SEO Copywriting for Translators: BP22 Translation Conference
How to get started as a content writer - useful resources
Welcome to this article! The listed resources and tools were part of my presentation on “SEO Copywriting: Diversify your services” during the BP22 Translation Conference in Lisbon on May 10th, 2022.
This personal list of useful resources for SEO, copywriting, and content writing is not an exhaustive list but a good starting point for your own journey into this industry. I’ve done all the courses listed below, am a paying member of the memberships, and am part of these Facebook groups.
Please do your own research - and if you find something interesting, I’m happy to add it here. 😄
Books
The Freelance Content Marketing Writer by Jennifer Goforth Gregory was the first book I came across when I started searching for more information on content writing back in 2018. It might be a little bit outdated by now, but it’s still worth a read.
The author is American; thus, the book is mainly centered around the US-American market. With 2.99 USD for Kindle, it’s pretty affordable.
The best book on this topic so far
“Learn how to find high-paying clients and join the ranks of high-earning freelance content marketing writers. Earn six figures as a freelance content marketing writer with this comprehensive how-to guide.“ - Amazon.com
Courses
There’s a mindboggling amount of free and paid courses available on the internet. I can only vouch for the following courses. Here are my recommendations:
The 10 Day SEO Challenge by Kate Toon: This paid course of around 80 euros is a great start to learning the basics of SEO without breaking the bank. If you’re eyeing Kate’s big course (see next item), skip the 10-day challenge.
The Recipe for SEO Success by Kate Toon: With around 1200 euros, one of my more expensive courses, but the ROI was immense. After finishing this course, you have mastered SEO to an intermediate level and can optimize your own website.
Blue Array Academy: Very comprehensive technical SEO courses enabling you to offer SEO services or start a career as an SEO Manager.
SEMrush Academy: Mainly teaches you how to use their own SEO tool. Since SEMrush is one of the leading SEO tools in the world worth a look.
SEO Content Institute: The certification program comes with a VIP Community. Disclaimer: I haven’t finished the course yet but attend the monthly webinars.
HubSpot Academy: Your go-to platform for the latest courses on digital marketing, CRM, content, and SEO. All courses are free, and you can upload your certificates to LinkedIn.
By Kate Toon - 1900 AUD (around 1200 EUR) - 3x year - 12-week program
SEO Copywriting Certificate by Heather Lloyd-Martin - 995 USD (around 920 EUR) (discount around Christmas) - monthly webinar - Facebook VIP community
By the UK’s biggest SEO Agency - Technical SEO Course - FREE to 97 GBP (115 EUR)
By HubSpot - FREE - Certificates (can be added to your LinkedIn profile)
By SEMrush - FREE - Very product-focused (on their SEO tool)
Communities
All the communities I mention below are private groups on Facebook. You need to apply to become a member. The two SEO groups are exclusively for women (which were created due to a male-dominated and somewhat toxic industry):
The Freelance Content Marketing Writer (by Jennifer Goforth Gregory; weekly job and freelance opportunities for English writers; questions and posts related to content writing - 7.2K members)
Sisters in SEO (skill sharing and networking for women and the gender diverse - 10.2K members)
Women in Tech SEO (high-level questions and answers; annual conference - 3K members)
Memberships
There’re numerous programs for copywriters on the internet. Many of them come with a (paid) community. I can highly recommend looking into the different options that fit your needs the best (in English or your own language).
Choose someone you can identify with and with an angle that you need (business-oriented, skill-oriented, SEO-oriented, industry-oriented, etc.)
Kate Toon’s copywriter program (based in Australia). Monthly masterclasses, training sessions, templates (free and paid), courses, a job board for English copywriters, and a Facebook group covering all aspects a thriving copywriter needs. (Annual fee: 530 AUD; 355 EUR)
VIP Community of the SEO Content Institute
Hosted (on Facebook) by Heather Lloyd-Martin, considered the pioneer of SEO copywriting. Monthly webinars as part of the certification program. Lifetime membership.
Websites
This is a short list of useful websites covering SEO and/or content writing:
SEO Copywriting Blog (from Heather Lloyd-Martin)
Content Marketing Institute (Topic - SEO)
Google Webmaster Guidelines (official SEO information straight from the source)
If you follow #SEO on LinkedIn, you also come across many interesting posts and resources by SEO experts and industry leaders.
Tools
There’s no shortage of tools for SEO and optimizing content for search engines. This is a brief list of some popular tools. Note, I have tested some but not all. I’d recommend signing up for a free trial to test the tools and choose the one you like the most, suits your needs, and is within your price range.
Unfortunately, most of the best SEO tools are not cheap but can be a significant investment if you want to consider offering this service. Attention: Not all tools work very well for languages other than English.
Major SEO tools (SEO suites for keyword research, position tracking, SEM, etc.):
SEMrush (my preferred tool; 120 USD/month)
Ubersuggest (the best tool for starters, around 20 USD/month)
Moz
Ahref
Chrome browser plug-ins:
SEO Meta in 1 Click (shows all metadata of any webpage; I use it daily)
Mozbar by Moz (adds useful SEO data to any Google search like domain authority, traffic, # of backlinks)
SEO writing tools (to check if your content is sufficiently optimized for search engines and your selected keyword):
SEO Writing Assistant from SEMrush (as part of the Guru subscription; 220 USD/month)
Clearscope (used by content agencies who provide the tool for their writers; 170 USD/month)
Surfer SEO (49 USD/month)
If you come across a handy tool or course not listed here, feel free to mention it in the comments below.
Do you need more support and advice?
I plan to launch a regular newsletter to demystify SEO this summer and share practical tips that you can directly apply to your own content and website. If you’re interested, sign up below.