When outsourcing your SEO, says Heather Lloyd-Martin, you have to ask the right questions if you're going to find the right candidate. "SEO copywriting professionals can have a wide variety of skill sets," she writes at Target Marketing magazine, "from the newbie who is just getting her virtual feet wet to the uber-experienced direct response professional who is also a whiz at SEO."

Therefore, before you hire an SEO pro, it's best to ask questions like these:

What kind of experience do you have? "SEO copywriting is part geeky knowledge, part creative brilliance," Lloyd-Martin explains. "Not only will your new hire have to have 'normal' copywriting skills, but he'll also need to know how to choose keyphrases, set a strategy and weave keyphrases into your copy the right way." In other words, success in other copywriting arenas won't necessarily translate to SEO brilliance.

What do you charge, and what's included in the price? According to Lloyd-Martin, a writer's seemingly inexpensive rate might not include "extras" like keyphrase research, per-page keyphrase strategies, or titles and meta descriptions. "That's great for some clients," she says. "But if you need lots of extras, know that you'll be paying more per page."

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