If you’re not a native English speaker, this post is for you. Let’s cut to the chase. Yes, I believe it’s possible for you to become an SEO writer, because I’ve known people who write very well despite not being a native speaker.
However, there’s a great big BUT that goes along with that. Here goes…
The big BUT
It’s much easier for a native English speaker to find SEO writing clients in native English speaking countries such as the U.S., UK, Canada, or Australia.
While your command of English may be more than adequate (even excellent) for speaking and writing in the workplace, or for social media and sending emails, any deficiencies in grammar and word usage are likely to stand out a lot more once you try to write actual SEO articles.
Most people who are not native speakers make subtle errors in their writing that clients then have to correct – as you can imagine, this isn’t as appealing as articles that are ready-to-publish with no editing required.
So if I were you, I’d take the path of least resistance and find out whether or not there is a demand for SEO writers in your native language, and if so, what you could expect to earn. See if there are companies operating in your native language that have a need for well-written content. Pitch your writing services to them and see what happens.
Since many sites that offer freelance writing jobs are geared towards English speakers, check if there is a similar site in a country where your native language is spoken.
An alternative idea
If your skills in written English are better than most writers in your country, you could pitch your English writing skills to businesses in industries that serve English speakers (ex. tourism) – because in that case, they may be willing to overlook minor errors in grammar or word usage provide the content is good enough to communicate what they have to offer to people who don’t read your native language.
The trick would be to find companies who serve enough English speakers that they’d be willing to invest in having you prepare English-language content. Ask around at locally owned hotels, restaurants, and tour companies to find out. If you don’t live in a touristy area, then email companies that meet those criteria. Just keep in mind that if their main source of income is tourists who speak your native language, they may not see any benefit to providing English content.
Other than that, if earning money from your writing appeals to you, just start writing – start a blog, write a how-to book, write for whoever will hire you at first to get some experience.
And if you really want to do SEO writing for native English speaking clients…
I once outsourced some of my SEO articles to a PhD student in Bulgaria who, although not a native English speaker, had studied the language so thoroughly that he was a better writer than most of the native English speakers I had hired. I once hired a law student in the Philippines who was also extremely skilled with written English, writing better than many native English speakers did. So just because most non-native English speakers can’t write as well as a native speaker, there are exceptions – just don’t make the mistake of underestimating the amount of study and practice that you’ll have to do to attain this level of fluency.
Since I’m forever an optimist and believe we are all capable of learning and improving, I think that if you really want to, you could study English a LOT until you perfect your written English, and then try diving into the English SEO-writing market.
The big questions are: how much time do you have to do that, would you enjoy the process, and is it worth your time to do so compared to alternatives… would other options be a better or more profitable use of your time? I can’t answer that for you, only you can… so I’m only offering this as food for thought.
Resources for improving your written English
- http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/2012/01/27/how-non-native-english-writers-can-improve-their-writing-skills/ This is a great article written by a guy that’s a non-native English speaker who also happens to be a freelance writer.
- https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-improve-my-English-writing-skills-as-a-non-native
- http://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/reading-comp-intro/composition/nns-writers/
- http://www.mhhe.com/mayfieldpub/tsw/esl-link.htm
- http://www.publicationcoach.com/how-to-write-better-english/
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2419.2010.00568.x/full
Automated proofreading software can help a lot – check this out:
Automated proofreading software can be a great tool to help catch errors in your writing. Click here to check out my top 2 FREE favorites.
One more writing resource for you
Last, but not least, if you want to know more about freelance SEO writing and how to get started, get my book:
You’re correct. It’s more challenging to write in English when you’re not a native English speaker. However, nowadays, especially with programs like Grammarly it’s not a problem anymore. Non-native English speakers can write 500 words articles in plain and perfect English.
Proofreading software definitely helps. 🙂