.svg)
.svg)
Search engines rank sites based on their content—whether it engages users, how many other sites link to it, and hundreds of other ranking factors.
For that reason, websites live or die by their content. Having excellent copy on your site not only helps boost its SEO performance, but it also keeps your current customers interested and coming back for more.
The problem is that creating your own content can be time-consuming and stressful. Unless you’re already an SEO extraordinaire with content writing and editing skills, creating your own content generally requires learning a whole new skillset. That’s where content writing services come in.
A good content writing service:
- helps improve your website’s performance in search results
- matches your writing style and brand voice
- produces for your customers the content that they want.
In short, content writing services save you the time and effort you would have otherwise spent on content creation yourself—and gives you access to excellent writers with experience in your niche.
Of course, content writing services aren’t free, so it’s important to choose one that fulfills your business’s top criteria and does so cost-effectively. Dozens of these platforms are available, including Compose.ly and Verblio. For those new to the content creation industry, here’s a breakdown of the two services’ key differences.
Compose.ly vs. Verblio
Verblio and Compose.ly approach content creation in two distinct ways:
- Verblio acts as a virtual noticeboard where clients can upload their preferences and content requests and wait for submissions from writers. Clients then pay for the articles they like. This offers more flexibility but content quality ranges widely.
- Compose.ly assigns client content requests to one of its rigorously vetted writers. The writer then produces a draft according to the client’s specifications, with an average turnaround between 3 and 5 business days.
There are several other notable differences between the two writing platforms, outlined below.
Below, we explore each content platform in more depth.
Verblio
Verblio is a content writing service that places clients’ content briefs in front of a wide range of writers. Instead of choosing a writer and accepting their work, the client uploads a brief that includes the word count, topic, and few other relevant details. Any writer on the platform can write the article and submit a draft. The client only pays for any articles that they accept.
Verblio offers four service tiers:
- Basic, which offers content written to the given specifications.
- +Photo, which includes stock photos in the article.
- +Optimize, which includes photos as well as optimization for better search engine results.
- Verblio Complete, the service’s full-service content strategy and generation plan.
Cost-Effective
With Verblio, the client only pays for the content they accept from the writers. In other words, if no submitted article meets your expectations, you won’t pay for any of them.
This practice means more options in delivered content, as multiple writers can submit a piece for consideration. However, this can also lead to an overwhelming number of drafts for a client to sift through. Yet for more complex topics, it’s possible clients won’t receive any submissions at all.
Complete Control
Verblio offers complete control over how your content is put together. You set your guidelines upfront, along with potential subheadings and your preferred SEO keywords. Then you wait for submissions, and you choose your favorite. You can also send a draft back to a writer and request edits before accepting it, and the platform makes it fairly easy to provide feedback and get results.
There’s no need to be hyper-specific in your content briefs if you’ve only got a loose idea in mind. If you’re just looking for an article that meets a general theme, you can make such a request.
Variable Quality
Since you may receive a variety of submissions for your content request, you’ll likely see a wide range of writing styles and quality. Verblio prides itself on letting the “cream rise to the top.” The expectation is that writers whose articles are not accepted will eventually stop using the platform.
Writers are rated based on a 5-star system, so writers with low ratings may submit articles that you need to read and reject. Some writers may also be kept behind a paywall, reserved for clients paying for Verblio Complete.
Hands-On Editing
The Verblio editing process is very hands-on in that the client can request as many revisions as they want. This can lead to handling several submissions for the same brief at the same time. If you can optimize this feedback and editing workflow, this hands-on approach may be ideal, especially for those who want to be deeply involved in their content projects.
Compose.ly
Compose.ly is a content writing service that assigns client content requests to its team of professional writers—giving you, the client, to focus on other business priorities. Compose.ly thoroughly tests its writers before accepting them onto its platform, and holds each and every member of its team to high standards. The writer assigned to a given project is chosen based on their experience writing in the client’s niche.
Compose.ly offers three tiers of service:
- Self-Service, which allows clients to request content “a la carte”—so you can try a single article at a time and work directly with a writer. There is no monthly subscription fee with this tier.
- Managed Service, the premium plan that connects clients with a dedicated writing team, and comes with unlimited content revisions, editing services, and content strategy development. This plan comes with a monthly subscription fee based on the number of words needed.
Variable Involvement
Where Verblio is hands-on for most of its tiers, Compose.ly is hands-off. By assigning writers to content projects instead of having writers apply, Compose.ly works to connect clients with the most experienced writers from the start.
The client doesn’t need to spend time sifting through submissions on their own. Instead, they receive a single, well-written piece of content and can proceed from there—getting as involved with the editing process as they want.
Compose.ly’s Self-Service tier is more than comparable to Verblio’s Basic tier, as both allow clients to work with an individual writer. It’s worth noting, however, though Self-Service is Compose.ly’s lowest tier, the client still receives the same high-quality assigned writer a Managed Service client would receive.
Strict Quality Control
Compose.ly’s quality control process involves regular feedback to its writers, with Compose.ly writers receiving feedback from clients and editors alike. Since writers are constantly working on projects, they are constantly growing and improving. Instead of waiting for the cream to rise to the top, Compose.ly actively pushes excellent writers to become even better.
This also leads to more consistent quality among the platform's writers. Since every writer is held to the same standards, every article meets Compose.ly’s quality requirements. Because Compose.ly’s team coaches and provides guidance to its writers, clients will never receive submissions from subpar writers.
In-House Editors
Instead of relying on writers to edit their own work, Compose.ly offers a team of editors for its Managed Service and Content Block tiers. All projects for these tiers are reviewed by an editor before they’re sent to the client for approval.
These editors look for grammar errors, adherence to the preferred style guides, and even use of SEO best practices. Editors can send projects back to writers for revisions before the client receives it, so they don’t have to spend time on the matter unless they want to do so.
Versatile Plans for Different Content Needs
Compose.ly’s trio of tiers offers versatility for businesses with all kinds of content needs.
Clients can request a single article a month, a large batch of content all at once, or they may sign up for an ongoing, regular content creation subscription. It’s easy to get only the content that you need without the hurdles of hiring and vetting freelance writers.
<div class="tip">Compose.ly offers more than content writing. Its team of content and SEO experts also offers keyword research to help shape your content strategy.</div>
Final Thoughts
No content writing service is a one-size-fits-all solution, but both Compose.ly and Verblio offer a cost-effective way to outsource content creation. Professionals who do not mind getting more involved with the content creation process may prefer Verblio, while those that want to save time but still get high-quality results are better suited for Compose.ly.
Don’t hesitate to do your research when it comes to content writing services. If you’re investing in the quality of your site’s content, you’d be well-advised to find a platform that fully meets your needs. Taking the time to understand your content strategy’s priorities will ensure better results in the long run.
This article was written by Compose.ly writer Gabrielle Hass.
