RE: THE HILARIOUS EXCHANGE WITH THAT CONTENT MILL CONTRIBUTOR
Just heard about your post yesterday with the letter from the “SEO writer.” A couple of things that I thought I’d pass on, and that you’re more than welcome to post:
I’ve taught smart business practices to many writers and know a good many more. From low to high, the 3.75 hours the “SEO writer” spent for $7 would have brought regular writers amounts ranging from $112.50 to $562.50 ($30/hour to $150/hour). And the low end is very low compared to what many freelance writers I know make. More realistic is probably $50/hour, for a total of $187.50.
In terms of SEO, only the truly inexperienced think that search engine optimization is simply cramming keywords into writing. Real SEO practices are far more sophisticated, involving writing structure, links, tags for images, and much more. Keyword research is a start, but far from truly optimizing content to be found by search engines. The reason that the content mills are successful has more to do with the choice of topics (driven by keyword research done by the mills, not the writers) and the massive volume of information added monthly. It’s the volume that lets the mills make money. Conversely, it’s the volume that keeps the writers from doing the same. And, yes, I regularly use good SEO practices in my online work. So do most professional writers I know. It’s just one more aspect of the craft.
Erik Sherman
Writer and Photographer
Writing site: https://www.eriksherman.com
Writing, Food, and Business Blogs: https://www.eriksherman.com/blogs
Photo site: https://www.erikshermanphoto.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/eriksherman
—-
Angela,
I think anyone who promotes proper use of the English language today is fighting a “loosing” battle. It feels as if the English language is on the decline and will be ruined forever by the Internet. Too bad. The Internet has done such good things in some areas, but elevating writing skills is certainly not one of them.
K.M. Lowe
AN IDIOT STOLE MY COLUMN!
Hi Angela;
I was just reading your reply to An Idiot Stole My Column and I saw your reference to stolen cars.
Before I retired I was in the automotive aftermarket and I had a friend who owned a custom kit car business. He bought a junker car only for the frame. He ran the numbers and it came back clean. He converted it to a $70,000 custom car for a buyer in Sweden.
As they were doing all of the required title, invoicing and Customs declaration they, Customs, ran the frame numbers through again, a different government computer system, and it came back as a stolen car.
He was forced to return the car and wasn’t allowed to recover any of the parts used in the conversion. The value of the frame was $60. Everything else was his custom parts.
The story has a happy ending because the original owner turned out to be a really nice guy and let my friend legally buy the frame / car for $75. My friend threw in an extra $1500 and some parts to help the guy in a restoration he was doing.
Just thought you might get a chuckle.
Happy Solstice & Merry Christmas,
James