Are you looking to hire a copywriter? Would you like to know what to look out for in a content writer that will give you the guarantee that he won't screw you up? Here are four tips to guide you along that direction.

1. He Gives You Samples from the Internet

Know this, many poor content writers are a little web savvy and know enough to send you links from places like EzineArticles without their own names. When you ask them about this, they often tell you that they write under different pen names.

Never fall for this as it is the oldest trick in the book. What you should do however, is to ask them to send you articles in the Microsoft word format. To be doubly sure however, you should take the time to go through their articles and cross check them on the internet. You may also want to ask them to write a sample which will help determine their originality and quality.

2. Not getting Definite Responses from the Prospective Writer

This is one of the major pitfalls and can be avoided if you take note of it. A web content writer's tool and office is online on the Internet. Now, what is a web content writer doing not answering your emails within 24 hours?

No matter how busy he might be, if he doesn't answer within 24 hours, scratch him off your list. Personally, I don't wait 24 hours because I feel I should be able to get a hold of any writer I hire within 6 hours of emailing him.

3. Delivery and Results

This is from the second tip above. If he cannot reply your emails within 24 hours, then he isn't likely to deliver your articles during the skated time frame. In fact, you are likely to consistently be behind schedule.

No matter how busy a writer gets, he should always be able to give a reasonable deadline. Therefore, shy away from writers who promise you that they can deliver 20 or more articles a day and cannot reply your emails within 24 hours. These writers are often over-ambitious and are less likely to meet all set targets.

4. His Rates

Too often, people have been known to hire writers from the Philippines and India who simply didn't deliver on their promises or who ended up providing very poor quality articles or content. This is not to say that there aren't excellent writers from these places, in fact some of the most productive and deadline conscious writers hail from these places.

All I am saying is when someone offers to product "top quality" web content for less than 2 bucks, you have got to check the offer again. Most writers know the importance of their work and will never go that low.

Now that you know what the four major pitfalls are, your best bet is to look for writers that will not only deliver top quality content, but those who do so in a timely manner.