Archive for June, 2009

Many people complain about the high cost of Search Engine Optimization. It is true that in very competitive fields, it can be very costly to compete, but no one can change that – at least not for now. Paid Search (pay per click) often does not offer to get the job done much more affordably than SEO does and the competition factor also plays a huge role there as well. So what is a business owner to do?

First, I would say become a student of web marketing and search engine optimization. I don’t mean to try and be an expert, but I mean try to see what you can actually do on your own. I speak to people nearly every day that are looking to improve their online rankings and get more customers, and for rmany it is overwhelming because they have not taken the time to learn “something” about SEO. It is no different than if a CEO had no knowledge of finance or the production side of his or her business. It is no longer an optional form of marketing, given that people turn to the web more often than not for solutions.

Second, I would say “do something rather than nothing”. When I prepare a proposal for a client, I always try to walk them through it before sending it so they know what to expect. If I get a reaction over the price, I don’t just say “that’s the price… take it or leave it”, I try to find out how what has been proposed differs from their expectations. More than that, I try to help them understand the value of doing something as opposed to nothing which will make the next phase that much lesss costly, and hopefully they will see some results from the introductory level service. When people have “sticker shock” over a proposal, it still often boils down to a lack of education. I apprecaite when a prospect is up front and just says “we’ve never considered this so we had no idea what the costs were”. At least I know I am dealing with someone who is honest and realistic (as opposed to the insecure executive who thinks he or she needs to appear to know everything).

Last year, I wrote a book for the people that I just decribed. I realized that I had the same conversation with people time and time again and it always boiled down to not having any idea about the basics, and sometimes having mis-information (which is worse). I basically told my story of how I learned all that I learned (before they had classes in this stuff), which lead me to build several successful companies and websites. I spell out the A to Z’s so that not only will a conversation with a web marketing specialist not be confusing, but you will be able to implement many of the services yourself, saving thousands of dollars.

I am now at a point of (finally) getting that book in print – which has been a journey. Depending on the terms of the publishing agreement, I may not be able to offer it as an ebook (which I currently do), so I am making an offer to get it into the hands of those that truly need it. I am making the next 500 copies available for just $5 (it is currently priced at $29). For the first 100 to purchase, I am offering a FREE SEO Website Analysis and consultation (valued at $500), and giving everyone the opportunity to get some free exposure in the print book. For more details or to get your copy of my “tell-all” book, visit: http://www.anthonykirlew.com/

Oftentimes people learn the hard way (read – expensive way) about what they paid for when they had their website developed. It is certainly understandable if you are just starting out and trying to get a new site up and have not had any prior experience.

Here are some pointers to help you ask the right questions and know exactly what you are paying for.

1. Make sure you own the website & domain. Too often people have a website built and later decide they want to change providers, only to learn that they do no own what they though was their own website. There are two component of ownership to consider; the first is the actual content and images that make up the website. I would only work with a design firm that creates the code for you with no restrictions. The second aspect is the domain name (the www.yoursite.com address). If they register this for you, make sure it is registered in your name and worth your contact information. In fact, I recommend registering your domain yourself so you know you have control over it.

2. Find out how to make updates to your website. There are three ways to make updates to your site:

- Have your website built using a content management system (CMS). This will add to the cost but give you more control over adding pages and changing your content. Just make sure you use a search engine friendly CMS.

- Have your designer manage your website. They will usually charge either a monthly fee or a per incident fee, but it is normally not included with the cost of building the website.

- Make the changes yourself. If you have some knowledge of HTML, you can possibly update your own site. You can run into challenges however, so you want to make sure that you maintain a relationship with your designer for those emergency situations.

3. Get a backup copy of all your website. If something were to happen to your site such as a virus infection or a problem with your hosting provider, you want to be in control and be able to re-upload your website at any time. You can request it as a zip files which is a compress file containing all of the images, templates, pages, and any other components of your website.

4. Where is your website hosted. This may sound basic, but I have spoken with many website owners that did not know where there website was hosted, or how to contact their web hosting provider in the event of a site outage.

5. Web Marketing. Typically web marketing is exclusive of website design, as it should be. The most important thing you want to discuss with your web design firm is whether or not they are using any non search engine friendly technologies such as flash, dynamically generated URL’s, non search friendly CMS, etc. If they don’t know what you are talking about or blow you off, this is a good sign that you need to hire a new designer.

I hope you have found this helpful. Keeping this information in mind can save you lots of headaches and money down the road.

If you have any further questions, please leave a comment below and I will respond.

Have a great day!