We all hate grunt work, it’s the work no one wants to do, but if neglected can be a devastating blow to your company. Most of SEO is grunt work, it’s low level task which usually can’t be automated, at least not with efficiency, and its labor intense, but for a website to succeed, there must be some level of grunt work.

SEO consist of optimization, analysis, reporting, research, data mining, link building, content writing, social marketing, etc. All which is grunt work. Regardless if you enjoy it or not it is still grunt work.

How much are you willing to pay someone to handle your grunt work? Would you pay more for efficiency or better reporting?

SEO isn’t going to get you into space or solve a quantum physics equation, but it bridges the gap between success and failure when it comes to online marketing. How important is SEO to your business? Does more visitors to your website affect your bottomline?

Google embeds twitter real-time search results into their search result pages (5th rank down).

This new search tier has got to be a welcomed source of income for Twitter.  I am sure there is a deal between the two which will fatten Twitter pockets.  This new type of search will make it even more important to keep a social presence especially in Twitter, because the more you tweet then the more likely you’ll get in their real time search results.

Not all searches will produce real-time search results, at this time it seems to be selective but as time progresses I am sure it will open up more.  The real-time search results are auto-updated in its own frame, you have the option of pausing the auto-updates.

Google Maps has a new real estate feature, it can now perform full real estate searches.  If you are currently in the market for a new home, then Google’s real estate search may be able to help.

To get real estate queries, simply enter the address of the home for sale or enter the local city + homes for sale, it will bring back a  search form you can use to find a home.

The listings are not from Google, they are linked to external websites which are not owned by Google.  I can’t tell if the listings are actual scrapes or if they are optimized for inclusion.  I am not sure if Google has a method for getting listed or if they just find you.  However, I speculate they are scrapes, if not scrapes then it may be private relationships with select websites to show their listings.

I would say the easiest way to get listed would be to perform a search in your local area then find out which websites Google are pulling from and then list your home for sale on those websites.

I remember when Google base handled these type searches, but since Base has been retired in the sense of what it was known for, I guess Google decided to utilize Google maps for its categorized local searches.  I would suspect autos are next.

Social media is bringing new methods to crime scene investigations.  In a stunning story, Robert Bradford, an ex-suspect in a robbery case was released from jail because his Facebook status provided him an alibi during the time of the robbery.

Robert was updating his Facebook status during the time a robbery occurred 13 miles away.  Without his Facebook profile Robert would still be in jail, because he was picked out of a lineup by the victim.

It’s amazing the waves social media is making on everyday society.  If for anything else, updating social statuses can provide you with the alibi needed to keep you out of prison. LOL

They usually do so off season!

The other day I got a call from one of my clients who wanted to shift focus of the SEO strategy to organically rank for holiday season related terms.  Sure, I am confident in my abilities to get a website ranked on the first page from now 11/14 for Thanksgiving related keywords, but for competitive short tails which drive the most traffic — it would be almost impossible to organically rank a website high in days time using pure white hat techniques.

Let’s say you are targeting the keyword “Christmas Ornaments”, which is highly competitive (receives 1M searches a month) then the best time to start an SEO promotion campaign for this keyword is to start your targeting during off-season, around the Easter holiday.

If you want to rank #1 for Easter season related keywords then you should start your SEO campaign now (Thanksgiving/Christmas season) to target those keywords.  It takes time to organically rank and if you want to ensure you reach your rankings goal then you’ll need to give yourself the time to achieve.

However, just because organic keywords are time consuming doesn’t mean you will miss out on first page ranking, there are plenty of other opportunities for first page rankings, including paid placement.  There are also other ways to drive traffic to a website in a short time, such as

• article marketing
• press release distribution
• social media marketing
• link baiting
• viral marketing, etc.

In some cases SEO start a campaign for seasonal traffic years in advance, depending how competitive the keyword set being used and how important it is to the company bottomline to rank high for those target keywords.  Determine if your website relates to any holiday or seasonal keywords and start increasing your rankings around those keywords.

I’ve been banned and blocked from enough websites to know it’s bad business to have strict ban policies.  I’ve been banned for a number of reasons,  some unknown.  However, I maintain my innocence! *wink*

When you start a website with a strict ban policy you essentially are telling your users screw you.  It is understood that you are trying to keep a clean presence and friendly user network but in essence all you are doing is discriminating against others by hiding behind ban policies, because in many cases the ban policy has little to do with SPAM but more to do with personal ethics.

Let’s take for instance, a while back I was banned from SEOChat forums because my first post on the forum board was a reply to a someone who was looking for SEO services.  Here’s what the forum member  posted  to the board:

Hi,

I am basically looking for someone who can do the SEO For my site URL.

The keyword I have in mind is competing against 11,600,000 on Google. The site is already indexed and appears to be listed on page 2 of ‘Wholesaler Forums’.

Any contact would be great, I’m looking for someone to start right away.

Here is my response to their post — this is what got me banned!

Hi,

I can assist you with your SEO needs. Please PM me your website URL and I will respond with a FREE MARKETING PLAN REPORT. I look forward to hearing from you.

That’s it!  My account was banned.  Matter fact here is the thread of the post that got me banned,  http://forums.seochat.com/seo-professionals-57/seo-professional-wanted-138458.html

I know I was a little cheesy! LOL!  But, who cares — I was on topic, relevant, and responsive to a member post.  And what’s worse forum moderators had the audacity to flame my post and question my authority because I said FREE MARKETING PLAN and I was not an active member on their forum.

FREE MARKETING PLAN is a part of my everyday quote  — it just shows the details of the project scope.  Maybe I shouldn’t have used the term,  but its use shouldn’t of gotten me banned — I didn’t say or do anything out of line, a moderator just did not personally accept me or agree with my post and therefore I was banned.

I did a web search for “seo wanted” and at the time that  post was on the first page of Google search results.  I simply clicked-through read the post and left a comment, doing that got me banned!  I said FREE MARKETING PLAN which is a free quote, I didn’t say FREE MARKETING.

Anyway, since that day I haven’t returned to SEOChat, haven’t recommended them to anyone, and whenever  I hear someone mention them I turn my nose up.  The forum moderator could have simply just removed my post (which they did) if they didn’t agree with the post or send a friendly email explaining policy — if I broke any.

I also was banned from DigitalPoint in the past for multiple user accounts, but I was already an active member of DP for years before being banned, so I wanted back in.  There are legitimate reasons for having multiple accounts.  For me I have different online personalities which each serve different purposes.

Another place I was  banned  which rubbed me the wrong way was at MailChimp,  being accused of  spamming  — I had only 7 subscribers at the time  and  they were all  opt-in so I never understood their  complaint.  I always felt this was more personal, because  the content  of my emails weren’t well liked by the general public so its possible they put an end to my account  due to personal reasons.   When I emailed them for an explaination or some  proof of spamming — I of course didn’t hear a response.   What’s  worse than banning  someone from  your website is being a coward banner.

I’ve even seen

Website ban policies can leave a bad taste in someone mouth who is a legitimate and influential individual.  Making someone feel alienated because you want to steer the direction of  your website to serve your own beliefs is discriminatory and I wouldn’t  be surprise if a  case pops up sooner or later  where someone is banned from a website  then they file a lawsuit for discrimination.

Many websites ban members who monetize or attempt monetization from their profiles.   I don’t understand this practice, because I think every opportunity on the web can be leveraged if done right.

Webmasters have tunnel vision and don’t allow room for growth by having strict ban policies.  I think banning should be done when someone is posting irrelevant content, but if it answers someone question then allow it, even if someone tries to monetize, as long as its in moderation.

Take a closer look at your ban policy and make sure you are not alienating any particular group or person.  You want your website to bring people together not discourage participation or make someone feel ill about your website.

Being banned is a part of life in the webmaster/affiliate world because you manage so many different accounts online it’s almost impossible not to get banned and with affiliate marketing you have to be extra careful.  But regardless when or how you get banned it always make you feel a certain way inside

Google celebrates anniversary of Sesame Street November 2009 with homepage logos starting from November 4th 2009.  Check ‘em out,

I started a new website, SEO Referrals (http://www.seoreferrals.com).  The thought behind it is to have a centralized and dedicated location for finding and posting search engine optimization jobs or projects.

The way it works is simple, if you have an SEO job to fill then you sign up for a employers account here then create a project for providers to bid upon.  If you are looking for work then you browse SEO projects and sign up for an account here then place a bid on the SEO projects of interest.

It is the perfect solution to outsourcing your SEO services and finding the right freelance talent for the job.  There is also a section of the website where you can place job ads when you are seeking in-house talent.

It is 100% free to post SEO projects, browse projects, and bid on projects.  The only cost comes when accepting a provider or project.  If you as the employer accept a provider then it will cost $1.  As the provider it will cost $5 to accept a project.  Just for signing up, I will add $5 to your account so sign up now!

Otherwise, you can always get a free quote for SEO services from me here!

SEO expert, Anthony Onaf (http://www.antonaf.com) is offering free keyword research to all website owners for a limited time.  This is the perfect way for website owners to get a solid list of keywords which they should be targeting and using for website optimization.  Included with every keyword report is a list of top ten keywords, estimated Google Adwords cost per click, estimated monthly Google search volume,  estimated monthly traffic, and suggested daily budget for keyword targets.

In case you don’t know, keyword research is one of the most important aspects of SEO also known as search engine optimization.  If someone does an online search  for keywords related to your business then being listed on the first page for the search queried keywords is important.  The only way to know if the keywords you are targeting is popular and a wise target is to perform keyword research.

When done right, targeting the correct keywords will drive mass amounts of traffic to your website pages.  Each page of your website is an opportunity for keyword targeting.  Targeting the wrong keywords will prove to be a waste of time, money, and effort.

Anthony Onaf analyzes website pages and provides a list of the top ten keywords which relate.  Each keyword suggested by Anthony will be an opportunity for targeting and creating content pages.  Do you know the top ten keywords to target in your industry?  If not, then this is especially for you.  To get your list of top ten keywords, simply contact Anthony Onaf via his contact form, mention you want keyword research performed for your website and he’ll respond with a list of keyword targets, http://www.antonaf.com/contact/

Ant Onaf Search Marketing & SEO is a Raleigh SEO company specializing in search engine optimization, search engine marketing, and pay per click management.  Ant Onaf is dedicated to driving targeted traffic and increasing rank.

Some people who buy into an SEO solution for their website don’t have a minimum or maximum SEO budget. They just wing it! There is no SEO budget and no SEO plan. This is a common mistake.

Having an SEO budget (and plan) is essential. But the SEO plan can come from your outsourced SEO company. The problem with exploring SEO without a budget is most search companies have different ways of pricing and prices can differ greatly depending on the company. If you don’t have a SEO budget in mind then you can easily be thrown into a loop.

Knowing when to hire a full-time employee instead of a consultant can get tricky, but a good rule of thumb is to hire employees when the position directly relates to your core business and hire a consultant when you need assistance for something outside your direct business.  An example would be a web design company would find great use in hiring a full time web designer, but a construction company may not have a need for a full-time web designer, therefore a consultant will be a better choice.

At current the normal going rates for SEO is (somewhat) as follows,

US/UK/CA SEO Consultant – $25-$200 per hour
Offshore SEO Consultant – $10-$50 per hour

Entry Level SEO Employee – $25K-$50K per year
Junior Level SEO  Employee – $40K-$75K per year
Senior Level SEO Employee – $60K-$125K per year
Principal/Executive  Level SEO Employee – $80K-$250K per year

Here’s some things to consider when creating a SEO budget for your company,

Hourly rate

It all starts with an hourly rate.  Your company should decide on an hourly rate which is considered fair compensation. Choosing an independent consultant or outsourced company will usually cost more in terms of hourly rate compared to a full-time employee.

However, you should be aware that while hiring an employee is commonly cheaper in hourly cost, there are other miscellaneous costly expenses such as health insurance, 401K, personal days, vacation days, training, office space, work materials, and other expenses — therefore the cost between the two can even out when you factor in the whole picture.  So when you budget an hourly rate for an employee versus a consultant make sure you include the miscellaneous items.

Goals & Objectives

Determine your goals and objectives.  If you are looking for immediate results in terms of traffic and rankings then you more than likely need a paid search solution, such as Google Adwords management.  Paid search can get your website to the top of the rankings literally overnight and drive mass amounts of traffic, however there is a cost association.  If you are outsourcing then you’ll have to pay for the managed labor hours as well as pay the spend cost (ad budget) on the pay per click networks.  So if your consultant tells you their hourly cost is $50 per hour, then you’ll have to pay for the hours spent managing the campaign at $50 per hour then you’ll have to pay for the amount of money being spent for advertising and promoting your website on Google Adwords and other paid search networks, such as $100 per day (or $3,000 per month).

If your goal is long term management then you should budget for the long term.  If you only need a specific task completed, such as keyword research, competitor analysis, on page optimization, then this can be a short term project and your SEO budget should conform.

Amount of Hours

Determine the number of hours you’ll need to accomplish your goals so you can stay within your SEO budget range.  In most cases a single SEO campaign will never need a full 40 hours of work each week, even though the more hours poured into the campaign then likely the more effort which leads to more rewards.

Whatever the case you will still have wait time which cannot be escaped, search engines must take notice to your website SEO efforts, evaluate your website, then rank your website — this process can take months of trust building.  The point is no matter how fast you build your online presence you’ll still have to wait for search engines to play catch up, so there is no need to rush things.

Extract a number of hours you are willing to invest each week to employ an SEO employee or SEO consultant services.  If you are unfamiliar with online marketing then you need to just jump in and go quote shopping.  Find companies who are willing to give you a free detailed quote.  Telling you at least what you need to get started with Phase I, how much it will cost, and how long it will take.  Get quotes from several companies to compare and get an average starting point for your campaign.

Accountability

Determine what your SEO provider responsibilities.  If you are paying your SEO to be accountable for your website leads and sales then make this known upfront and expect to budget for such responsibilities.  If you are using the SEO to drive traffic then you should fairly compensate for traffic driven results.  If your SEO provider is only responsible for consultation then likely you’ll pay an initial retainer fee then an hourly rate beyond anything consultation related.

When your company decides to outsource their SEO solution then you are expected to pay for time, effort, and strategy.  A skilled consultant can cut the time it takes to rank and achieve online success in half the time if they have the right SEO budget.