What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
1) We start off with a phone call. It is always best for me to have a solid understanding of your business, and your business objectives before we begin. This is important in order to align expectations for the project being worked on and to make sure you are a happy customer.
2) I get the best understanding possible of you and your business. I typically start off by reading every word on your website (if you have one), doing research on your industry, and getting a grasp on what exactly it is that you do. This is obviously easier if I already understand what you do.
3) I research all of your online competition and get a grasp for who all we will be competing for rankings with.
4) I figure out everything you are already ranking for. I figure out everything the competition is ranking for. I compare and come up with suggestions for areas we should pursue, areas we should stay away from (highly competitive keywords, etc.), and hidden keywords you might not know you ranked for that we can re-optimize for.
5) I setup a monthly report that will measure and track various key performance indicators so you can see value and ROI.
6) I begin making On-Page optimizations
7) While we wait to see changes in Google for the On-Page modifications, I work on Off-Page SEO
8) Continuously analyze rankings and do more On-Page SEO once changes have taken effect
9) Repeat Steps 7-8 as needed and occasionally revisit Step 4
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
In the world of SEO, I am self-taught. I have gained my skills by putting them to real world use. I follow lots of different sources for industry information such as: Search Engine Land, Moz, SEMrush, Search Engine Watch, Search Engine Journal, and more...
I really enjoy SEO. That makes it easy for me to stay up to date on news, changes, software and more because I actually enjoy doing it and reading about it.
I have ranked many sites for keywords and gotten them to the 1st page. I have done this with new sites that I built myself, and I have drastically improved existing sites rankings.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your service? If so, please share the details here.
Monthly SEO costs $200-$500 per month. We can arrange a rate based upon your budget. This price fluctuates depending on the SEO services provided.
SEM/PPC Management will cost an additional $200-$500 per month. This price depends on how much money is being managed monthly as well as how many channels are being managed.
How did you get started doing this type of work?
I started with learning to build websites. After building many websites, I started to learn and realize that it took more than simply having a site in order to show up in the search engines. This intrigued me and marked the start of my career as an SEO and Digital Marketer.
I enjoy learning new ways to drive targeted traffic to sites. I've spent much more time recently pursuing ecommerce.
What types of customers have you worked with?
Everything from addiction recovery centers to real estate agents.
Describe a recent project you are fond of. How long did it take?
I recently revamped a website for a Real Estate agent. I incorporated an IDX that pulls live listing data into the website and have provided ongoing SEO services. The site recently broke 200 visitors per month organically and shows signs of much higher growth. It is starting to rank for highly competitive keywords. Some keywords, it ranks on the first page for with websites such as Zillow, Trulia, and Homes.com. I rebuilt the website in about 2-3 weeks, and have been doing SEO 4+ months.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
Do your research before you hire! SEO is not always cut and dry. There are lots of people out there over-promising and under-delivering. Also, be wary of anyone who "guarantees" to get you on page 1 before they even have information about your business. You can't guarantee something when you have no control over it. Google and other search engines make changes all the time.
Oh, and remember that SEO is an investment. It takes time but pays off.
What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
What are your main business objectives? Do you want to rank for specific keywords or just increase your overall traffic to your site? Do you want more leads? More sales?
What is your budget? Seriously...knowing what you can spend saves a lot of time. Plus this is different for everyone. I have no idea of your company finances so I can't make this decision for you.
What is your website built with? Where is it hosted? Have all of your credentials (usernames, passwords, etc.) ready to go for once you move forward. This saves a lot of time and makes it where work can start quickly.
Will you provide content or will you want this done for you? Sometimes you may need to make new, fresh content for your website or add some to certain pages. Content creation typically costs extra. I have copywriter contacts that I would be happy to share. Depending on the case, I may be able to write copy for you.
