Writing sales copy that actually sells isn’t easy. Try as you may to edit yours, it still may not convert enough traffic. Grammar, spelling and usage aside, how you position the value of your goods and services must be compelling. The benefits of choosing your service or product over the competition must be conveyed in Zen.

If you’ve tried — tweaked and tweaked again — your website copy and still don’t see the results you need, try a new approach. It may be time to loosen up. Indulge in a… Copywriting Spa!

Here’s how to hire a copywriter, one with the skills necessary to heal the sales tension on your website or landing page. But when evaluating copywriters, don’t initially consider costs. Focus more on finding the writing style you believe can distinctively articulate your offer. Immerse in each writer’s portfolio. Follow as many links to their writing samples as you can. While reviewing, make your decision based on these strategic copywriting essentials:

Organic SEO Scrub – Good website and sales landing copy goes beyond being SEO friendly. It uses your highest value keywords in the headline and/or sub heading to increase website traffic. And then uses them some more. Marketing copy should be SEO-intentional. So, actually count the number of times the writer built the keywords into the copy, and where. Can this word-masseuse help get you near the top of Google search pages? Being there will improve your exposure, which impacts sales.

Natural Wrap Treatment – Conversely, too much of the above — keyword stuffing – isn’t good. Not only can your website get D-listed by search engines for too densely repeating keywords, keyword stuffing turns off readers. Marketing copy must be SEO-friendly, but still a breeze to read. If you have to re-read lots of sentences in a freelance writer’s work, your visitors may have the same bumpy ride. Look for writers who’ve achieved a smooth SEO read.

Face Polish – Think of your website as your 24/7 salesperson. Consider the “personality” greeting your visitors. What is this “person” saying? Is the copy saying all that a potential customer is dying to hear? Copy should open up and persuade! Copywriting gurus call this the WIIFM factor: What’s In It For Me? Meaning that persuasive copywriting first addresses peoples challenges. It first strikes a nerve, and then gets into a description of how to resolve it. It gets personal and ignites a sense of understanding and trust.

Writers are everywhere online. If you plan to hire a copywriter, don’t let price fool you. Never just select the least expensive writer you find. And don’t assume that spending more will make your sales copy an automatic success. Go with the writer whose portfolio and samples speak to you. When you see, hear, touch and smell hypnotic copy, its fragrance will persuade you!