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tonynwright
Jill,
I usually agree with you, but on this I don't. I use (or used to use) Webposition Gold Reporter to create a baseline report for the client and for our own internal purposes. And we track those rankings once per month. Of course, this is in conjunction with analytics analysis and other progress measurements.
But the bottom line is rankings are important. Personalization and IP targeting are not the point where there is significant differences in rankings on the majority of keywords, so rankings are still one of the best indicators of traffic. Plus the fact that a ranking is a TANGIBLE asset to a company, and sometimes it can help guide the overall marketing strategy. For instance, if I've done my keyword research and the client pushes for a keyword that we don't recommend then sometimes I'll just go ahead and optimize for that keyword and get it to rank. Once it ranks and pulls in absolutely no sales or leads, I prove I was right (or, unfortunately in a few cases, wrong). I need to check those rankings in order to prove to the client what's working and what's not. Yes, I could get that from analytics, but the point is simply that rankings are what clients understand.
If Google Webmaster tools would provide us with average rankings for keywords we want to show up under (something I would imagine would be rather easy to implement) then I would be happy to pay for it. I want to know rankings AND how they integrate with traffic and sales. Thats the name of the game.
Story: The $350/hour SEO expert
I would imagine this guy knows someone or has some political clout. But there are shysters of all kinds out there. I've worked with many of them.
Story: Sphinn at Pubcon Vegas 2007
I will be there and speaking. Got to start putting the deck together soon.
I've found that the very best way to charge for SEO services is by charging by the hour. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but this seems to work for me. After all, the only thing I really have to sell is my expertise and my time!
Story: Bill Hartzer's Amazing Day
I sent this story to local radio station "The Ticket". I'm hoping they pick it up.
Posted something similar to this yesterday...how do we subscribe to so much crap?
Story: Matt Cutts Hates Hookers
Wow halfdeck. Are you talking from experience? This post was supposed to equate paid links with prostitution, not promote paid sex... I don't know how to respond to your comment.
Disclosure and transparency are the keys. Now, if the search engines will be so kind as to clearly define the rules, I will be definitely provide transparency. What sucks is being gray with your clients because you really don't know if the rules are being broken or not.
But Shari, I really enjoyed the article. And I'm happy that you are a Search Champ and in that graduate program.
Just bought $20 worth of credits to try it out. So far, seems like a tool I can use.
Story: Is SEO Scalable?
What you are talking about, toprank, is what I would consider a full service digital agency. I agree with you to an extent, but is there room for the niche firm that ONLY concentrates on organic search strategies to become a major player? Perhaps this just a hypothetical because once a search only agency gets beyond a certain point they all tend to start offering other services (albeit usually ineptly at first) so it may never happen. But I just wonder if it is possible like you say, for an SEO shop to become like the big management and IT consulting firms.
Story: SEO Can Be Automated!
I would love to see the beta of this. I've thought for a long time that on the page SEO could be mostly automated and link building could be partially automated. I've just been too in the weeds to create a tool to do it!
Story: How Not to Deal With Clients
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Story: WebPosition Ranking Software Being Blocked by Google?