Interesting program and right on the mark about passing Google! Copyscape means little now for content the search engine will like. If hired writers or find myself in need too hire, I would certainly be checking this program out.
I love the accent! It's an interesting tool for sure. It'll take some people getting burned a time or two before they realize they need to increase their budget for content. However, just because someone pays more for content doesn't always equate to better content received. This tool could be used by anyone who purchases content as well as those who write content.
If you over optimize the whole site google won't like that also. As one of google member said, the best SEO is no SEO. So we can assume that if you have both type of articles is fine also cheap stuff is not always bad
That's exactly right. Which is why the tool is primarily designed to STOP you doing things Google doesn't like. keyword stuffing, text spinning, grammar howlers and so on.
Cheap content isn't dangerous, crappy content is. Having said that there is indeed a high degree of correlation between the two.
Content is often only as good as the instructions given - I constantly hear people whining about the lack of proper keyword usage, proper research and so on, but they're often the same people who say "I want 10 original articles of 500 words each on this subject by tomorrow (for $20)"... and offer no other directions. One of the first lessons I learned when I started sourcing content was to give better instructions. That way I not only get better results but I also have a fallback position when the content sucks and can reject it or ask for a rework. Incidentally, a lot of the people paying for cheap content are the same folks who paid proper prices for great content and got burned. I know for a fact that I've had better content from a writer asking for $2 per post than I've had from someone who cost me ten times that much. Guess who got a bonus (and a free writing apprenticeship, for that matter) and who I'll never use again? All in all, totally agree with Geegel: "Cheap content isn't dangerous, crappy content is. Having said that there is indeed a high degree of correlation between the two."
You're never going to convince the majority of the people who hang around the Marketplace that they should pay $5 or even $2 per 100 words. They're looking to start an online empire for basically pennies and slave labor. Cheap content is USUALLY dangerous but there are some undiscovered writers out there writing for that price who have no idea what they're worth. I remember when I first started, I was writing for DP and I thought $1 was the going rate. After years spent of slaving away on polished, well-written and compelling content while only being paid pennies, it took a little bit of research to find out just how wrong I was. There are people who have clients paying them $50 per article. Then you have corporate settings and companies who have no problem paying $250 or more per article for SEO content. I will say on the other hand though, there are some terrible writers who give the illusion of being great by charging a lot as well. I remember last year, I went on an Odesk hiring crusade and hired over 100 people. 50 of those people were being paid more than $2 per 100 words and a few of them were $5 per 100 words... no, i'm not kidding. Naturally the $1 writers left some of the most incomprehensible content that I've ever seen while a very select few of them gave me some average content at best. Some of the $5 writers were worse than $1 writers but you also have to consider the location your recruiting from as well. It would be highly unlikely that you'll find any expert authors or Copywriters hanging around the Market Place looking for scrap change jobs, which is why a lot of clients who want Copywriters come to the Copywriting section of various forum or they have their own resources. Also, you should see the faces of some clients when I tell them the typical price for Copy or quality content. Their jaw nearly drops to the floor.
Nice video that really shows the worthless content being sold here on DP and on other forums. I hope more people will be cautious when looking for article writers and at least ask for a sample copy or something first.
While that's true you should never hire someone blindly, professionals don't provide "samples", they have a portfolio. I haven't had time to see the actual video yet but I assume I have a good idea of what it's going to entail. I would advise anyone to keep a "portfolio" of all the work they've done that's been published on other sites already so potential clients aren't just grabbing free work done.
That's good advice, as long as the portfolio is demonstrably the work of the writer being hired. Dodgy writers are not above sending out purloined material as 'proof' they can write, then when the final material arrives - yeuk. Case in point, both the writers in the video above sent over 10 samples before I commissioned the work. Great samples. Lesson - don't take it on trust.
Having a portfolio is something writers should have and another thing that can really help, is having letters of reference included in your resume from former and current ongoing clients. What better reference for someone hiring a writer than knowing what another client thinks about the writers work. That aside the Google changes, Panda and other updates, writers need to be aware of them and what is necessary for good content now. Copyscape is going to do nothing for it, and a buyer reading it, unless they are up on all of the updates it can still be a problem, this is where I can really see a program like this being a real asset.
You are so right... passing Copyscape isn't enough anymore. Writers need to pass Google now. Also agree about the resume - people would have one for a standard job, so why not as a freelance writer? List especially the high profile jobs, and glowing client citations etc.
And make sure you have one or two that are traceable and verifiable. A testimonial with a name, website and email (if necessary) means more than a million without.
Having a resume is necessary for freelance writers, if they apply for positions with companies, which are brick and mortar, attorneys, doctors and other professionals. The letters of reference recommend your services, and should be by clients that you have worked for a decent amount of time, not just a single job. They should be on their letterhead and even if not, should have an email, telephone number or address to be contacted. The other thing that is important for writers to do, who are running a serious business, is to have a portfolio online. This is even more important than having a website to advertise your services, and can add credibility to your business. The one thing that these tips cannot do is make your writing or any that is purchased pass Google, you either need a program like the one explained in this thread or spend some hours reading about the changes and the way content is expected to be to rank good. There is no way around it any longer for buyers or for writers and if it isn’t clear now, it will be as more websites get devalued, because of the content.
PassGoSEO, I didn’t want to turn your thread into something completely different, and it is true, Google has changed things for writers of all levels. So, either you are going to read up on it to stay informed, or use a program like this one that can tell what you need to know. It is the same thing as the writers, who use programs to check spelling, grammar and style, this program has a place in the writer’s arsenal. Copyscape means nothing any longer, unless you are a buyer making certain an article is not a copy and paste article. Different methods are going to need to be used by people purchasing and for writers that are not certain what Google wants.