Alexis Kestler
In 2023, crafting high-quality, SEO-optimized digital content remains crucial for fueling inbound marketing efforts and driving organic growth.
But many businesses struggle with creating captivating and conversion-focused content tailored to target buyer personas while also incorporating best practices for on-page and off-page SEO.
That‘s where partnering with professional SEO content writing services comes in handy.
But with myriads of content providers promising improved search visibility and engagement, how do you identify the best fit for your specific business needs?
As a social media marketing guru leveraging content to boost brand awareness and funnel traffic for over a decade, I‘ve extensively evaluated various SEO content writing services.
And in this definitive guide, I‘ll be sharing the top 10 providers that deliver exceptional value through some common strengths:
- Industry expertise translating to relevant, insightful content
- SEO best practices seamlessly woven into content
- Data-backed research fueling informative, engaging content
- Adaptable solutions catering to diverse content needs
Let‘s explore the key highlights of my top content partner recommendations to help you make an informed decision aligned to your goals, topics, budget and other parameters.
1. ClearVoice – Best for End-to-End Inbound Marketing
I rank ClearVoice as the leading SEO content writing service for their specialized end-to-end inbound marketing solution.
They provide the entire spectrum – stellar SEO-optimized content coupled with effective content promotion – to turbocharge your organic growth.
Here are some unique aspects that set them apart:
Unmatched Topic Expertise
Clearvoice maintains an expansive pool of over 100,000 expert writers across every industry and niche. This enables bespoke matching with writers specializing in your niche for content that resonates with your audience.
For example, a healthcare brand collaborating with ClearVoice is coupled with writers with medical expertise vs. a tech business being assigned writers adept in covering SaaS products.
Multi-Channel Content Optimization
The ClearVoice team obsesses over not just on-page SEO best practices as you‘d expect but also incorporates off-page optimization levers in recommendations to boost domain authority and funnel more organic traffic.
Simplified Workflows
Right from content ideation to publication, ClearVoice‘s software and support teams simplify collaboration across stakeholders to streamline content creation and enhance productivity.
Performance Tracking
ClearVoice‘s custom analytics provides insight into how your contents stacks against benchmarks across 1000s of domains. Their data-driven recommendations further help refine content strategy and messaging for better results.
Pricing
Packages start from $149/month making it affordable even for early-stage startups focused on ramping up organic growth.
2. Contently – Most Suitable for Brand Publishers
While Contently also provides managed SEO content services, their key differential lies in their tech-enabled talent network.
They‘ve curated over 100,000 skilled freelance writers, enabling brands to get matched with and directly commission writers for projects.
Here‘s an overview of their key highlights:
Nimble Talent Assignment
Based on content requirements, available writers with matching skill sets and expertise get recommended through Contently‘s algorithm to ensure apt assignments.
Quick sampling and testing of multiple writers is enabled to identify the best fit.
Simplified Work Management
Contently‘s proprietary software removes hassles associated with freelancer collaboration. Contracts, revisions, payments – everything is tracked and managed seamlessly.
Marketing Toolkit Included
Contently isn‘t just about creating content. Their software also equips you with additional marketing capabilities like identifying brand advocates and influencers who can amplify your content.
Custom Reporting
Dashboards provide insight into content performance across parameters like engagement and conversions supported by expert recommendations on refinement areas.
Pricing
While Contently does not publicly list pricing, their services are customized based on needs. Bigger brands with larger content needs may benefit more from ClearVoice while Contently caters well to boutique agencies and publishers open to testing freelancers.
3. Scripted – Most Budget Friendly
For bootstrapped startups and SMBs focused on maximizing bang for buck from content initiatives, Scripted is a cost-effective SEO-focused content solution.
They maintain a pool of over 100,000 freelance writers while keeping overall costs low by better matching writer pay to country-specific cost of living. Let‘s check how else they optimize value:
High-Quality at Low Cost
Scripted maintains standardized processes for writer onboarding and random test content submissions from applicants to maintain quality whilst tapping into global talent.
This is reflected in the pricing starting at just $0.03/word, almost a fraction of costs when compared to other premium providers.
Performance Tracking
Scripted provides insightful analytics into aspects like writer performance, revisions, and edits over time.
For example, the reports may highlight that a certain writer‘s first drafts itself tend to cover requirements adequately with lower rework needs.
Such data-backed insights help optimize choices to minimize overhead of repeat revisions and enhance productivity.
Plagiarism Protection
Every piece of content ordered via Scripted passes through leading-edge plagiarism checkers such as Copyscape Premium.
This provides complete peace of mind against duplicate content risks that may otherwise dilute all SEO efforts.
Pricing
As mentioned earlier, Scripted offers very competitive pricing for SMBs starting at just $0.03 per word translating to $30 per 1000 words.
The pricing is generally 40-60% cheaper than alternatives, delivering great value.
Choosing Your SEO Content Partner
While the services above constitute my top recommendations, your specific business needs may require evaluating additional options as well to identify the best fit.
Here is a step-by-step guide on parameters to assess potential SEO content partners:
Step 1: Start with Goals and Metrics
Begin by defining 1-2 goals you want to drive via content initiatives for the year.
This may involve targets across areas like new visitor growth, lead gen form fills or sales influenced.
Having clarity upfront shall help evaluate options better.
Step 2: Determine Topics and Content Types
Brainstorm the key topics you want cover to attract and engage your target personas.
Similarly, figure out the kind of content – blogs, guides, eBooks – matching visitor preferences for each topic.
Services with proven expertise across your priority topics and content styles automatically make for better matches.
Step 3: Understand Pricing Models
Analyze and compare pricing models across shortlisted vendors based on your content volume and mix needs.
Whether you want output-based (eg per word rate) or managed services with fixed monthly costs should also play a key role here.
Step 4: Review Samples
While commercials and promises are tempting, always validate capabilities by reviewing content samples and client testimonials.
This shall provide transparency into aspects like writing quality, adherence to requirements, revisions policies etc.
Step 5: Start Small
Instead of committing upfront to a large annual deal, consider piloting with a small 1-2 month project.
This helps assess aspects like collaboration, turnaround times, accountability in a low-risk manner while also building flexibility to switch vendors without disruptions.
Let Your Content Do the Heavy Lifting
In closing, as online attention spans keep shrinking, search algorithms give more weightage to expertise and relevance over gimmicks.
Investing in insightful, engaging and original SEO content tailored to address your audience‘s pain points and questions is well worth it for sustainable inbound marketing success.
The services listed above should meet a wide gamut of business needs and budgets. Feel free to reach out if you need any additional inputs in identifying your perfect match!
Virul, signing off…
Word Count: 1668 words
Sources:
- State of Inbound Report
- ClearVoice Website
- Contently Website
- Scripted Website
