Last year we evaluated 99Designs (and other alternatives), a crowdsourced marketplace that I was a huge advocate of. In short, you pay a fixed price (prize pool) which designers compete for, the designer you select wins the prize pool. When designers compete, we win. Conversely, it provides an opportunity for designers to find work, and designers confident in their ability have an opportunity to score some nice prize pools.
(Editors Note: We’re starting this post with an intro into outsourcing for context, if you want to get straight to the review of TopTal, scroll down to the bolded title, “Toptal Review – What’s this have to do with Toptal?“)
There are plenty of Toptal reviews online, but I feel a lot of them lack context on the outsourcing market, thus spurring the need for Toptal.
The truth is, outsourcing has come a long way. No longer do you have to move your company to a tech-savvy city like Silicon Valley for access to top talent. You can now go online and hire someone from anywhere in the world to write a PHP script or create a brand-new WordPress website, or write a fully blown software application for any purpose imaginable.
The internet is riddled with mixed reviews of Upwork, and I’m here to help decipher them – and to analyze the problems that still exist. But at the end of the day…
Here’s how it is supposed to work: A company crafts a highly detailed job description for a specific project. Contractors write highly detailed and attractive cover letters to capture the attention of the company. The company chooses a contractor from the field of highly qualified, well written contractors. The contractor accepts the job and performs up to spec and within the time frame. The company pays the contractor a fair price for the job in a timely manner. Good reviews of each other’s performances are given out. Everyone is happy.Read More
***Important Editor’s Note: This is a review for Thumbtack Pro in 2022, the date is an important distinction as Thumbtack was once free to be listed in the marketplace. Thus be careful of older, dated reviews on the web.***
I love and hate Thumbtack. I get a lot of terrible leads, and I have to pay $10-20 per lead that comes through.
Now back when I ran this test, MarketMuse and Surfer SEO both offered cheaper plans… they’ve since increased features and pricing. MarketMuse has a free plan with their next plan at $149/mo, and Surfer SEO’s cheapest plan rings in at $49/mo.
Personally, if I were planning to start with one these platforms today, I’d start with MarketMuse’s free plan and if you outgrow that go with Surfer SEO.
No biases, I’m not an associated or partnered with either platform.
We’ll test this on two posts, my ContentBot Review and my ClearVoice Review.
They’re the perfect candidates as they could use some improvement to move up to a top 5 position, as it stands now they currently sit at #9 and #14 in Google, and this content was written without the help MarketMuse:
Rankings BEFORE MarketMuse
Let’s start with my ContentBot review, it has a paltry “Content Score” of 28… whereas the top competitor in the SERPS has a score of 47. They recommend a target score of 34 for this keyword. Optimization is easy enough as they provide keywords I should consider adding:
MarketMuse – Optimizing my ContentBot Review post
Optimization took less than 10 minutes to find places where I can sneak in some keywords. I bumped up my content score from 28 to 43, I could have went higher but I only included the keywords that I thought could have an impact on rankings (they had generic words such as “Facebook”).
For my ClearVoice review, it started with a content score of 32, whereas top competitors in the SERPS were anywhere from 29 to 37. MarketMuse listed a target score of 36. Same thing as before, a few simple tweaks upped by content score to 47:
After MarketMuse Improvements
I had Google Search Console re-crawl my links as the content has changed, and I waited about a week to see the results. In that time I didn’t create any additional backlinks, nor new content with internal links to those reviews. I wanted to see what I could do purely with content optimization.
The results, not much. Which makes sense as Google tries to obfuscate things to make it harder to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
So I waited a month.
.
..
…
The results – Pretty darn good!
Marketmuse Review – AFTER Content Optimization
We went from 9 and 14, to spots #4 and 6, respectively.
This isn’t surprising to me as I’ve seen similar results from similar (and perhaps more popular software) in Surfer SEO, but MarketMuse happens to be cheaper in the long run and I love to save money whenever possible.
Let’s rule out one – ClearScope. With plans starting at $170/mo it might be the right option for a large agency – but not small businesses. Now, I didn’t try it so it could be something you can evaluate for your company, but for me the logical options were between Surfer SEO and MarketMuse.
Update 12-2021 – Looks like MarketMuse is now targeting the enterprise model with their plans now starting at $149, where they now include AI copywriting. But they do have a free plan where you can get started.
Originally, I loved Surfer SEO, but I had sought out MarketMuse because it was the cheaper option, and was close enough to be well worth the purchase. But the change in their business model obviously changes things.
Overall, if you’re on a budget, I’d say the winner is MarketMuse, and if you outgrow that go to Surfer SEO’s $49 plan.
Because AI copywriting is a dime a dozen. For me, you can pair it with something like ContentBot, which does the job nicely.
But both Surfer SEO and MarketMuse have a free 7-day trial, I encourage you guys to check them out and make the decision yourself.
What are your thoughts on software like Surfer SEO, MarketMuse, and ClearScope? What are your favorites? Any new competitors to the market? Let me know in the comments below!
Press releases use to be a must for SEO, but after Google’s algorithm updates, are press releases still worth sending out? Like with any other form of advertising, you expect a return on investment. And GOOD press release services (PRWeb, PRNewsWire, etc.) aren’t cheap, but are they worth the money in a day of age where it’s easier to interact with journalists via social media, email, etc.? With Google’s recent Link Schemes update, do they even have any SEO value (more on that below)? I’ve sent out my fair share of press releases, and I also have a fiancé who works for NBC in a top 50 market. I’ll share perspectives from both sides of the table and I’ll help you make the decision on whether or not you should be sending out press releases, and which service you should utilize to send them out. First, 3 point to keep in mind:
1. Writing the Press Release – Choosing the service is the last of your problems, you actually need to write it first. Press releases follow a very specific format, and deviating from the norm could make your press release (and your business) look unprofessional. PRWeb does offer writing services, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, write it yourself or hire a professional writer that’s familiar with your niche. PRWeb’s pricing for a SEO optimized press release will run you $500. that is in addition to distribution ($99-499).
2. There’s little chance your press release will actually get read. Here’s the problem with the press release. It’s overused, and in the wrong way. Services like PRWeb syndicate your press release to outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, Associated Press, etc. It doesn’t mean that it’s actually getting read, they’re syndicated on a news wire buried deep in their websites, some journalists flip through their niche every now and then, but most are tending to the hundreds of emails they receive every day – these are usually much more relevant to them. Press releases are becoming less and less effective as almost anyone can purchase a press release.
3. Think About Going Direct to Journalists Before Publishing Your Press Release: Often times you don’t even need a press release for press. For example, two years ago I founder a startup (that I would eventually sell) that helped people find the best deals online. It was two days before Black Friday (you know, the crazy shopping day after Thanksgiving). I noticed that they were running a segment on “Holiday Shopping Survival Guide,” and figured this was the perfect opportunity to help people shop for the holidays. Below is a copy of the email that would land me on ABC.
Hi Shellie,
I’m Jay Soriano, the founder of a company that helps people find the best deals online. I have a few ideas for your “Holiday Shopping Survival Guide.” They’re
separated by three potential headlines:
1.) Black Friday ‘Doorbusters’ to AVOID
2.) The Top 10 Tech Deals this Black Friday
3.) How to Tell if a Deal is Really A Deal on Black Friday
1.) Black Friday “Doorbusters” to AVOID – Personally, I think this feature would be most useful to your demographic. I’ve been on both sides of Black Friday (sales and a customer) and I’ve noticed that buyers are far too irrational during the holidays. I’ve seen the ads and can pinpoint a few “doorbusters” that should be avoided. For additional details checkout my infographic [redacted].
2.) The Top 10 Tech Deals this Black Friday – This is another piece I feel would be really helpful to viewers, again, the infographic references a few of the best.
3.) How to Tell if a Deal is Really A Deal on Black Friday – Buying a laptop or TV? How do you know you’re really getting a deal? Is it worth waiting in line for? Those are a few questions I can answer. As an avid online shopper I can even show you a few deals available online TODAY (or recently) that are comparable to many “doorbusters.”
Look forward to hearing your thoughts, Shellie. ABC would be great place to break this one.
Best,
Jay
You see what I did there? For most businesses, if your story is newsworthy, and relevant to people within their demographic, you don’t need to send out a press release. Go direct to the journalists where most requests will actually be read.
That’s an example that works for anyone. Now think about your niche? Let’s say your a technology startup, try approaching mainstream technology blogs such as TechCrunch, Mashable, etc. with an exclusive. Former Mashable editor Ben Parr, said it best, “We prefer to be in the first group for any piece of news. Trying to give us news second hand long after somebody else has written about it isn’t going to win you favors with us.” Quora has a great thread with advice from both sides of the table on, “What are some tips for getting your startup featured on TechCrunch, Mashable and other tech blogs?” While most beneficial to startups, the tips apply to any business.
Also keep in mind that mainstream media gets hundreds of PR requests everyday. If you want to get into TechCrunch, your chances are slim unless your venture backed by known investors or your a well known entrepreneur. With that being said consider:
“Links with optimized anchor text in articles or press releases distributed on other sites.” Google’s update to its link schemes are the latest explosion in the SEO world since Google Penguin and Panda. Press release services (at least the major ones) were quick to react by automatically no-following links within press releases in compliance with the updated Google Webmaster Guidelines. Since press releases should now bring limited SEO value, should you still send one out?
I do recommend sending out at least one press release, most notably for the launch of your business. It could be a small signal to Google that you are a legit business (would a black hat SEO spend $249+ on a press release that does not include a link that passes SEO value?). And the buzz around launching a new business is more likely to pick up links than most other types of generic press releases.
We’re going to touch more on this subject next week to find out what changes press release services are making after the link schemes update. But I have done hours of research on different press release services and I recommend the following two companies for news release distribution services; eReleases.com and PRLog.com (free). Here’s why:
With a myriad of press release distribution services, which should you use? Especially now that Google has recently updated their Link Schemes to forbid overly optimized anchor text within a press release? Before we delve into that, let’s review the link scheme update, here’s the example Google cites:
When I first read the update, I didn’t think much of it because it clearly targets spammy press releases sent out by lazy SEO or PR agencies. Press release services, however, saw it differently and were quick to change its practices. PR.com, PRWeb, BusinessWire, et. al were all quick to automatically no-follow links within press releases distributed through them. But there are workarounds that do not violate the Webmaster Guidelines (more on that below), there are even a few small press release companies that still allow followed – even with anchor text (we wouldn’t recommend the ladder).
In 1996, the computer known as “Deep Blue” beat Garry Kasparov marking the first time a computer beat a human in a formal chess game.
Just recently in 2019, computers are starting to beat humans at poker, a game with many more combinations and possibilities… and of course the element of “bluffing.”
So can a computer write better than human?
In short, no. But it’s still a powerful tool for writers.
Chess and poker have a great deal of mathematics involved, and thus statistically speaking there are situations where there’s an absolute best decision. Not so much with writing (though I’m sure math plays a role in the algorithm).
Robots lack a personal touch. Empathy. Ambition. An expertise on a certain subject. A lot of things are human constructs and an AI won’t quite match the personality of their human counterparts.
There are a myriad of AI copywriters on the market, but they’re all very similar because they’re based on OpenAI’s GPT-3 state-of-the-art natural language processing system. The difference between them often lies in the feature set.
I elected to use ContentBot because it has a couple key features that differentiates them from the competition:
This is my first experience with an AI copywriting tool, and as a photographer I wanted to see if could write a post on, “The Best Wide Angle Lenses for Micro Four Thirds”
The results?
Nope. Not even close. Granted, they do mention that output quality is heavily dependent on input quality. But it couldn’t handle technical photography terms and even switched around numbers on lenses, etc.
But I wasn’t deterred, and I still wanted to challenge ContentBot. So I looked through my task list of articles on schedule and saw, “What’s the best rep range for hypertrophy?”
And it actually didn’t do too bad, there was some usable content there if my goal was to add words to a blog post, which a lot of us marketers do considering the optimal blog post length for SEO is 1700-2400 words. But it still lacked the expertise in fitness that a quality post on the 1st page of Google would have.
And I know you guys want examples, so let’s experiment on how AI would write this very article.
You’re reading it. Everything that you’ve read so far is a result of AI copywriting.
Nah, I’m just f***ing with you. But I’ll show you how it would write this article:
For my inputs, I entered the title: ContentBot Review – Are AI Copywriters Better Than Humans?
For every input, it spits out three outputs, and an option to generate more if you don’t like any of the choices:
ContentBot – AI Copywriting Outputs
I don’t see the need to add bloat to this post by posting the entire post here (which would in all likelihood help SEO, but more on that later), but you can find it in this Evernote note here.
Here are a few standout sections, all unedited (and my notes will be in italics):
There are so many articles in the media today that are talking about the dangers that AI will bring to the workplace and how humans will lose their jobs in the meantime. While this is true, I’m talking about one specific job where AI has the potential to eliminate the human component: Copywriting.
That’s a really good intro, I could have potentially used that for this post.
While Content Writing, Copywriting and Content Editing are all a part of the content marketing world today, there’s a different aspect of digital writing being introduced. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now being introduced as a part of the Content Writing market. More so, they are using AI to predict the future in order to create a better writing system.
These Artificial Intelligence Content Writers will now try to use artificial learning techniques to predict the future to create a content strategy. Not only is this technology the future of writing, but will also be the market leader to come. This will make it possible to automate more things in digital marketing, and will create a future that we are not looking.
Is AI Copywriting Better Than Human Content Writers?
When we talk about Content Writing, most of us will often go back to content marketing when discussing this topic. The most obvious reason is because it seems the easiest to learn, right? The truth is, human writers are not any better than an AI Content Writer. It is true, in some ways AI is superior, but only up to a point.
The AI is a little confident, eh?
Not bad at all. But I just want to make note of one thing, AI copywriting tools shouldn’t be used to generate mass long form content (because it could help with SEO, albeit a little unethically). ContentBot does acknowledge this marketing it as an AI assistant to “overcome writers block.” And that’s the best way to use it. To overcome writers block, to help you generate new ideas. It’s a fantastic tool for SEO, even better when you combine it with a tool like MarketMuse or Surfer SEO.
No doubt the most popular feature will be to generate blog posts, but here’s a few other things you could do with ContentBot:
Final Verdict
Overall, the decision to use an AI copywriter depends on your content. It won’t work well on subjects that are highly technical, or require a great deal of expertise. But it could help with content generation on simpler topic ideas. It’s a valuable SEO tool to add to your collection.
What do you think of Content Bot? Is AI generated content the future, or will you be sticking by your copywriter? Will this be apart of your marketing campaigns? Let us know on social media, or in the comments below!
The best piece of advice I can give when it comes to hiring freelancers, is to think less about price, and more about value.
Freelancing has changed the way businesses operate and how people work. These days, you can build a career without leaving the comfort of your home. You can even operate with other freelancers to make your own agency. For freelancers, it makes sense to join as many as you can and find the ones that work best for you. It really just takes a few minutes to signup and complete your portfolio, and who knows, you might land a few leads without any additional work. Granted, most of these platforms you’re going to have to spend some time with and develop a reputation. And the best freelancers are really good at reverse engineering what it takes to be successful on a specific platform. Below we’re just going to briefly talk about 50 of the best websites for online jobs, it’s up to you to delve into case studies and other reviews to see how effective it is for you.
For businesses, the benefits are clear, outsourcing can save you money and you’re not restricted to talent within your city. You now have access to a global pool of talent among a myriad of different freelance marketplaces. It keeps operational costs down and you can opt for freelancers instead of employees in a lot of situations. With online communication tools on these platforms or off (eg. Slack), hiring freelancers and letting them operate remotely from their own home can be a win/win. As a business, I use multiple platforms and I’ll delve into why below, so without further ado here are 50 of the most popular websites to hire freelancers or find online jobs: