So what possible knowledge can Dr. Dre drop on freelance writers? Well, the good doctor has survived in one of the most competitive and cutthroat industries on the planet. Not only has he survived, but he has also thrived. If you want to grow your writing business, and stay ahead in the ever-changing online marketing world, learn these five lessons from the Godfather of Hip-Hop.

1. Street Cred is Everything for Rappers and Freelance Writers

Whether it’s producing, rapping, or selling headphones, everything that Dr. Dre touches turns to gold. Through the quality of his work, and the people with who he collaborates, Dre has branded himself as the best. To brand yourself as the best in the writing world, do the following:

• A freelance writer must be willing to work for less at the beginning to pull-in higher end clients.
• Once you have a list of a few reputable clients, create a company website.
• My company Unique Content Writers, flashes a list of who we have worked with on our website. This shows potential clients our level of experience.

Your website and your clients will build your street cred quick.

2. Quality is Better than Quantity

Dre is very selecting about the people he chooses to work with. Unlike most of his competitors in the hip-hop industry, who release a new album every other week, he releases a new record once every couple of years. That’s why his albums are always classics.

As a freelance writer, be leery of easy money. This industry is filled with fly-by-night SEO managers who treat freelance writers like sheets of toilet paper. These kinds of clients have a lot of work, but pay little in return. Clients who understand quality is better than quantity will pay more to get a better product. These clients are harder to find, but worth the search.

3. A Freelance Writer is Only as Good as His Posse

N.W.A., 2 Pac, Snoop Dog, and Eminem…need I say more? Dre only collaborates on projects with super-talented individuals. Here’s two ways to build a quality team of writers.

• Be patient when teaching your staff members your company’s style of writing.
• It’s better to find reliable writers who need some polishing, than to work with a cocky writer.

4. Don’t Be Fooled By Easy Money

Dre was locked into a contract with Death Row Records for years. He made the mistake of going after the fast money promised by unscrupulous businessmen like Suge Knight. You don’t have to make the same mistake. Before you take on a new client, do a background check. Here are a few ways:

• Ask them for their social media profiles.
• Speak with them on the phone.
• Check out their company website.
• Do a Google search for information on them and their company.

5. Stay Focused

Dr. Dre works exclusively in his area of expertise. Freelance writers should do the same. If you’re an SEO copywriter, stay an SEO copywriter! Don’t try to become a SEM/SEO/Copywriter, etc. Do what you’re good at, and do it well. Clients will trust you and pay you more than “Mr. Jack-of-All-Trades.”

If you’re a freelance writer, you have to apply these 5 lessons to your business. It will increase your chances of experiencing the kind of longevity and prosperity enjoyed by the Godfather of Hip-Hop.

In the Beginning

In the beginning of SEO ranking high in the search engines was a lot about targeting keywords and back linking. That’s why most webmasters spent the majority of their time bidding on domain names and researching keywords.

Meanwhile, they viewed content as a superfluous element in the battle for search engine supremacy. Most content was outsourced to third world countries, where webmasters and SEO managers could get hundreds and thousands of words for less than a bag of potato chips.

It didn’t matter that most of the writing was incoherent. The algorithms were not sophisticated enough to detect this tripe.

The Times They Are a’Changing

Soon the algorithms became smarter. Content stuffed with keywords that read like an elementary student wrote it no longer cut it. SEO had to make room for quality content and its importance in the process of SEM.

I think back to my early days in content marketing. SEO managers and web designers raved to me how it was a pleasure to work with a writer who could actually write. Imagine that…Of course, what they didn’t like was the fact I didn’t work for third world wages…I told them, “You get what you pay for.”

SEO and Copywriting, Finding a Balance

SEO is about numbers. Copy is about salesmanship and creative writing. Polar opposites, right? Not necessarily. Steve Jobs believed the best products of our generation would be a result of the coming together of technology and art. In fact, he credited the fonts he used on the Apple computer with a course he took in college on calligraphy.

As a SEO copywriter your job is not only to ensure your writing is keyword optimized, but also to ensure it is engaging. The copywriting part is where your creativity and salesmanship come in…what I believe to be the best of both worlds.

You Can Bring a Mule to Water but You Can’t Make It Drink

My prediction is that the SEO copywriters who can balance the two aspects in their SEO copywriting are going to be highly sought after in the near future. Why?

• The algorithms are getting smarter, so content that is not original will not get credit.
• People buy products and services; search engines do not.
• The quality of your web copy will often decide whether or not conversions take place—regardless if you’re ranking on page one of Google.
• A brand can only come alive on a website largely through the tone and style in its web copy.

The challenge is balancing the two elements of SEM: SEO and copywriting. If you care about your brand, and the overall sales of your product or service, find a content marketing company that understands SEO and copywriting. Your ranking will go up, your sales will increase, and your brand recognition will dramatically improve.

Keywords and Phrases

The SEO specialist you’re working with will know the keywords they want you to target in your writing. For instance, the phrase “baby shoes” may need to inserted throughout your article or copy a specific number of times. Common places to insert keywords and phrases in your SEO copy include:

• Headline
• First paragraph and last paragraph
• Subtitles
• Within the keyword density of the overall article

You must know where to place the phrase without it sounding forced. Also you do not want to write it too often. This will cause you to be penalized by the search engine for overloading your content with the word or phrase.

Know the Keyword Density of your SEO copy

The keywords you target depend on the keyword density your SEO manager’s research finds to be the optimal amount for search engine ranking. Simply, keyword density is the amount of times a specific word or phrase should appear in your SEO copy.

• Anything over 5% usually is too high—the search engines interpret this as you trying to overload your content just to get a high ranking instead of providing quality content.
• The latest trends say around 2% keyword density is ideal—this could change as the algorithms change
• Also using other keywords targeted in other articles will help boost the overall ranking of the site your marketing

Research the SEO Copy of High Ranking Competitors

Your SEO manager will know who their competition is on the search engines. They are battling them for same keywords and phrases. For example, if your client is selling edible underwear phrases like “licorice g-strings” and “peppermint panties” will be sprinkled throughout their websites, articles, and blogs.

With SEO copywriting, you will target these words and phrases according to the keyword density your SEO manager wants. How you blend it into the articles will factor into how well your client’s web copy will compete.

I’ve been writing creatively and professionally all my life. Yes, I’ve improved over time. And yes I can write a five hundred word article in twenty minutes. However, one thing remains the same: article writing is still a process.

If you write for a webmaster, SEO specialist, or an e-commerce company, you know as well as I do, time is a luxury you don’t have. However, there are certain steps you must take to help you create the best article or blog entry possible. They’re called “The Five Steps of Writing.”

1. Pre-Write

When you write you organize thoughts for the purpose of clarity. Remember, it’s not about what you like. It’s about what your reader likes! Here are some organizing strategies to consider in the pre-writing stage in the article writing process:

• Outline
• Brainstorm
• Use a graphic organizer
• Research and Take Notes
• Free writing

2. Draft

Some people are under the false impression that the best writers are blessed with an uncanny ability to scribble the perfect words down on paper in one try. Then poof! Poetry!

Think again. Most writers revise and edit countless times.

Of course, as web writers, time is a luxury we don’t have. Your blog post is expected that morning, and that fifty article package must be done by end of day. You must find the time! Once you get adept at it, it will not take you that long.

3. Revise

Revise means you go over what you wrote down in the drafting stage. You’re looking to fix the BIG stuff. By this I mean look to either:

• Elaborate on content that is unclear
• Add or take out any content that is not working toward the main idea of your article
• Find ways to improve the structure by perhaps using subtopics, short declarative sentences, three to four line paragraphs, bullet points, etc

Revision is the most important part of the SEO article writing process—or any writing process. It also is the most skipped stage. Why? Well, let’s be honest, people like to cut corners. Don’t forget, lazy writers produce crap. Don’t be one of them! Always revise and take pride in what you produce. The quality of your work is what will keep your clients coming back to you.

4. Edit

The editing process has to do with grammar and syntax. Some common questions you want to ask yourself are:

• Did I use effect where I should have used affect?
• Did I not use a comma to separate a dependent clause from a main clause?
• Did I use the right words to create the tone I was going for?

Of course there are other things you want to watch out for when you edit. But I’ll discuss them in another post.

5. Publish

I admit article writing and blogging are different from writing a dissertation. Ending a sentence with a preposition or using the occasional cliché or colloquialism helps create the conversational tone you’re trying to impart to your audience in your blog.

Still, these five steps still should be used. Why? Because they’re guaranteed to improve the clarity and focus of your article writing.

Next post I’ll share with you some tips on how to SEO your articles, blogs, and web copy.