Outsourcing SEO copywriting: costs, approach and AI

Summary: outsourcing SEO copywriting

An SEO text is a text that answers your customer’s question so well that Google shows it high up. Having SEO texts written by a self-employed Dutch copywriter usually costs €85 per hour excl. VAT, the most common rate in 2025 according to the Tekstnet Rates Monitor. You may use AI: according to Google, quality counts, not how the text was made. At Game-changers SEO texts are part of SEO and AEO (also called AI SEO), from €500 per month excl. VAT, with no set-up fee. Request a free analysis.

• Costs: usually €85 per hour excl. VAT with a self-employed copywriter, or a fixed monthly fee with an agency.
• Good: a text that answers the searcher’s question better than the pages currently at the top.
• AI: is allowed, as long as the text is useful and original and not only meant to manipulate rankings.
• Watch out for: keyword research, own figures and examples, and a clear next step.

What is an SEO text?

An SEO text is written for people who are searching for something in Google, and structured so that Google understands what it is about. It can be a service page, a blog or a product page. According to Ahrefs, “seo teksten” (SEO texts) is searched about 1,100 times a month in the Netherlands and “seo teksten laten schrijven” (having SEO texts written) about 900 times. Google itself says it wants to show helpful, reliable content written for people, not for search engines. So a good SEO text is first of all a good text. Keywords only help Google find it. Want to know how that differs from regular copy for your website? Then read about outsourcing website copy.

What makes a good SEO text?

1. One search question per page

Choose one main keyword per page and the questions that go with it. Look at what Google currently shows at the top: an explanation, a price or a service page? Write the format that fits.

2. The answer at the top

Start with a short summary that answers the question directly. That helps readers, Google and AI search engines that quote snippets of text.

3. A title and description that get clicks

Put the keyword near the start of the title. According to its own guidelines, Google often uses your title as the clickable headline, and sometimes the meta description as the text below it.

4. Own figures and examples

According to its guidelines, Google rewards experience and expertise. A client case, your own research or a price make your text better than what is already out there.

5. Internal links and a next step

Link to your service pages and related articles, and end with a clear next step. Want links from other sites too? Then read about link building.

How long should an SEO text be? There is no fixed number of words. A text must be long enough to answer the question fully, and no longer. Look at the pages currently at the top: they show how much explanation searchers expect.

What does outsourcing SEO copywriting cost?

According to the Tekstnet Rates Monitor 2025, €85 per hour excl. VAT was the most common hourly rate of self-employed Dutch copywriters, the same as in 2023 and 2024. The average fell by 3.4% to €83.37. Many copywriters also work with a project price or a fixed price per page. What you pay in total depends on how many hours a text takes. That includes research into keywords and competitors, writing and corrections.

The hours in this table are an example, not a fixed rule. Always ask in advance how many hours or what fixed fee a copywriter charges. At Game-changers you pay a fixed monthly fee, from €500 excl. VAT for at least 4 hours of work, with no set-up fee. That covers not only the writing, but also the keyword research, measurement and adjustments. Read more about what SEO costs. Request a free analysis.

Can you write SEO texts with AI?

Yes. In February 2023 Google wrote that appropriate use of AI is not against its guidelines. What counts is whether the content is helpful, original and reliable. Google does add that AI gives a text no advantage: “It’s just content.” What you do need to watch out for is what Google calls scaled content abuse: creating many pages with the main aim of manipulating rankings, with little value for the reader. That applies however the text is made, with AI or by hand.

AI is also changing copywriters’ work. According to Tekstnet, 18% of self-employed Dutch copywriters saw a negative effect of AI on their revenue in 2025, against 3% a year earlier. We use AI to research faster and create a first version. A specialist then adds own figures, client examples and checks. Read more about this in AI in marketing and at AI content creation.

Our research: what Google shows for “seo teksten laten schrijven”

On 9 November 2026 we used Ahrefs to look at the first page for “seo teksten laten schrijven” (having SEO texts written) in Google Netherlands. At the top was an AI answer. Of the 8 regular results, 3 were an explanation or step-by-step plan, 3 a service page of an agency or freelancer, 1 a copywriting platform and 1 an article about writing SEO texts with ChatGPT. The questions Google shows with it are about AI too: “Can ChatGPT write SEO texts?” So searchers want to know what it costs, how it works and what AI does to it. We answer those three questions in this article.

Copywriter, agency or do it yourself?

• Writing yourself: cheap in money, expensive in time. Works if you know your field well and have time for keyword research.
• Self-employed copywriter: good for individual pages. Check whether the writer does keyword research and measures results.
• SEO agency: texts as part of a plan, with keywords, technical SEO, links and measurement. Worthwhile if you want to grow continuously.

Torn between a specialist and an agency? Then also read about hiring an SEO specialist and outsourcing content marketing. Texts that attract visitors but bring few enquiries? Then conversion rate optimisation helps.

What does it deliver?

For Rug expertise centrum we built a content engine with SEO and AEO. Organic traffic rose by 40%, and the brand was mentioned 3.8 times more often in answers from AI search engines. Healthcenter Vennewater went from 1 keyword in the top 20 to more than 20 keywords in the top 5. For CrossFit Climbers Cabin we use AI content creation to create their own images at their own location, without a photo shoot.

“An SEO text written only for Google rarely ranks for long. We start with the customer’s question: what does someone want to know before they call or buy? AI helps us work faster, but every text gets its own figures, its own examples and a check by a specialist. That is where the difference lies.”

Annefleur van Osta

Online marketing strategist at Game-changers

Want to know which pages on your site have the best chance with a better text? At Game-changers we take a look for free, and then work from €500 per month excl. VAT, with no set-up fee. Request a free analysis.

Frequently asked questions about outsourcing SEO copywriting

What are SEO texts?

SEO texts are texts that answer a searcher’s question well and are structured so that Google understands what they are about. Think of service pages, blogs and product pages. The goal is a higher ranking in Google and more visitors who become customers.

What is SEO copywriting?

SEO copywriting is writing texts that both convince readers and are easy to find in Google. It combines keyword research with good writing. An SEO copywriter pays attention to the search question, the structure, the title and the next step.

What does it cost to have an SEO text written?

With a self-employed Dutch copywriter usually €85 per hour excl. VAT, the most common rate in 2025 according to Tekstnet. A 3-hour service page then costs €255. At Game-changers you pay from €500 per month excl. VAT, with no set-up fee. Request a free analysis.

What does an SEO copywriter do?

An SEO copywriter researches what your customers search for and writes pages for it. They take care of a good title, structure and internal links. Good writers also check afterwards whether the text ranks.

How do you write a good SEO text?

Choose one search question per page and look at what Google currently shows at the top. Put the answer at the top, use clear subheadings and add your own figures or examples. End with a clear next step.

How long should an SEO text be?

There is no fixed number of words. A text must be long enough to answer the question fully. Look at the pages currently at the top to see how much explanation searchers expect.

What does an SEO text need to meet?

One clear search question, the answer at the top, a title with the keyword, own figures or experience and internal links. The text must be useful for the reader, not only for Google. That is also what Google itself asks.

Can ChatGPT write SEO texts?

ChatGPT can create a first version, but often lacks own figures, experience and current facts. Google has nothing against AI, but only rewards helpful and original content. Have a specialist add to and check every text.

Does Google penalise AI texts?

No, not because they were made with AI. Google does penalise pages made mainly to manipulate rankings, with little value for the reader. That applies to AI texts and handwritten texts alike.

What is the difference between SEO texts and website copy?

Website copy is all the text on your website, such as your home page and about page. SEO texts target a specific search question in Google. Much website copy is also SEO text. Read more about outsourcing website copy.

How many SEO texts do I need?

Start with one page per service or product people search for. Then add blogs that answer customers’ questions. Better a few strong pages than many thin ones.

How quickly do you see results from SEO texts?

Usually after a few weeks to a few months, depending on the competition and the strength of your site. A new page first has to be found and assessed. Measure the effect in Google Search Console.

What is keyword research?

In keyword research you find out which words your customers use in Google and how often. You also look at how hard it is to rank for them. That way you know which pages to write.

Should I rewrite old texts?

Often that pays off more than writing something new. A page already at position 8 to 20 can reach the top 3 with a better text. Check in Google Search Console which pages have many impressions but few clicks.

What does an SEO copywriter cost per hour?

According to the Tekstnet Rates Monitor 2025, €85 per hour excl. VAT is the most common rate of self-employed Dutch copywriters. The average was €83.37. Many writers also work with a fixed price per page or project.

Can I outsource SEO texts to an agency?

Yes. An agency often combines texts with keyword research, technical SEO, links and measurement. At Game-changers SEO texts are part of SEO and AEO, from €500 per month excl. VAT, with no set-up fee. Request a free analysis.

Sources

Tekstnet, Rates Monitor 2025

2025

Google Search Central, Google Search’s guidance about AI-generated content

8 February 2023

Google Search Central, spam policies (scaled content abuse)

viewed November 2026

Google Search Central, creating helpful, reliable, people-first content

viewed November 2026

Google Search Central, title links

viewed November 2026

Google Search Central, snippets and meta description

viewed November 2026

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer and SERP overview, own measurement Google Netherlands

9 November 2026