People Still Manage Too Amaze Me
December 30, 2011
Welcome to the Google Places SEO Citations blog at Tucson SEO Solutions.
This blog covers local SEO which is dominated by Google, Google Places and the need for citations. The blog also covers just about any thing related to Google search results and related topics. I hope that you might glean some useful resources while you are here.
People Still Manage To Amaze Me
I just got off the phone with someone who was inquiry about my SEO Services and this person managed to amaze me. As often happens, these encounters become a blog post. Here is how this went down. I received a call early this morning but I could not take it. I had just gotten up for the day and I had not yet taken my sinus medication. So I was about to have a long sneezing session until the medication kicked in. So I waited before I returned his call.
Now, as it turns out, this man is selling a book that offers a cure for this sinus problem that I have. So I was very motivated to speak with him. Then I visited his website and this is what I found.
When I called I began to explain to him that his site was not worth doing any SEO on at this time. I further explained that I am in need of a cure and his book would be something that I might actually want. Then I explained that is website was so bad that had I discovered it and clicked on it that I would immediately left. I went to great lengths to explain that he must meet or exceed his users expectations.
I further explained that he would be wasting his money using an SEO service. The concept here is that it doesn’t make any sense to bring traffic to a website that is broken or ineffective. During the conversation he mentioned that he built the website using Intuit. I then suggest that he consider using WordPress but that anything was better than what he has.
I also offered to do an SEO Review to see how competitive his market is. The idea here is that it might not be worth the effort if it was very competitive. It’s impossible to make an accurate judgement about a keyword sector without knowing what the challenges are. I also suggested that their may be better options available that were more cost effective. I also offered to make available my SEO video training so that he could do it himself after he fixed his website.
I went to great length to explain that I was trying to save him money and to give him the best possible opportunity to succeed. I figured he would be better served to know what his challenges are. And that he could be learning about the SEO process so that he could do it himself. Then he could work on improving his website. I also explained that his website needed to be as good as if not better than his competitors if he wanted to get their attention.
This is a common mistake that many people make. They seem to think that all they have to do is get people to website and this automatically leads to sales, wrong!
I am at a point that I am not looking to take on any new long term clients. I have a full schedule, but I wanted to help him not to get taken. He had already told me that he had limited funds so I was attempting to provide him with the tools and training to do it himself while it works at improving his website.
We were about 20 minutes into this conversation when this comes up. He makes the statement that since he didn’t meet me he had no way of knowing if I was a schist-er. Wow, I thought, I have been bending over backwards to help this guy not get taken and he things I’m a low life. Thus, the I am amazed part of this story. I’m pointing out that his website needs to be fixed before he does any SEO. I’m offering to provide a clear picture of his market and offering training so that he can do it himself and he calls me a schist-er.
I asked myself, “was this guy listening to me at all?” Now, I can understand his reluctance, but it just seemed like he wasn’t paying attention. So yes, I was blown away buy this and quickly ended the conversation. I have seen this kind of behavior before and its motivated by fear, the fear of being taken. And all SEO’s should be looked at with a healthy dose of skepticism as there are so many bad ones doing business.
The guy ended up calling me back and apologizing, but my decision had already been made. I refused to consider him as a client. I have learned over the years that some clients are not worth the money that they bring into the business. When their are problems in the beginning they never seem to go away. They just seem to multiply over time.
I guess he didn’t believe me when I explained that I really am in need of a sinus cure, as I sniffled through the conversation. And that I would have immediately left his website because it was so poor and failed to meet my expectations. He is offering health solutions that require trust, but his site does nothing to assure you that this is a trustworthy website or product.
This kind of thing happens all to often, but I have never been called a schist-er previously. And yes, I was irritated. As I was looking to protect this guy and he could not see it. Now, having said all of this I am still an optimist at heart. I like making lemonade out of lemons. That is why I am blogging about this story. It helps me get ride of my frustration and it adds fresh content to the blog.
What Say you?
Google Places SEO Citations Blog Local SEO Services Google Places SEO Google Places Citations
Do you own a local small business in Tucson, Arizona or elsewhere and you need Google Places SEO or Places Citations services? Then please call Tucson SEO at 520-505-6024 or email me Now!
Tucson SEO… Solutions that create probabilities out of possibilities.
Tucson SEO Solution 814 N. Belvedere Ave. Tucson, AZ 85711 520-505-6024
And They Call This SEO V1
December 28, 2011
Welcome to the Google Places SEO Citations blog at Tucson SEO Solutions.
This blog covers local SEO which is dominated by Google, Google Places and the need for citations. The blog also covers just about any thing related to Google search results and related topics. I hope that you might glean some useful resources while you are here.
And They Call This SEO V1
Today, I got this email and I usually delete these without opening, as obviously I don’t require SEO services. But occasional I do open these up which I did today. I quickly realized that I had a blog post on my hands. So let’s examine this email together.
Hello,
Wish you Happay New year a great day
We offer services for Search Engine Optimization for enhancing link popularity of the website on your targeted keywords. As well as our team has been serving for few SEO companies all across the globe for various online businesses.
1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
2. Manual Directory Submissions
3. Quality Link Building
4. Blog Posting
5. Article Submission
6. Press release submission
7. Social Bookmarking
8. Forum Posting
9. Blogroll Linsks
10.classified submission
We apply clean strategy as well as white hat techniques to achieve the desired results. Feel free to contact us for specific work mention above or complete SEO.
Now, I love it when they say that they will do SEO as if it is something separate from everything else in this list. Perhaps, they were talking about On Page SEO since everything else mentioned here is about Off Page SEO. And let’s not forget that there is no mention of Google Places or Social SEO here. If I have a local business they are only offering an attempt to fulfill 1/3 of my needs.
1. There is no explanation of what you are being offered here. Opinion: Likely useless.
2. Manual Directory Submission – This one worked really well in a previous century but is useless unless the directory is human edited. There are not many of these and getting listed for free is extremely difficult. Opinion: Mostly useless.
3. Quality Link Building – If they actually provided quality link building this would be extremely useful. Opinion: Not likely to happen as most people use low quality resources and automated tools for link building.
4. Blog posting – Extremely useful if done correctly. Opinion: Not enough info to determine the value offered here.
5. Article Submission – Opinion: This could be useful if done correctly. What makes this different from blog posting? Also I guess they never heard of the Panda update.
6. Press Release Submission – Opinion: This has some value but it is not very effective.
7. Social Bookmarking – Opinion: This still has some value but the sites being used must have some PR and they must provide Do Follow links. And most of these websites do not have these.
8. Forum Posting – Opinion: This one has some value if executed properly. But the sites being used must have some PR and they must provide Do Follow Anchor Text links. And most of these websites do not offer these.
9. Blogroll Links – Opinion: This one is useful if they blog has some PR, Provides Do Follow links, and is in a related business field. These are difficult to come by.
10. Classified Submission – Opinion: A real waste of time!
Well, there it is no mention of doing competitive research, Google Places, or Social SEO… Hmmm!!!!!!!!!
What say you?
Google Places SEO Citations Blog Local SEO Services Google Places SEO Google Places Citations
Do you own a local small business in Tucson, Arizona or elsewhere and you need Google Places SEO or Places Citations services? Then please call Tucson SEO at 520-505-6024 or email me Now!
Tucson SEO… Solutions that create probabilities out of possibilities.
Tucson SEO Solution 814 N. Belvedere Ave. Tucson, AZ 85711 520-505-6024
What’s Wrong With This Picture
December 24, 2011
Welcome to the Google Places SEO Citations blog at Tucson SEO Solutions.
This blog covers local SEO which is dominated by Google, Google Places and the need for citations. The blog also covers just about any thing related to Google search results and related topics. I hope that you might glean some useful resources while you are here.
What’s Wrong With This Picture
Lately, I have been visiting a bunch of other websites that offer SEO services. The reason for this is I am looking for design ideas for a new website. Rarely, do I bother to see what they have to offer as I like keeping my blood pressure low. I don’t want to blow a gasket when I see that they are offering “SEO Packages.” I have never sold these as they are not based on research. Thus they are likely to fail.
Today, I just came upon this website and I had to write a post and ask “What’s Wrong With This Picture?” The $49.00 a month price doesn’t bother me nearly as much as something else here. Can you guess what I am referring too here?
The problem that I have here is the optimizing for Cleveland roofers, Chicago Car Insurance, and Pittsburg used Cars. Well, these may be keywords related to these businesses, but they are the wrong ones to optimize for. A better approach is to place your products or services before mentioning the location. The correct keyword phrases would be roofer Cleavland, Car Insurance Chicago, and used cars Pittsburg. (and yes that’s likely a misspell as the city in Pennsylvania is Pittsburgh)
This represents how people actually search. Google has indicated that only 20 to 40% of searchers will ever use a location in there searches. So why put the city first? Real people will first search for roofer, car insurance, and used cars. If they do not find what they want they will include the location, as in Local SEO Tucson. But they seldom will use Tucson Local SEO.
This is basic SEO 101. Yet, everyday I see examples from people who should know better, but don’t. While it may be ok to rank well for Chicago car insurance that’s not likely going to be a real highly used keyword phrase. Analytics prove this day in and day out. Those who do use the city before the service bounce at a higher rate and they don’t stay very long as they tend to be your competitors who also don’t know any better.
When you create keywords phrases and page titles the most important word should go first. When you optimize for Pittsburg used car you are telling the search engines that Pittsburg is your most important keyword phrase. But Pittsburg is not the most important keyword here. Yet, I see this day in and day out. I ask myself how can these people be providing SEO when they do not understand search and search behaviors.
What say you?
Google Places SEO Citations Blog Local SEO Services Google Places SEO Google Places Citations
Do you own a local small business in Tucson, Arizona or elsewhere and you need Google Places SEO or Places Citations services? Then please call Tucson SEO at 520-505-6024 or email me Now!
Tucson SEO… Solutions that create probabilities out of possibilities.
Tucson SEO Solution 814 N. Belvedere Ave. Tucson, AZ 85711 520-505-6024
The Competition Is Clueless
December 20, 2011
Welcome to the Google Places SEO Citations blog at Tucson SEO Solutions.
This blog covers local SEO which is dominated by Google, Google Places and the need for citations. The blog also covers just about any thing related to Google search results and related topics. I hope that you might glean some useful resources while you are here.
The Competition Is Clueless
I seen my fair share of shaky SEO products and services over the years. But I seldom have had the opportunity to examine my local competition business practices up close. However, that has changed recently and I will be sharing what I have discovered.
Recently, someone contacted me about acquiring SEO services. They had used a local website developer to build their website but SEO was not part of that process. When the client discussed SEO with them they were offered a 6 month program for about $600.00 a month. This person though that SEO was a one and done proposition and he didn’t understand why it would take an additional 6 months.
I took the time to explain that SEO is not a one and done process. I further explained that a 6 month proposal was a reasonable approach. But I cautioned him that everything would really depend on what they were offering to do. So he read me the proposal over the phone. What I heard was appalling. Other than providing some monthly reports and 8 or so links a month that was about it. Everything that I heard was BS and fluff.
I mentioned that I thought they should be arrested for malpractice. Now, this is a local business and this proposal only dealt with the organic free search results. Their was no mention at all about Google Places. So I asked what was their primary keyword phrases. Then I looked them up on Google. All the keyword phrases that I looked up had 7 Google Places results at the top of the Google search results.
Yet, there was no mention of Google Places in this SEO proposal. On the odd chance that this business was to rank # 1 in the organic results they still would be sitting in the 8th position overall. I had a hard time hearing that there was no mention of Google Places at all. I took the time to explain this to the caller at great length. This really bums me out when I hear this kind of nonsense.
Then today, I talked with an individual who became my client. He had told me that he had hired a local SEO provider previously. He stated that it did help some but he had lost confidence in this company. He sated that his website just was not providing any leads. After a lengthy conversation I asked if he had hired a Tucson based company. He indicated yes and he gave me that companies name. I indicated that I knew this person but that this was the first time that I had seen her work.
Now, this gentleman markets are extremely niche even for a local business. I explained that since he had extremely few competitors so ranking well should not be a problem. I wondered why he had limited success. Then I visited his website and it quickly became apparent why he needed my assistance. She, his SEO provider, failed to optimize his website for Tucson where he does business. I though OMG!!!!!!!!!!!
This is very basic stuff folks. If your business is in Tucson, you optimize the pages for the products or services and for where he is located. It’s much more difficult to rank well for Tucson related searches when you do not optimize for Tucson. These people were provided or proposed services that will want work and at significant cost. This kind of stuff just drives me crazy. How these people can take their clients money and provide such lousy service really makes me angry.
Everything that I do is based on market research. That’s why I have a 100% success rate of getting my clients onto the first page of Google for multiple keyword phrases. So yes, I have a problem with SEO providers who appear to be clueless.
What say you?
Google Places SEO Citations Blog Local SEO Services Google Places SEO Google Places Citations
Do you own a local small business in Tucson, Arizona or elsewhere and you need Google Places SEO or Places Citations services? Then please call Tucson SEO at 520-505-6024 or email me Now!
Tucson SEO… Solutions that create probabilities out of possibilities.
Tucson SEO Solution 814 N. Belvedere Ave. Tucson, AZ 85711 520-505-6024
SEO Done As Search In Tucson
December 19, 2011
Welcome to the Google Places SEO Citations blog at Tucson SEO Solutions.
This blog covers local SEO which is dominated by Google, Google Places and the need for citations. The blog also covers just about any thing related to Google search results and related topics. I hope that you might glean some useful resources while you are here.
SEO Done As Search In Tucson
I seldom do a keyword ranking search for just SEO from a Tucson ip address. I know that I usually rank in the 4th or 4th position. I am usually behind major SEO sites, Wikipedia, or Google. But I am always the first local SEO provider mentioned the the search results from Tucson.
Today, I did a search for SEO and I discovered that the site is ranking # 2 from a Tucson area ip. The only site that ranks ahead off me is Wikipedia. I don’t know when this happened. But I had noticed that more people were finding my site by using just SEO.
This represents a huge change for the site. Prior to Google rolling out Places Search or Blended Search in 10/2010 no one ever found my site using just SEO. That’s because I was ranking on page 40 or something like that. But blended search mixed local results with national results thus I was now being found by more people in Tucson. Still ranking behind these big boys of SEO wasn’t providing much of a boost. But it was generating some website traffic so I was very happy.
Now, I am even more happy to see that I’m ranking # 2. And this likely is what was been producing more business inquiries. For me December has always been a dead month for new business leads. But that has changed this year. I actually have been pleasantly surprised by all of the new business leads. The hardest part of all of this is being able to get a hold of those I want to follow up with during the holiday season.
Here is a screen shot of what I found today.
I will gladly accept ranking # 2 to SEO for Tucson based searchers in Google. Now I know why I have seen an increase in SEO inquiries…. YEA!
What say you?
Google Places SEO Citations Blog Local SEO Services Google Places SEO Google Places Citations
Do you own a local small business in Tucson, Arizona or elsewhere and you need Google Places SEO or Places Citations services? Then please call Tucson SEO at 520-505-6024 or email me Now!
Tucson SEO… Solutions that create probabilities out of possibilities.
Tucson SEO Solution 814 N. Belvedere Ave. Tucson, AZ 85711 520-505-6024
