Local SEO proposal - What do you think?

by DABK
24 replies
This is the 2nd local SEO proposal, other than mine (which are marketing, using SEO and other tools). The 1st one was shorter and sold the idea that whatever they were going to do will send 30, qualify phone calls. So, I liked it. (They didn't deliver half the calls, though).

But this one makes me wonder about a lot of things.

Here's the gist of one of them, I want your opinion on:

Keyword analysis: in-depth keyword analysis, 10-15 keywords targeted. 1 hour
Install webmaster tools
Set up conversation tracking, filters
Create sitemap
Webmaster install (sitemap)
Website content review
Conversion testing
Logo placement
Update metadata
Create calls to action
Create client inquiry form
Work on blog strategy
Set up schedule for posts to be published
2 blog posts per week
Set up blog distribution channels (facebook, Google +, etc.)
Distribute blogs on Facebook, Google +, etc.
Continued consulting about conversion
Domain names
Link analysis and removal


Off-site
Directory submissions
Articles/press releases
Social bookmarking
PR website links
Content creation and distribution
Blog/forum posts
Etc.
Address verification
Hundreds of business directory listings
Analyze competing websites (6-8 hours)
Content-based linking

Google + Business page:
profile setup
Integrate relevant social media buttons on your site
2-3 posts per week (with SEO in mind)

Facebook
Facebook page creation
Facebook page updates (2/3 posts per week)

Twitter
Profile page creation
1-2 tweets per day

They propose to charge $1,557 for the setup and the same each month after. Because it takes, in their estimate between 155-156 hours a month to deliver the above.

What do you think of this kind of proposal? And, is it common? Coz, it seems to me it's getting paid a lot for doing a lot of busy work and not getting much by way of tangible results.
#local #local seo #proposal #seo #seo proposal
  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    Originally Posted by DABK View Post

    This is the 2nd local SEO proposal, other than mine (which are marketing, using SEO and other tools). The 1st one was shorter and sold the idea that whatever they were going to do will send 30, qualify phone calls. So, I liked it. (They didn't deliver half the calls, though).

    But this one makes me wonder about a lot of things.

    Here's the gist of one of them, I want your opinion on:

    Keyword analysis: in-depth keyword analysis, 10-15 keywords targeted. 1 hour
    Install webmaster tools
    Set up conversation tracking, filters
    Create sitemap
    Webmaster install (sitemap)
    Website content review
    Conversion testing
    Logo placement
    Update metadata
    Create calls to action
    Create client inquiry form
    Work on blog strategy
    Set up schedule for posts to be published
    2 blog posts per week
    Set up blog distribution channels (facebook, Google +, etc.)
    Distribute blogs on Facebook, Google +, etc.
    Continued consulting about conversion
    Domain names
    Link analysis and removal


    Off-site
    Directory submissions
    Articles/press releases
    Social bookmarking
    PR website links
    Content creation and distribution
    Blog/forum posts
    Etc.
    Address verification
    Hundreds of business directory listings
    Analyze competing websites (6-8 hours)
    Content-based linking

    Google + Business page:
    profile setup
    Integrate relevant social media buttons on your site
    2-3 posts per week (with SEO in mind)

    Facebook
    Facebook page creation
    Facebook page updates (2/3 posts per week)

    Twitter
    Profile page creation
    1-2 tweets per day

    They propose to charge $1,557 for the setup and the same each month after. Because it takes, in their estimate between 155-156 hours a month to deliver the above.

    What do you think of this kind of proposal? And, is it common? Coz, it seems to me it's getting paid a lot for doing a lot of busy work and not getting much by way of tangible results.
    I've seen proposals like this, and competed against them. 155 hours a month? for $1,557? Is anyone believing this? Are you?

    It may take 10 hours the first month (for everything) and half an hour a month after that. The cost isn't out of line. The customer will cancel after a couple of months, though.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      As regards time it takes, maybe they're very slow?

      I was surprised by the busy, useless to the client work included, like the thousands of directories. They propose to create hundreds every month. How many hundreds before the directories are so obscure, so far away from the client's clients' world that they are irrelevant?

      Or that they charge for onsite optimization (4 hours) and they charge (4 hours) to fix the meta data. That's 8 hours on a 6-page, 2 products/services website.

      The setup, they estimate, will take only 23.5 hours.

      If I come upon a business owner who's worked hired someone with a proposal like this, of course I can't say the word SEO!

      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I've seen proposals like this, and competed against them. 155 hours a month? for $1,557? Is anyone believing this? Are you?

      It may take 10 hours the first month (for everything) and half an hour a month after that. The cost isn't out of line. The customer will cancel after a couple of months, though.
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  • Profile picture of the author PBMax
    Originally Posted by DABK View Post


    Keyword analysis: in-depth keyword analysis, 10-15 keywords targeted. 1 hour
    Install webmaster tools
    Set up conversation tracking, filters
    Create sitemap
    Webmaster install (sitemap)
    Website content review
    Conversion testing
    Logo placement
    Update metadata
    Create calls to action
    Create client inquiry form
    Work on blog strategy
    Set up schedule for posts to be published
    2 blog posts per week
    Set up blog distribution channels (facebook, Google +, etc.)
    Distribute blogs on Facebook, Google +, etc.
    Continued consulting about conversion
    Domain names
    Link analysis and removal
    All done semi-automatically via 2 or 3 plugins...

    Originally Posted by DABK View Post

    Off-site
    Directory submissions
    Articles/press releases
    Social bookmarking
    PR website links
    Content creation and distribution
    Blog/forum posts
    Etc.
    Address verification
    Hundreds of business directory listings
    Analyze competing websites (6-8 hours)
    Content-based linking

    Only need 5 -10 niche-specific directory listings, most are free. Press releases are useless unless you have something to release. Social bookmarking is social shares, which isn't SEO, it's traffic-driving. Content creation is good. Blog posts are good if the comments are good.

    Address verification is best when automated and made to be the same across the board. Manually doing this is nuts and probably costs more when time is factored in.


    Originally Posted by DABK View Post

    Google + Business page:
    profile setup
    Integrate relevant social media buttons on your site
    2-3 posts per week (with SEO in mind)

    Facebook
    Facebook page creation
    Facebook page updates (2/3 posts per week)

    Twitter
    Profile page creation
    1-2 tweets per day
    Takes about 1-2 hrs tops for profile creation and "pimp out." Posts are 5 minutes/day, if that.


    The price is fair because if they do good work in the "content and creation" part, then they are worth it. The time and manual labor estimations are complete crap.
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by Claude Whitacre View Post

      I've seen proposals like this, and competed against them. 155 hours a month? for $1,557? Is anyone believing this? Are you?

      It may take 10 hours the first month (for everything) and half an hour a month after that. The cost isn't out of line. The customer will cancel after a couple of months, though.
      I think to do it properly, or at least as properly as you can, it would take a bit more than 10 hours, I believe it would probably be 20-25 hours for all the grunt work, fully building out the properties and not just setting and forgetting...

      However... this is not local SEO.. man... for all this stuff to just get paid $1,500 is insane to me. The grunt work you can outsource easily, that's not where you're providing value, anyone can hire a VA, or intern to do that crap.

      The value in what is in the proposal is unrelated to local SEO as a whole.... You're not doing local SEO... you're doing Local SEO, Blogging, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, an entire creation of an internet marketing strategy along with implementation.

      That's not a $1,500/mo service... it should be at least in the range of $3,000-$5,000/mo.They're essentially wanting to be a marketing department. If you look at companies who have a marketing manager, marketing director, or CMO, they're making 60-100k/year assuming it isn't a start up.

      If they were REALLY providing this stuff, the price wouldn't be so low, which makes me think that you're right in thinking that this is a bunch of busy work with low impact. Don't get me wrong, if this was implemented properly, 1,500 would be an amazing deal but the fact that they're including all this stuff in an SEO proposal makes me think they don't really know what they're doing.
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        It would take me or the people I use some 25-30 hours.

        It would be a great price. From reading how they describe what they deliver,I get the feeling they don't know what implementing well means.

        I charge $4,700 for something like this (I don't include twitter and facebook or thousands of directory submissions).



        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        I think to do it properly, or at least as properly as you can, it would take a bit more than 10 hours, I believe it would probably be 20-25 hours for all the grunt work, fully building out the properties and not just setting and forgetting...


        If they were REALLY providing this stuff, the price wouldn't be so low, which makes me think that you're right in thinking that this is a bunch of busy work with low impact. Don't get me wrong, if this was implemented properly, 1,500 would be an amazing deal but the fact that they're including all this stuff in an SEO proposal makes me think they don't really know what they're doing.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      I am going to be honest here and say that I had to read the list of items 2 times. right about where the "Google + Page" was listed I was thinking < in a long slow drawn manor > "Wait a minute...." and started again at the top.

      Line #1 "Keyword analysis: in-depth keyword analysis, 10-15 keywords targeted. 1 hour" ok sounds good... but... then what? "keywords" are never mentioned again. Logo placement? Create calls to action? Create client inquiry form? Conversion testing?

      Did something happen to SEO while I took a nap today? that's not SEO, that is CRO with an attempt to boost conversions through new traffic methods. So its really not even CRO.

      That is using the terminology that a prospect wants to hear, just to gain access to their wallet.

      The REAL question is, do they provide results with all the smoke an mirrors?
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        They're proposing to spend 15-18 hours a month on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, 5-6 hours each.
        2-3 Facebook posts/updates a week,
        2-3 tweets a day, every day
        2-3 posts on Google +

        If you post 2 times a week on Facebook and your 2nd post creates interest but you only post 2 times a week, then what?

        20 hours on directory submissions

        85 hours on link building
        which includes:
        directory submissions (again)
        forum posts
        blog posts (on other sites or the business's blog?)
        articles
        social bookmarking
        content creation (I assume this means post on the business's blog)
        press releases
        etc.

        They never talk about results. Not even, what we do will get 1 or more pages on your site to get up in Google, let alone, you'll see a significant increase in traffic to your website, traffic from people who're really interested in what you sell.

        Seems to me, they don't charge enough to do a good job, don't have a good understanding of why you would use Facebook or Google+... They're going to create a 'web presence' that the owner can find every time he/she googles his/her business name or url and no one not doing the same will notice.

        To make things more interesting: I googled the company's name. There are some whois lookup sites at the top, middle of the page, there's the company's site, bottom of the page, facebook page for the owner, and the rest of the results are webhealthrecord.com and such sites that have indexed this company's url. So, they have not done any of what they propose, except the facebook page, for themsleves.
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        • Profile picture of the author PBMax
          Originally Posted by DABK View Post

          So, they have not done any of what they propose, except the facebook page, for themsleves.
          To be fair, most companies only have time (and money) to focus on their clients, not themselves. I also use your logic when it comes to how the website looks (if I'm gonna use a web developer), but as far as all the other bells and whistles, they have to see what's more important: focusing on clients, or self.
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          • Profile picture of the author DABK
            True. But, when you google my company by name, I'm the 1st to pop up, and Google shows a few of the pages on my site. Then you get my google + page and my linkedin page, then you get the odd directories that scrape registrars.

            And this company has a very unusual name.

            Originally Posted by PBMax View Post

            To be fair, most companies only have time (and money) to focus on their clients, not themselves. I also use your logic when it comes to how the website looks (if I'm gonna use a web developer), but as far as all the other bells and whistles, they have to see what's more important: focusing on clients, or self.
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            • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
              Right, what your referring to is what's called a brand search and any businesses website should be showing up at the top when a brand search is done.

              The only reason I can think of that it wouldn't is if two company's with almost the exact same name are in the same geographical location and even then I think Google can discern the difference.

              Ranking for a brand search is like default rankings, no SEO required at all.

              Originally Posted by DABK View Post

              True. But, when you google my company by name, I'm the 1st to pop up, and Google shows a few of the pages on my site. Then you get my google + page and my linkedin page, then you get the odd directories that scrape registrars.

              And this company has a very unusual name.
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        They seem to be a web and logo design company who went inot SEO, marketing and branding.

        They never mention keywords again. So, presumably, if their analytics show keywords that work that they didn't think about in the beginning, they will do nothing with them.

        It's a lot of things thrown together without enough time (or fees) to make them work well, in my opinion.

        The title of their proposal is Online Business Proposal.

        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        I am going to be honest here and say that I had to read the list of items 2 times. right about where the "Google + Page" was listed I was thinking < in a long slow drawn manor > "Wait a minute...." and started again at the top.

        Line #1 "Keyword analysis: in-depth keyword analysis, 10-15 keywords targeted. 1 hour" ok sounds good... but... then what? "keywords" are never mentioned again. Logo placement? Create calls to action? Create client inquiry form? Conversion testing?

        Did something happen to SEO while I took a nap today? that's not SEO, that is CRO with an attempt to boost conversions through new traffic methods. So its really not even CRO.

        That is using the terminology that a prospect wants to hear, just to gain access to their wallet.

        The REAL question is, do they provide results with all the smoke an mirrors?
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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    Website content review
    Conversion testing
    Work on blog strategy


    What do they mean by these? How do they follow them up?
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    "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Regarding the 1st 2, all they say is that they will check the content monthly to make sure it provides the best conversion.

      As regards blogging strategy: they create a publishing calendar, write up posts, optimized (meta data, keywords, and description". They will distribute each post to "key" social media sites. They will blog 2 times per week and encourage the business owner's time to blog as well.

      If you blog 2 times a week and distribute and you allot 8 hours a month to this, you're spending a bit less than 1 hour (4.33 weeks in a month, averaging) to create the blog post and to distribute it.

      I have the feeling it will not involve creating unique content that will set the business that hires them apart from the competitors, set them up as the business to go to in their niche. Or else, me and the writers I know who write than kind of content, are real slow pokes.

      I like writing. I know how to write (and have written) an article that will only get me links, an article that will get me links and a few visitors, articles that will get tweeted about and get me a couple of thousand visitors over a a month. Articles that get people to do something I want them to. All but the 1st one take me longer than 1 hour to do, usually.

      Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

      Website content review
      Conversion testing
      Work on blog strategy


      What do they mean by these? How do they follow them up?
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    I have a feeling this proposal is from an overseas company who prey on the ignorance of small business owners.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Nope, it's from a company in the States. I have the feeling THEY do not know what they're doing but can sell and don't care that they cannot deliver results...

      When I has my appraisal company, my assistant quit. The following 4 months, I hired 6 (fired 5) people to try to replace her. One of them I fired because I'd asked her to fax something from me. She faxed. Fax machine said it didn't go through. But she didn't do anything else, she considered she'd done what I'd asked her. Missed completely the point that I didn't ask her to fax something so she could go through the motion of putting a piece of paper in the fax feeder, dialing a number, then hitting send. That I wanted what was on the piece of paper to be read by the person I was trying to fax it to.

      I have the feeling the people behind this have the same attitude.

      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      I have a feeling this proposal is from an overseas company who prey on the ignorance of small business owners.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
        I still suspect the work is not actually performed by state side talent. They may actually be from the states the I'd bet my bottom dollar the work is done overseas.

        Why don't you ask to speak on the phone with them and see what happens. Have you spoke on the phone with them?

        Originally Posted by DABK View Post

        Nope, it's from a company in the States. I have the feeling THEY do not know what they're doing but can sell and don't care that they cannot deliver results...

        When I has my appraisal company, my assistant quit. The following 4 months, I hired 6 (fired 5) people to try to replace her. One of them I fired because I'd asked her to fax something from me. She faxed. Fax machine said it didn't go through. But she didn't do anything else, she considered she'd done what I'd asked her. Missed completely the point that I didn't ask her to fax something so she could go through the motion of putting a piece of paper in the fax feeder, dialing a number, then hitting send. That I wanted what was on the piece of paper to be read by the person I was trying to fax it to.

        I have the feeling the people behind this have the same attitude.
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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    Have you seen samples of their work?
    Social media posts are really, easily telling.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      The more I look over this thread.. the more I am seeing that the "Proposal" is masked as a SEO proposal, but the truth is, they are doing Conversion Optimization. To some extent they may grow the traffic, but they are more concerned with converting the existing traffic that is already there.

      I am more than sliding into the direction of Conversion Optimization, and truth be told, you go in you test, you change, you test you repeat until you get the results, and you are done. As in a single price type deal. They have molded the ideas of the SEO contract with the results of Conversion Optimization.

      The overall "Time" spent with the frivolous stuff like the social posting etc ( you can set this and forget it ) and the article writing, $7.00 here and there keeps the client happy. The real time is in the testing. and the time that takes is purely dictated by the amount of traffic present when making the test. You could have the ability to run an A / B test in a day, or it may take a week.

      Interestingly with this model, is you could probably get some just short of instant results within the optimization process, and then the efforts to increase overall traffic load would then basically have a greater impact as the client is seeing it.

      In other words, in a short amount of time the client could see increased sales with minimal to no additional traffic. And as traffic is in theory increased, the sales would rise accordingly.

      Again, looking at this more than a few times, these guys may have a winner of a model. The only issue being SEO and CRO are both a hard pitch, one is beat to death, and the other is to conceptual for many clients.
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      • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        The more I look over this thread.. the more I am seeing that the "Proposal" is masked as a SEO proposal, but the truth is, they are doing Conversion Optimization. To some extent they may grow the traffic, but they are more concerned with converting the existing traffic that is already there.

        I am more than sliding into the direction of Conversion Optimization, and truth be told, you go in you test, you change, you test you repeat until you get the results, and you are done. As in a single price type deal. They have molded the ideas of the SEO contract with the results of Conversion Optimization.

        The overall "Time" spent with the frivolous stuff like the social posting etc ( you can set this and forget it ) and the article writing, $7.00 here and there keeps the client happy. The real time is in the testing. and the time that takes is purely dictated by the amount of traffic present when making the test. You could have the ability to run an A / B test in a day, or it may take a week.

        Interestingly with this model, is you could probably get some just short of instant results within the optimization process, and then the efforts to increase overall traffic load would then basically have a greater impact as the client is seeing it.

        In other words, in a short amount of time the client could see increased sales with minimal to no additional traffic. And as traffic is in theory increased, the sales would rise accordingly.

        Again, looking at this more than a few times, these guys may have a winner of a model. The only issue being SEO and CRO are both a hard pitch, one is beat to death, and the other is to conceptual for many clients.
        I agree with you, I think the package is an amazing deal. The problem I see with it is price. There's no way they're going to be able to offer all that for such a low price. I would guess they're pitching it more as internet marketing optimization instead of SEO or CRO, which would be the smart way to go. But like I said... the problem is it is too cheap.
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        • Profile picture of the author savidge4
          Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

          I agree with you, I think the package is an amazing deal. The problem I see with it is price. There's no way they're going to be able to offer all that for such a low price. I would guess they're pitching it more as internet marketing optimization instead of SEO or CRO, which would be the smart way to go. But like I said... the problem is it is too cheap.
          I think we are thinking in terms of our own strategies here. there really is not a lot of short term work as there is long term drip work. Remember these guys are probably producing next to instant results ( ROI ). As they drip the links and etc and develop the SEO end of the equation, they are thus increasing the ROI at a rate that more than likely keep the client happy. If the client is HAPPY? you are looking at long term relationship.

          So we are looking at the price as all of that for $1500... and they are probably experiencing all of that for $15,000+ over a year. 20 or even 10 clients like that for your average spare bedroom firm is well... more than enuf!
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      No, I have not. I'm trying to get samples.

      Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

      Have you seen samples of their work?
      Social media posts are really, easily telling.
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    • Profile picture of the author JGK
      Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

      Have you seen samples of their work?
      Social media posts are really, easily telling.
      Samples are Ok, social media posts even better but how about a reference...now that would be telling.
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  • Profile picture of the author RichardsMS
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  • Profile picture of the author JGK
    For me the fact that they have mixed up all the activities is not totally a bad sign. Let's face it consumers of our services do not get the difference between: local/seo/CRO/content sharing so putting them under broad cross discipline headings like "onpage/offpage" is helpful to customers.
    Now they might outsource all this but if I were the SEOer I wouldn't justify the cost with time as doing X may only take 5-10 mins but knowing how to do it is your added value. I'd cite benefits...because its all about the value it returns and that is be based on a discussion with the customer. If the 30 leads they get you are "worth" $300 each - after factoring in your close rate that's $9000. $1500 plus $1500 recurring for 3 months = $6000. If they then steadily produce 10 leads a month =$3k vs $1.5k cost. I guess what makes me wary is the inflated time estimate--just feels dishonest which is not a good indicator.
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  • Profile picture of the author ShivJaiswaL
    Hello all, I have ranked more than 27 websites by Local SEO in USA, UK and other countries.
    Local SEO requires a definite ON page pattern with mapping of Google MyBusiness via NAP and Schema coding.

    (1) Citation building plays important role in ranking.
    (2) SMO and traditional off page seo NOT required.
    (3) Rating review, and G+ activities are highly required
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