Search Engine Optimization

Artashes

Artashes

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I am considering of hiring a SEO professional to optimize a couple of web sites. I wanted to ask those who have had the experience with such services before how much can one expect to pay for job well done?

Also, is there anything that I should know? What kind of SEO services to avoid, which are the most effective ways for optimization, etc? I have never had to ask for such services before.

Best,
 
I've always liked HighRankings (http://www.highrankings.com/), maybe it's because our very own Dan (ldcdc) seems to like their forum :D.

SEO work from professionals is very expensive. Take a look at the services that Jill (the one who runs HighRankings) and how much she charges. From hundreds to thousands of dollars. $$$!
 
I've always liked HighRankings (http://www.highrankings.com/), maybe it's because our very own Dan (ldcdc) seems to like their forum .
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Hehehe! Yes, I used to be present there quite a bit. That was a long while ago, but I still read a thread or two from time to time.

IMO there can be no cheap SEO service, simply because to be properly done it takes time. Unlike the web design world there can be no template here to increase productivity. Each SEO project/job, if it is done properly, is unique.

Take link building via link exchange. It can very well take an hour to obtain 1 good link exchange.

IMO the only real route to lower SEO costs would be hiring people from less developed countries (like the one where I live).
 
IMO there can be no cheap SEO service, simply because to be properly done it takes time.
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The Key here is "properly". There are a number of ways to achieve a good google ranking. However, alot of them are frowned upon by google and will eventually get you banned or just demoted. Proper google ranking takes time. There is only so much you can do for a site. There rest is laborious work and dedication.
 
I did not yet hire anyone, John. I realized my knowledge on the subject really lacks, so I am still browsing around, reading articles, suggestions to get as much information as possible about it.

Some SEO rates are so extreme that what one could simply do is buy top bids for keywords at ppc engines and put no effort into optimization process... When someone asks $1000/month budget, with that budget you can do so many more benefiting things than just optimize your site, so it makes no sense sometimes.

Best,
 
A running car? You could lease a brand-new BMW!
Sorry, but I just don't see how $X,000 SEO rates could be either justified or worth the benefit in both short and long term. In short-run, there are no results at all. In the long-run, its not the optimization but the content you have that makes the difference.
 
In the long-run, its not the optimization but the content you have that makes the difference.
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I most definitely disagree. Give me a great marketer and a good budget, despite having little content, and I'll beat the site with lots of quality content but vitually no marketing, in 99% of the cases. The "content is king" era is long gone, as is the "natural linking". The content itself is marginal to a website's success, with very few exceptions. The more time passes, the fewer the chances of great content winning over the big budgets.

If the site's SEO requires 30 hours per month, simply multiply that with some $10 to $150 per hour and you've got the rough price ranges. One should keep in mind the SEO for a site that sells products or services is half SEO, half copywriting. When the two mix, the hourly pay gets quite high, I must say. :)
 
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Dan, some of the things you say are correct, however, I cannot agree that you can beat content. One of the sites I run was never invested in. In fact, no SEO was performed. Ever. It has barely any meta-tags in place. However, traffic and ranking continues to grow.

Take Movies section for example. It has nothing special about it, yet it ranks at the very top in keywords like "box office movies", even before Yahoo! or Movies.com. And it has been consistent. And that's not to mention that companies like IGN Entertainment have super-sized budgets and they promote their movie web sites the best they can, without major success.

On the other hand, I see you follow the field well. Tell me if outsourcing SEO is a good idea. The prices I have seen charged by Indian SEO companies, for example, are easier to handle. Is there a difference in results?

Best,
 
I do follow the field Art, but not from a buyer's perspective. I do it mainly to learn and apply things with my own hands, and see where the search technology goes. So sorry, but I can't help in terms of who does a good job and who doesn't.

If you don't mind me asking, what type of website are you interested in improving/optimising?
 
Artashes said:
On the other hand, I see you follow the field well. Tell me if outsourcing SEO is a good idea. The prices I have seen charged by Indian SEO companies, for example, are easier to handle. Is there a difference in results?
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Outsourcing allows you to concentrate on your core business, reduces operating cost and reduces project overheads savings on skilled manpower, IT infrastructure and technology. Availability of skilled professionals and infrastructure as per your projects and your requirements, overall completion of project in time and within budget can save more than 50% on your project cost.

Benefits of Outsourcing in India - Large pool of computer literate and English speaking professionals, well recognized Information Technology skills, wide gap between personnel costs in India and developed countries, combination skill sets easily available with experience of communicating and working with global clients government supportive of such activities, excellent training infrastructure, excellent telecom infrastructure.
 
Thank you for your insights, Dan. I am actually interested in the opinion of those who actually learn and apply SEO techniques like yourself. Those sites are mostly service-driven web sites. For example, an image hosting provider that needs to convert visitors into registrations and clients.

Peter, I know the benefits of outsourcing. I am more interested in whether anyone tried outsourcing SEO and what the results of that were.

Best,
 
i must say that I agree with both artashes and dan on this one. It depends. Don't you love that. But its true, it depends on the type of site it is. If you are running a community site, forum, blog, news site, CONTENT IS KING! If it is a business site, MARKETING IS KING. And there are exceptions to every rule, so don't list them please. But, understand that SEO is just a new marketing skill and should be treated with the same regard given to previous marketing campaigns. You need to do a thorough analysis of your business/site/venture to determine a number of factors before making the decision of how to optimize your site. SEO like dan said, doesn't always matter.
 
Jacob, I think you summarized it well on a certain level. As you put it, SEO is far more important for business/ecommerce sites, while content-driven/informational resources can do well without that. So its basically the business websites that compete against informational channels for their keywords. :)

Would that be an accurate statement to make?
 
Hopefully you have exerted yourself fully with your SEO efforts to optimize your website.
I mean ..there is some great information out there for people trying to get higher rankings! I am assuming you know all the basics of SEO optimization, Keywords, backlinking, aviding spamming of keywords, lengths of titles ..blabla....etc...
Or maybe it is an issue of you not having the time??

Personally...I think with some research and consistent work (everyday) you can tweak your website yourself to get some amazing results and traffic flow!

Why resort to a 'so called' expert untill you have done all you can first??

Just a thought...
 
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