The Web Authority – Page 375 – From McCord Web Services – Google Partner and Web Visibility Experts

December 17, 2008March 4, 2012

What Can You Expect to Pay for Organic Optimization

I am going to provide a simple answer to a very complex question, but I do get asked all the time “how much does organic search optimization cost?” Typically for a site that is 10 to 25 pages, you can expect to pay $1600 to $2800 for organic code optimization (this is an estimate).

Prices will be higher if new content needs to be created for your website, but it is important to understand that organic code optimization is not inexpensive. Some SEO firms will additionally charge you for link programs, monthly monitoring and reporting, and additional tweaking, but the bulk of the work revolves around laying hands on the website’s source code.

Improving organic optimization takes time. Results are typically not immediately apparent. Organic optimization does not stop with updating and improving the keyword density and source code, promoting your website with a blog, press releases, and article syndication keeps the push on and will improve overall results.

Another big thing to remember is that no firm can guarantee results on any engine – no way, no how! If you find a firm who does, you should be careful and proceed cautiously. The key to Google’s, Yahoo’s, and MSN’s search algorithm is such a highly guarded secret. If the key to placement was divulged, SEO firms would work to exploit the key to garner placement for their clients. So only Google, Yahoo, and MSN know what exactly they are looking for in regards to placement. Here’s one tip, Google looks at over 150 different factors alone to determine where a website falls in the organic results.

December 16, 2008December 17, 2008

Upgrading to WordPress 2.7

I just upgraded my blog from WordPress 2.6.1 to WordPress 2.7. Whew it was hairy and took 1.6 hours to do, but I have successfully upgraded my blog platform.

You the user can most likely see no difference, but in the control panel, the differences are huge. For me the reason that I wanted to upgrade was (1) so many clients are asking me should they upgrade? and (2) Flash Player 10 has broken my ability to easily add photos to my blog and I wanted to see if upgrading would help to get me back in business.

Well I am here to say that yes for images I am back in business, thank goodness. Darn that Flash Player 10 for making it so hard for me with WordPress.

So do I like the interface of WordPress 2.7? Well, it is very different than 2.6 that is for sure.

So far for me all my plugins have worked and my settings have carried over. Do I recommend doing the upgrade? If you have the time and money, I would recommend it. One of the improvements I see is the ability to block specific users from commenting, I have one guy who spams me all the time, and the ability to from now on auto upgrade WordPress as new versions come out. I liked WordPress version 2.6 but I think that I will like version 2.7 better.

December 15, 2008March 4, 2012

Don’t Leave Your Pocketbook Open for Google

I have to say that even though I have seen some businesses be hugely successful using Google AdWords, I have also seen some who have not. Based on this, I strongly advocate not leaving your pocketbook open to Google as they will try to spend every cent you allocate for clicks.

These are my tips for business owners:

1. If you are new to AdWords set aside a budget of $500 to $800 for clicks for a 30 day period for a testing time frame of at least three months.

2. Don’t start on AdWords until you have conversion tracking in place to measure leads generated by AdWords.

3. If you do not have a website analytics program installed, install free Google Analytics at least two weeks prior to hiring your account manager. Help them do a better job by identifying what is happening on your website in regards to traffic and keywords.

4. Use a professional account manager for your AdWords keyword research, ad text creation, and account management. The input that a professional manager can give you will help you to better understand how to market your business more effectively based on click activity and trends that they see happening from the activity in your account.

5. Don’t give up after just 30 days of traffic. Plan on really giving it a go for three months. Then if you do not see results from an increased number of leads, close your pocketbook and move out of Google AdWords and try another marketing approach. You may want to consider organic optimization, email marketing, blog advertising, or even print media advertising depending on your product or service.

It simply makes good business sense to feed with your cash investment things that provide a return for your business. Do not fall in the trap of paying Google for clicks on AdWords if the activity is not providing results, but be realistic about the results you can expect from your AdWords program as well.

AdWords can really work for you, I’ve made it happen for clients, but for some, AdWords is simply not the most practical approach. You will however not know if AdWords is for you unless you really make an honest try.