The SEO Rip Off

I have decided to write this article as a result of numerous emails. It seems more and more people are falling victim to bad SEO. The main complaint is that they are paying entirely too much for little or no results. Additionally, many fall prey to bad SEO practices. If you plan to hire an SEO pro in the future, I suggest you use this article as a set of guidelines.

Before going with any SEO firm or individual, do the following:

A) Find out how established and experienced an SEO firm is before you negotiate.
Do they have a sizeable client list under their belt? Are they published?

B) Scrutinize their portfolio.
What kind of results have they achieved?
Contact a few of their clients. Were they satisfied with the work performed?

C) Consider and confirm their methods?
How will they optimize your site to reach your keywords?
Do they use organic methods? Some individuals or companies use doorway pages, hide text in the background, utilize re-directs and other blacklisted methods. Stay away from these.

D) Get a least three proposals from different SEO firms.
Look at each one carefully. Are there similarities? Proposals will help you see which companies are honest and which are trying to sell you something you don’t need.
What is the cost? The cheapest isn’t always the best, however, the highest price may not be attached to a comprehensive and viable course of action. Try to find find an individual or organization that will give you what you want within your SEO budget.

E) Contract, Contract, Contract.
Get everything in writing. Look over the document carefully. Be sure it covers everything you have discussed, including methods of achieving your desired results. Have the copies signed by both parties. If the job is a large one you may want to consult a lawyer.

F) Clearly state the terms of payment.
While most SEO firms will not do any work for free or agree to a results based pay scale, many competant SEO professionals will not shy away from a base plus performance incentive package. I am not a firm believer in prepaid contracts.. Most SEO professionals will abide by the 50% up front, 50% upon completion standard. Make sure all financial terms are as clearly defined in your contract as the actual scope of work. This will protect all parties involved in the event that expectations are not met.

All in all, try to do your best to educate yourself on SEO. Have a basic understanding of SEO terminology and SEO methodology. Anyone offering SEO services should not have a problem explaining how they intend to get you results. If they fail gain your confidence or raise a red flag for any reason whatsoever, keep searching. You will eventually find someone who will help you reach your goals for a fair price. Happy hunting.

To read more articles on SEO read Joe’s blog http://mr-seo.blogspot.com/ His SEO services can be found at http://www.mr-seo.com For affordable web design visit http://www.jnb-design.com

Video Coming Soon

Hey Everyone–just a quick update on things going on at this end. The radio contract is signed, sealed, and delivered so that will officially begin Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 2 PM ET (11 AM PT) on VoiceAmerica.com’s Business Channel. Eight guests have confirmed already for the show, and it should be a power packed marketing hour. In fact, the name we’ve been kicking around is: “The Bauer Pauer Hauer.” Let me know your thoughts on that especially if you have a better idea for a name although that one is kind of catchy.

I plan to add video to the mix rather shortly as I just purchased the first video camera for the firm last week and have been working on getting more comfortable in front of the lens. Needless to say the first few cracks at video leave a lot to be desired so I’m hopeful that when something gets published online, it’s at worst decent. I see tremendous value in online video and believe that is a prime way to differentiate one’s self from the competition, and that is the direction everything is headed. I can envision a day where the leading businesses have their own little production studio complete with a daily show. While that won’t happen tomorrow, it’s not as far off as it once was for certain.

Production is slated to get underway this week on the SEO Videos to accompany the SEO training manual (Cost Effective SEO: Better Attract Your Target Audience via Online Search). The videos will follow the general layout of the book but will give several examples for each exercise much like we do in the training seminars. It’s truly a hands-on endeavor so please take a peek at the samples once we prop them up online by the end of the month.

These are exciting times around the SMB complex, and I hope to return to article writing, press releases, and updating the blog a little more frequently once things calm just a bit. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day to knock everything out at this point, but everything will settle in time.

Thanks for sticking with us through this time, and please feel free to share any feedback or suggestions you may have.

Internet Radio Show

As some of you know, and just as many may not, I have been asked to host a weekly one hour marketing radio show on Voice America’s business channel starting in early October. As of this e-mail, I am 99.9% sure this will happen, and I already have six guests that have agreed to do the show. Among the guests:

Marcia Yudkin
John Jantsch
Tom Antion
Michael Nick
Michael Boylan
Debbie Allen

Some of the folks I have requests out to include:
Mike Filsaime
Rand Fishkin
Andy Sernovitz
Joe Vitale
Danny Sullivan
Stephen Pierce

I’m not listing the ones I have requests submitted to put any pressure on them, but I’m very hopeful each one agrees to do a show as I believe they have great stories and information to share that would benefit the audience. Same with the ones that have agreed to do the show–a star studded guest list to be sure.

If you have any questions you’d like to have asked to any of my future guests, please e-mail radio@smbconsultinginc.com. The show doesn’t start for a couple months, but it’s never too early to start planning great shows. If you have connections to a potential guest, please share them as well. Anyone who helps me land a great guest will receive a complimentary copy of my first book “Cost Effective SEO: Attract Your Target Audience Through Online Search” (a $67 value).

Speaking of the book, I am working on the companion videos that should be completed no later than month’s end, but I may introduce the book for purchase online very soon as a separate product. Once the videos are done, they will be packaged with the book and several bonuses. Stay tuned for more details on that.

I also have additional product development plans in the works which I’ll definitely keep everyone posted right here on the blog. It’s an exciting time, and I’m very encouraged about the direction of SMB Consulting as we’re moving forward very quickly.

To learn more about Voice America and their show lineup, visit http://voiceamerica.com.