Have you decided to outsource to SEO writing companies to free up your time and resources to focus on your core business? Join the thousands of businesses benefitting from copywriting services.

However, before you take the next step, it’s important to understand that countless SEO content writing services are available in the United States and beyond. We’ll explore the six most common types of content marketing and SEO article writing services. Comparing and contrasting a well-known company from each category can help you choose the best solution for your firm.

6 Different Types of SEO Writing Companies

Here are the six types of SEO writing services we’ll cover:

1. Content Database Services
2. Writer Broker Services
3. Content Subscription Services
4. Freelance Networks
5. Full-Service Content Writing Companies
6. Managed Service Content Writing Companies

1. Content Database Services

Some agencies offer a searchable database of content by professional writers. With this type of SEO article writing service, you can preview articles and select those appropriate for your topic and keywords. When you purchase full license rights to the articles, you also receive assurance of unique content.

This is a hands-off, affordable approach if you want to cover common subject areas and don’t require significant customization. Major publishing companies also offer opportunities to license content. For example, Meredith sells articles, videos and recipes in niches such as health and wellness, DIY, luxury and travel. However, it may be difficult to find good articles for some niche industries.

Some Customization Required

Keep in mind that to some extent, you will still need to customize the content you purchase from these SEO content writing services. For example, you will need to add the right links and keywords to drive search engine optimization for your business.

Once you find the right article and adapt it to your needs, you may find you’re not saving much time and money compared to purchasing truly custom content. Also, if you prefer current content that reflects updated news and events, it will be difficult to find exactly what you need in a content database.

Example of a Content Database Service

Let’s look at Constant Content, which advertises a database of more than 100,000 custom articles by professional writers on a variety of topics. Constant Content verifies that all its content is unique and offers both a full-rights content license and a cheaper limited-use license that may allow the content to be published elsewhere after you purchase it. If you go with the latter option, make sure you read the terms of the license carefully before proceeding.

When you access the Constant Content database, you can search the offerings by keyword or browse by dozens of different topic areas. The advanced search feature lets you drill down further by price, word count and type of content license. Because content writers set their own prices for each article, rates vary widely. You might find a great article for a bargain or become frustrated when nothing in the database quite fits your content parameters.

When you need an article quickly and don’t have time to commission a custom-written piece, this type of SEO content writing service can be a fast solution. However, articles written directly for your audience and your goals will almost always be a more engaging and effective option. Constant Content also lets you make a public writing request that any of the site’s writers can bid on, or a private writing request, which goes only to a specific writer.

2. Writer Broker Services

Although the interface of a writer broker writing firm may remind you of a content database, you’re actually searching for writers rather than content when you use this type of SEO content writing service. Generally, this type of service offers clients access to writers at different quality levels and different costs. You select a level based on your needs and budget, then search for an SEO content writer with relevant experience. Well-known writer broker companies include Zerys, WriterAccess and Textbroker.

This SEO writing companies option is often appealing to businesses that are just starting their content marketing campaigns. The self-service model is affordable and can often work well for one-off articles and small projects. It also allows you to test out different writers and see what type of content attracts the most readers.

However, to receive quality content when using a writer you find through this type of SEO content service, you’ll need to provide a detailed content brief with clear instructions for links, SEO and other needs. You will be responsible for managing the writer you choose and for providing feedback, usually through the service’s existing platform.

Example of Writer Broker Services

Let’s explore the process at Writer Access, one of the best-known and most popular writer broker firms. With this SEO article writing service, you can either post a “casting call” through which writers can apply for your project, or you can search the database of freelancing content creators with the qualities you’re looking for. Either way, once you choose a writer, you manage the contracting, training and feedback process.

Although clients can set their own rates when contracting through Writer Access, the platform recommends a rate of at least 2 cents per word for the most simple content and at least $2 per word when contracting for a project that requires specific, targeted industry knowledge and skill. Most projects will command a cost somewhere in between.

Another Caveat?

Users must pay a monthly membership fee even for the Writer Access self-service option. Currently, the site charges the following:

• $39 per month for up to three projects per month, writing only, with a seven-day turnaround time to approve and accept the provided content
• $79 per month for up to 10 projects per month, with a 10-day turnaround time to accept content, plus access to writers, content strategists, editors and photos
• $99 per month for up to 14 projects per month, with a 14-day turnaround time to accept content and access to premium resources including animation, illustrators and web designers

With this SEO content service, a project manager will place orders, contract out writers and deliver content on your behalf. New Writer Access clients receive a 14-day free trial, and all orders are satisfaction-guaranteed, with unlimited revisions. Although this sounds like a good deal, use caution unless you want to be caught in a cycle of unlimited revisions with a writer who just doesn’t jive with your brand.

Managed Service Options

Clients can also consider a managed service option through Writer Access. The cost for project management is charged in addition to the cost of your content as follows:

• $349 per month for order setup, topic ideas and basic management
• $749 per month for the basic managed service features, as well as keyword research; content publishing on your website, blog, or social media site; and image research

For full-service project management, Writer Access will quote a monthly rate for high-volume publishing, editorial review and other agency services depending on your needs. In contrast, BKA Content includes this SEO article writing service for free when clients exceed a certain content spend threshold.

3. Content Writing Subscription Services

With a content writing subscription service such as BKA Content, Izea or Verblio, you choose a schedule that works for your publication needs, then you receive your content order by the deadline. This model works best for people who need consistent content to kick off a new blog or website. The more fresh content you publish, the better for your SEO endeavors.

When evaluating these SEO writing companies, make sure you review the quality of the articles before committing to a schedule. In addition, you should ensure that the content you receive will be unique and will not be sold in other versions to your competitors. The subscription model should be flexible and allow you to adjust your order as needed so you do not end up paying for content you will not use. Often, firms that offer one-size-fits-all content packages aren’t ideal for your one-of-a-kind business.

Example of Content Writing Subscription Services

As an example of an SEO content writing subscription service, let’s look at our subscription plans at BKA Content. Our platform offers multiple blog writing subscription packages depending on the amount of content you need and the difficulty of your subject matter. All subscriptions with BKA include original content, keyword research, topic creation, proofreading, a dedicated account manager and the ability to change your plan as needed.

If you use our SEO blog writing services, you’ll first undergo an onboarding process during which you’ll be asked to share information about your brand, audience, products, style guide, desired voice and other content requirements. Once you select the content package that best fits your needs, BKA will assign an account manager, begin keyword research and topic creation, build a team of writers for your content, and begin to deliver your finished content.

With this model for SEO article writing services, you get consistent content on a monthly basis. Publishing frequently on your blog will help grow your audience, educate your customers and improve your SEO.

The BKA Content subscription plan is focused on blogs but other services may include newsletters, press releases, website content, blog posts, e-books, white papers, product categories and content rewrites. All blog subscription plans include – or can include as add-ons – social media posts, meta descriptions, title tags and images.

4. Freelance Networks

On a freelance network like Upwork or Fiverr, you can search through content creator profiles to find a writer offering SEO article writing services that fit your needs. While you’ll find that many of the freelancers on these sites charge very low rates, many companies often report low-quality articles that need significant edits before the content can be published. It can also be very difficult to vet the credentials of the writers who create profiles on this type of freelance site.

Using a freelance writing network is best for a company that needs a large volume of content quickly, but does not necessarily need consistent quality (or a company that has the resources to provide stringent quality control in-house). When you order from Upwork, for example, you have access to more than 9 million freelance writers from all over the world. However, because the site allows anyone to sign up for a freelance writing account, you’ll need to be careful about quality. For this reason, many firms decide to go with an SEO writing company with selective criteria for its writers, decreasing the time you’ll need to spend on content that may not be up to par.

Example of Freelance Networks

Clients can post a job on Upwork, and freelancers will bid either an hourly rate, a word count rate or a project-based rate. In general, freelance writers who have more experience will charge more, so you may want to stick with people who charge prices on the higher end of the platform.

In addition to connecting users with writing professionals, Upwork connects users with individuals offering their services in marketing, web development, design, customer service and countless other areas. Within the freelance writing realm, you can choose from academic writers and researchers, blog and web content writers, creative writers, copywriters, editing and proofreading professionals, and other specialties.

Web Content Focus

When you click on the web content focus, you can search writers by national origin and hourly rate. The most affordable freelance writers charge less than $10 an hour on this platform, while the highest-paid writers cost upward of $150 per hour. However, you’ll also find several mid-range pricing options. Once you click on a writer profile, you can see how many jobs that writer has completed and how much he or she has earned on the platform. Availability, response and turnaround times, and overall customer ratings and feedback also appear on the writer profile.

When you post a project, Upwork will analyze your content needs and send you a shortlist of freelancers who fit the bill. You can invite the best candidates in the bunch to submit a bid for your work; however, keep in mind that you are responsible for screening and training the writer you select. Both chat and video interviews are available through the platform to help make your selection easier.

Whether you are paying by the hour or a fixed price for the entire project, you can use Upwork’s online system to do so. The firm will hold payments in escrow until your work is delivered, which can provide peace of mind. However, Upwork does not guarantee the quality of the work you’ll receive – which is a major consideration when trying to find the best SEO article writing service to work with.

5. Full-Service SEO Content Writing Companies

When you want to invest in a professional content writing service that can handle your comprehensive writing, marketing, strategy, analytics, testing and SEO needs, you should consider a full-service firm to take care of your content. These SEO content companies are ideal when you know you can benefit from content marketing but lack the time or staff to create your own program in-house.

However, full-service content writing is on the costly side of your options, so you need to make sure to budget for the expense of hiring experts. Some full-service content writing companies like Brafton also offer adjacent services, like video and infographic production.

Example of Full-Service Content Companies

For example, Brafton touts its comprehensive services in content creation, lead generation, SEO, social media strategy, pay per click marketing and inbound consulting.

The agency relies solely on its in-house content writers and editors, who are also knowledgeable about keyword research and SEO. Brafton’s subject matter experts specialize in industries such as health and wellness, finance and law, entertainment and lifestyle, travel, technology and more.

The Bigger Picture on Full-Service 

While this type of SEO writing company provides everything you need to get your content marketing strategy off the ground, it also tends to be the costliest option and may be out of reach for smaller firms and people with more limited budgets. In fact, Brafton does not publish its prices online, but instead gives project-based quotes depending on the extent of your content needs. The company does explain its unit pricing model: The client pays $100 for one unit that can be used to purchase a portion of any service. For example, Brafton offers five different website content audit packages ranging from six to 80 units.

Estimated costs for Brafton SEO writing services include the following:

• $1 per word for search engine optimized content
• $200 per hour for SEO consulting services
• $300 per keyword brief
• $600 to $8,000 for a full content audit, depending on the number of pages for review

6. Managed Service Content Writing Companies

Although managed service content writing companies have similar offerings as full-content companies when it comes to SEO writing companies, this top-tier option is distinguished by the inclusion of individualized project management. When you hire this type of content writing firm, you will be assigned a dedicated account manager who will provide quality control and customer service for each of your projects.

Managed service SEO content companies can also handle long-form content, such as e-books and white papers, that may not be available from other content agencies. Many of these managed service companies offer white label services for agencies and businesses that need hundreds or even thousands of pieces of content each month to help serve their own clients.

Example of Managed Service Content Companies

A managed service content writing company such as BKA Content is different from a full-service content writing company because, although we ensure that every piece of content is optimized for SEO, we do not provide other services (strategy, design, illustration) beyond writing. This allows our team to focus on what they do best: providing effective, engaging content that supports your marketing goals and speaks to your readers.

Like many other content writing companies on this list, BKA Content provides several tiers of service that you can select depending on your budget and needs. The self-service tier is designed for small one-off projects and businesses with a content budget of less than $1,000 per month. With self-service, you benefit from transparent, up-front pricing and a quick turnaround time between seven and 10 business days.

Simply order your content through the website and receive 100% original, SEO-optimized articles and blog posts written by professional native English speakers. Prices for original content (as opposed to rewrites of your existing content) range from $2.10 for a category description to $43.40 for a press release.

Managed Service Ordering Process

Here’s the easy ordering process:

• Choose the type of content you want, such as a blog post, webpage, product description, etc.
• Indicate your word count and select add-on services such as photos and a meta description.
• Add your content to cart and repeat as needed, then pay using the secure online check-out form.
• Check your email for an intuitive order form that will help you provide a content brief to the BKA Content team.

As you explored the types of SEO writing companies described above, you may have noticed that managed services are often the costliest aspect of outsourcing your content needs. At BKA Content, we bundle managed service as a free perk for clients who spend at least $1,000 on content every month. Our managed content writing service provides the peace of mind you need for ongoing, complex content projects with consistent, stringent requirements.

Additional Benefits of Managed Services

Managed SEO writing services also provide access to a dedicated team of specialized writing experts, which is ideal for high-level content areas such as medicine and law. BKA Content’s managed services have been used by major companies in countless industries, including but not limited to CVS Pharmacy, Auto Zone, Shutterstock, Target, Dell and The Home Depot.

In addition to our managed services, we offer scalable, flexible options for e-commerce sites and other businesses that need large batches of high-quality SEO-optimized content (product descriptions, for example). Agency services allow other SEO and marketing providers to benefit from our expert team of writers.

Get Started With an SEO Article Writing Service Today!

If you’re ready to get started working with one of the best SEO writing companies out there, browse our Content Shop today to learn more about our self-service options as well as our blog subscription plans. For larger SEO article writing projects, contact us directly to discuss your needs and to receive a free content writing quote.