Quick pop quiz.
Imagine you request the website copywriting rates of four writers. Which one do you choose?
- Website copywriter #1 – $200
- Website copywriter #2 – $500
- Website copywriter #3 – $700
- Website copywriter #4 – $1000
It’s a tough decision, right? You’re not sure whether to opt for the cheaper or expensive writer.
This situation plays out every time, regardless of the copywriting deliverable.
While some website copywriters charge $60 per page for SEO blog posts, others charge $500+ per page. As a client, the price disparity makes selecting the copywriter who will give you a bang for your buck difficult.
I feel you.
But here’s the thing:
The background, experience, project complexity, portfolio, and your industry are some factors that influence a writer’s website copywriting rates.
In this post, we will dive into how these factors affect the website copywriting rates of writers. You’ll also uncover the pricing models used by website copywriters, and the rates of beginner to expert writers according to a survey I conducted.
Let’s get into it.
7 Factors that Influence the Rates of Website Copywriting Projects
1. The Copywriter’s Background
Website copywriters with a background in your industry/niche/business usually charge higher website copywriting prices. The reason is apparent. They are primarily specialists, niched, study your target audience every day, have a firm grasp of your industry’s lingos, and thoroughly understand how to move your readers from casual onlookers to buyers.
Take Kristen Boye, for instance. She’s a terrific website copywriter immersed in the natural health industry. But that’s not all.
Kristen has a B.S. in Natural Health, previously operated as a natural foods chef and consultant, and co-owns a soil consulting company in North Carolina. In other words, her website copywriting service is in sync with her entire background.
Specialized copywriters like Kristen could have a faster turnaround because they wine and dine writing industry-specific copy regularly.
Does faster turnaround equal a cheaper website copywriting rate? Nah. In fact, it results in the opposite. Why? Because you’re paying for the years it took the copywriter to improve the skill. That’s what allows them to deliver quality copy quickly.
Other specialist copywriters are health website copywriters, legal website copywriters, manufacturing website copywriters, SaaS website copywriters, and more.
2. Website Copywriting Experience
Several copywriters with many years of experience are insanely expensive but more reliable. You may want the most affordable website copywriter, and I get it. But sometimes, affordability could result in endless revisions that fail to hit the mark. Working with experienced copywriters is your best bet to get copy that converts; plus, you skip the hassle of revising unusable first drafts.
There are tons of experienced website copywriters on the internet. To illustrate, Carline Cole has 30+ years of direct response copywriting experience in the alternative health field.
30 years is a lot.
So you should expect Carline’s website copywriting rates to be higher than many experienced folks in the industry. Why? Because Carline has lots of enhanced skills and credibility which was amassed over the years.
3. Project Complexity
Many website copywriting projects require a bazillion amount of research and writing. However, all copywriting projects are different and have a varied turnaround.
For instance, a survey I conducted on LinkedIn shows 33% of professional copywriters research and write a 1000 words blog post in 6 to 8 hours. But here’s the interesting part – 29% of the writers say this time “depends” on a client’s niche or business. In other words, as the project gets more complex, the number of writing hours increases.
For direct response copywriting projects, this time gets significantly longer. A direct response copy needs lots of research time for you to get the best result. That drives the website copywriting rates of these projects through the roof.
Next up is the …
4. Scope of the Copywriting Project
All copywriting projects are not equal. Experienced copywriters often hop on discovery calls to understand your business, audience, and goals. That’s how the copywriter clarifies your audience’s pain points and figure out how your offering can help.
Liam Carnahan, the Content Strategist at Inkwell Content, says, “I typically spend about two to three hours on a call after signing a client. I have a long list of questions I go through with them to understand their business and target audience better.
Three hours seems like a lot. But it isn’t. The more the copywriter understands your business, the better the outcome of the project. As a result, professional freelance copywriters include the time spent on calls in the website copywriting cost per page.
In addition, the copywriting rates for writing website pages vary. A three-pages website will cost less than a 10-pages website. The same applies to landing pages. The web copywriting cost for 4,000 words landing page will be higher than the cost of 500 words landing page. However, these costs depend on the copywriter who handles your project. A beginner copywriter could charge a lot less than an expert copywriter.
5. Freelancer vs. Agency
Nothing influences the website copywriting rate of your project more than this factor. If you decide to work with an agency, the copywriting cost gets astronomically high. Copywriting agencies charge a higher price for writing a website page because they pay in-house copywriters, in-house editors, and rent if they aren’t remote. Plus, they need to profit after these payments. Juxtapose an agency’s price with a freelance copywriter, and the huge cost-savings become noticeable.
Freelance copywriters work remotely (most times) and hire freelance editors. This reduces their overhead costs. Thus, a freelancer’s website copywriting rates are significantly lower.
6. Project Turnaround Time
Want a quick turnaround on your website copywriting project? Then expect higher copywriting costs. Experienced copywriters are always fully booked. So, if you want them to expedite your website copywriting project, you’ll pay more. But you can avoid this extra writing cost by securing a spot for your project early.
7. Project Deliverables
Some website copywriters have multiple skills that complement the primary writing deliverable. This is beneficial because you won’t need to hire multiple freelancers or a costly website copywriting agency. For instance, having SEO skills has allowed some of my EngageBay posts to rank on page 1 of search engines for various keywords.
This eliminates the need for a dedicated SEO specialist. Consequently, the cost of this service gets higher because the deliverable isn’t only the copy. You can also expect higher website copywriting rates from writers who provide graphics, wireframes, a brand voice guide, and so on.
How Do Writers Set their Freelance Website Copywriting Rates?
1. Website Copywriting Rates Per Word
Many freelance writers set their rates by word count, beginners, and experts alike. For instance, some professional freelance writers like Elise Dopson set their writing rates per word.
Liam follows the same approach but with a twist. Liam says, “I often offer writing services per 500 words, rather than per individual word when I’m doing long-form SEO content writing.”
The per word approach works when the freelance copywriter has lots of experience in the industry, a clear writing process, and predetermined deliverables. As expected, professional freelance copywriters that adopt the word count model factor in the time for discovery calls, revisions, SEO, graphics, quotes from subject matter experts, and so on into their rates.
On the contrary, this approach could be a nightmare for new writers or those gaining a foot in the writing industry. First, the per word pricing approach is an incentive to include high-level fluff in every copy. Why? The more the writer writes, the more their pay.
Secondly, many freelance writers do not know how to factor in the time spent on non-writing deliverables. For instance, a writer that provides a blog post should do the following:
- Pay for copywriting tools like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, Grammarly, and so on
- Conduct keyword research
- Read the content on pages 1 and 2 of SERPs for the primary keyword
- Understand the search intent of the target keyword
- Optimize the blog post with tools like MarketMuse or ClearScope
… and the list of deliverables goes on and on.
Sadly, all these have nothing to do with word count. As a result, such writers could feel cheated, especially when working with clients who don’t understand what it takes to create excellent content.
2. Website Copywriting Rates Per Hour
Some freelance writers like the hourly pricing model because it helps them get cash for every second they spend on your website copywriting project. As a client, you might also like this pricing model. It’s pretty simple.
Number of Hours Worked * Hourly Rate = Total Cost of Website Copywriting Project.
While this model seems straightforward, it comes with bottlenecks. And Liam Carnahan agrees.
Liam says, “I don’t ever use the hourly pricing because my clients are paying for my years of experience, not the time I spend on any given project. Because I’ve been working in SEO and content marketing for so long, I’m a lot faster than I used to be. Charging by the hour, therefore, would be like cheating myself out of money.”
While Liam’s take is valid, many copywriters still charge by the hour. This can be problematic when you are searching for the best website copywriters. You could immediately screen out exemplary website copywriters who charge upwards of $100 per hour if you are on a budget.
But professional copywriters don’t just arrive at their rates. They charge higher rates because they’ve done similar projects repeatedly. As their experience increases, the turnaround in completing a project reduces.
In contrast, some beginner and proficient copywriters could do a stellar job but take more time. Again, this results in a lesser hourly rate but a longer project turnaround.
3. Website Copywriting Rates Per Project
Project-based pricing provides a win-win scenario for a potential client and the copywriter.
As Liam puts it, “The vast majority of my clients are either project-based or retainer clients.” Like Liam, many professional website copywriters use this pricing model.
This pricing model makes sense because you’re sure of the deliverables and the exact amount you’ll pay as a client. Imagine a website copywriter charges you hourly, and you estimate that the project will take 5 hours max. What if the project turnaround becomes 8 hours? You still have to pay. That’s inconveniencing, and project-based pricing helps you skip all that trouble as a client.
Project-based pricing also helps beginner freelance writers to deliver their best work. They won’t consider writing any fluff because they know you’re in for value and not just meaningless words that hinder conversions.
Website Copywriting Rates for Different Copywriting Services
There are many kinds of website copywriting services. But I’ll highlight five types that I covered in the website copywriting rates survey. For transparency, I asked the survey respondents to use two assumptions.
- #1 assumption: A page contains 500 words
- #2 assumption: You (the respondent) conduct research for every service, including SEO keyword research (where applicable).
*** Please note: These prices are highly variable and depend on the 7 factors I discussed earlier.
1. SEO Blog Post
A search engine optimized blog post targets a keyword. The goal? Rank high on search engines, drive quality organic traffic that attracts email opt-ins, demo signups, and so on. Blog posts also serve as presell articles for marketing campaigns.
Of the 21 respondents with blog post writing competency, 47.6% identified as expert copywriters, 33.3% were proficient, and 19% identified as beginners.
38.1% of the respondents set their blog post writing rates at $100 – $200. The bulk of this percentage is those who identified as proficient SEO blog post writers. The rates get up to $1 per word for expert SEO writers.
| SEO Blog Post Writer | Copywriting rates (500 words) |
| Beginner | $60 – $100 |
| Proficient | $100 – $200 |
| Expert | $200 – $650+ |
2. Long-form Sales Copy
Long-form sales copy are lengthy sales letters that persuade your audience to purchase your product, sign up for a demo, etc. These sales letters discuss your offering in detail and strive to eliminate all buyer objections.
19 writers responded to the sales copy survey. Of this number, 21.1% identified as expert copywriters, 52.6% as proficient, and 26.3% identified as beginners.
The expert copywriters who responded to the survey set their copywriting rates at $500 – $1000+. Many of the proficient writers have a wide range of prices for sales copywriting. On the low end, prices start at $100, and on the high end, $500.
| Sales Page Copywriter | Copywriting rates (500 words) |
| Beginner | $75 – $100 |
| Proficient | $100 – $500 |
| Expert | $500 – $1,000+ |
3. Product Description Copy
Product description copy explains how your product works, the benefits of your product, and why your prospect should consider purchasing it.
16 writers responded to this section of the survey. 25% identified as expert copywriters, 50% identified as proficient, and 25% identified as beginners.
Beginner copywriters charge as low as $20 for a product description page, and expert copywriters charge no more than $400.
| Product Description Copywriter | Copywriting rates (500 words) |
| Beginner | $20 – $50 |
| Proficient | $50 – $200 |
| Expert | $200 – $400 |
4. Website Copy
Website copy includes your about us page, service pages, location pages, and so on. They help your audience to learn about you and drives them to take specific actions on your website. This copy enables you to connect and bond with your audience.
Of the 19 respondents with web copy expertise, 52.6% are experts, 31.6% are proficient, and 15.8% identified as beginners.
The survey shows that copywriters charge a wide range of prices for web copy. While a couple of writers charge about $1 per word, a lot more charge lesser.
| Website Copywriter | Copywriting rates (500 words) |
| Beginner | $100 – $200 |
| Proficient | $200 – $400 |
| Expert | $400 – $700+ |
5. Landing Page Copy
Landing pages are excellent website pages for converting your visitors into leads. The copy on these pages persuades readers to give their contact information after you’ve enticed them with a suitable lead magnet.
19 writers responded to the landing page pricing survey. 42.1% identified as experts, 36.8% identified as proficient, and 21.1% identified as beginners.
It’s not surprising that expert copywriters charge upwards of $400. And that’s when they are super nice. Some talented landing page copywriters negotiate a profit-sharing formula. This helps them to profit from that landing page as long as it remains online.
| Landing Page Copywriter level | Copywriting rates (500 words) |
| Beginner | $100 – $200 |
| Proficient | $200 – $400 |
| Expert | $400 – $700+ |
Wrap Up
So there you have it. You now know how website copywriters charge for their services and what determines their rates.
Have a website copywriting project? Skip the hassle of paying for unusable copy that takes forever to edit.
Schedule a meeting and let’s get the ball rolling on your project.
Precious Oboidhe is a B2B SaaS content strategist and writer for hire. If you need help with strategizing and creating assets for the different stages of your content marketing funnel, get in touch.
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