SERP Ranking Question

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5
I feel as if I need to be blunt because after so many thousands of dollars spent on services and thousands of hrs of research one becomes a bit angered at vagueness or just downright useless information. I understand we are all trying to make a living in our respective fields but I feel we have lost our fairness - our ability to communicate with one another about what we are offering, what it can do, or will or will not do. Now, that being said can anyone offer legitimate, actionable advice that is simple and concise regarding optimizing a website. Now I know that this question is not so simple. This is what I have done; I have been utilizing Angela's backlinks, have accounts at over 30 social bookmarking sites, have registered to many ( over 50 ) " local " search engines ( since I have a service oriented business and am trying to get "local " clients ), have submitted to many other directories and other search engines as well, have written articles, submitted to web rings and many other avenues too varied to list. I am looking for someone to help me demystify this SEO business and figure how to increase my ranking, ensure my keywords, meta tags,alt tags, etc, etc, etc, are correct. I come looking for help because I have spent two years being ripped off, misled and just plain misinformed. I am hoping that the description of this forum " one of the oldest forums on the Internet regarding SE marketing, etc..." will yield something positive.
#search engine optimization #question #ranking #serp
  • Let me ask you a question - and I'm just curious. I am trying to get a SEO business off the ground. I started working for free just to get experience. Now I'm working for money (and it isn't much - but I'm gaining more experience). I am a very honest person - and with that said, here is the question: Did you go to a few SEO companies that promised you the world and not come through? If so, your not the first.

    I've talked to many of my former and current clients that have been ripped off. It seems like this is the norm sometimes. My latest client told me that he went to a SEO company and they asked for $1,500 up front. Little 'ole me, I'm charging him by the hour and it isn't much. I'm just wondering if these companies are dishonest or they don't know what they are doing. What is your experience with them?
    • [1] reply
    • Bigcat,

      Thanks for reading; I know I am not the first which is the reason I am here. I did get ripped off and misled, again which has led me here. What I am learning here is not at all related to my service business ( other than the fact that I need to learn SEM to promote it ). I think, especially now with so many Americans ( as well as other people scattered around the globe ) out of work that the home - online marketplace is rather appealing - and of course a haven for scam artists. I had dealt with several large companies in Texas and California because I felt like with a larger company I would have some recourse - not so ! I had just as much recourse as I had with a local college kid who was supposedly studying IM. I suppose we could harass people until we get what we were promised but why expend the energy ? I would rather focus on building my business with a willing knowledgeable partner instead of arguing with someone over it. To answer your question, I can only comment on the 8 companies that I have dealt with over the last two years - they do not know what they are doing AND they are dishonest.
  • We all know what information overload is like in this business. You can study forever, and eventually spend too much time on planning & strategy than implementing and doing. I'm guilty of it too, but the first part of solving it is to acknowledge the problem ; )

    I'm trying to schedule my time, and plan more than half for doing, and about 1/3 to 40% to planning and reading & studying...I find that there is enough good material on this subject to last a lifetime, so you are right that no one can teach you SEO in this thread. It's a constantly changing evolving field anyway, so its not static, it cant even be full learned since the algos are secret. All you can do is chase the top rankings in an orderly way through a collection of best practices. Things can change and you will have to adapt to them to rank high again.

    Pick 5 to 10 ways to promote your site, plan them and stick to it. Chances are you are working harder than the competition if you keep it up, and that should move your listings past the slackers. Good luck with your site.

    Also remember, the professional search engine marketing industry has tons of awesome free info they publish all over their blogs & sites about the best SEO things you should be doing based on their experience running the largest sites in the world. These arent 'professional seo guys' like gurus, these are people working for the fortune 500s with large budgets, huge testing capability, and they tend to figure things out well, and freely share. None of them are trying to sell you an eBook, so go find those sites (i cant post links yet) and gravitate to that type of knowledge and the unbiased stuff in forums like this and not the gurus and bs seo companies out there.
    • [1] reply
    • Jammer,

      Thanks for the reassuring words, I have been doing exactly what you have mentioned. It is frustrating and tiring....as many can attest to...it makes it even more when you look back at all the time and money you have wasted on people and information that proved vague, outdated or just simply wrong. It DOES feel good to know that you are more educated now though. I am simply tired and over the last year I have researched, read, responded,filled out forms, made phone calls, etc,etc,some times 14 hrs a day only to realize that I had been lied to, misled, or misinformed and it wears on a person and you begin to wonder that only the HUGE companies can afford to do this. Again, thanks for the reassuring words and suggestion, we all need 'em from time to time.
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    SERP Ranking Question

    I feel as if I need to be blunt because after so many thousands of dollars spent on services and thousands of hrs of research one becomes a bit angered at vagueness or just downright useless information. I understand we are all trying to make a living in our respective fields but I feel we have lost our fairness - our ability to communicate with one another about what we are offering, what it can do, or will or will not do. Now, that being said can anyone offer legitimate, actionable advice that is simple and concise regarding optimizing a website. Now I know that this question is not so simple. This is what I have done; I have been utilizing Angela's backlinks, have accounts at over 30 social bookmarking sites, have registered to many ( over 50 ) " local " search engines ( since I have a service oriented business and am trying to get "local " clients ), have submitted to many other directories and other search engines as well, have written articles, submitted to web rings and many other avenues too varied to list. I am looking for someone to help me demystify this SEO business and figure how to increase my ranking, ensure my keywords, meta tags,alt tags, etc, etc, etc, are correct. I come looking for help because I have spent two years being ripped off, misled and just plain misinformed. I am hoping that the description of this forum " one of the oldest forums on the Internet regarding SE marketing, etc..." will yield something positive.