Content writing sounds self-explanatory enough. A person fires up their laptop, perhaps does a little research, and then whizzes up a draft which they then send on for approval – either to their client or line manager. In fact, this explanation is far too high level and therefore insufficient. So, what do content writers do?
In this very short guide, we’ll break down the role of a content writer – so you can start to understand the complexities of such a role and why managing such a resource in-house is likely to be hard.
What does a content writer do?
Here are just a few of the tasks a content writer is likely to perform on a regular basis.
#1 Topical research
The writer will begin by getting to grips with the subject at hand. This will probably involve delving into competitor material, reviewing sector-specific web content, and even white papers (depending on the complexity of the topic.
#2 Customer research
What does a content writer do after the initial research stage? Well, in order to understand their target audience’s wants and needs they’ll use the ‘People Also Ask’ feature in Google Search – and also review social media feeds and forums.
#3 Keyword research
Having grasped the fundamental challenges their audience faces the writer will extrapolate key terms from their research. This data will be fed into a tool like Google Keyword Planner to identify the top questions being asked in their sector.
#4 Planning their draft
So, what does a content writer do with all of that data and research? Their next step is to convert that information into a logical structure the reader will understand – while ensuring said content is persuasive enough to convert them.
#5 Optimising their content
Once the draft is complete the writer will:
- Ensure the target is keyword optimised – in other words, neither over nor underused
- Add external links to trustworthy websites to aid user understanding
- Sense-check and edit content to ensure flow and avoid confusion
- Create meta titles and descriptions to improve ranking positions
- Insert appropriate images and add alt tags to improve SEO
#6 Submit the URL to Google
People who ask ‘what do content writers do?’ are often unaware of this final step. Submitting a page’s URL means Google will start indexing the content – then promote it accordingly and depending on how good it is.
#7 Review performance and update often
A web page could be number one on Google one month and page seven the next. That’s why content writers audit their pages to track performance – meaning they can tweak headings, images, layout and other areas if deemed necessary.
Could your busy business handle content writing?
Now that we’ve answered the question ‘what does a content writer do?’ you might have decided it’s not for you. In which case why not save time by leaving the hard work to B2B experts with experience in this area.
Contact us to book your free consultation.
