Deb Ng seems like a level headed sort. So when she starts ranting, I pay attention.
And while it sounds a little callous, I’m happy to see her casting off her SEO work:
I’m done. I’m keyworded out. I understand the basics of SEO, but honestly, can we think things through before throwing them out for assignment? I’m burned out. I don’t want to count any more phrases or have to worry about density. Get it? I’m done.
I’ll say it one more time: if you’re writing low-dollar SEO work for a living, you’re asking for trouble.
It’s a terrible primary market for a copywriter. Hell, I even wrote a whole post explaining how an SEO writer could break into far more lucrative markets.
What to do instead of SEO work? Find clients you want to work for and pitch them white papers, case studies, Web sites, blogs–it hardly matters what.
All those projects pay better than SEO articles.
They also help build your portfolio–and a sustainable copywriting business.
Believe me, write one SEO article after another for a couple years, and you’ll know the true meaning of the word “burnout.”
It’s clear that Deb has other irons in the fire, and given her energy, I’m sure she already has something interesting in the works.
Good for you, Deb. You–like most SEO writers–deserve better.
[tags]seo writer, seo article, copywriter, copywriting, writer[/tags]
Well, since keyword density hasn’t mattered in years, I’d be pissed too.
Well, there’s always that.
After reading your latest post, I guess the message is this: If you’re writing SEO, write it for yourself. If you’re going to write other copy, write it for somebody who values what you do.
And ignore keyword density.
These were two long term clients. They weren’t terribly low payers and they treated me well. I just couldn’t take the work anymore. There was a time when I wasn’t in a position to turn down work. Thankfully those days are over.
Thanks for the mention.
[...] Tom Chandler responded to Deb’s post by encouraging talented writers to escape the clutches of lousy, low-paying SEO work. He’s right on target there. If you aren’t getting paid enough and you are dealing with clients who only want something utilizing “cheap haircare products online” in every other sentence of a five-hundred word project, get the hell out. You have to make a living and you deserve to put your talents to productive work. That IS possible while writing keyword pieces, though it can be difficult. [...]