SEO Articles That Can Earn Their Worth

Many a times have I got assignments which have required me to write SEO optimized articles. The clients have sent the keywords that they wish me to work around and incorporate in the article. The basic aim of these SEO articles is to allow the client to get a favorable rank for a particular keyword on major search engines. This in turn would help them get more traffic to their website who seek information regarding that particular keyword.

So how does one approach with the task of writing for these SEO articles and most importantly make them successful towards delivering the desired result. Each one of us might be having their own approach here. I would like to share as to how I go about when presented with this task.


1. Research
I enter the primary keyword provided to me by the client in Google and see the kind of results that come my way. I read the top listings from the results and try to get an idea on what kind of content is generally posted. This also allows me to analyze what is NOT present already and therefore gives me some points to work on. Further, it also allows me to analyze the kind of content people like to read on that particular keyword.


2. Secondary Keywords
Even if the client may have provided me with 1 primary keyword I try to look around for some secondary keywords too. These secondary keywords provide the article with certainty and reliability that search engines generally look for when indexing an article. This strategy would also help rope in more visitors to your article as all readers might not use just the primary keyword for their searches. If there are sufficient related words in your article then the reading audience would increase.

3. Positioning Keywords
When starting to write the content, it is very important to know as to where you should insert the primary keywords so as to get the maximum SEO value from them. Ideally, your primary keywords should certainly figure in
• The title
• The Meta Tag
• The first 2 lines of the first paragraph
• In all the heading and sub headings
• Evenly dispersed throughout the content
• In the anchor text for the links made in the article

It is always a good idea to provide your client with something extra. Not only will it make him realise your expertise on that particular area but at the same time maximize your chances of getting more work from him in the future.

Retweet

A Realistic Blueprint For Fresher's To Help Build Their Portfolio

Just like in any other field of work, fresher’s starting out as freelancers too have to face their share of difficulty trying to convince clients of their capability and competence. The most important fact that works against them here is the absence of any prior experience in the field which could strengthen their credentials. So what does one do? This is a realistic situation as everyone who is someone today was at some point of time a pure fresher himself. So what did he do differently that made him sit where he is today? The answer is in the approach.

Any individual who is really serious about excelling in his field will be careful enough to scan his target market and chalk out his game plan before he would think of getting clients. It is usually seen that fresher’s are more than eager to start working and for the same they get ready to work for rock bottom prices. This is surely not the right way ahead. By this I do not mean that an individual should start quoting sky high and illogical price quotes but yes, the figure quotes should amply justify the hard work that you would be putting in towards the project. There are some simple steps that you can do here towards building your portfolio:

Blogs– An excellent way to start building your portfolio would be to straightaway go ahead and launch your own blog. Your personal blog will not only provide you the perfect chance to showcase your work but at the same time allow you to get live feedback from readers in the form of comments which could further help you refine your skills.

Working For Non-Profits – Though writing for free is never advised but this is surely one area where writing for free would not hurt. The reason is that if the nonprofit is a big name then it could be the perfect image building chance that you could want. A good PR move it could work as a perfect reference for you and lend a big help towards your credibility and image. On the other hand, writing for free for a normal webmaster whom no one would have heard of just to gain experience would be of no good.

Article Marketing – The main purpose of availing the services of article websites on the internet is to try and get some marketing value out of your articles. These articles could act as samples which you can send to prospective clients. But there is a catch here too. It is usually seen that many freelance writers write and submit articles to large, non specific and general article directories. Instead, I have always felt that it a good idea to write and submit your articles to niche article sites or to blogs which cater to your specific domain and specialty area. The reason for this is that these specific and niche websites and blogs carry more credibility and come with a built-in audience than the general non specific article directories do. They provide you a chance to link to prospective clients easily thereby allowing you easy and quick access to future assignments.

Websites For Freelancers – When staring out as a freelancer one can also make use of several websites which allow you look for freelance projects posted on their forums and allow you to try and bid for the same. Some of these websites are good starting places for beginning writers while others will help you build a network or even outsource some of your work. But freelancers need to beware as most of these websites need you to become their member for a fee in order to access their entire gamut of projects. Also it is seen that on most of these websites it is very difficult to get paid decent amounts for your work as most of the clients here are on the lookout for freelancers who can deliver the work at rock bottom prices. But yes, with patience and careful segregation it is possible to land up with some good options here.

Retweet

Making The Most Of The Free Time

It is that time of the year again when festivities are in the air. As expected there is also a pitfall in the number of assignments up for grabs as probable clients in the US and Europe have virtually shut down their shops for the holidays. This left me with some good time on my hands to utilize on tasks which i felt had been kept neglected since long. To start with my website, i was since long wanting to update my portfolio as well as certain sections on the website. There was also the months old deliberation going in my head regarding putting up my prices on the website or not. Finally I did decide to do that. Results and effects on that change are highly awaited though! :)The work on the website was not all that much but yes the time was always a factor. Finally I got that sorted out and have the additions made to the website.

My reader too is about to burst to the seems with the huge number of unread blog entries that it is managing. I will be truthful when i say that in the recent months my reading time had reduced considerably owing to the number of assignments I was handling. So I am back with a vengeance to get back on my reading. I am also in the process of rearranging my list on the reader by removing some blogs and adding some new names to it.

I would also like to devote some time to my blog while I am free and try and pen down some good posts at regular intervals. I guess this is something that all of us should do when there is not enough work on our hands. I know so many individuals who utilize their free time writing down and creating a stock of blogs which they then go ahead and post later on at regular intervals. Smart move I say!

The other thing which i need to work on are my social networking networks. Connecting to new connections and getting back in touch with the old ones will help me get some conversations on! :)

But then i also advocate the fact that one surely needs some time to get out and spend some time doing things to fresh up and get back the energy. So it might be a day out with friends, or a night out at the club anything which you enjoy doing is something which you should try.

For me it will be adding some new books to my library, adding some new plants to my 'minuscule' garden up here on the first floor and of course catching up with old friends and the latest gossips doing the rounds now a days! Believe me it helps perk you help.. yes males and females both! :D

What about you? What do you do to spend your free time?

Retweet

How Much Information Is Too Much Information?

When talking to a client most of us face the dilemma of how much information should be shared with a client when he approaches you with a project? I have always advocated the fact that one should be responsive to all the client queries and try and make him comfortable enough so that he gives you the project. For the same I would go ahead and share my opinion, my views towards his project and what would be the best approach forward. In most cases the client would appreciate my vision and honesty and that would allow me to put his doubts at rest. But then in certain situations I would wonder if that was the right move.

What if the client decides to use my suggestions by taking on board a cheaper writer and asking him to implement all that I had recommended! This could be sure possibility. So what should be the right way ahead?

I say, when a client approaches you try and provide him with a basic skeleton of your ideas leaving behind your actual plans. Leave small teasers for him regarding your vision which would make him interested to take you on board so that you could implement the same.

Providing him with complete samples could be the worst thing that you could do as he could use the same your sample without informing you! In such a situation when a sample is desired from your end it would be a good call to inform the client that you would be submitting just a small paragraph of content and not the actual article. By doing so not only can the prospective client get a look at your creativity and at the same time the length of the sample would not be enough for him to use as such. Never overstretch your offering. Make the client inquisitive for more. This will make him come back to you!

Retweet

Make Your Work Area Work For You

Working from as a freelancers allows me to work from home. A boon for someone like me who constantly worries about the house, the maid and home cooked food. I can now afford to to take care of all these; have a clean well home and have the luxury of cooking warm healthy meals too and at the same time work too! It does sound very appealing but believe me, it took more than some solid effort to make things work.

• Working from home is good BUT getting into a routine is tough. when you are at home you are expected to multi task and yes you NEED to do it. But it is always good to have a routine. A routine will allow you to assign a time limit to all your activities and therefore not leave you hassled at the end of the day with a TO DO list still left to complete.

• Working from home does not mean that you can work from the dining table. For a small time assignment that is feasible but if working full time at home then you need to have a work space of your own. If an extra room is beyond your reach at your home then a small well ventilated corner with ample light will do the needful. It is also advised that your work area should be screened from noise. A pair of sound proof headphones can do wonders to help you keep away from the noise.

• It is always a good idea to keep your work area clean and organized. Removing unwanted papers and items can free the are and give you an area of space, something which can help you get that Eureka moment that you have been waiting for the entire day! Having a pen and paper handy to jot down those sudden idea's is a good idea!
  

• Since working from home gives you the liberty to work you at your convenience( you can afford to go to an afternoon brunch and then work on till early morning!) you can go about fixing a time frame to handle your emails and then move on with your work and family priorities. The Internet too is a storehouse of several software tools which can help you managing your work tasks. Uploading files, HTML codes as well checking emails is not all that tough with these software's.
  

Retweet