Thinking about outsourcing my SEO

[Danio]

So I've got a website I want to rank for some kind of tough keywords which I wont be able to do myself so I'm looking to outsource it, however all the seo websites I go to all seem to say the same which is they are the best etc. yet when I look on forums everyone says that most seo services are terrible..

anyone know any decent seo firms that actually give results?

 

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[DennisD]

all the decent players I know are single individuals and pretty costly. I say forget about SEO and just work on viral content and networking with big players.

 

[Nosferatu]

all the decent players I know are single individuals and pretty costly. I say forget about SEO and just work on viral content and networking with big players.

I don't know about all that. I wouldn't just say completely forget it. Although i understand the "Value Mantra" Here at TMF . Id take advantage of every avenue before me when launching a product or website.



@Danio


If you're really interested in organic search - you owe it to yourself to learn about SEO. Once you know how SEO actually works, THEN outsource it. The whole point of outsourcing is to do things that you can do already but just don't have the time for.

When you grasp SEO - you can filter the bullshiters that don't know what the hell they're talking about.

 

[mimedia]

So I've got a website I want to rank for some kind of tough keywords which I wont be able to do myself so I'm looking to outsource it, however all the seo websites I go to all seem to say the same which is they are the best etc. yet when I look on forums everyone says that most seo services are terrible..

anyone know any decent seo firms that actually give results?

Most SEO services ARE terrible...especially the low end ones. Think about it, if a firm has the ability to consistently rank sites for competitive, commercial keywords, why the heck would they do it for you at $XXX a month? They'd make much more money developing their own sites and monetizing them.

The price charged by the higher end firms who can actually do good work is probably out of your budget if you're just starting out with no proven cashflow. Even then, just because a firm charges more $$$ is no indication of quality - a lot of expensive SEO firms use ineffective techniques, but they get away with it because they're great at sales and its virtually impossible to quantitatively measure SEO success over the short-term.

Your best bet is to learn the basics by reading up on your own, and more importantly - testing what works and what doesn't. If you want to integrate SEO into your traffic strategy, there's no way around the fact that you're going to have to learn the basics.

At its core though, good SEO is just basic keyword research + basic on-site optimization + linkbuilding. The first two you can learn and implement relatively easily, and linkbuilding is actually fairly easy if you have a great product/service that people want to share.

 

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[Thriftypreneur]

Most SEO services ARE terrible...especially the low end ones. Think about it, if a firm has the ability to consistently rank sites for competitive, commercial keywords, why the heck would they do it for you at $XXX a month? They'd make much more money developing their own sites and monetizing them.

The price charged by the higher end firms who can actually do good work is probably out of your budget if you're just starting out with no proven cashflow. Even then, just because a firm charges more $$$ is no indication of quality - a lot of expensive SEO firms use ineffective techniques, but they get away with it because they're great at sales and its virtually impossible to quantitatively measure SEO success over the short-term.

This.

Additionally, the problem with people suggesting that you learn SEO lies in the fact that, by the time you get up-to-date with how things work, Google has just dumped 2 more algorithm updates, making your knowledge obsolete and potentially harmful to your rankings.

If you're really looking to outsource your SEO work, finding freelance SEO specialists are your best bet. The problem is, the guys who can produce results know how to get paid what they are worth and, because of their field, people don't easily spread info about their goose laying golden eggs.

Also, as people have eluded to already, having a basic knowledge of SEO goes miles in terms of managing things yourself AND making smart hiring choices when outsourcing your SEO. If you're cash strapped, your best bet is going to be finding some freelancer who looks like he really knows his stuff and is trying to break into the market.

Good luck.

 

[GTC1187]

What niche are you in?

 

[andyredsox]

I say you go for freelancers.

There are good outsourcers who do very good SEO.

But if you are planning to do this as a business, I suggest you actually learn how they work so you can find the best deals from outsourcers.

 

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[mimedia]

I say you go for freelancers.

There are good outsourcers who do very good SEO.

But if you are planning to do this as a business, I suggest you actually learn how they work so you can find the best deals from outsourcers.

What good are freelancers if you don't know how to separate the wheat from the chaft?

 

[Scorpio]

Until we know the niche, we are unable to provide a good advise.

 

[Gravytrain]

So I've got a website I want to rank for some kind of tough keywords which I wont be able to do myself so I'm looking to outsource it, however all the seo websites I go to all seem to say the same which is they are the best etc. yet when I look on forums everyone says that most seo services are terrible..

anyone know any decent seo firms that actually give results?

Here's my suggestion: think of this another way. What you really want is traffic, right? I mean who cares where it comes from; in the end, as long as it converts for you and provides a positive ROI, it's all good.

If that's the case - why SEO? Organic SEO can be an unpredictable mess and is typically left for those with large budgets (i.e. building or maintaining a brand) or those who are ranking and tanking in high-profit niches like payday. We work with many on both sides of that coin doing SEO work (guest blogging, press releases, etc.) and I can assure you it's going to cost you a lot to do it right and in the end you'll have no guarantee of ROI.

Until you master your niche, I suggest learning PPC and how to advertise on AdWords and Facebook Ads. Knowing PPC inside and out will improve your internet marketing skills a zillion fold and allow you to quickly understand what your profitable demographics, keywords, etc. are. Can you tell me what the average CPC and CPM are in your industry? Do you know what net margin you'll need on an average transaction to cover the acquisition cost of 1000 visitors? Any idea what the standard conversion ratio is for your product niche? The list goes on. If you're in this to win, you need to know what you're doing.

In the beginning split testing is hugely important as well; without A/B testing your landing pages won't convert as well and you'll be leaving money on the table - potentially the difference between profit and loss. This is somewhat impossible to do with SEO as you need to quickly burn through a few hundred visitors to assess, tweak and optimize - but PPC is perfect for this.

Not trying to crap on your thread/ideas... if you want to go for SEO, go for it. But be prepared to spend a ton of cash and time learning. If you want to learn PPC, check out Advanced Google AdWords: Brad Geddes: 9781118194508: Amazon.com: Books which is a pretty good book, or get AdWords certified through Google.

 

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[RyanWhite]

So I've got a website I want to rank for some kind of tough keywords which I wont be able to do myself so I'm looking to outsource it, however all the seo websites I go to all seem to say the same which is they are the best etc. yet when I look on forums everyone says that most seo services are terrible..

anyone know any decent seo firms that actually give results?

To give you the most value, I'd need to know a bit more about what you're trying to accomplish.

From a surface level view....Look at using more video, it packs the biggest punch and can be broken down into multiple media formats (google loves) like on page transcriptions, audio only mp3's, and of course the video itself.

For right now I would say stick with YouTube, put your main keywords at the beginning of the title...but watch out for Wistia they are doing some awesome things w/ video.

seopartner.com is a great place to start if you're looking for a company to give you a little boost. They've got a great little package around $250 bucks.

 

[Promodo]

So I've got a website I want to rank for some kind of tough keywords which I wont be able to do myself so I'm looking to outsource it, however all the seo websites I go to all seem to say the same which is they are the best etc. yet when I look on forums everyone says that most seo services are terrible..

anyone know any decent seo firms that actually give results?

Hi Danio! We are Google certified team of experienced SEO professionals - we do not a bare SEO, but complex of online marketing procedures employing the most up-to-date techniques and taking into account Google's latest policy. To see for yourself check our case studies page Case Studies

Also, you can test us for free by ordering free SEO and usability audit of your website : Free Express Site Audit - SEO, PPC, Conversion Rates Optimization

Regards, Elena

 

[TedM]

I want to rank for some kind of tough keywords which I wont be able to do myself

Having been this route a bit myself - and not knowing anything about your background - here's what I suggest.

1. forget about the "tough" keywords to begin with.
2. look at lower volume long tail kw's that are real buying terms. you are MUCH better off building up your site's presence with a few smaller buy words than going after hi comp. words that you can kill yourself for.

Personally, I think spending a lot of time on SEO is a complete waste of resources. If you are doing this for a me-too product - you're not going to last too long and you won't have anything to show after a couple of years.

You are much better off focusing on something that is brandable and then working to build up your brand. Then you take yourself out of the competition, by and large - since people will be looking for you. I think this is a more sustainable long term strategy.

 

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[Vick]

you know whats weird.

I have two websites. one for my eCom business pixel-prints.com, and the other is something me and a friend setup for fun, videogame-art.com

i spent a ton of time doin SEO for the ecom site, with little or no results.

while for the other website videogame-art.com, we did NO SEO, absolutely nothing! just uploaded stuff, and got friends to upload stuff.

and now we rank #1 on google for 'video game art' and #4 'game art'

strange.

 

[prairiedog]

you know whats weird.

I have two websites. one for my eCom business pixel-prints.com, and the other is something me and a friend setup for fun, videogame-art.com

i spent a ton of time doin SEO for the ecom site, with little or no results.

while for the other website videogame-art.com, we did NO SEO, absolutely nothing! just uploaded stuff, and got friends to upload stuff.

and now we rank #1 on google for 'video game art' and #4 'game art'

strange.

I think so many people push too hard when it comes to SEO. It's easy to do too much and get on Google's bad side. Maybe that's what happened in your situation? It could also be that the keywords had much less competition in the video game art area (although that doesn't seem terribly likely).

 

[Vick]

ya maybe.

either way. i believe its best to do things naturally.

which is the approach i'll be taking in my next business.

 

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[Promodo]

i spent a ton of time doin SEO for the ecom site, with little or no results.

Hi Vick!

You know, ecommerce website could be promoted somewhat differently. For example there are some tricks which may help your wesbite start being ranked for a wide range of long tail keywords and gather lots of quality relevant traffic. Additionally, only website usability improvements may show a great difference in traffic conversion.

We could help you - for example, check the keywords you used, and also we would be happy to conduct a personalized SEO and usability audit of your website Free Express Site Audit - SEO, PPC, Conversion Rates Optimization - no strings attached so don't hesitate to contact us.

Regards, Elena