How to Hire an SEO Copywriter

Before you write a job post or reach out to a writer, be specific about what you’re hiring for. There’s a meaningful difference between "someone to write blog posts" and "someone to write evaluation-stage content that ranks for commercial keywords in our category and moves readers toward a demo request." The second brief attracts different candidates and makes evaluating them much easier.

Key things to define before you start: the content types you need (long-form articles, comparison pages, landing pages), the keywords or topics you’re targeting, the funnel stage the content should serve, and whether you need someone to do keyword research and brief creation or just to execute against briefs you’ve already written.

Also decide whether you want a per-piece arrangement or a monthly retainer. Per-piece works well when your content needs are irregular or when you want to try a writer before committing. A retainer makes more sense when you have consistent output needs and want someone who can stay embedded in your content program over time.

Referrals from other SaaS marketers. The highest-signal source. If a writer consistently produces content that ranks and converts for a company in your space, they can do it for you. Ask your network who they’ve used for B2B content and specifically who has helped them rank for commercial keywords.

LinkedIn. SEO copywriters who specialize in B2B SaaS tend to be active on LinkedIn and visible in their feed. Search for "SEO copywriter B2B" or ‛SEO content writer SaaS" and look for people who post about content strategy and SEO—not just writing. Writers who think publicly about the strategic side of content tend to be more effective practitioners.

The portfolios themselves. If you’ve read an article recently that ranked well for a competitive keyword and was genuinely useful, find out who wrote it. Most writers credit themselves in the byline. This is the most reliable signal because you’re starting from observed evidence of good work rather than a pitch.

Content agencies. Agencies can provide access to vetted writers, but the quality varies and the account manager layer often creates distance between you and the person actually writing. If you go the agency route, ask specifically to see samples from the writer who will be assigned to your account, not the agency’s general portfolio.

A link to a published article is not a portfolio—it’s a sample. A portfolio is links to articles that rank, with the specific rankings documented. Ask any SEO copywriter you’re considering—including me—to show you pieces they wrote that rank in the top five positions for competitive keywords. If they can’t produce that, you’re looking at someone who writes content that gets published, not content that gets found.

When you’ve seen the ranked pieces, check the rankings yourself. Search the target keyword in an incognito window and see where the piece actually shows up. Then read the piece: does it clearly serve the search intent? Is it structured in a way that makes sense for the query? Does it have a conversion layer, or does it just inform and then stop?

Second question: have they written in your category or for a similar audience? SEO copywriting in B2B SaaS requires understanding the specific evaluation process software buyers go through. I’ve written for Zapier, HubSpot, CoSchedule, and Sinch—so I’ve done this ramp-up before. A writer who’s worked in SaaS will get there faster than one who hasn’t.

"Tell me about a piece of content you wrote that moved in the rankings after a refresh." This tests whether they understand that SEO copywriting includes updating existing content, not just creating new pieces. Writers who only think about new content creation miss one of the fastest-ROI levers in content marketing.

"How do you approach a new keyword before you start writing?" Listen for: SERP analysis, search intent identification, competitive content review, and an explanation of how those findings shaped the structure of the piece. Vague answers ("I do keyword research and then write") suggest the research is superficial.

"What would you do differently with [a specific piece of your current content]?" Give them a link to one of your existing articles and ask what they’d change. This tests whether they can apply strategic SEO thinking in real time and whether their diagnosis matches what you already suspect about the piece.

They can’t point to ranked content in their portfolio. This is the most important red flag. Publishing credits are not evidence of SEO effectiveness. If a writer can’t show you specific pieces that rank for specific keywords, they can’t demonstrate that their approach actually works.

They talk about word count as a primary driver of rankings. Word count is a proxy metric that some writers have internalized as a ranking factor. It isn’t. What matters is whether the content fully covers the search intent. Sometimes that takes 800 words. Sometimes it takes 3,000. A writer who leads with word count as a quality signal is optimizing for the wrong thing.

They guarantee rankings or timelines. No one can guarantee where a specific piece will rank. Search is probabilistic, domain authority matters, and the competitive landscape changes. A writer who promises page-one rankings is either inexperienced or being deliberately misleading. Reasonable writers talk about what they can control—quality, structure, intent alignment—not outcomes they can’t.