What’s a Blog Really Worth? The Importance of Well-Written Technical Content
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I have 3 types of clients:
1) clients who don't bat an eye at my rates
2) clients who won't negotiate at all
3)clients who nickel and dime me, trying to squeeze every last penny out of a negotiation
I have a theory - and it's just that - that the clients I work with the most, in the healthcare and medical space often don't understand the worth of my writing - or of good writing in general. If you're not in the industry, why would you?
This is the biggest mistake I see clients make is being exceptionally good at what they do and having no content plan and a lackluster SEO strategy.
Look, I get it. It's scary to pay someone hundreds of dollars while ChatGPT could just write the blog for you.
I also get what it's like to not rely on writing to put food on your table and pay the mortgage. It's just a blog. How much work could it really be?
The Return on Your Blogging Investment
Let's start with the stats. Here's what your money can buy: a 434% increase in indexed pages and a 97% increase in indexed links. A 67% increase in leads month over month and 13 times the ROI that businesses without blogs see. (thanks for the stats, Hubspot)
That's because writing a blog isn't what it was in the early or mid-aughts when you would dial up your internet or log onto your computer and just type your thoughts into the void of your online community for cat lovers or onto a customizable website you had created as your little online journal, never thinking anybody would actually read it.
It's true that the golden age of blogging has long been over; we all post on the same four platforms now in the hope of gaining some semblance of recognition.
However, blogging still matters. It's how you educate and inform your audience; it's how you rank on Google. The presence of expert, experienced, authoritative, trustworthy (E-E-A-T) content that answers real questions on your website tells Google that you matter.
So you rank higher. People find you. And a blog that costs anywhere from $50-750, depending on who you worked with, will eventually pull in more than enough interested leads to cover the cost of that content.
Especially in healthcare. Healthcare websites pull the most traffic from Google alone, with 89% of traffic coming to healthcare websites coming from Google Search. So if you're in this industry, you should really care about creating quality content.
So what goes into a blog that makes prices so expensive?
Research
Especially in the healthcare, tech, medical, and any other jargon-heavy industries, we spend a lot of time doing research, figuring out what our findings mean, and potentially translating those findings into writing that is actually readable.
We're also researching you. When we first start writing for a new client, we're adjusting to your brand voice. We're figuring out what spacing you like and what spacing you hate.
We're making a list of phrases never to use again. We are trying to absorb as much information as possible about what you do and don't like. Believe it or not, people are picky. wink
Time
Good lord, time! We have initial consultations with you. We spend a lot of time talking to you, emailing you, communicating with you, and explaining why that's not included in the scope of work, either.
This isn't every client - but some clients are Chatty Cathy's. Generally speaking, giving up time for business is, well, business. But if the overhead price of something ever seems high, know that we're probably factoring in time spent outside of writing in, too.
Writing
It takes time to write well. I know it is hard to believe that as self-employed people we actually possess the discipline to sit at our desks all day and write your articles, but that's what we're doing. Your work takes time. We’re engaging the audience, keeping them on your website, and making your business a part of their vision.
Editing
Revisions also take time. Sometimes, people are merciless with revisions. Those take LOTS of time.
Read more about What Copywriting Is and Why You Should Care
The Importance of Strong Content in Technical Spaces
You may be sitting there, thinking, "I have my [ insert advanced terminal degree here]. I don't need to pay some rando from the Internet a few hundred bucks for a blog or to do my SEO. If I got through [med school/grad school, etc] I can figure that out myself."
You know what? That's fair. You do have a degree that to us humans screams, "crazy amounts of knowledge over here!"
Google, however, doesn't care about your degree. I know. It sucks. And to reach the people that do, you need to be visible on Google. To reach the people who need your expertise - and the world does - you need to have good SEO and good content in place.
Trust me - there isn't enough time in the day to improve your SEO or write unique, well-structured blogs by yourself. There just isn't. Why do you think I'm publishing this at 6? I interface with clients all day and then remember I have to run a business, too. But if you pay someone else to do it for you - fairly - it's worth it.
Take Your Business to The Next Level
Are you ready to take your website to the next level? Book a call with me to discover how we can work together to create a personalized plan to connect you with your audience for more meaningful relationships and an increase in business. You’ve got the knowledge - let’s bring that knowledge to the world.
