Top 12 Freelance Copywriter Skills to Put on Your Resume

In an increasingly competitive freelance market, distinguishing yourself as a copywriter takes more than punchy headlines. You need a broader toolkit that speaks to strategy, platform fluency, and measurable outcomes. Below are the top 12 skills to feature on your resume to stand out and win more copywriting projects.

Freelance Copywriter Skills

1. SEO Optimization
2. WordPress
3. Google Analytics
4. Content Management Systems (CMS)
5. Mailchimp
6. Adobe InDesign
7. HTML/CSS
8. Social Media Marketing
9. HubSpot
10. Keyword Research
11. Ahrefs
12. Semrush

1. SEO Optimization

SEO optimization for a freelance copywriter means crafting content that aligns with search intent, reads cleanly, and earns visibility in search engines through smart keyword use, structure, and relevance.

Why It's Important

Better SEO means your work gets seen. More visibility, more clicks, more leads. Clients notice results, not guesses.

How to Improve SEO Optimization Skills

1. Keyword Research: Identify relevant terms with healthy volume and realistic difficulty. Prioritize search intent over vanity terms and weave keywords naturally into headlines, subheads, and body copy.

2. Write for humans first: Compelling, useful content keeps readers around. Tight structure, scannable sections, clear language.

3. Meta basics: Unique, keyword-aligned title tags and meta descriptions that invite clicks. Don’t stuff; persuade.

4. Mobile-first: Ensure content is fast, readable, and friendly on phones. Most readers are on small screens.

5. Backlinks: Earn links through standout content, partnerships, and credible guest pieces. Authority compounds.

6. Local SEO: If location matters, optimize for local queries and keep your Google Business Profile accurate.

7. Measure and iterate: Track performance with GA4 and Search Console. Refresh pages that slip. Expand what wins.

SEO isn’t set-and-forget. Keep learning, keep tuning, keep shipping.

How to Display SEO Optimization Skills on Your Resume

2. WordPress

WordPress is a widely used CMS that lets you publish, manage, and update content without wrangling code—perfect for portfolio sites, blogs, and client projects.

Why It's Important

It powers a massive slice of the web. Easy content workflows, strong SEO fundamentals, and endless customization mean faster delivery and fewer roadblocks.

How to Improve WordPress Skills

1. SEO support: Use a reliable SEO plugin to handle sitemaps, metadata, and schema.
2. Speed: Add caching, compress images, and keep plugins lean to improve Core Web Vitals.
3. Responsive design: Pick a mobile-friendly theme and test layouts across devices.
4. Content quality: Publish consistently. Edit ruthlessly. Readability, structure, and voice matter.
5. Analytics: Connect GA4 to understand what content performs and why.
6. Social integration: Enable sharing and simple embeds to amplify reach.
7. Security: Use reputable security plugins, strong logins, and regular updates.

How to Display WordPress Skills on Your Resume

3. Google Analytics

Google Analytics (GA4) tracks how people find and use your content. Those insights shape smarter strategies and stronger copy.

Why It's Important

Data reveals what resonates. You can prove impact, refine messaging, and prioritize work that moves the needle.

How to Improve Google Analytics Skills

1. Set up conversions (GA4): Define key actions—form submits, downloads, contact clicks. Track what matters.

2. Traffic sources: Compare organic, social, email, and referral to see which channels bring the right readers.

3. Engagement: Use engagement rate, average engagement time, and scroll depth to spot sticky content.

4. Events: Track button clicks, outbound links, and micro-conversions to see how users interact beyond page views.

5. Custom reports and explorations: Build dashboards around your goals—top pages, conversions, paths, cohorts.

How to Display Google Analytics Skills on Your Resume

4. Content Management Systems (CMS)

A CMS lets you create, edit, schedule, and publish digital content without heavy dev help—speeding up delivery and collaboration.

Why It's Important

Clients expect agility. A good CMS keeps content organized, approvals tidy, and updates fast.

How to Improve Content Management Systems (CMS) Skills

1. Usability: Learn the editor, blocks/modules, templates, and media handling. Build repeatable page patterns.
2. Collaboration: Use roles, version history, and comments to streamline reviews.
3. SEO features: Check metadata fields, schema options, redirects, and sitemaps.
4. Content calendar: Plan cadence, assign owners, and schedule posts ahead of time.
5. Analytics: Wire in GA4 and monitor search performance to guide updates.

How to Display Content Management Systems (CMS) Skills on Your Resume

5. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is an email marketing platform for building lists, sending campaigns, automating sequences, and analyzing performance.

Why It's Important

Email still converts. With strong copy and smart segmentation, you nurture leads and bring clients back.

How to Improve Mailchimp Skills

1. Segmentation: Group by behavior, interests, or lifecycle stage. Send messages that feel tailored.

2. A/B testing: Test subject lines, previews, CTAs, and send times. Keep the winner, ditch the rest.

3. Automations: Build welcome series, follow-ups, and re-engagement flows with clear goals.

4. Analytics: Track opens, clicks, conversions, and list health. Prune inactive contacts regularly.

5. Copy and design: Tight headlines, clean layouts, scannable sections. Aim for clarity over flair.

How to Display Mailchimp Skills on Your Resume

6. Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a professional tool for laying out print and digital assets—magazines, ebooks, brochures, white papers, interactive PDFs.

Why It's Important

Polished layout elevates your words. Strong typography and structure keep readers locked in.

How to Improve Adobe InDesign Skills

1. Text mastery: Paragraph/character styles, hyphenation, spacing, and threaded frames for complex flows.

2. Layout systems: Grids, margins, and consistent hierarchy. Design once, reuse often.

3. Collaboration: Use review and comment workflows to speed approvals.

4. Templates and libraries: Build reusable assets for faster turnaround and brand consistency.

5. Shortcuts and efficiency: Learn keys, master pages, and styles to cut time without cutting quality.

How to Display Adobe InDesign Skills on Your Resume

7. HTML/CSS

HTML structures your content. CSS shapes how it looks. Together they make web pages readable, responsive, and on-brand.

Why It's Important

Even basic fluency helps you fix formatting, polish landing pages, and communicate clearly with devs.

How to Improve HTML/CSS Skills

1. Core foundations: Tags, semantics, accessibility, selectors, the box model, and responsive units.

2. Practice often: Recreate pages, tweak layouts, and experiment with components in small projects.

3. Framework familiarity: Learn a utility or component framework to speed production when needed.

4. Stay current: Follow reputable front-end resources and build muscle memory through repetition.

5. Real work: Ship small landing pages and iterate. Feedback beats theory.

6. SEO-aware HTML: Use proper headings, alt text, and structured content for clarity and crawlability.

How to Display HTML/CSS Skills on Your Resume

8. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing means meeting audiences where they are with content that sparks interest, conversation, and clicks.

Why It's Important

It amplifies your voice, showcases your work, and opens doors to clients who watch engagement like hawks.

How to Improve Social Media Marketing Skills

1. Audience insight: Define personas and pain points. Write like you know them—because you do.

2. Creative that stops the scroll: Crisp hooks, clear value, tight visuals. One message per post.

3. Keyword and hashtag strategy: Improve discoverability without spamming. Relevance over volume.

4. Community engagement: Reply quickly, ask questions, and spotlight user stories. Relationships drive reach.

5. Measure and refine: Track reach, saves, CTR, and conversions. Double down on formats that perform.

How to Display Social Media Marketing Skills on Your Resume

9. HubSpot

HubSpot offers tools for content, email, CRM, SEO, automation, and reporting—stacked into one platform.

Why It's Important

You can plan, publish, personalize, and measure in one place. Less friction, more output.

How to Improve HubSpot Skills

1. SEO tools: Build topic clusters, map keywords to pages, and fix on-page gaps.

2. Personalization: Use tokens and smart content to tailor emails and pages by lifecycle stage.

3. Analytics: Create dashboards tracking content performance, attribution, and pipeline impact.

4. Automation: Set up workflows for lead nurturing, handoffs, and content-triggered actions.

5. Keep learning: Explore HubSpot Academy courses to sharpen inbound and content skills.

How to Display HubSpot Skills on Your Resume

10. Keyword Research

Keyword research uncovers the phrases your audience uses so you can write content that ranks and actually gets read.

Why It's Important

It guides topics, shapes structure, and sets expectations for traffic potential and difficulty. Strategy, not guesswork.

How to Improve Keyword Research Skills

1. Know the audience: Gather the words they use, the problems they describe, the outcomes they want.

2. Use multiple tools: Compare data from options like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and Ahrefs.

3. Competitor intel: Identify gaps—queries they rank for that you can outperform with better depth or angle.

4. Long-tail focus: Target specific, lower-competition phrases with clear intent and higher conversion odds.

5. Map intent: Align content to informational, commercial, or transactional goals. Wrong intent, weak results.

6. Keep it fresh: Revisit sets quarterly. Search trends and SERPs shift.

7. Track and adapt: Monitor rankings and clicks. Update pages that hover on page one to nudge them upward.

How to Display Keyword Research Skills on Your Resume

11. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an SEO suite for keyword research, backlink analysis, content audits, and competitive insights.

Why It's Important

It helps you spot opportunities, understand why competitors rank, and build content that can beat them.

How to Improve Ahrefs Skills

1. Keywords with intent: Find terms with realistic difficulty and traffic potential, then plan content pillars and supporting pages.

2. Content gap analysis: Compare domains to uncover topics competitors rank for that you don’t.

3. Backlink profiling: Study top-ranking pages’ link sources and anchor patterns. Build a plan to earn similar links.

4. Site audits: Fix technical issues, thin content, and internal link gaps that hold pages back.

5. Learn continuously: Stay current with evolving SERP features and ranking patterns.

How to Display Ahrefs Skills on Your Resume

12. Semrush

Semrush is a marketing platform covering SEO, content research, competitive analysis, and writing assistance.

Why It's Important

It blends research and execution, helping you plan topics, optimize drafts, and monitor results—all tied to real metrics.

How to Improve Semrush Skills

1. Keyword Magic: Build keyword clusters around intent and thematically linked queries.
2. SEO Writing Assistant: Check readability, tone, originality, and on-page essentials as you draft.
3. Content toolkit: Plan briefs, track topic trends, and benchmark against competitors.
4. Competitive research: Analyze rival domains, top pages, and traffic sources to sharpen your approach.
5. Keep training: Use platform tutorials and courses to stay sharp as features evolve.

How to Display Semrush Skills on Your Resume