As I delve into the world of ChatGPT Ads, I’ve noticed that OpenAI has started experimenting with these ads in the U.S. However, we’re still in the early stages and concrete data about advertiser outcomes is sparse. To bridge this gap, I’ve projected conversion rates for ChatGPT ads by analyzing existing differences in conversion rates between organic and paid channels. My insights draw from our detailed reports on PPC vs. SEO Conversion Rates and Organic ChatGPT Conversion Rates. Below, you’ll find a table presenting these projections.
Right now, ChatGPT Ads are visible only to adult users in the U.S. who are logged in and using either the Free or Go subscription tiers. As OpenAI expands its advertising reach, I anticipate several shifts in user behavior worth noting:
Power users of ChatGPT, those on Plus, Pro, Business, or Enterprise plans, might see these ads if OpenAI extends to paid tiers. However, I foresee lower conversion rates in these cases since such users often utilize ChatGPT for tasks like code generation, data analysis, or marketing copywriting rather than searching for products or services.
Initial advertising rates should be fairly low to capture a wide user base, fostering dependency. But, just like Google, Meta, and LinkedIn ads experienced, I expect costs to rise as more adopters join in.
With advancements in agentic AI, advertising could broaden to include sponsored alternatives or upsells. Imagine users planning travel on ChatGPT receiving suggestions for sponsored destinations as extras.
Further Reading & Requesting a Copy of This Report
If you’re a business owner or marketer aiming to better allocate your marketing budget in anticipation of broader ChatGPT advertising, explore these insightful articles:
I find Reddit’s new pilot program fascinating. They’re using AI to transform our beloved community recommendations into interactive, shoppable product carousels within search results.
What’s happening: Right now, a select group of U.S.-based folks, including myself, might notice these exciting product carousels popping up in search results whenever our queries suggest a buying intent, like when searching for “best noise-canceling headphones” or “top budget laptops.”
These carousels conveniently appear right at the bottom of the search results, showcasing pricing, images, and direct links to retailers. The coolest part? These products are derived from actual Reddit posts and comments rather than existing ad inventories.
For those of us interested in consumer electronics, Reddit also collects data from specific Dynamic Product Ads (DPA) partner catalogs.
How it works: The AI cleverly identifies queries with purchase intent, scans through relevant Reddit discussions for any product mentions, and arranges them into tidy, shoppable cards. When a card catches my attention, I can simply tap it to gain more information or be redirected to a retailer.
Why we care: These shopping carousels are a real game-changer for advertisers. They bring products to the spotlight right when consumers, like me, are contemplating a purchase and seeking peer approval. Unlike typical ads, here these products merge with Reddit’s trusted community vibe, making them seem more like genuine recommendations than mere advertisements.
For brands already involved in Dynamic Product Ads on Reddit, this development offers a seamless pipeline from community buzz directly to action.
Between the lines: Reddit is really onto something big here, doing what many competitors have struggled to achieve—using organic, community-driven content as the foundation for a shopping experience, rather than depending solely on targeted advertising.
This approach is ingenious because consumers, myself included, are becoming warier of sponsored content. Reddit’s value relies on authentic community engagement, and by integrating that into a shopping feature, it elevates their credibility beyond traditional retail media networks.
The big picture: Retail media is booming, and platforms catering to audiences with high purchase intent are in a race to claim their portion of the pie. With Reddit’s increasing search traffic, especially after partnering with Google, this development seems like the perfect next step.
The bottom line: Reddit is testing how it can turn search intent directly into transactions, making it smoother for users like me to transition from recommendations to purchase, all while staying within the community context that fosters trust.
As someone deeply immersed in the world of SEO, I’ve witnessed a fascinating evolution. In the early 2000s, if you were like me, you probably focused on gaming PageRank with enough links and keywords to achieve visibility. It was a mechanical process, and frankly, relatively simple to exploit.
Fast forward two decades, and the search landscape has radically transformed. Algorithms have become sophisticated, mirroring Google’s deeper understanding of brands, individuals, and reputations. This transformation, driven by AI-powered discovery, means authority is now the cornerstone of search rankings. The journey culminates in an era where brand legitimacy is sustained through genuine visibility.
From links to legitimacy: How authority evolved
I witnessed Google’s first significant stand against manipulation with the Penguin update, prompting many of us to rethink our link-building strategies. “Digital PR” began to replace traditional notions, while Google’s experiments with entity-based understanding introduced innovations like author photos in search results and knowledge panels.
Although Google eventually phased out some features like authorship, the message was clear: authority assessment was being redefined. Instead of asking, “Who links to this page?” Google’s algorithms started considering “Who authored this content, and how is this author recognized?” This shift, propelled by AI-driven search enhancements over the past year, is now impossible to ignore.
Helpful content and the end of synthetic authority
When Google integrated the helpful content system into its core algorithm, it marked a turning point for us in SEO. Sites that once thrived on over-optimization saw their performance crumble. In contrast, brands demonstrating authentic expertise and brand authority began to rise.
It’s now vital that search systems accurately evaluate whether content reflects true expertise. As someone who’s navigated the core updates, I’ve seen larger brands with robust reputations consistently outperform technically proficient but less well-known sites. Authority has evolved from being a differentiator to a necessity.
Authority in an AI‑mediated search world
In diving into resources about large language models (LLMs), I’ve learned that they source their information from diverse platforms—journalism, forums, reviews, and video transcripts. It’s through these platforms that reputation is built, highlighting the power of consistent, positive mention of your brand.
This revelation has profound implications for our SEO strategies. Platforms like Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn, YouTube, and trusted review platforms such as G2 are regularly cited in AI search responses. These platforms organically reflect what people genuinely think about brands, rather than what we aim to claim.
This doesn’t mean the end of Google
Despite AI’s growing integration, Google continues to dominate with over 90% of global search usage. Even among frequent AI platform users, reliance on Google persists. Google’s interfaces now absorb AI-style answers, meaning users experience AI directly within Google platforms. This hybrid presence offers an exciting opportunity for building cross-platform authority.
Brand building is the new SEO multiplier
As someone who bridges the gap between paid and organic strategy, I’ve seen that effective authority signals often emerge from outside traditional search channels. Digital PR, brand advertising, events, and offline activities increasingly shape organic performance. This sphere where paid and organic strategies converge enhances your brand’s legitimacy.
Brand awareness significantly boosts click-through rates, with familiar names drawing references across various media. I’ve noticed mentions in YouTube videos or long-form journalism reinforcing topical authority that simple links cannot. The digital ecosystem now validates authority externally, and this multiplication effect is constantly evident in the results I oversee.
A practical framework: The three pillars of authority
Building enduring authority requires an integrated approach. Drawing from my experience, I’ve devised a framework focusing on three core areas: Category, Canonical, and Distributed authority. Each pillar strengthens your position as an industry leader, beyond mere SEO tactics.
1. Category authority: Owning the truth, not just the traffic
It begins with shaping how the category is defined. Instead of chasing keywords, the focus is on establishing your brand as the reference point others turn to for clarity. This strategy cultivates an authentic authority that search engines and AI increasingly reward.
2. Canonical authority: Creating the definitive explanations
This involves crafting explanation-focused content that thoroughly answers queries, becoming the go-to resource cited across various platforms. The content serves as the backbone across the digital landscape, ensuring enduring visibility through AI and future technologies.
3. Distributed authority: Proving legitimacy beyond your website
Genuine authority thrives through widespread credibility on platforms outside your control, including PR coverage, social media mentions, and product experiences. These elements amplify your brand’s presence and solidify trustworthiness.
Ultimately, focusing on brand authority ensures durability amidst evolving algorithms. It’s about becoming the undisputed leader in your niche, where authority extends beyond traditional SEO into the realm of comprehensive digital engagement.
From the very first kickoff to the technical execution phases, I’ve learned that the true value of hiring an SEO agency lies in our partnership and collaboration. Together, we can eliminate bottlenecks, empower cross-functional teams, and clearly demonstrate the ROI of our SEO investment.
Hiring an SEO agency can truly transform how your brand stands out in search results. But remember, an agency’s effectiveness relies heavily on the partnership we build. Realizing the full potential of SEO requires a shared commitment to our goals and maintaining high momentum.
Here’s what I’ve discovered about maximizing the benefits of working with my SEO agency: Alignment leads to faster progress, which makes it easier for us to prove the value of our efforts.
To ensure we get the most out of this partnership, it’s crucial to align our SEO strategy with what truly drives our business. The company sets the business goals, and it’s the agency’s job to attract the traffic that helps achieve them.
Having open discussions with the agency about how to align these goals right from the start enhances the effectiveness of our SEO program. Including cross-departmental stakeholders only reinforces the alignment and ensures everyone is on the same page.
When the entire team understands the foundation of SEO, they can comprehend its role and their contribution to its success. In this spirit of collaboration, I facilitate SEO training across teams to empower everyone involved.
I always come to the kickoff meeting fully prepared, ready to set agendas for productivity. Sharing pain points, detailing business operations, and clarifying the program’s scope helps everyone understand what to expect and what’s expected of them.
Regular communication with my agency, whether through emails, Slack, or meetings, is vital. Clear reporting methods are another key aspect, ensuring everyone remains accountable and the results are measurable.
Switching from seeing the agency as just a vendor to viewing them as a true expert partner helps cultivate trust in their guidance, the very reason I hired them in the first place.
By giving our agency visibility into past and present performance data, I ensure they have all vital information for optimizing our SEO efforts from day one. This setup includes access to essential tools and crucial performance metrics.
SEO isn’t just an isolated activity—it requires contributions from multiple teams within the company. By including team leaders early in planning, I make sure everyone is engaged and accountable, from SEO briefings to content collaboration.
My agency excels in SEO, but I bring invaluable brand knowledge to create content that aligns both with business goals and customer needs. By maintaining active involvement in content development, we produce material that truly resonates.
Streamlining content reviews and setting clear guidelines helps eliminate approval hurdles that can slow down our SEO progress. Prioritizing high-impact tasks ensures we stay competitive in search results.
Each implementation, however small, contributes significantly to our overall SEO success. I prioritize these tasks during planning phases and involve technical teams early to ensure seamless execution.
Maintaining engagement with my agency beyond the initial excitement stage is crucial for ongoing success. Continual communication, involvement in reviews, and flexibility help adjust to shifting business landscapes effectively.
Ultimately, strong SEO results are built on strong partnerships. By working together, my agency and I drive our SEO program forward, creating a strategic and valuable business initiative.
As someone deeply involved in marketing, I know how crucial it is to have access to accurate and comprehensive company information. That’s why when our marketing team uses Profound to upload Knowledge Bases, it gives us a single source of truth for company-specific data.
This capability empowers us, as agents, to provide the right context about your brand every time we execute a marketing action on your behalf. This streamlined approach ensures consistency and accuracy in representing your brand.
I’ve been contemplating how even when content ranks well on search engines, it can still falter when it comes to AI retrieval. These AI systems assess pages very differently, based not just on their rank, but also on how information is extracted, embedded, and structured.
There’s an intriguing disconnect between traditional ranking and being successfully parsed by AI. A webpage can comply with excellent SEO guidelines and still miss the mark with AI-generated responses and citations.
In many situations, content quality isn’t the issue. It’s about whether the information can be reliably extracted after being segmented and embedded by AI systems.
This challenge is becoming increasingly common as search engines view pages as complete entities, but AI systems dive into the raw HTML to extract meaning from fragments rather than entire pages.
Crucial insights can get lost if they’re not appropriately structured or if they rely too heavily on visual rendering or inference.
This leads to a divergence between what’s visible in search and what’s accessible via AI, where content might exist in an index but lacks substantial meaning for AI retrieval.
The visibility gap is something I’ve been grappling with: Understanding the difference between ranking versus retrieval is key.
As search winds its processes around rankings, AI systems engage with fragments operated within a different representation of similar information. It’s here the visibility gap takes shape.
A page might rank high, but if its embedded content is incomplete or poorly organized, then the AI retrieval process becomes unreliable.
Treat retrieval as an entirely unique visibility factor. It doesn’t override SEO, but increasingly defines whether content can be effectively surfaced, summarized, or cited when AI filters come into play.
Another structural issue arises when content never even becomes accessible to AI. Many AI crawlers only parse raw HTML without executing JavaScript or client-side rendering. This creates blind spots, especially for JavaScript-heavy sites where the core content may appear in Google’s index but remains invisible to AI.
Testing if your content appears in initial HTML is quite straightforward. Simply inspect the HTML response at fetch time rather than the version rendered in a browser.
Running requests with AI user agents like “GPTBot” reveals if your site returns blank HTML even if it appears fully populated to users, highlighting its absence in initial responses.
Tools like Screaming Frog can validate this at scale. Disabling JavaScript rendering can reveal what AI systems see—if your essential content only displays with JavaScript, it can be indexed by Google’s search but not by AI retrieval systems.
Keep in mind that even with content returned, excessive code and scripts can hinder extraction by AI systems. Cleaner HTML results in more reliable embeddings, enhancing AI visibility.
To tackle this, deliver fully rendered HTML when AI systems fetch your content. Pre-rendering can often fix these retrieval issues, ensuring content is present in initial responses.
Delivery can be managed effectively at the edge layer, providing AI crawlers with complete pages instantly. Human users receive a dynamic version while AI sees what it needs to extract meaning.
If pre-rendering isn’t viable, focus on ensuring primary content is accessible in a clean initial HTML response, even without script execution.
Columns laden with excessive markup can interfere with proper extraction, diminishing the content’s value.
The next structural failure to consider is when content is optimized for keywords rather than the entities AI seeks. Traditional SEO applies keyword relevance, but AI retrieves based on entity relationships.
Without clear definition, entity signals can weaken, causing pages to underperform in retrieval even if they rank well for queries.
AI evaluates sections independently once extracted, making the consistency of header tags essential to maintaining coherence.
Ensuring sections have a single, defined purpose allows for better embedding when isolated from larger context.
Finally, conflicting signals or metadata can dilute the semantics retrieved by AI, creating noise and ambiguity.
SEO doesn’t have to mean choosing between ranking and retrieval anymore. Both must be prioritized to succeed in today’s landscape.
Managing my website’s URLs efficiently is crucial to prevent crawlers from slowing it down. If you’re like me, you want your site to load fast, ensuring both visitors and search engines have a seamless experience.
Just the other day, I listened to Google’s latest insights on their year-end report for 2025. It was fascinating to hear Gary Illyes discuss on the Search Off the Record podcast about the major crawling challenges Google faces, like faceted navigation and action parameters, which make up a whopping 75% of the issues.
What’s the issue? Well, I’ve learned that crawling problems can seriously impact site performance, potentially making it unusable or inaccessible. Crawlers can sometimes get stuck in an infinite loop on a site, wreaking havoc on server performance.
According to Gary, once a set of URLs is discovered, the crawler has to check a significant portion to determine its quality. By the time this is done, the damage is done—your site slows down dramatically.
The Biggest Crawling Challenges Here’s what caught my attention as the major issues from the report:
50% relate to faceted navigation. These are very common in e-commerce sites where endless filtering options exist for products based on size, color, price, etc.
25% pertain to action parameters. These come from URL parameters that trigger actions instead of significantly changing page content.
10% involve irrelevant parameters like session IDs or UTMs.
5% are due to plugins or widgets that cause confusion by creating problematic URLs.
2% encapsulate other “weird stuff”, which includes strange issues like double-encoded URLs.
Why this matters to me is simple. A well-structured URL strategy keeps my server healthy, ensures quick page loads, and prevents search engines from misunderstanding which URLs should be indexed as canonical.
The Podcast: Here’s where you can listen to the discussion yourself:
I’ve discovered how custom GPTs can revolutionize how we handle SEO, transforming repetitive tasks into efficient workflows. By leveraging AI, we can speed up our processes, from planning and analysis to reporting and technical work.
If you don’t have access to paid ChatGPT, don’t worry. You can still utilize these prompts by saving them as standalone references in your notes. Remember, they’re just starting points, so modify them to fit your team’s requirements.
Working with AI requires trial and error. My advice is to start with small tasks to practice writing prompts. Iterate on them and take notes on what produces good outputs.
AI can sometimes be verbose, so it’s helpful to set strict formatting guidelines and clear context. Upload resources and articles to guide AI results, and always define the role and audience upfront.
Let’s dive into seven prompts that I’ve found incredibly useful for developing custom GPTs dedicated to planning, analysis, and ongoing SEO tasks:
1. Project plan GPT
By analyzing previous project plans, I can create a GPT that assists in drafting this year’s focus areas.
How to set it up
Input project plans from previous years.
Specify a format for consistency.
Determine the number of items or sections to include.
Include specific details unique to your team.
Optionally, integrate team feedback and retrospectives.
Example prompt
Based on last year’s project plan, outline this year’s focus. List three critical items for each quarter, ensuring at least one covers link building.
Include a one-sentence summary for each recommended item and at least two KPIs to measure success.
[Insert last year’s plan.]
Now critique the plan. Offer three reasons against focusing on these items, providing sources for your notes.
By connecting performance dashboards or custom GA reports to ChatGPT, it can handle initial issue identification. This allows me to focus on investigating critical trends.
How to set it up
Hook up reporting tools or upload data directly.
Direct AI on specific aspects to investigate.
Set frequency for data review, such as daily or weekly.
Provide examples of pages or categories to analyze.
Example prompt
Here’s the weekly site report. Analyze this week’s performance against last week’s data, summarizing sessions, conversions, and engagement.
Highlight three successes and three areas needing improvement, color-coded by significance.
[Insert report doc.]
3. Competitor analysis GPT
I’ve found it invaluable to scrutinize what works on competitor sites. This often involves tools like Semrush or Ahrefs.
How to set it up
Integrate Ahrefs, Semrush, or upload relevant reports.
Select competitors and identify top-performing pages.
List key metrics for evaluation.
Create unique prompts for various levels of analysis.
Now, more than ever, custom GPTs are making a significant impact alongside existing SEO tools and workflows. They’re not about replacing the tools we use, but about making initial tasks smoother so that we can focus on insightful and strategic actions. By integrating them into our everyday processes, from planning to technical checks, we can really enhance our productivity.
I’ve come to realize that SEO now serves as both a brand and performance channel. The traditional traffic model has been disrupted by AI Overviews and zero-click SERPs, making brand strength crucial for SEO ROI.
For years, SEO was straightforward: rank higher, get more traffic, then boost the sales pipeline. However, this simple equation is rapidly evolving, much to the frustration of marketing leaders.
With AI Overviews and users getting answers directly from LLMs, the idea of “rank and receive traffic and leads” is less effective now. Even top keyword positions don’t guarantee the clicks they once did.
This shift has sparked challenging discussions in boardrooms. Executives often question, “If traffic is down, how can we measure SEO success?”
It’s obvious now: the traffic model has changed, yet the demand for ROI remains. We must treat SEO as a brand-dependent performance channel, not just a traffic provider.
Why traffic and pipeline are no longer in lockstep
Linear attribution has never fully reflected the dynamic nature of organic search. While ChatGPT isn’t replacing Google, it’s augmenting it.
Users now verify information across platforms due to skepticism of search and LLM results. Where research once happened solely within Google’s ecosystem, it has become more scattered.
Today’s organic search is akin to a pinball machine, with buyers bouncing across channels unpredictably. This introduces complexity that traditional attribution software struggles to follow.
Such complexity has broken the linearity executives crave. Traffic and pipeline charts, once aligned, now often diverge.
Across B2B SaaS portfolios, a common pattern emerges: organic sessions may be flat or declining, yet rankings for high-intent terms stay stable, and the pipeline from organic search grows.
This mismatch doesn’t indicate SEO failure. Rather, it shows that traffic is no longer a reliable business impact measure.
The traffic lost to zero-click searches often consists of informational, low-intent content. What remains is higher-intent traffic, closer to conversion.
We’re seeing the “atomization” of search demand. Short-head, broad keywords are declining, while specific, long-tail queries with higher intent are rising.
Many leaders mistakenly react to dropping sessions by pushing for quantity, aiming to regain the lost numbers through top-of-funnel content. This often inflates vanity metrics without delivering qualified leads.
SEO ROI is now the downstream outcome of brand traction
For years, SEO was viewed as a pure performance channel. We believed optimizing some keywords would suffice.
In reality, SEO has always depended on brand strength. The rise of AI-driven engines highlights this, expecting reputations, not just keywords.
If your brand lacks authority, technical optimizations alone won’t elevate your status. Brand strength determines organic performance limits. Search engines seek web-wide consensus, and weak associations hinder results.
Brand strength for LLMs means owning topical authority, aligning with customer queries, being validated by trusted sources, and having clear positioning.
SEO captures pre-existing demand validated by your brand, not creating it from nothing.
The new defensibility metrics for SEO
As traffic no longer headlines KPIs, new defensibility metrics are necessary. Successful teams focus on revenue and reputation impact, not just volume.
Metrics proving business impact include stable top-10 rankings for commercial keywords, increased Ahrefs traffic value, stable solution page traffic, growing homepage traffic, and developing LLM referral traffic.
When pipeline per organic visitor rises, even with falling sessions, the dialogue shifts from “SEO is broken” to recognizing SEO’s evolution.
Modern SEO is moving from acquisition to influence
Successful SEO isn’t about recovering traffic but influencing buyer decisions and enhancing organic visibility. In an AI-first context, zero-click doesn’t imply zero-value.
SEO remains key in building market readiness, positioning brands as authorities even before buyers enter the funnel.
I’ve realized that when it comes to content, you truly get what you pay for. In 2026, I’m constantly exploring new ways to locate outstanding writers, from job boards to LinkedIn and more.
As a marketer, I find myself spoiled for choice when it comes to sources for stellar content. Nowadays, there are more tools and job boards available, making it simpler to locate talented writers and generate compelling content.
However, this abundance also brings challenges, such as prioritizing speed and cost over quality.
If I’m aiming for great (not just good) content, I know some sources are more reliable than others.
This guide will help me find top-tier writers and build a content strategy that ensures quality without sacrificing speed.
Struggle 1: What qualifies as a ‘great’ content writer?
Identifying a great writer can feel a lot like evaluating a new love interest. They may look good on paper and make a strong first impression, but how can I be sure they’re the right fit?
Just like a love interest, I need to invest time to truly know the writer. But that doesn’t mean I go in blindly. Here’s what I focus on to find the perfect match without wasting time.
Evaluate the fundamentals
I look for writers with a strong grasp of grammar, spelling, clarity, and structure. Instead of formal tests, I examine their portfolios and content samples for quality.
A few email exchanges during the hiring process can also reveal their communication skills and confidence.
Make sure they know how to write for people, not bots
Great writers understand that search engines favor content crafted for people rather than formulas. When evaluating samples, I keep an eye out for readability and SEO expertise.
I try to read through and ask myself, “Would this content be useful and engaging for my target audience?” If the answer is no, I know search engines won’t favor it either.
Choose effective copywriters
For a solid return on investment, I prefer writers who possess SEO copywriting skills beyond basic SEO tactics.
While driving traffic is essential, skilled copywriters guide readers toward action, be it signing up, clicking through, or making a purchase.
Assess how easily understandable their work is
I put importance on checking readability scores for potential writers. Sometimes, an article may appear well-written but holds a low score for readability, signaling a lack of clarity.
Find writers that adapt to the audience
My ideal writer not only understands the product or target demographic but deeply connects with the audience’s mindset. I ask for niche-specific samples to ensure they understand my audience’s needs and frustrations.
Struggle 2: Where can I find great content writers?
In my experience, you can find “good” writers almost anywhere. However, I notice a difference between choosing Fiverr and more selective platforms offering better screening opportunities.
Blogging sites
I often look for SEO content writers on blogging sites like Medium, Substack, and LinkedIn. These platforms allow me to see real-time writing and communication styles.
Google and other search engines
Google is a resourceful tool for finding high-quality writers. Those who maintain their own websites often showcase their understanding of SEO through their content marketing efforts.
LinkedIn and Facebook groups
By joining writer and freelancer groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, I observe conversations and discover writers who share their work and thoughts.
Peer recommendations
I don’t shy away from asking for recommendations. Strong writers often get referrals in their communities. Business owners frequently suggest top performers known for real-world project success.
Absolutely. Even when working with experienced writers who manage multiple clients, each has unique preferences and styles. I use standard operating procedures (SOPs) to minimize guesswork and enhance clarity.
Many businesses misinterpret the struggle to find writers with the challenge of retaining them. Without clear directions and SOPs, there’s room for confusion. I’ve found that SOPs save time and keep everyone on the same page.
If writing SOPs feels overwhelming, I consult with operations specialists who can streamline the process, boosting my ROI and ensuring writer satisfaction.
The allure of low-cost content is tempting, especially with quick turnaround promises. But I question the time needed to revise or rewrite it.
If I don’t have editors on hand, this might mean more time editing than crafting it myself. Investing in inexpensive writers isn’t wise without adequate training resources.
In 2026, I’m preparing to pay at least $0.20 per word for premium content. Rates vary, depending on a writer’s expertise and accolades. Ultimately, I look for writing that truly converts.
Struggle 5: Should I use freelance writers or build a team?
Choosing between freelancers and an in-house team hinges on my objectives and budget. Freelancers provide flexibility, scaling content as needed without heavy resources.
Conversely, an in-house team offers consistency and deep brand knowledge. While creating more content or operating in complex niches, this consistency becomes invaluable.
For many, a hybrid model is effective: blend an internal team for editorial control with freelancers for scaling. Tailoring the content system to resources can fit any business stage.
Struggle 6: Is ‘great content’ worth the investment?
From my perspective, optimized content, just like anything else, yields returns based on investment.
By working with top-quality writers, I see an increase in traffic and rankings, making the investment worthwhile. The benefits of high-quality content amplify over time.
I find well-researched content draws qualified visitors long after it’s published, and builds trust with audiences, ultimately fostering more sales.
Great content supports the entire customer journey by answering queries and positioning the brand as credible, providing value throughout their experience.
A skilled writer attracts the right audience, making each investment worthwhile.
Great writers come from clear standards, not lucky hires
I’ve learned that finding exceptional writers isn’t about luck, but about maintaining clear standards.
Understanding what quality looks like and where to look transforms the process into a predictable and less frustrating experience.
The most successful content programs approach writing as a sustainable investment, pairing writers with clear expectations, fair pay, and repeatable systems for long-term value.
