I had to giggle - SEO quotes

[RayB]

One of your better posts Earl - mind you Steves was pretty good too.

But therein lies the rub - it is the (necessary) secrecy that confuses the average punter. Therefore, the risk of picking a bad one increases (and a bad SEO can sink your business)

 

One of your better posts Earl - mind you Steves was pretty good too.

yes I wished Steve and a couple of others lived in kent.

with my looks and there brains we would have a field day


Earl

 

[RayB]

yes I wished Steve and a couple of others lived in kent.

with my looks and there brains we would have a field day


Earl

It is "their" brains

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Earl,

(1) many of them shroud what they do in secrecy

I don't reveal the particular methods I use ,not that I think other SEO's don't use similar method's or that I am anything special ,just if I told everyone what I do I might be out of a job.

As you work on a "results-only" basis, I think this doesn't really apply to you.

The problem is:

SEO: I can get your website high in the rankings
Prospect: How would you do that?
SEO: I won't tell you. You'll just have to take my word for it. Now, will you pay me a non-refundable up-front fee?

(3) Failure to give a convincing answer to "if the google algo changes so often, how can I be sure that my SEO will still keep working?"

I must have been very lucky but most of the sites I have done have never slipped in there rankings in spite of all the apparent algo changes,so a bit baffled by that one

This is something that really only applies to an SEO that's getting paid for their time, not someone like you that's getting paid for results.

(4) The failure to connect costs with benefits.

well my pitch is pretty low key goes like "I think we might be able to make a few quid so shall we give it a try"

Exactly, you're the only one who incurs the up-front costs (i.e. your time), not the client. So, you don't encounter this problem.

(5) The refusal to offer guarantees.

Just Can't do that although something are a pretty sure fire thing based on investigation of the opposition.

You offer a guarantee: "if it doesn't work, it won't cost you a thing".

In any business transaction, there's risk involved.

And the problem that most SEOs present is that they hand the lion's share of the risk to the client ... and the client often doesn't understand exactly what he's being asked to buy and has often heard enough SEO horror stories that he's uncertain and uncomfortable.

The way you work, you take on all the risk, so it's easier for the prospect to believe in your ability to get long-lasting results.

Steve

 

Just checkin' my mail and don't really take kindly to having my professional reputation taken into question when I was around to respond.

Oh get over yourself, don't be so silly.

What a ridiculous reply.

 

[Mark-UK]

Who are these then Mark?

Certainly not me. No scorn here

I am thoroughly convinced of the benefits - just trying to get someone who knows what they are doing to deliver them for a reasonable sum

Also from what I have seen many SEOs do themselves no favours in the way they promote and quote their work.

Chris Kaday

These are people I have been associated with in my own personal business nobody on here, one company went into administration last year and after spending time in their company evaluating their online strategy I realised why, no idea, and when you present solutions they umm and arr over it, some people can't see the reasons for when it comes to online marketing, only the againsts.

Then there are those that want something for nothing and there's plenty about at the moment.

You pay for an seo for their knowledge, their skills, the skills of the tools they use, the ability to know where the resources are for all things seo, their ability to research keywords and phrases that people search for, their ability to understand where and how to get the information the client needs and to research the new methods of advertising and present these options to the client.

Good seo and ppc is an accumilation of many different small factors not one or two factors.

 

Steve I was speaking figuratively if our competion knew what I did it might dent me piggy bank.

your other points are very valid.My only advice is to try and find companies or individuals who work on a similar basis to me.

I think a lot more SEO are realizing that a long term income from a site is a far better return than a few thousand up front,and I may be shouted down but is probably a lot better long term for any web based business,except the really big boys with deep pockets.

That is not saying there are not some excellent SEO guys out there,its just so hard for the lay person to choose one.

but of course my business model can not be used for every site.I have to make the decision as to whether the business is a goer,so would probably turn down 9 out of 10 if not more.

Web site owners would tend to think there site and its products are the next best thing to sliced bread and they may be,but the question is can they put a few bob in the piggy bank.

I beleive there are some guys on here who do risk and reward.

probably the best course for a start up site is PPC to test the water.

Earl

 

[Reflections]

hi,
It is the biggest truth that good seo never can be cheap why? frankly speaking seo contains lots of activities and these activities require man power, so that the seo company can mange the seo activities effectively. if you are looking for a cheap seo then you can not get a fruitful result in the search engine because of lacking seo activities. the seo company can not afford that much result within a little amount. but this amount should not be a abnormal amount for only one or two keywords

before you go for any seo companies be sure to know what the seo company is going to offer within the money you are spending.make every thing crystal clear and then sign up the seo contract.

Hi Dave,
I would have to agree that good SEO is not cheap, but i would say that as our prices are generally 1-3k per month but unlike one of the qoutes you got any proposal includes a full breakdown of all the activities we would carry out over a 6 month period.
I relation to page rank, my opinion is that it is important but is only one small part of the algorithms used to determine where a site will appear on the SERP's.
Best regards,
P.S Would you like a quote? Ha ha

 

[quikshop]

My opinion: it's a free country and people are entitled to price their services at any level they want to.
Steve

Absolutely agree Steve but it doesn't stop my involuntary giggling when I'm met with such an ludicrous quote.

I'm inclined to agree with an earlier reply, it was probably more the case my business is too small for them to get out of bed for so lets throw him a monster quote and if he bites we're quids in attitude...

But that was the other main point, the arrogance of these companies who try to spin a web of mystery surrounding SEO when some of the most effective SEO 'tricks' are actually very straight forward but time-consuming.

SEO is the new gold rush. There are lots of 'players' out there. Most of those I contacted came across in a similar vein to the London marketing agencies - all wide-eyed and chemically induced brain-storming sessions with lots of designer denim and savill-row shirts

 

[Chris Kaday]

The length of this string and many others on the same subject show that the SEO's have a significant disconnect between them and their audience. Of course you can blame the audience - lack of knowledge , understanding etc. but to grow any market it is the suppliers who need to educate if they are to relieve more and more prospects of their cash. Unfortunately with SEO many prospects are so desperate for that front page that they just buy irrespective of the clarity of the quote and the price. As the market matures as every one does those the clarity and quality of proposals will change - the prospects understanding will also grow which means they will be more knowledgeable ask more questions and be more selective.

Chris Kaday

 

[quikshop]

The length of this string and many others on the same subject show that the SEO's have a significant disconnect between them and their audience. Chris Kaday

A good point Chris, when I asked for SEO quotes from these companies I did not specify exactly what it was I wanted to achieve with my web site, I was very general with my aims, and yet I was still bombarded with quotes and dictations of how obviously better they are from everyone else - almost a one-size SEO package fits all which can't be right.

I think this is where the smaller SEO companies / experts will benefit from being able to adapt their service to suit their clients and tailor their service appropriately.

 

[Chris Kaday]

If they don't ask questions then they are not really interested in you and if they are not interested in you they cannot do good SEO for you. It all starts from understanding your business and audiences and you either need to tell them very clearly or they need to ask. I have always given written briefs for marketing services and I write them for my clients too, but most potential suppliers never read them so they get bombed out immediately.

Chris Kaday

 

If they don't ask questions then they are not really interested in you and if they are not interested in you they cannot do good SEO for you. It all starts from understanding your business and audiences and you either need to tell them very clearly or they need to ask. I have always given written briefs for marketing services and I write them for my clients too, but most potential suppliers never read them so they get bombed out immediately.

Chris Kaday

Spot on Chris to do good SEO you need to know every nut and bolt of the business you are dealing with,and in my case profit margins e.t.c .this allows me to be competative in the market place for the products we sell.

For this reason I will only take on business's that are within a certain reasonable traveling distances from my base.

Earl

 

[Reflections]

For Better SEO solutions contact www.orisysinfotech.co.uk. It will provide you affordable solution in both on-page and off-page optimisation. I am telling from my own experience. This organisation improved my site PR and Business as well as ROI.
I really like this organisation and its friendly client services.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

One thing that suprises me here is no mention of the web site being primary to sell to the public, This has got to be the biggest challenge to the web owner, SEO can bring in more customers but they wont buy if the site is poorly designed

A big problem is also that you have no idea of what the SEO intends to do to your site, it could all be great quality SEO or alternativly be outlawed tactics that latter down the line will ruin the site once Google and others find out, how do you know?

 

[Blagger]

If you want someone to do SEO for you I think the best thing to do is get them to write you a mini weekly report of what they have been doing to your site.

I am currently looking for an SEO and with my search I am requesting a mini weekly report of what work has been done. Not only will this show how well your money has been spent, but if you know the coding of your site, like I do of mine, you can actually check if the work has been done properly. It also allows you to go and do your own research of what the SEO has done and you can question it.

The only reason I require this is because I have been done over twice now with SEO's who say they are doing work, but really have they done anything, not really. Results achieved is a good thing, but only if work is done the right way. You don't want your pride and joy to be black listed by google now, do you?

Paying an SEO is great thinking the work will be done, but most of the time you really are left in the dark as the customer.

 

[Pet Nanny]

Dave, unlike most people on this forum I work with animals and websites as SEO is Chinese to me. However, I joined a couple of forums, and my website now regularly achieves 1st page on google. That is a DIRECT result of advice and help from this, and another forum.

I do not have anywhere near that kind of budget for marketing, but I always recommend people who have helped me, and offer my services free of charge should they ever require them. That's the power of networking.

Nina
ninasnanniesforpets.co.uk

 

[Reflections]

Your web site is very good in SEO point of View.

 

[uk-internet-marketing]

I agree that SEO will cost
but it all depend were you go and who you believe

 

[betterlanguages]

I agree that SEO will cost
but it all depend were you go and who you believe

I think one of the biggest issues with SEO is keeping site content fresh, and adding to it. This isn't necessarily about SEO, simply good content management.

cheers

Mike
www.betterlanguages.com

 

[RedEvo]

I think one of the biggest issues with SEO is keeping site content fresh, and adding to it. This isn't necessarily about SEO, simply good content management.

cheers

Mike
www.betterlanguages.com

This is VERY true. A lot of our SEO work is actually keyword research and content creation.

d

 

[BadCompany]

I attended a Search Engine Optimisation Course back in August for a ridiculously cheap fee. I would recommend this course to anyone with a business website, it was an all dayer course so they had to overload us with info on the day, but got away with an SEO handbook(which has become my bible) and a certificate which is a good look for my clients when they visit. This course changed my life and the way I do my business, I would attend it as well if I were you and had the time. I would rather organically cultivate SEO than pay ridiculous amounts of money to achieve whatever it is we are searching. Since the course in August my page rank has moved up twice now and still rising. If you want more info on the course please don't hesitate to contact me. Follow the link for details of the next course, there is one in December and one in January:

Regards

Mike

 

[RayB]

This is VERY true. A lot of our SEO work is actually keyword research and content creation.

d

Blogs are darn useful for this - I have well ranking product pages which I do not alter, and a blog for continually adding new, quality and on topic content. (The blog is picking up useful "long tail" search traffic as well)

 

[betterlanguages]

I attended a Search Engine Optimisation Course back in August for a ridiculously cheap fee. I would recommend this course to anyone with a business website, it was an all dayer course so they had to overload us with info on the day, but got away with an SEO handback(which has become my bible) and a certificate which is a good look for my clients when they visit. This course changed my life and the way I do my business, I would attend it as well if I were you and had the time. I would rather organically cultivate SEO than pay ridiculous amounts of money to achieve whatever it is we are searching. Since the course in August my page rank has moved up twice now and still rising. If you want more info on the course please don't hesitate to contact me. Follow the link for details of the next course, there is one in December and one in January: http://www.blazmedia.co.uk/news.php?view=detail&id=105

Regards

Mike

I've had a similar experience. We're based in the East Midlands, and the E-business club has organised SEO courses at low/no cost, which have been invaluable. Its not necessarily all about doing it yourself, it also helps in finding a web designer or SEO company, because you know better what to look for. We've made a lot of improvements to our site since I went on the course, and we generate a steady stream of enquiries. One thing I've learnt is that good SEO takes time and effort. We've targeted the Google organic results, and are very pleased with progress so far.

Kindest regards

Mike
www.betterlanguages.com

 

I think one of the biggest issues with SEO is keeping site content fresh, and adding to it. This isn't necessarily about SEO, simply good content management.

cheers

Mike
www.betterlanguages.com

I Don't agree,most important thing is to have is highly relevant content on your site.A frequent change of content may help your site be spidered more often.

But no way does frequent change of content help improve your rankings

Think about it ?:|

Earl

 

[Chris Jones]

I Don't agree,most important thing is to have is highly relevant content on your site.A frequent change of content may help your site be spidered more often.

But no way does frequent change of content help improve your rankings

Think about it ?:|

Earl

I'll agree with Earl on this one.

 

[RayB]

I Don't agree,most important thing is to have is highly relevant content on your site.A frequent change of content may help your site be spidered more often.

But no way does frequent change of content help improve your rankings

Think about it ?:|

Earl

I Disagree (unless I am mis-reading your post)

Dont mess with pages that already rank well, but do add new pages (content) on topic to the pages that already rank highly

 

[betterlanguages]

I Disagree (unless I am mis-reading your post)

Dont mess with pages that already rank well, but do add new pages (content) on topic to the pages that already rank highly

I agree re adding pages, but don't agree that you should leave current page content alone. I'm not talking about change for changes sake, but about gradually improving the copy, and refreshing pages which can start to look tired, this isn't only about SEO, its also about having an attractive and readable site for human readers. Improving crawl rate at the same time, has to be win/win.

cheers

Mike
www.betterlanguages.com

 

[ken_uk]

Yikes, I visited the link to blaz media's site, I would be wary of going on a course ran by them... Keyword stuffing galore on the bottom of that page.

Blaz Media is located at the Aston Science Park in Birmingham, we also service businesses in throughout the region including web design in Coventry, web design in Nuneaton, web design in Northampton, web design in Redditch, web design in Rugby, web design in Stratford Upon Avon, web design in Wolverhampton, web design in Leamington Spa, web design Warwick, web design in Kidderminster,web design in Burton Upon Trent, web design in Solihull, web design in Tamworth, web design in Lichfield, web design in Dudley, web design in Hinckley, web design in Leicester, web design in Telford, web design in Worcester, web design in Derby, web design in Lye, web design in Walsall, web design in Stafford, web design in Daventry, webdesign in Loughborough, webdesign in Bridgenorth, web design in Shrewsbury, web design in Stoke On Trent, web design in Smethick, web design in Sutton Coldfield, web design in Stourbridge, web design Great Malvern, web design in Hereford, web design in Droitwich, web design in Kenilworth, web design in Newport, web design in Loughborough, web design in Hinckley, web design in Melton Mowbray, web design in Wellingborough, Corby & Kettering,

Thats not content designed for the user, its blatent keyword stuffing for the term web design... I hope they are not teaching what they practice...

 

I Disagree (unless I am mis-reading your post)

Dont mess with pages that already rank well, but do add new pages (content) on topic to the pages that already rank highly

There is only 1 page at the top of google and one would presume its got as good a content as possible ?

so why would you mess with it

Adding new pages is a different ball game


Earl

 

[RayB]

There is only 1 page at the top of google and one would presume its got as good a content as possible ?

so why would you mess with it

You wouldn't - re-read my post

Adding new pages is a different ball game

Agreed - that is what I said - time for your nap Earl

 

You wouldn't - re-read my post



Agreed - that is what I said - time for your nap Earl

Ray do you disagree with me for the sake of disagreeing or have you a cunning plan ?

If I wanted a Parrot I would buy one

 

[RedEvo]

If I wanted a Parrot I would buy one

So you keep saying, keep saying, keep saying........

d

 

[RayB]

Ray do you disagree with me for the sake of disagreeing or have you a cunning plan ?

Earl, read my posts again - you are getting confused, not disagreeing (someone fetch a nurse)

If I wanted a Parrot I would buy one

Fetching - especially with a matching wooden leg and eye patch - suits you sir

You could audition for the part of Johnny Depps' Great Great Grandfather in "Pirates of the Caribbean Part V - Relics Dug Up"

 

So you keep saying, keep saying, keep saying........

d

Sounds like a bad case of Psittacosis to me


Earl

 

[Chris Kaday]

Do you have to be called Mike to go on these wonderful SEO courses then? No seriously – would love to find one in London – any suggestions?

Chris Kaday

 

[Pressman]

you get what you pay for I guess. Although the guy who said £65K probably didn't want the work!

 

[betterlanguages]

you get what you pay for I guess. Although the guy who said £65K probably didn't want the work!

Not so sure Steve, I've learnt a lot through "free" courses (EU funded). Have you joined e-business club yet? They run some excellent web design and SEO courses in Nottingham and the surrounding area. Susan Hallam of Hallam Communications speaks extensively on the subject, and is worth listening to. What I've gained from these courses is a better understanding when talking to web developers and SEO experts. We've spent a fraction of £65k. £500ish to set up the site, and then ongoing spend as we've added content and additional hosting. We're never likely to compete directly with the biggest players in our industry, e.g. our home page inbound links around 180 at last count, SDL one of the biggest competitors, nearly 20,000, many from high quality sites.

Its not only about whether we can compete, its also about whether we would want to. We're building a nice brand, and don't really want millions of irrelevent hits. Knocking them off top spot on "translation services", one day maybe, but not just yet. I think there's a lot of hype about SEO. I'm not convinced we could unseat them even if we spent vast amounts of money.

Hope this helps

Mike
www.betterlanguages.com

 

[Reflections]

SEO is a contineous process. So monthly quotation is good. The monthly expenses varies according to sites requirement. Set a budget and ask for quote to the best SEO companies.

 

[Pet Nanny]

Okay all you SEO guys. What I know about SEO is diddly nothing. I read and try to digest what goes on in this and other forums, and off I go to fiddle around with my site. Admittedly, Scott from Eflaunt has been building links for me, and Ray B has been brilliant giving of his time and expertise. I honestly think he has missed his vocation!

My site to date, has constantly seen a 1st page rank on google and without that rank I could not function.

Thought thought I would put in my two penneth lol