With thrift, timeliness and page 1 of a Google search as my goal, I started applying the soothing balm of online optimization to my own neglected website.

The entire process helped me realize that if you don’t check in with your business every now and again, you can begin to lose track of what you do best, why you do it, and who you do it for. I became a writer because I loved to generate ideas, help companies find fuller expression with language, and to give readers a more engaging experience. Instead I was writing for a content mill, juggling projects that didn’t energize me and getting stressed out about things I didn’t feel passion for.

Content Audit

Now, I audit my content at least once per year, and I encourage my clients to do the same. Keeping track of what I have written, where it is displayed and following its online statistics with Google Analytics has kept me in the driver’s seat of my own career, and has allowed me to have a better grasp of how my writing is helping my clients.

And I’m on page 1 of Google. Boo ya.

If you don’t know exactly what you have online, what it’s doing for you, and who is reading it, why even bother to have it up? Hire a content manager and get back on track.

In nearly every case, little or no attention is given to meta data, ROR sitemaps, Online indexing sites, html title and headliner tags or even keyword-rich content. These are the kinds of companies that can really benefit from a modest investment in content management. That’s where I come in. Copywriting is more than billboard advertisements and direct mail postcards: it is about generating quality content that sells your products and services. Often times that means getting search engines to give more value to your site.

It’s no secret that the companies that are thriving right now have taken content and online media into their own hands. They have entered the content stream and have become self publishers and archivers of their own content. This makes them searchable, organized and authoritative in the online sphere. The first step toward achieving this savvy is strong copywriting.

If you find yourself on the 3rd, 4th or 5th page of a Google search in your keyword market, consider hiring a copywriter who specializes in online media and SEO tactics to take a look at your code. You’ll be amazed how a few changes can make all the difference.