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The real qualities you should look for in a content writer



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The real qualities you should look for in a content writer

Content writers are all over the place online, literally everywhere you look if you need one, which makes finding a great writer a difficult task.  You can go to any marketing forum or blog to post a thread or article looking for writers and you'll get hundreds of responses during the lifetime of that post.  You can even go to freelancer marketplaces and sift through thousands of writers selling articles for $10 or less, but you'll never get high quality content that actually converts into a sale.  Usually you get what you pay for, so finding a freelance writer for a few bucks will get you content that is worth a few bucks, and you'll likely have to edit the content after you receive it.  You're paying a writer for their services, which they should be good at, and you won't want to edit anything after you receive the work you paid for.  You should just have to pay for the service, get the work when it's done, and copy/paste it to your website and save the page.  You shouldn't have to do work if you're hiring someone to do it for you, that just doesn't make sense.

In this discussion I'll be going over the real qualities you should look for in a content writer, and they are:


Is there a language barrier?
No matter where the writer says they're from, you need to figure out if there is any sort of language barrier.  You can easily do this by asking them questions and looking through their responses with a fine tooth comb.  Subtle hints will show if the person is actually a native speaker or not, and you'll definitely want someone that can write in your language well if that's what you're targeting, which you likely are. 

I like to hire writers from the United States because there's almost never a language barrier for me.  The only times I run into a language barrier problem is when someone obviously fakes their profile and has it show they are from the US but they clearly don't know English as well as they claim to.  I'll weed out the bad writers by asking a few questions, which will get a few responses, and I can see how their grammar and spelling are within the responses to make an educated decision if I want them on my team or not.

Are they professional?
Most writers will treat you like a human being that isn't just a sack of money, and that's what a professional should do.  The writers that always try to get you to sign up for their premium services tend to be less professional and are more focused on making money than producing a great product for you.  Another way to see if they're professional is to see what kind of work they've already done, and evaluate it yourself to see how they portray themselves in their writing.  You'll be able to see how they write, what kind of tone they have in their general writing, and if they're a professional in every article they post to their blog or publish for a client.

When you see a writer putting his or her tone of voice or personality into their general writing, this doesn't mean they are less professional, it just means they didn't write it for a client.  If they have a very different tone in their clients writing, it shows how professional they are because they can adapt to the writing that is needed, and that's what I always look for when I need a new team member to write up content.

Do they provide samples of their work?
A professional writer will always have samples on hand to show you what they can do.  They may not have something that is related exactly to your niche, but this isn't a deal breaker because you're just seeing how they can write and not if they can write for you.  A good content writer can produce top notch content for any niche out there, not just the ones they're familiar with.  I've actually written up thousands of articles for clients and I had no clue what their topic and keywords were all about until I researched it.  After doing some research I was able to produce some amazing content that the clients loved, and that's what a great content writer should be able to do.

Have they been writing for a while?
Hiring a writer that has been doing it for a while might cost you a little more, but it's always worth the extra penny you invest into it.  Think about it, you're hiring someone based on their experience and knowledge, which means you get all of their secrets and techniques at your disposal, which is a great asset to any business.  If you hire a writer that just started, you might pay more for less quality, where as if you pay for someone like myself you'll pay a little more but you'll get a great deal more than the average seller The real qualities you should look for in a content writer

This metric of choosing the best writer isn't always a deal breaker, I've actually found a few amazing writers who have just started out, but they actually had a background in journalism.  You can sometimes find these bright gems in a sea of bad writers, but it's incredibly difficult and you'll have to work with hundreds of writers before you find one.  It's usually just easier to hire a writer that has already proven himself or herself and play it safe.  Remember, you're paying a premium for your content, so you'll want to get something amazing in return.

Do they require you to link back to their website?
Some writing companies or freelancers will give you a discount for a backlink on your website to theirs.  Sometimes they will even give you a discount for it, which is actually pretty enticing, but you should probably avoid it for SEO purposes.  If you share the writers website, without them asking you to do so, that's perfectly fine and the writer will be grateful.  However, if they ask you to place a link on your website for them, they're likely new and should be avoided.  They're having you pay them and also taking advantage of you at the same time, which is no good.

Can they produce large articles in a short amount of time?
If you give tight deadlines, you will be able to weed out all the "content writers" that are simply a middle man for an actually writer.  You'll pay the middle man and they will send the work to the writer, then they will answer all your content and delay you as much as possible if something goes wrong, which can get pretty annoying.  If you want to find a great writer, give them a tight deadline on your first few orders and see what they can do for you.  If they send back some amazing content every time within the tight deadlines, you've got a great writer on your hands The real qualities you should look for in a content writer


In conclusion
Finding the best content writer for your website is a difficult thing to do, so I'm glad you landed on this page and made it through all of the key points to search for when trying to find someone right for your website.  If you can filter out all the bad writers, and the ones who are telling lies, you will be left with an amazing content writer that will get everything done for you on time and it will be better than anything you've purchased before The real qualities you should look for in a content writer


Remember to follow me!
https://www.seocheckout.com/user/TommyCarey


Thanks!

Tommy Carey

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treecko142
I think it really is important for the writer to be really fluent in the language you want him/her to write on, especially English which is the most common language required among content writers. It helps to ask for an English certificate, even an online one because sometimes they can still look like they can be fluent but is mostly just using spell-checkers; it's only on their work where you can see that they can't fully comprehend English and write in paragraphs with poor cohesiveness. Of course, one of the best ways you can do is to look at their work portfolio, although people with more extensive resumes can have a higher asking price, and depending on your financial situation, you might need to give a chance to those with less experience.



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TommyCarey
I love it when I'll come across a writer from the US and their responses are full of broken English lol. I'll ask where they're from and it's always some big city like New York or LA haha.

A language barrier is no good when it comes to content writing. Think of how they're responding to you and do you really want that type of writing going up and being seen as your own? Probably not. If you're on a platform like Seocheckout you're pretty safe because you can reject the order if it's not what was expected, which is pretty awesome.

One of the bigger problems is that a "writer" will post a service and then outsource it to India because they can pay $2.01 per word but charge the client $2.05 per word. This means they're keeping the $2.04 per word and giving you broken English content that will need to be edited for at least 30 minutes, and that's not what you're trying to do. If you're hiring a content writer, they need to get the job done the first time. I have a content writing service for sale here on Seocheckout and I have 100% positive reviews, even though some have been late deliveries, everyone likes my content because I say what I'm going to do and then over deliver on it. They know I speak English, they know I've been writing for years, and they expect something great in return for my prices. They get what they ordered and are happy to order again when they need content The real qualities you should look for in a content writer Not too many writers do that, so I actually stand out from the crowd lol.



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Corzhens
The language barrier is a big issue to some website owners. Correct grammar is not enough for them. They want words and sentences written as per their culture. I had joined some forums where the admin said that they want American English. If you are meticulous with the kind of English then you may need to see some samples of the work to have a feel if you like the style of writing.



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vinaya
I write in English as a second language. I admit I may not be proficient as an American or British, however, I have a lot of writing experience. I have been writing in English since 2003. I have written for English language newspapers in my home country. I have sold over a dozen ebooks. I have also published English language books on Amazon. However, when it comes to finding a writing job online my credentials are never trusted.



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cmoneyspinner
This comment has been split into a new thread here.



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vinaya
I am a content writer. I provide contents for clients as well as publish contents on my blogs and websites. However, as a professional writer, I sometimes do not have time to produce contents for my clients as well as contents for my blog. Usually, I do not like to say no to my regular clients. Therefore, I take the job of content writing even when I do not have time. In such cases, I will always hire a writer to write for me. The difference between how much I pay and how much I receive is my earning. When I hire a writer, I always look for three things.
Pricing
Writing quality
Writing experience



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bienn05
A writer should be fluent in English so he can explain and write stories clearly. Content writing should be concise, complete, and clear to the audience. Any mistakes can lead to miscommunication so I think being fluent in speaking and writing in English language is crucial.



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esteban123
I agree that a certain content writer should as much as possible be fluent and precise in each article that he/she would be making since it would really affect the way they make their articles. A good content writer is meticulous in every words or phrases that one would be using. It is not just enough to have a talent in writing but must as well as have the passion to do it to make it more great and perfect for everybody.



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aeon
You're right, the content writer should be fluent in English and always aware about the grammar, but I think some online grammar checker will help a lot for those not native English speaker. The only problem about this, is the actual conversation between the client and the freelancers, they might not get hired because the way they talk even they are great content writer.



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Barida
A writer having samples of the work that they do is definitely one thing that we should look for when we are looking to hire any content writer. I have come to notice that this is a sign that they are being professional or not. One thing that I also look out is the way they talk when we are talking about the charges since that goes a long way to prove they are going to do the work as promised or not.



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Kakashi2020
Those are good points haha on paper but in reality the customers offer such a horribly low price for quality work which is not fair.

Most writers including myself are not aiming to get big money for what we write, we just want a fair or even somewhat fair price.



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peachpurple
Why look for a good writer when you can write perfect content article ? Unless English is not your native language, then there is a good reason to look for a writer.



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jennyfermanuel
I came here to learn something from you guys. I wanted to know what qualifications someone must posses to be hired as a writer. And I learned a lot actually. I may not be fluent in English but I know I can learn fast. I hope you will also give attention to those aspiring writers who are just starting with the business but actually has the qualities of a good writer. Giving them a chance will actually help for the both of you. Just an opinion guys. Thank you.



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jeffreyjose48
I really salute professional content writers. I think that there are people that are really gifted professional writers. I think these exceptional writers are also wide readers. They are very observant and good analytical minds. Congratulations to all professional content writers!



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mitan143
I admire them too. I know how hard it is to feel when you start writing for content and it really takes time a lot. Professional writers also do extensive researching and researching isn't as easy as like just googling it. That's why I admire how dedicated professional writers to their career because they're not just doing it for job but they are making sure also that information they provide is well-searched, facts, and helpful.



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Jeane
Great advice, Tommy!

A common myth most people believe is that "anyone can write." That is why we have to so many people calling themselves writers.

Sure anyone can write but what sets apart the good writers from the bad ones is how well they can write. And if I was looking for a freelance writer on a site like upwork then I'd look at their rating. It can serve as solid proof of the quality of their work though of course I'd have to demand a few writing samples to find out for myself if the writer really is that good.



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stbrians
What you sow is what you harvest. If you plant in plenty then the harvest will match the planting. Likewise if you plant few you harvest the same. This goes with freelancers too.



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jpk0007
Well getting professional writers is very essential to come up with the best quality of content for all the readers of your website. If the writers who produce content for your site have a professional approach towards there work then the work of the owner of the site gets reduced and he or she is able to concentrate on the other aspects of the website which may need his attention. If however, the writers are not good at the work they do then it will eventually reflect on the quality of content of the blog. ultimately it can even result in a drop in popularity of your site and affect your business.



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Corzhens
I cannot imagine a website owner hiring several writers for the need of content to his website. But I can understand it when the site is already big that one writer couldn’t handle the production of contents. One e-commerce site I know have customized descriptions of the products that it looks like they have a team of writers doing the descriptions because it cannot be written by just 1 person.



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