Anyone want to share thier process for helping local businesses?

[zackpow]

I would love to hear from the pros here. How do you deliver what you promise to local business owners when selling local SEO services. What is your process to get them on the 1st page of Google for thier targeted GEO keywords? What if you are targeting 10, 15 or 25 keywords? 1,2 or 3 is pretty easy when doing a link building campaign but 10 plus??

[Intrepreneur]

ZacPow.

SEO is more than SEO. The promise is more than page 1 rankings it's a promise of "profitability" and that's how to grip your clients tight and they won't want you to let go.

Rally all you need is to fully understand SEO to sell it properly and I highly doubt there is any product out there that can give you this info on a silver platter no matter how expensive it is.

Although Howie Scwartz has a product knocking about you might want to grab and get reading/watching. It's about local search etc but still I highly doubt it's a silver platter deilvery because of SEO being more than what's usually discussed.

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by zackpow

I would love to hear from the pros here. How do you deliver what you promise to local business owners when selling local SEO services. What is your process to get them on the 1st page of Google for thier targeted GEO keywords? What if you are targeting 10, 15 or 25 keywords? 1,2 or 3 is pretty easy when doing a link building campaign but 10 plus??

Zack, why not try the folks in your sig file? From their home page, it sounds like just what you are looking for...

I've yet to talk to a business owner who cared much about "first page of Google." Yet SEO companies continue to preach it like it was the ticket through the Pearly Gates.

Instead of preaching the gospel of "Google Page I", show your prospects how what you offer can add profits and subtract hassles.

And (this may sound harsh) IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DELIVER RESULTS, STOP TRYING TO SELL THEM!. You are messing with somebody's livelihood here.

Posting what you did here, with a link to the site you are using to friggin' SELL SEO services, is as bad as the poor schmucks who post sob stories about how they can't make money while their sig lines promise to teach others how to make money.

So back to my original comment - if you want to learn how to land a local business high in the search results, learn from someone selling the service (the one in your sig)...

[zackpow]

I agree and I can help my clients convert visitors to customers once we get them to the website. I am still curious however about the different processes to get local businesses to the first page of Google.

I have read many ebooks on the subject but most seem to be about getting clients. I haven't seen one that includes a step by step process. I also know onsite SEO so that is not a problem either.

[RentItNow]

I very much agree with Interpreneur. Don't promise page 1 on google (so what?). Get them into the idea that you are selling them your marketing skills (not just IM) that you will use to get them core customers (instead of opportunistic ones).

I am not convinced that putting a local biz at the top of google has ANY real value (yeh yeh I will probably be yelled at for this one but I am talking from experience on both sides of this).

I would rather build a client a squeeze page and help them use email to build a relationship with their customers. This way they can place print ads to attract people to that squeeze page and not lose money on what I call "disposable advertising". In other words, I would rather build their funnel instead of getting some search traffic that I know doesn't lead to profit unto itself as fast as a proper funnel does.

[Intrepreneur]

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

And (this may sound harsh) IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DELIVER RESULTS, STOP TRYING TO SELL THEM!. You are messing with somebody's livelihood here.

I was going to say the same in my post but I felt it too harsh for different reasons. The main one being SEO info is sold even by the most respectable to be the "ultimate guide" and unfortunately there is no ultimate guide. Recently I had to prove this to myself and went back through most of what I bought and I was proven correct. I was also proven correct when I was shocked to hear a company I know of (whom sold their own product -no optin - no advantegous USP - nothing to convert) paid $700 per month to rank for the term "White Smile". Now that's messing with someones livelihood alright.

[zackpow]

I have used what I have learned to get my site on the first page but I want to hear from more experienced warriors. When I get calls from prospects that are asking about more difficult keywords (not GEO specific) then I let them know that I do not have that expertise. I have also been looking for someone that can perform for more competitive terms. There have only been a few calls. I just started trying to get clients.

[RentItNow]

Btw, for every hour I have put into SEO (not getting any buying customers...FACT!), I could have spent that same time doing blog posts and comments, writing articles and interacting with people and built my customers. I think if you SHOW local businesses this fact, they will see you as a GOD and have business forever. Show them SEO and they will buy one service and leave you.

[zackpow]

I'm glad there are caring warriors. I do want to deliver what I promise and I do want to help local businesses. I have helped many so far for free by giving them ideas and they have seen results.

I figured I could do even better by learning from you guys. I apprecaite your candidness. Thanks RentItNow for your advice to do blog posts and comments, articles and such.

I do alot of this now and it is affective.

JohnMcCabe... I would work with those guys in my sig file but I don't really like them.

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by zackpow

I'm glad there are caring warriors. I do want to deliver what I promise and I do want to help local businesses. I have helped many so far for free by giving them ideas and they have seen results.

I figured I could do even better by learning from you guys. I apprecaite your candidness. Thanks RentItNow for your advice to do blog posts and comments, articles and such.

I do alot of this now and it is affective.

JohnMcCabe... I would work with those guys in my sig file but I don't really like them.

zackpow, it sounds like you have your head on straight. Over the last couple of years there have been a lot of people who go out and sell marketing packages, SEO, web design, etc. and then come back here saying "I sold this service and got the check - now how do I do it?"

Beyond the geo stuff, getting a local business web site ranked for a keyword is much the same as getting any other page ranked. It's a combination of on-page factors and linking, mostly. I haven't run across any magic bullets, at least none with any staying power.

SEO is only one tool in the toolbox. The real name of the game is getting potential customers to become real customers, whether that's with a website, telephone call, appointment or walk-in trade. And then turning those people into repeat customers and advocates.

Articles, news releases, podcasts, videos, reviews on review sites (like Yelp or TripAdvisor, for example), directory listings, offline methods like guest books and entry boxes all work to either get someone to buy or to take a next step in the process.

Throw in PPC, banners, blog commenting, letters to the editor, newspaper inserts, free seminars and you have more bullets in your gun.

I hope this gives you some more ideas...

[zackpow]

JohnMcCabe. Thanks again. Great info.