Practically everything you’ve been dying to ask (FAQ)

Q1: How much do you charge?

Sorry, no simple answer to that. I need to know more about your company and requirements to give you an accurate project price. As a rough idea of pricing, my rates start at around GBP 150 (EUR 175) for a 500-word blog post. And as a point of reference, an A4 averages about 300-350 words. Note: Google is a big fan of longer articles if they are of value.

Q2: Do you write in British English, American English, or Dutch?

My main focus is on the United Kingdom and Europe, which is hardly surprising after 9 years as a translator and a couple of years living in Ireland. I am a proud member of ProCopywriters.UK and of CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading). Never underestimate a high-quality edit of your texts.

Did you know there are 980 million speakers of English as a second language, as opposed to roughly 370 million speakers of English as a first language? Nearly three times as many? It makes it worth the effort to focus on writing in plain language (or, as I once read, ‘translatable English’).

Wonder what that means? Well, for starters, it means cutting the use of idioms, as even native English readers aren’t fully aware of their meaning, and they confuse non-natives. It means using understandable language without showing off your vocabulary for the sole sake of showing off. As a result, it means easy-to-read texts, no matter how complicated the subject.

As an added bonus, I’m also a native Dutch speaker with several years of experience as a Dutch copywriter, and well aware of the differences between British and American English. So, if needed, I’m happy to adjust my writing to the American market. Let me know which language you need, and I’ll happily adapt.

Q3: My company doesn’t operate in any of the industries you cover. Can we still work together?

Of course we can! I focus on corporate services, everything related to sustainable office environments, facility management, health and wellness, DEI, and pets. This makes it easier to hit the ground running, but I’m always open to new, unexplored territory. That’s what keeps my creative juices flowing.

My ideal client is a story-driven company that is responsive to customers and prioritizes having a clear sense of purpose and identity. My client doesn’t focus on their competition, stating they’re cheaper, faster or shinier. They know they add value to their clients and are aware of their worth. My clients intend to create a sustainable impact.

The industry is less important, as this basically requires some thorough research, which I enjoy anyway and never goes to waste.

Q4: What is the optimal length of a blog post or article – 300, 900, or 1500 words?

It depends, with a lower limit of 300 words. Under 300, Google won’t even bother indexing it. As a rule of thumb, the longer your reader stays on your blog, the better. But if your information fits nicely into a 500-word blog post, don’t force it into a 1000-word blog just for the sake of it. Google will not appreciate it, and neither will your readers.

Google only likes long articles if they are valuable. It makes it easier for them to determine whether it is an answer to a search query and whether it fits into their new acronym of EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Consider creating a content pillar, a series of interrelated articles with a pillar page to connect them. Google loves those, and your site might end up at the top of the page as a feature!

More essential to your readers are the readability, scanability and the layout. If you have a story to tell that is easy on the eye and compelling, even a 4000-word article won’t scare your reader away.

Q5: How about SEO?

I write first and foremost for humans. But for humans to find this content, SEO is equally important. In my writing process, SEO is limited to two stages:

1️⃣  Suppose you, the client, decide to target a specific SEO keyword. In that case, this will largely influence the subject of the article/blog post. I’ll do some research to uncover the best variation(s). Include one or two related long-tail keywords to go with it, and let it lead me to a well-balanced article outline.

❌ After that, I wouldn’t allow it anywhere near my writing, far too disruptive.

2️⃣ The subject of SEO then reappears in the editing phase, where I can give it my full attention. I can now incorporate keywords where they flow organically without disturbing the reader’s experience.

This is also the phase where the title, headers, optional alt texts, captions and meta description are refined, adding (long-tail) keywords where appropriate.

Q6: What types of writing services do you offer?

That’s open to discussion. I’m in for a lot, except for sales content or direct marketing. And I’m a fast learner.

Examples of my expertise are:

🎯 Articles with helpful and informative content on human resources, mental health, and pet health issues;

🎯 A series of blog posts on health and well-being in the workplace or pet health issues;

🎯 White papers and case studies on innovative tech solutions in health & wellbeing;

🎯 I can work as a ghostwriter, or as a guest blogger, depending on your preference;

🎯 Any other copy to inform or engage your audience.

❌ No direct marketing or sales copy, however. That’s not my cup of tea.

At the end of the day, there is only one way to find out – get in touch with me.

Q7: Do you offer other services besides writing?

Of course, we do!

At your request, we can provide advanced SEO keyword research (basic keyword research is included), source high-resolution royalty-free images and much more. The sky’s the limit.

We can create a content strategy together, including internal and external links, content pillars, and a balanced number of articles for each phase of your content flywheel.

If you’re on a tight budget, we can work on optimising your existing content. Or we can repurpose existing articles as e-books. And what about giving some of your older content a makeover? There is no need for waste of good material.

And suppose you’re active on the international stage and have an impressive portfolio of blog posts and articles in either English or Dutch. In that case, I can also transcreate them for you. Beyond translation services, transcreation involves an extra step. It consists in adapting the content to the culture of the target country.

❌ But if you need a web designer, a marketing generalist or something related to influencers, then I’m out.

Q8: OK, you’ve got me. How do we start working together?

What are we waiting for? It’s easy as pie. Contact me via my contact form, LinkedIn or email and let’s discuss your needs. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

I have also created a brief for you to fill in, but if you prefer, we can arrange a (video) call.

In my experience, a brief is a more relaxed way of working. You don’t need to have all the information at your fingertips during a call; you can fill it in whenever you feel like it.

On the other hand, a phone call can feel a lot more personal.