Acquiring high-quality content involves a wide range of investments. For instance, you must start with research, writer’s pay, graphics, editing, and publishing on your website.
The cost of solid content—and we’re talking start to finish—can range from $100 to $300 per article. This includes the costs of any revisions that may be needed.
However, to maximize your ROI, your content strategy must fall in line with your campaign goals.
At CopySmiths, we help business owners create engaging content that’s enjoyable for their readers, and (more importantly) that’s relevant.
In this guide, we look at:
- Content costs on the market
- In-house vs outsourcing content
- Per article vs per hourly rate
We’ll also let you know how you can get the most out of your investment by choosing the right agency partner.
General Content Costs on the Market
Despite solid content costing $100–300 per article, you can find a writer online for as little as $20. But keep in mind, the content you get will be just as good as the $20.
Unfortunately, poorly written content will cost your business. It reflects negatively on you and your brand since it doesn’t establish credibility or trust with your readers. Readers will quickly abandon your site and look elsewhere, increasing your site’s bounce rate.
High-quality content, on the other hand, builds confidence in your readers, increases site authority, and persuades readers to buy your goods or services.
As said, website content that can increase your sales by 5 or even 10% will cost as much as $100–$300.
Yet, as an eCommerce business owner, you must remember that your website content represents your online sales team. It helps generate leads for your business and communicates the benefits of your products in order to drive sales.
Remember: Website traffic is determined by a number of factors that contribute to a successful article, including backlinks, ads, and organic searches. Without these, your article won’t rank on Google and customers won’t see it. In short, the conversion rate is determined by the quality of the content.
Your website content must be able to attract the right people—those who are motivated to buy your products or services.
Costs of Hiring a Freelancer
Freelancers are considered self-employed and work for a number of companies. They have the freedom to choose the projects and clients they wish to work with.
For as little as $20, you can hire a freelancer to write content for your website. Some even charge as low as $15 an hour.
Freelancers are not only a cheaper option, they’re also more flexible in terms of negotiation. Some wear many hats and can be writers as well as graphic designers and web developers.
While they’re cheaper, it’s rare to find freelancers with experience and knowledge of SEO copywriting that will positively impact your business.
More experienced freelancers will charge as much as $125 per hour or 1000 words for $250.
These highly experienced freelancers are, however, very hard to find. They’re usually busy with client orders and rarely take on new clients.
Even so, hiring a freelancer is a good option if you’re looking for a more personal experience. You can communicate and give your feedback directly to the freelancer and only make contact with them when a new project comes up.
In-House vs Outsourcing Content From an Agency
In-house content refers to having some of your own employees write content for your business. As you know, these employees enjoy employment benefits such as healthcare and other allowances.
However, outsourcing content to an agency means hiring an establishment that specializes in content creation.
There are various benefits associated with both methods.
The table below outlines the benefits and limitations of in-house content.
| Benefits of In-House Content | Limitations of In-House Content |
| Deep understanding of brand story and brand needs | Expensive to hire a team with full employment benefits |
| Easy communication and control between management and content team | Time consuming and can interfere with the rest of the team’s focus |
| Builds company culture since the entire organization is involved | Sometimes in-house workers are busy with other work and can’t deliver on additional projects |
| In-house writers can’t keep up with the everchanging copywriting industry standards |
Outsourcing copy has its own benefits and limitations, as outlined in the table below.
| Benefits of Outsourcing Copy | Limitations of Outsourcing Copy |
| Your agency partner keeps you updated on the article’s progress | Can be costly for start-ups |
| Agency writers are experienced in transforming technical content into easily digestible content | |
| Saves you time to focus on other important tasks | |
| Your website stands out from the competition with highly curated copy |
Expert Tip: Outsourcing your copy to a reliable agency will ensure that you get quality content for your investment. It’ll also guarantee the confidentiality of your organization.
“CopySmiths have helped us to scale the SEO and content marketing side to our agency by working to create relevant and meaningful articles.” — Anthony Colfelt, Handmade Web & Design
Benefits of Hourly vs per Article Rate
Both freelancers and copywriting agencies charge either by the hour, per article, or per word.
Having an hourly rate helps you track the amount of time that it takes to work on each of your projects.
For this, you’ll need time tracking software, like Clockify.
That said, most freelancers and agencies prefer the per-article pay method. It’s easier to manage and if revisions are necessary, it’s less costly since the initial payment will cover any changes.
For an agency, you can also take advantage of an article package that caters to other tasks.
For example, at CopySmiths, our article package includes the services of a writer, quality checker, editor, graphic designer, and a publisher.
Solid SEO Copywriting
Solid SEO copywriting for eCommerce businesses has the following benefits:
- Promotes brand awareness
- Brings more traffic to your site
- Earns more leads for your establishment
- Increases your online sales
With so much at stake, you can’t compromise on the quality of the content you put out there.
At CopySmiths, we make sure that your eCommerce website’s blog content is high quality, enjoyable, and published frequently.
Our package for each article includes article titles, writing, editing, and graphics, all the way to publishing.
Check out our pricing and see samples of our work.
“It has been a pleasure working with the CopySmiths team – they are reliable, efficient, and great at curating high-quality content on complex subjects.” — Sander Tamm, e-student.org
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I look for when buying content writing services?
To get a return on your investment, make sure the agency you rely on for creating content is:
- Competent in the understanding of SEO copywriting
- Able to provide a package that covers revisions and other benefits
- Confidential and reliable with your personal information
- Reputable in providing smooth services so you can focus on other tasks
How do I create a content plan for my eCommerce website?
Your content strategy must be guided by your campaign goals. At CopySmiths, we’ll help you with keyword research and choose topics for your articles to ensure you achieve all your goals.
How much should I pay for content?
Depending on the complexity of the topic, set aside at least $200 for each article topic. This will cover research, copy, graphics, publishing, and any revisions.
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