5 factors that determine copywriting rates in 2020
With website copywriting rates ranging from $25 to $25,000, there are a lot of questions about what determines copywriting prices in 2020. While your content can have an impact on what you pay, features exclusive to your writer or agency have the most influence.
The five factors that affect website copywriter pricing today include:
1. Experience
When it comes to copywriting, experience pays. Copywriters with years — or even decades — of experience almost always have higher website copywriting rates than copywriters with less experience. This pricing factor makes sense, as an experienced copywriter often delivers significantly better copy.
A lot of companies, however, ignore this pricing factor.
While price is a critical factor to consider, it’s dangerous to make it your deciding factor. Businesses that choose their copywriter or agency because they offer “cheap” rates are rarely satisfied. They receive low-quality copy that forces them to rehire another copywriter or agency, which doesn’t help them save any money.
Prevent this pitfall by noting the experience of copywriters and agencies that you interview. You can even limit your interview pool to copywriters or agencies with a certain amount of experience, like five years or more, to eliminate the temptation of low prices.
In most cases, you’ll notice a price difference between the following experience levels:
- Less than five years
- Five years or more
- More than 10 years
For reference, WebFX offers more than 20 years of experience — plus, our client retention rate is over 90 percent.
2. Background
Your copywriter’s background may also influence the price of copywriting.
If you’re in a technical industry, like medical or manufacturing, it’s essential to partner with a copywriter that understands your industry and products or services.
Even for non-technical industries, like retail, it’s critical to have a copywriter that “gets” your market.
Depending on your industry, the background of a copywriter can have a tremendous impact on your website copywriting rates. In most instances, companies in a technical industry often have to pay more for copywriting services than businesses in a non-technical market.
Without a copywriter that understands your industry, business, and product, it’s difficult to create content that reaches and resonates with your target audience. Even if the copywriter does a stellar job optimizing your copy for search, it won’t matter if it doesn’t connect with readers.
![A piece of advice for how to choose a website copywriter service provider]()
For example, say you’re a paving company and publish a service page for your residential paving services. It sounds like it’s written by a first-timer, however. That kind of content, which should emphasize your expertise, makes readers hesitate when it comes to trusting your business.
You need copy that gives readers confidence and encourages them to trust your website and content. That’s why it’s critical to partner with a copywriter that has a background in your industry. For many companies, that’s a challenge due to their market.
Partnering with a copywriting agency like WebFX, however, resolves that issue. Since we have a dedicated team of copywriters, we can match you with a writer that has a background in your field. The result is better copy, better traffic, and better sales.
3. Freelancer vs. agency
The price differences between copywriting freelancers and copywriting agencies are often noticeable. In most cases, copywriting agencies maintain higher website copywriting rates than a freelancer. That’s why many businesses hire freelance writers initially.
While this decision does offer upfront savings, it can introduce additional work for your team. For example, you’ll need to research, find, and interview candidates — and if they decide it’s a once-and-done project, you go through the whole process all over again.
Additional issues that can come with freelance copywriters include:
- They fail to deliver your content on time or at all
- They stop responding to emails or messages
- They take a long time to finish projects
- They return projects with extensive errors or issues
If you’re serious about developing routine content for your website or updating webpages across your site, partner with a copywriting agency. While they may cost more, they save your company money in the long-term. Plus, they eliminate the issues that come with freelance writers.
For reference, copywriting agencies typically charge a few hundred dollars more than a freelancer — but it’s well worth the investment.
4. Word count
The word count of a copywriting task impacts your prices the most. A 1200-word article will cost more than a 500-word article because it requires more time and research to write. That’s why many copywriters and copywriting agencies scale their prices by word count.
While your word count has a tremendous influence on your website copywriter pricing, it’s a factor outside your control. Publish a 60-word page for your residential pavement services and it won’t provide readers with the information they need to make a purchase decision.
For readers, as well as search engines, your team needs to provide comprehensive content. This content answers the questions of your site visitors, which helps it rank for relevant searches in search results. Even better, this kind of copy can increase conversion rates and sales on your site.
It’s critical to mention, however, that a higher word count doesn’t equal better content.
![A statement on what makes a website copywriting agency valuable]()
Any agency can deliver a 500- or 3000-word article, but only a few agencies optimize that content for readers and search engines. If you content doesn’t consider the search intent of readers, it won’t appear at the top of search results. When that happens, your company doesn’t see results, like more traffic or new leads.
For the best results, partner with a trusted agency that offers quality services, like WebFX.
Not only do we write compelling, user-targeted copy but we also develop it with one of the industry’s most advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms available, IBM Watson. Combined with our exclusive marketing software, MarketingCloudFX, IBM Watson helps your content achieve real results.
Even though your company has less control over this pricing factor than others, it’s important to know about it. Understanding how word counts impact your website copywriting rates can help your team explain to company decision makers why one piece of content costs more than another.
5. Deadline
In some instances, your business may have a sudden need for new or updated content on your site. When you have a rush due date, it’s natural to expect higher prices. Rates for expedited copy vary, but it can cost your company hundreds of dollars.
For the best website copywriter prices, try to avoid a rushed deadline. If you have a tight deadline, you can write a version in-house as a temporary fix and then hire a copywriter or copywriting agency to complete the final draft. It’s a strategy that saves your company money and meets your deadline.
