Search Engine Watch published a great article about seven reasons why content marketing is better than link building. Although I do agree with six of the seven reasons, I have to disagree with reason number three:
Good Content Writers are Cheaper than Good Link Builders
This is an issue that a growing number of writers and blog writing companies have to deal with. Since there's increased competition in the global economy that's pushing price points downward, good writers are having to compete with equally competent, and less competent, writers who will work for equal or less. Many businesses that are looking for writers want to get them as cheaply as possible, and don't consider the fact that if you want a quality writer, you have to pay more for that quality. Thus, depending on your definition of 'good', a good content writer isn't necessarily cheaper than a good link builder.
Besides, Search Engine Watch argues that great content will do a better job of building inbound links than submitting to link exchange sites and what not. If that's the case, then shouldn't the content writer be more expensive? That person is providing a better return on value. That person's work is much more scalable than straight link building, meaning that there's a long-term investment involved. That person ought to be writing quality content that engages people and encourages them to link and to refer to that blog post or white paper or whatever it is. If anything, a higher price should be called for to ensure a higher quality post. Granted, more money doesn't always mean more quality, but I don't know of too many instances where paying less go you more, especially some of these $5, $10 price points that I've seen on job boards.
Good content writers are professionals, and ought to get a professionals price for their work. I dislike the notion that a content writer is cheaper because all you really need is someone who can read and write in English, while a link builder is more expensive since it requires a more specialized skill set. A great content writer is much more than someone who can read and write in English. A great content writer is someone who brings a unique voice and personality to each piece written, someone who's willing to do a little bit of legwork to find statistics and websites that can add crediblity to arguments, someone who creates a work of art with each word strung with the next.
Good content writers are NOT cheaper than good link builders. If you want a cheap content writer, then you probably won't get a good one, meaning you are better off spending your money on the link builder. If you actually want a great content writer who will be worth every dollar, then check out our content marketing services page to learn how to get more bang for your buck.