Frequently Asked Questions
Learn how to buy content, what types of content we create, how we write, about word count, publishing, keywords, images, turnaround times, pricing and payments, a little bit about search ranking expectations and who you’ll be working with on a regular basis.
If your question isn’t here, please get in touch. We’re a friendly bunch and will respond quickly.
To purchase, follow these steps:
1 – Decide how many articles you need. Pricing is here. First time clients usually order 10 or 20 articles of 1,600 words each.
2 – Decide whether you’d like us to provide you with a list of possible keywords and matching article titles for your website, or not.
3 – Send an email to service@copysmiths.com with your request.
4 – We will reply with more detail, ask a few questions, get your project set up in our system and go back-and-forth with a few more discussions.
5 – When you’ve settled on what you want, we will send an invoice.
6 – When the invoice is paid, work begins. We work on an Article Brief, research keywords and write article titles.
7 – When you’ve approved your Article Brief and Article Title list, we start writing.
8 – We will write 2 articles and get your feedback and approval before we continue with the remaining work. You can comment on writing style, links, images etc. Your feedback is placed into the Article Brief.
9 – We then continue … writing, editing, proofreading, design and publishing to your website
Within the blog article format there are 6+ styles. The most common styles that we produce for clients include:
We have developed templates for each content type. Each template has suggestions for layout structure and rich content that ought to be included.
The templates help our less experienced writers follow our training more closely, and ensure you get a better result.
Our more experienced writers get creative and adapt these templates to your project.
You can ask for your content to have exactly the same structure every time to maintain a consistent look across your website. Or, you can provide your own templates.
It’s your choice.
Yes. We can make minor changes to our templates so that your article structure is different to everyone else. Just ask.
No. We specialise in blog article writing only, mostly for eCommerce store blogs. We write a variety of blog content formats. We write product descriptions.
Yes. We write long form articles in buying guide and expert review formats.
Multiple writers work on your articles.
We think that having many writers on your project is the best balance. Google values different styles, opinions, ideas and structure.
However, keep in mind that writers naturally gravitate toward topics that they find more interesting than others, and they’ll keep picking up your article work.
It is common for the same writers to continue working on the same batch of articles, but we don’t force this to happen.
Over time, we ask you which articles you preferred best and we ask those writers to continue working on your account.
Yes. We accept client background briefing documents that tell us who you are, what you sell, your target audience and tone of voice.
Your instructions will be incorporated into the CopySmiths Article Brief.
Yes. We are able to accept detailed article briefs that contain your exact instructions. e.g. sub-headings, keyword inclusions, CTAs, etc.
We integrate your instructions with our tried-and-true Quality Content ‘recipe’ that complies with Google’s Quality Rater Guidelines and Advanced Blogger Guidelines.
Yes. We produce articles briefs for our writers. You are able to make suggestions and course corrections before we start writing.
Yes. We accept minor corrections and changes that take less than 30 minutes to complete.
We are not able to make extensive changes or rewrites to articles.
Please keep in mind that our goal is to produce affordable articles, at scale, for your business.
If you require a very particular Tone of Voice, style or in-depth first-hand knowledge of your products, then you will need to work with your own freelance writer or your in-house team if you wish to substantially rework an article.
Or ..
We will scrap the article and start again, from scratch.
However, this time you will need to provide an outline of the points you wish for us to cover in the article. Your outline should include sub-headings and 2 or 3 bullet points under each section.
You will need to provide further examples of Tone of Voice, structure and layout from previous articles that you’ve published or seen online.
In short, we need to know exactly what you need in your articles so we can provide a closer match to your requirements.
If the article still isn’t acceptable we will provide a refund.
Regular ol’ articles are usually around 1,400 to 1,600 words, give or take 100 words. In most cases, this is a sufficient volume of words to clearly explain the topic at hand, and not bore your reader to death.
If your business is in a particularly competitive niche, or your product is particularly complex, then you may need more than 2,000 words in your articles.
Keep in mind that there are plenty of articles ranking in the top search positions with only 700 words, and they will have competitors that rank with 3,000 words.
With CopySmiths you pay for the article, not the words on the page. This helps us to avoid filler content and concentrate on writing useful, engaging content for your readers and customers.
Nope … not anymore! After using SurferSEO for well over 2,000 articles we have come to the conclusion that it’s not conclusively beneficial to our clients.
The short answer is that using keyword optimisation tools such as SurferSEO, Frase or Page Optimizer Pro results in keyword stuffing, which Google has explicitly stated not to do.
Using these tools also leaves a footprint. Imagine that you’re trying to rank for the keyword pencils. The tools will give you a list of 32 keywords that you also need to use, and how often you need to use those keywords. This creates a footprint for Google.
The following screencast goes into more detail regarding our experience with SurferSEO and what we do to ensure we’re on track with user intent.
We can’t publish to complex systems, templates or themes. The publishing needs to be fairly straightforward. If in doubt, provide a video showing how to publish and we’ll try to accommodate your request.
Yes. You can choose whichever delivery method suits you better.
We can either provide you with a Google Document, or we can publish to your website and set to Draft or Publish. It’s your choice.
Yes, easily done. We will email a Google Doc to your preferred email address. You can make adjustments or request changes via the Google Doc. When finalised, we can then publish the article onto your website.
This process is particularly useful if you’re a more particular person, haven’t worked with content production before, or want to add your own nuances to an article.
No. Some people just feel more comfortable seeing a Google Doc before we create the article on your website, and that’s fine with us.
The only effect it has, really, is on our turnaround time as it takes an extra day or two to receive feedback/approval from you.
Yes. Buy a batch of 20+ articles and we’ll publish according to your preferred schedule.
For example if you’d like to publish twice week then we will set your publish dates to each Tuesday and Thursday, or whichever days you prefer.
Order another batch of articles when you want to top-up your blog queue.
Google says “a frequently updated site encourages people to return.” So, if you’re unsure we suggest that you publish at least once a week.
Yes. We can place links in your new articles to other other articles in your blog. Before we begin work you will need to provide a spreadsheet with URLs and instructions.
We don’t edit links after the article has been published.
We publish anonymously for our clients. The Author Profile is either your admin/own/founder profile, one of your staff writers, or a salesperson in your team.
Although we have niche experts in our team, we don’t publish their names or bios.
Yes. We will look at the products/service you sell, your industry and site categories.
Based on what we find, we’ll do a quick bit of keyword research and then write article titles for your blog.
You can edit, reject, change or approve your favourite article titles.
Yes. We can suggest keywords or you can provide your own list.
However, please note that we are not an SEO agency. We don’t dive into your business or analytics to find unicorns.
We use standard reports in Ahrefs (a popular SEO tool) to quickly pick keywords that are based on commonsense and low-hanging fruit opportunities.
We gather more keywords than you need, so you can make the final selection.
Below are the three ways that we research and find keywords for you.
Usually, when you have an older website, we’ll start with a Content Gap analysis in Ahrefs. This means that we find your competitor’s keywords and then determine whether you’ve written about them before. We search your site (site:www.company.com “keyword”) to see if you’ve written about it before. If your most obvious competitors have written on the keyword, then this is often a good way to get started.
We can look for keywords in your industry that have higher volume and lower difficulty. We usually set the benchmark to above 1,000 volume and below 25 keyword difficulty. The volume increases depending on your niche. E.g. parenting topics usually have 30,000 monthly searches so we set the minimum to 10,000 searches for these niches.
We can suggest long tail keywords that have good user intent. These tend to result in lower organic traffic, but as we all know it’s not about having the most traffic. It’s better to have the best traffic; people who are more likely to convert.
Yes. We create unique images for your articles with a few caveats.
The images are created by our in-house graphic designers, and produced specifically for your articles.
We do not customize images to your specifications with your design input, words, alterations etc.
You can ask us not to create images for your articles, or you can reject them before we publish. But, at this time, you are not able to request specific images or changes.
All images are available as Canva files if you wish to edit them with your own team. Just ask and we’ll give you access to the Canva folder.
Yes. We source images from your own website as well as from rights-managed stock libraries.
We source images from non-competitor industry experts. We don’t have a process in place to seek permissions.
We source screenshots/images from your social media channels and eCommerce store review sections to include as social proof.
Yes. We source photos from the Canva library or from your website.
Yes. If we’ve misspelled a word, used a feature incorrectly or perhaps chosen an old product photo then we can correct the image. We want your images to be factually correct.
However, for the moment, we don’t accept design changes such as moving elements, changing colours, adding or removing photos etc. We don’t offer a custom image creation service.
Yes. In the below screencast we share more examples of unique images and the exact templates that we use across all articles.
We are continually working on improving our turnaround times, but there is a limit if we want to maintain a high level of quality and a happy writing team.
When you order a batch of articles this is approximately what happens in terms of timing.
Day 1 – Batch volume agreed. Invoice sent.
Day 3 – Invoice paid. Keyword research commences.
Day 6 – Keywords approved. Ticket creation commences.
Day 7 – Tickets all pushed into our queue. Writers notified.
Day 8 – Writers are assigned to your articles.
Day 12 – First article is submitted for editing.
Day 14 – Editors finish proofreading, sub-editing and quality control on first article.
Day 16 – First article is scheduled into your CMS.
Day 17 – Second article is scheduled into your CMS.
Day 18 – Third article is scheduled … etc.
We schedule to whatever cadence you prefer. So, we can schedule weekly, monthly etc.
Everything is essentially loaded into your CMS as it is completed. We can either set to publish or draft. Your choice.
If this is the first time we’ve worked together then we will release 1 or 2 articles into our queue, only.
When you’ve approved the first article in terms of content, tone of voice, style, etc. then we release the remaining articles into the writing queue.
It’s better to reject, or ask for changes to one article, than to reject 50 articles.
If we’ve worked together before, then your all of your articles are released into our writing queue at the same time.
No. We charge a flat rate for articles. All costs are included in your batch invoice.
No. A batch of articles applies to a single website or project that is usually on the same topic or theme.
Yes. Articles are priced in batches. When you order more articles then the price is reduced.
The batch price is only applicable per paid invoice. What this means is that you can’t order a batch of 50+ articles and pay for it in two invoices.
Yes. You can lock in a price as long as you order a minimum of 10 articles per month. Payment must be received before the end of each month in order to qualify.
Please note that we do reserve the right to retract that price.
Yes. If you are deeply unhappy with an article that we have produced then we will provide a refund.
Your request must be made within 14 days of receipt of the article.
Before we provide a refund we will make a round of changes, or will rewrite an article from scratch, with your input.
If the article is still not completed to your satisfaction, we will provide a refund.
Before you buy, keep in mind that we are a mid-tier writing service. We are not a bottom-of-the barrel content mill and nor are we a high-cost copywriting agency. We sit in the middle.
We write well and often, which is what you need in order to rank in the search engines and offer your customers basic information about your products.
Most clients prefer that we simply pick another topic and the article is rewritten.
Of course, you will not be able to publish a refunded or rejected article, or any part of it, on your website.
Yes, quite possibly. As demand for our service increases we are gradually increasing our content prices.
However, your price stays the same – within reason – at the time you purchased. So, if you’ve been referred by a friend, you might see a different price than what your friend is paying.
We are flexible and open to discussion; just get in touch.
No. When your article has been paid for and briefed into the article queue, it’s not possible to cancel or switch to another topic.
Your payment signifies that you are 100% ready and committed to proceeding with the articles that have been ordered.
We invoice for the full amount of your batch before any work starts. Once we’ve received payment we commence work.
We send an invoice.
You can pay via Wise, PayPal, credit/debit card (+bank processing fee) or by direct bank transfer.
Email service@copysmiths.com or use the contact form. An Account Manager will be in touch to help you get started.
Google says “Write well and often.“
We have noticed, time and time again, that when someone publishes often their organic traffic, ranking and backlinks naturally increase.
You need to keep publishing content, at least once a week, if you want to see positive SEO results.
Do not expect to publish 20 articles, sit back and be rewarded by Google. It doesn’t happen. Only when you publish often will you see a noticeable effect.
If you do publish frequently …
Your articles will usually start to change Google rank between 2 weeks and 6 months from the publishing date.
Large, successful websites with 100s of already-published articles and high domain authority will see their articles rank sooner and higher, usually within 2 and 6 weeks from publishing.
Whereas newer, smaller websites that have only just started their blogging adventure will see some action anywhere between 2 and 6 months from publishing.
Many factors, including Page Experience, will affect an article’s ability to be indexed and ranked by Google.
For example, if you haven’t linked to your blog or articles from your homepage or Collection page, you won’t see a positive change.
If your blog content is hidden several layers and categories in the depths of your website, you won’t see a positive result.
If your website has dodgy backlinks, you won’t see a positive result.
You need to ensure that your entire website, not just the blog, has the best chance of being indexed by Google.
If you are worried that you might have an indexation or serious SEO issues, we can refer you to an excellent SEO agency who will provide you with expert advice.
You will be working directly with a dedicated Account Manager, depending on your niche and content requirements.
We have a daily process that ensures your content creation is being managed on a very regular basis.
You will hear from your Account Manager at least once a week, or more often if your project is particularly busy.
After your batch wraps up, you will continue to hear from your account manager over the course of a few months as they provide you with updates.
Yes, we send an automated content report that shows what is happening with your batch of work.
It is updated every 2 hours and available to customers who have ordered more than 10 articles, or who order on a regular basis.
Simply email us on service@copysmiths.com. We monitor our Inbox all day, every day. You can expect to receive a reply within a few hours, on business days.
We prefer to communicate via email so we can keep careful track of our conversation with you, noting any changes or requests that you make.
No. We offer a service whereby we manage the interaction with writers to get the best result for your content.
However, your feedback and changes are always added to the Article Brief for future work. The writers read the Article Brief.
Yes, absolutely. Any time you like. I’m very friendly and you’ll be doing me a favour by letting me talk on my favourite topic.
Send an email to service@copysmiths.com and we’ll reply with a Calendly booking link for your timezone. The bookings are 30-minute slots. More time is available if needed.
No. We are not a content mill. We do a bit more.
A content mill is typically a very large content creation business that has 100s or 1,000s of writers. The work is churned out at a very high rate for a cheap price.
Some content mills have a reputation for overworking their writers, paying badly and producing poor quality results for customers.
However, content mills do have their place in content marketing.
They provide an excellent opportunity for you to get large volumes of basic content created at a low cost. This can be used to seed areas of your website with keyword-rich content
And, if you have an in-house team of writers, content mill articles can be used to create foundational content for your in-house team to improve.
Content mills usually charge per word. You usually buy a block of 20,000+ words and then request articles by topic. They are able to produce content quickly and cheaply.
No. We don’t provide custom writing, design or strategic advice. We do a bit less.
An agency will meet with you on a regular basis to discuss your content strategy, manage your entire content marketing plan, provide analysis of their campaigns, and strive to provide a positive ROI.
Agency writers are (sometimes) more accomplished and experienced in your niche than our writers, and can spend the time to truly understand the depths of your product and target audience. They have the time, and money, to go back-and-forth on a single piece of content to provide you with a highly polished result.
An agency will usually charge you for service per hour or via a monthly retainer. An article produced by an agency will cost between $500 and $5,000 each, depending on the complexity of the project.
For a few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars a month, an agency will love you like a brother and be at your beck and call forever.
Like a content mill, we aim to be affordable and produce articles at scale. You get to set your own budget.
Like an agency, we strive to provide you with personal service, and do everything from idea generation through to publishing on your website, but within reasonable budget limits.
Our writers are very good, and getting better. But, they can’t plumb the depths of your product into the finest details. Nor can they write in the exact tone of voice that you might require, if you have a very strong brand character.
We sit in the middle, and we’re perfect for some clients, but not everyone.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and we’ll get in touch shortly.