Hundred Dollar SEO

Originally I was going to do another site review like the one for Zappos, but I have a friend coming in from out of state so I decided to spend some extra time cleaning.

So I am revisiting the original inspiration for this site, my answer to the question of Cheap SEO.

You get what you pay for.

Really that is the answer to SEO you have to pay with money or time. You either sped time learning how to do it or you spend money paying someone who as already spent time

$100 And A Lot Of Time Learning SEO

If you buy the following books from Amazon you will have enough left over for a pound of Coffee and a cheap bottle of bourbon — you will need both.

• Stephen Krug - Don’t Make Me Think $21.60
• Avinash Kaushik - Web Analytics: An Hour a Day $19.79
• The Eisenberg Brothers and Lisa T. Davis - Call To Action $16.49
• Jerry Ledford & Mary Tyler - Google Analytics 2.0 $19.79

You may notice that none of these books is about SEO, thats what the coffee is for.

• Step One: eat a handful of coffee beans and start reading.
• Step Two: drink some bourbon to calm your nerves.
• Step Three: eat some more coffee read SEO-Theory, take another shot every time your head hurts.
• Step Four: eat some coffee and read all of SEOmoz Online Marketing Category. Take a shot as needed.

Now you have a pretty balance introduction to SEO, an idea what to do with it, an ulcer, and a drinking problem — more or less you are a novice, but you have a lot to think about. You can probably ask an intelligent question on anyones blog.

Spend $100 And A Little Time

Alright I am sure that you A.) Don’t want an ulcer and B.) Probably are looking for a solution that takes less than 6 months — so here is your second option.

Take an SEO to dinner and/or drinks

No, really, it works. The best SEO advice that I got in all of 2006 came from paying a $68 tab drinking whiskey with Jim Hedger. Most of us are nice people and love attention. It may sound weird but the reason that consulting rates are high is because you are buying work time. Everyone values fun more than work. A three course meal or a couple happy hours can get you as much time as paying $1,000 of work time. The important things to remember when you curbside any professional is this: you are on their time.

Taking someone out to lunch or for happy hour is a traditional way to ask a question in their area of expertise, but you have to be polite. I get a lot of requests every week for advice and the ones that take the time to “Meet For [blank]” are the only ones that happen without a contract. My advice to you when trying to get information is to follow the same rules as when you go on a date:

• You should be paying if they are giving professional services
• You should present yourself in a friendly attentive manner
• You should complement them
• You should spend more time talking about them than your problems

The best people to talk to are working SEOs in your area who are active on the web. The ones that are speakers are generally traveling a lot, but if you catch them in your town they often appreciate a good meal. If you are in the San Francisco David Mihm (David spends time in Portland too) or Christopher Darrell are both friendly competent SEOs who enjoy social gatherings. In Seattle you have people like me (Carlos “inflatemouse” del Rio), Matt “eCopt” (I’m sad to say I can’t remember Matt’s last name) and many more. Jim Hedger lives in Victoria BC, a beautiful city, and likes whiskey.

Really just look for commenters or bloggers in your area and be friendly. The only inexpensive — monetarily — way to learn about SEO is to put in time, in one fashion or another.

Tags:   Analytics · Google · SEO7 Comments

Related Posts