m more ready now that I was before. I feel a little ashamed to be adding to the SEO content of the world, but hey, life in the 21st century.
