I’ve always been a writer.
Ever since I learned to put pencil to paper, I have been writing stories, poems, plays, and anything else that puts my imagination into words.
When I discovered blogging, I quickly realized that SEO and writing make for a smart match. It became clear that I would need to improve my organic search if I wanted my readers to find my content.
Over time, I turned writing into a lucrative business, and later, a full-blown SEO career.
Along the way, I’ve learned a few tricks to get a writing portfolio found by potential clients.
If you’re a content writer or copywriter, use these SEO tips to make your writing portfolio more discoverable online.
First, how do you create a file for writing?
There are different types of content folders.
In fact, you don’t even need a website to showcase your work.
You can use something as simple as a folder in Google Drive To house your own content examples and share them with clients.
You can post Articles on linkedin.
You can even Save your work as PDFs and send it to potential clients.
However, if you want to rank your portfolio in organic search, having a website is probably the best way to go.
This gives you the most flexibility when optimizing your content, gaining referral traffic, linking to live examples, and much more.
So, for this article, I’m going to go over how to use your own website to house and link to specific examples of your published work.
1. Sign up for an SEO keyword research tool
Search engine optimization tools like smrashAnd AhrefsAnd SpyFu They allow you to identify key terms that people use to find services like yours.
They can determine how many people (i.e. “users”) are searching for a term, how competitive that term is, and whether other websites are targeting it.
Signing up for an SEO tool is essential because you will get access to real data to inform your SEO strategy.
You will be able to research which keywords to target in your web page content and what topics to write about on your blog.
Moreover, you can use SEO tools to detect the keywords your competitors are targeting.
For example, you can enter a competitor’s domain into an SEO tool, see their keywords, and apply them to your SEO strategy.
Many of these tools adopt a “freemium” model where you get certain features for free.
Others have a monthly subscription fee.
Having access to a reliable SEO tool will make all the difference!
2. Plan and launch your portfolio site
If you already have a website, you can use SEO tools to determine which keywords you should target on your existing web pages.
For example, if you have a page about SEO content writing services, you might want to use the term “SEO content writing services” (search volume: 720) in your page content, title, and description.
Do this for as many pages on your website as applicable.
If you are creating a new website, you are in a good position to plan your content from the ground up.
First, think about all the services you provide.
Next, use an SEO tool to find keywords that align with these services.
Here is an example of what this might look like for a copywriter portfolio for sale:
- Homepage: “sales copywriter” (search volume: 170), “sales page copywriter” (search volume: 50).
- Services page: “sales copywriting” (search volume: 110), “sales copywriting services” (search volume: 30).
- The Service: Writing websites: “website author” (search volume: 390).
- The Service: Email Campaigns: “Email script author” (search volume: 260).
Above, you can see how each page maps to a relevant search term.
This ensures that you generate targeted content and terms with your monthly search volume, and in turn gives you an opportunity to drive organic traffic to your pages.
Seocopywriting.com is a great example of a website with landing pages optimized for its services; For example, SEO Writing Consulting and SEO Copywriting Services.
It also has a blog that covers content related topics.
This site generates over 500 organic visits per month!
3. Create a blogging calendar and strategy
The writing industry can be very competitive.
With so many writers online, many target most of the same keywords on their portfolio pages.
With that in mind, you’ll need to get creative with your blog content to drive more organic traffic, and again, your SEO tool comes in handy.
I advise against just “shaming” him when it comes to your blog.
If you put effort into content writing, you might also target topics that will bring traffic to your website.
Here’s how to do it:
- Go to your chosen SEO tool and start searching for general topics related to “writing,” “writer,” “copywriting,” “content,” and the like.
- Look at the list of keywords that appear in each category. Make a list of those keywords that have search volume but have low to medium competition.
- Filter these keywords for the ones that would be best answered in a blog post. For example, “how to write a sales page” is a much better blog topic than “sales page” or “blogger”.
- Drag these keywords onto a worksheet like Google Sheets or Excel. Add a column where you put a blog title to match your chosen keyword. (For the keyword example above, a good headline might be “How to Write a Sales Page in 5 Steps.”)
- Determine the dates you plan to write, improve, and publish Your blog articles. This will help keep you in charge of the schedule.
- Once you’ve written an article, add an internal link to a related service page Or a contact page on your website to encourage users to work with you.
Keep in mind that you will want to create content that speaks to your target audience.
So, as a writer by trade, you probably won’t want to talk about “Thailand travel tips” or “best vacation recipes.”
Instead, you might want to write about “how to choose a copywriter,” “where to find writers,” “best content tips,” “what is content marketing,” and so on.
4. Make use of LinkedIn articles and medium
SEO can take a long time, especially if you have a new or small website.
I recommend taking advantage of platforms that already get a good amount of traffic to direct users to your website.
middle is a great platform that allows anyone to post content for free.
You can write an article and then link it back to your website.
Some of my Medium articles have received over 10,000 reads – far more than I would ever get on my own blog.
Same goes for linkedin Articles.
Your articles will appear in the list of your contacts and contacts.
You can then direct users to relevant pages or posts on your website.
This strategy can help drive more users to your portfolio without waiting for an SEO payoff.
5. Connect with guest posting opportunities
In the same vein, you can do guest posting on other websites to use their authority and traffic to your advantage.
In fact, I’ve even gotten clients writing directly by guest posting on other online blogs, websites, and magazines.
Connect with other blogs related to your field and offer to write for them.
Or apply to become a contributor to more popular sites and publishers. Many will allow you to link back to your website.
This strategy can help you earn backlinks to your website, which can improve your site’s SEO.
At the very least, it will help many sites market your content on their platforms and drive referral traffic to your site.
Guest posting brings many benefits, especially if your website is not generating much traffic yet.
6. Optimize your Google Business Profile page
Google Business Profile It is a free platform that allows businesses to create an online profile and generate local and organic traffic.
If you offer writing services to local clients, you can benefit from the Google Business Profile listing.
For example, I have a Google Business profile that advertises SEO content services in my home city, Seattle.
Just know that this list will be associated with a physical address and phone number (you can use a Google number if you don’t want to use your own).
So, if you’re a little more private, this might not be the way to go.
But if you’re happy with that visibility, a Google Business Profile listing can be a great way to generate leads and drive users to your writing portfolio.
7. Join writer’s work boards and directories
While you’re waiting for your website to generate organic traffic, you can generate leads with popular writer job boards.
The most popular platforms are Even work And Pfeiffer.
Sites like this act as freelance marketplaces where people submit a feed, you apply for the feed, and then get paid to provide your services.
Many writers have had success with these platforms – although they tend to pay less than what you would charge as a direct contractor.
One well-known Upwork writer is Alex Fasulo.
She is known to have made over $300,000 on Upwork in just one year.
However, she does have her own writing profile to attract clients, teach other writers, and speaking opportunities on the floor.
Submitting a profile to writer job boards and directories can be a smart way to grow your client base and portfolio.
Grow your portfolio with SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the best ways to increase your writing portfolio’s online presence and generate organic traffic.
When used in conjunction with other methods such as guest posting and submission to writer directories, you can generate real leads through your website.
The key to having an effective SEO strategy is to use SEO tools to your advantage; This is the best way to get accurate data to inform the content you must have on your website.
You can then use these tools to uncover blog topics, research your competitors, and analyze your backlinks.
Do you want to get more writing clients?
Invest in SEO to passively drive organic traffic to your website and attract customers who are actively searching for your services.
More resources:
- SEO Writing: Top 42 Tips for Mastering a Common Art
- 8 Essentials in Your Content Guidelines: What Your Writers Need to Know
- Completely optimized content from start to finish
Featured image: Roman Samborski/Shutterstock
