How do I find a writer with a specific area of expertise?

Hi All,

I'm looking for a writer that has a specific knowledge set: natural nutrition.

Of course, this writer should also be capable of writing compelling, articulat, and search engine friendly text.

Any advice on where to search?

PS - what can I expect to pay (per word) for quality writing of a specific subject matter?

Thanks!

 

I would personally look into someone that have written in that specific niche before i hire them (looking at their portfolio), nowadays, everyone claims they know everything when it comes to making bucks

 

Lot of work less paid that makes the writer lousy. Sometimes scammed by other provider who take advantage.

 

If you want the article to have any kind of authority status, I suggest looking for people who have real credentials - something like nutrition isn't a topic where you want incorrect information published on your site (may face legal ramifications if someone follows the advice that's incorrect if you hired someone that wasn't an expert in the field).

Stop looking for a "writer," and instead start looking for a nutritionist, herbalist, etc. who happens to be able to write. Search for them by profession instead, and you'll probably find a lot of potential qualified folks who have their own websites up. You can always edit for grammar later; you can't edit for expertise.

 

I would second Jenn's advice. I hire people to write for a professional review site but I hire people in that business. I'm a copywriter so if I need to go in and add subheads and put things in bullets in boxes I'll do that. With their permission to edit, of course.

Make sure you offer this person some guidance as to what you are looking for. Just telling someone you want an article about Yerba Mate Tea isn't enough.

 

Good thoughts...and I understand completely. Here's the thing:

I am very close personal friends with many nutritionists - nutrition is my livelihood, so my network is developed in the natural products industry. For instance, I work very closely with Michael Sanchez who is a founding member of Balance Bar, but whom also spent several years as Madonna's personal nutritionist. Another is Kat James who is both an author and Sarah Jessica Parker's & Kate Hudson's nutritionist. These are people that I have immediate access to, and whom will provide whatever information I need. The issue is that I'm not just looking for a copywriter - but instead a writer with enough SEO experience to do some keywprd analysis and strategy, then build ideal keyword density around the results of that research.

Hypothetically, I could have my panel of experrts write it up, then do some reverse engineering on the keyword mix, but I was just hoping to find someone who could do all of the above. Maybe my expectations are unrealistic...

 

The problem with your plan is that your articles will carry absolutely no authority (which would be flat out silly if you have connections). Articles from a professional in the industry carry more weight (assuming you give them a by-line - which you should in this kind of case if you want readers to trust anything your site says). Any old Joe can write an SEO article with a few expert quotes. That gives readers absolutely no reason to come back to your site - it's great that you want new visitors through search engines, but repeat visitors are far more important (they're the ones that spread the word about your site virally, which can bring in much higher quality traffic; and more without having to constantly stress over SEO, altering things when algorithms change). I know at least a few of the better writers here have had similar experiences to my own - writing naturally for the readers leads to better search engine rankings. Why? Because of the external SEO factor (trust leads to natural links from more relevant sites, which affects your rankings in SERPs quite a bit). Focus on the expertise with a niche like yours; not keywords.

 

I'd add that if keywords and SEO is what you're after, save your cash and just hire a decent write. When you're ready to step up and focus on credibility, viral effect, and so forth, then look for experts.

For instance, if Donald Trump were to write an article about Real Estate for me, do you think I'd give a crap about keywords? Of course not. I'll be scoring plenty of links and stuff just from the credibility and popularity of the article.

 

jhmattern obviously has very little understanding and even knowledge about the importance of seo on any website so you are better off ignoring what she said, she hasn't got a clue on that topic.

However, She is right about the quality of the content you provide for your readers. If you give them something good then they will be back for more like all of us, if the service is good we tend to go back. If a website has information we found helpful, then we will go back and see if there are any updates.

You have to get people to your website first. SEO is one way, ppc campaigns are another, and other marketing ploys such as mailing lists, press releases etc can also help build a constant stream of traffic.

If you are going to spend money building a website then do it properly and have it optimized for seo purposes. People who tell you it's not important don't know what they are talking about. Other people who think seo is simply putting keywords in an article just show their ignorance and lack of knowledge on the topic.

If you're going to spend money building a website then spend the extra dollars and have it built right the first time.

Until you have traffic it doesn't matter who writes your articles.

 

i second that.

 

Funny thing is, while you're insulting my intelligence, you're also agreeing with me. You echoed the point I was making - that the keywords shouldn't be the only focus. As a matter of fact, I never said to fully ignore SEO, and flat-out mentioned the importance of external / off-site SEO and how authority content is actually better for that.

And actually, I was trained quite well in the subject when I became a Web writer. I also trained quite a few writers under me in SEO when I was an editor with a large network, whose sites traditionally fared rather well in the SEs. I'm well-versed in the subject. My post that you're quoting is focusing on the point that you shouldn't be focused on keyword-stuffed articles from SEO writers over authority articles. That doesn't mean ignoring SEO altogether. Since you seemed to miss the reference the first time, I'll emphasize it again - Experience in both methods has proven time and time again that incoming links improve rankings in SERPs far better than on-page SEO tactics (what the SEO writers would be able to do, while also not lending any authority to the content). Authority content has also shown to be one of the best methods for attracting permanent, relevant backlinks for that purpose - expert content is good SEO (and that's from experience on very large sites that have an easier time ranking well due to age, as well as on newer sites and blogs of my own).

 

Perhaps no body read Jenn's words carefully. for instance she says,"You can always edit for grammar later; you can't edit for expertise".Think of it twice and you will understand why subject expert and professional writers are different from those typical "Copyscape","Unique",SEO" ( I always wonder how come a true writer need to worry about these buzzwords!) prototypes.
At the same time we must understand the problems of site owners and webmasters.Those who are looking in to business with words also need to care for their pay masters.Every website is not a million dollar website and few selected techniques often boost their business. And that is why against all odds writers with SEO are also needed.
Similarly, have a second thought about what "Jenn" means when she says,"Authority content has also shown to be one of the best methods for attracting permanent, relevant backlinks for that purpose - expert content is good SEO ".

 

Jenn,

Please stop replying to threads.

Reading is a lost art.

 

LOL Don't I know it. Fortunately for my sanity's sake I do post here far less often than I used to. I've learned not to worry about those folks - the ones who do read generally appreciate it. I think the OP here has more than enough balanced info to make their own calls now regarding finding writers with any kind of expertise (whether they opt for subject matter expertise or just SEO writing expertise).

 

All, thanks for the great discussion and suggestions!

Here's what I'm thinking...I will first get the appropriate topics distributed to my "authorities". Once my team of experts puts together some compelling and unique content, I will circle back around with an SEO to tweak the keyword density in the appropriate areas.

And of course, I will leverage the experts by including a byline and avatar.

Does this sound like a sound plan?

 

I'd say worry more about making sure your titles are optimized and that you're using a few key terms in the article naturally than focusing on any set keyword density. The so-called SEO experts generally disagree on what's most effective on that front as it is. At the very least, ensure that your SEO person doesn't do anything to destroy the flow or natural language of the article - overdoing keywords can make a quality article from a reputable source look like nothing but search engine fodder. And don't forget to get permission to have those kinds of edits done before working with your expert writers if you're putting their name to it. By that I mean have them give it a once-over before publishing to make sure the SEO changes didn't do anything to inadvertently make something in the article inaccurate (which poor word choice can do).

 

I agree 100%. If you build it (good content that doesn't sound like a robot wrote it), they will come.

 

When I do those reviews or articles, I add subheads to break it up and titles and the tags. So far that approach has worked well. I have the credibility of a surgeon's article and I simply add boxes to define terms and subheads to break it up.

The key is finding a balance between seo and user friendly.

 

The quality of the content is the most important thing. Yes, it is true that SEO brings in traffic, but that traffic is not always loyal and continuous.

If you focus on good content, while emphasizing the keywords in titles and sub-headings, you will have success. I have had many webmasters pay me well for good content, and then I have seen them tweak it a little here and there or add a sub-heading or two to make it more SEO-friendly.

The way to go would be to have a good writer who is capable of research to write the article, and have him/her do SEO in it without ruining the flow. Then show the article to an SME (Subject-matter expert) and see whether the writer got the facts correct, and incorporate any suggestions from the SMEs.

This is also how I have seen work done in a company that does nothing but create technical content and course material for universities.

Hope this helps.

 

I hire a lot of freelancers through Craigslist.org

Interestingly the first people who seem to respond to my ads are writers. Then, the next wave of people who trickle in seem to be experts on a subject who aren't really pro writers.