Welcome to the Q&A Forum

I can't imagine any sensible person ever buying anything from someone who cold calls.

It is not a practice associated with reputable businesses, IMHO.

Magician London - Tom London is the overall headline for the home page. But it makes no sense to human beings and looks like a typographical error.

Your name is Tom London and you are a magician in London? Is that correct? It's certainly not obvious at first glance.

I'm afraid there's more.The site contains a large number of typographical and grammatical errors. Some words are randomly capitalized; it's country's, not countries; it's wit not whit; etc... The overall impression is poor and may be costing you clients. The whole site needs to be reviewed and corrected word for word.

I'd also recommend making the testimonials more prominent, either as a separate nav bar item or perhaps on a few of the interior pages. The footer mentions being a member of the Magician's Circle. Is that a big deal? If so, say so in a prominent place.  Have you ever received media coverage?  Again, say so. Do you have any videos? Include them, perhaps embedded in blog items.

None of this has much to do with SEO. But I think it will help with conversions. It would be a pity to have people actually find the site, but then not contact you because the site doesn't do a good enough job of representing who you are and what you do.

Update: Just saw that there is a video on the home page. I completely missed it, mistaking it for still,  because the play button is so small.

It takes three aspirants to change an SEO lightbulb.  One to change the lightbulb and two to explain why it's not probably not important but yet, paradoxically, all the more reason for a long term contract because the situation may change at any time.

Ann:

I agree that paying for content is only one way of getting it. And I, too, am an advocate of guest blogging when done right.

I also think it's unwise to post on your website "We pay for articles." You will get a lot of crap that wastes your time. Since I am a writer and editor,  I usually just write the article myself. If I am too busy to do so, I just commission the article myself with a single phone call to a writer I already know. I appreciate not everyone is in the same position.

Here's an excerpt from author guidelines I wrote for one site:

Links: Our high standards are based on integrity and common sense. We always put the reader first. A link or two from the text of your article to your own site can be fine. So can a carefully chosen link or two from the text of your article to related articles on other sites. Just make sure that all links make editorial sense. Do not include awkward or unnatural links that seem  to “come out of nowhere” for purely promotional purposes. Do not use rich anchor text links or manipulative search engine optimization techniques. Do not include affiliate links. The best place to link to your site is usually from your author’s note or byline.

Thanks, Ann.

I agree it's all about time and opportunity cost.

I'm a great fan of MyBlogGuest. it's worked well for me -- and my clients.

The time it takes to wade through the opportunities is time well spent, IMHO. Which is more than can be said for revenue sharing deals.

My clients include both authors and publishers.

One of my weirdest professional moments came when my clients included both a publisher for whom I had written the guest blogging guidelines and a guest blogger!

I felt like a Hollywood agent! It was so weird and ridiculous we all had a good laugh about it.

I respectfully disagree -- mostly.

And I know all about TV contra deals. I used to produce TV shows and often made such deals: a promotional announcement in return for a prize, wardrobe, etc...

I later became a TV news director. Had I heard of a publicist paying money for exposure on a show, I would have been all over the story: it's unethical, scandalous, and in some cases illegal.

I do agree that providing high value web content in return for exposure can be a great strategy. I often formulate such strategies myself since so many of my clients are authors or subject matter experts.

But it kills me that so many people are so reluctant to take so obvious a step to ensure high quality content: paying professionals writers to write it. And by paying, I mean paying them with money. Why is this possibility so seldom even on the table?

Many people will spend inordinate amounts of time and effort to come up with complex revenue sharing schemes on how to divide the non-eixtsent profits of the mythological product. Cue Mel Brooks and The Producers. What gets lost in all this is the opportunity cost. In some cases it would be cheaper and easier and more productive to pay cash money. Really.

I can't agree that "back links are the currency of the web (even if it annoys Google.)"

Forgive the rant. Reasonable people can disagree on this issue. But I feel strongly about it.

May I make a shocking and radical suggestion?

Are you sitting down?

Are you ready? Really, really?

If you really want good content, pay cash money.

Thanks for the help. Much appreciated.

It **is **complicated. So thanks for your help.

Your understanding is basically correct, though there are even more twists and turns.

At this point, does it make sense to try to switch the name from the online to the offline business in the listings and citations.  Or would this muddy the waters even more?

Thanks for the response.  It't a bit complicated. There are two businesses with a common owner.

The online business sells widgets and related services. Let's say it's called Acme Widget People. We have already built listings and citations for it.

The bricks and mortar business (with two locations) also sells widgets and related services. It's called Superior Ideal. The phone number is also different. It has no listings or citations yet. One of the locations has the same address as the online business but a diffferent name and phone number.

So here's how the NAPs look:

Online Business:

Acme Widget People

123 Main Street

Suite 102

Anytown, Texas

75362

888-753-9876

Bricks and Mortar Locations

Location #1

Superior Ideal

57 Elm Street

Another Town, Texas

85378

660-987-8976

Location #2

Superior Ideal

123 Main Street

Suite 102

Anytown, Texas

75362

518-765-8754

Not sure of the answer, but let me add a question of my own -- which is a variation on this theme.

My client has two bricks and mortar stores in two different cities, with one website. It also has an online business with a completely different name and website.

I have been working only on the online business.

However, my mandate has just expanded to the bricks and mortar stores.

I have a Google+ listing, other listings,  and a bunch of local citations for the online business at an address in the  format:

Alpha Company, 123 Main Street, Suite 102, Anytown, TX, 12345

The issue is: one of bricks  and mortar stores has the same address as the online business.

i now need to get listings and citations for the bricks and mortar stores.

What should I do?

What about sales? isn't that the true measure of effectiveness? And the only one that counts in the end?

It's very easy to get caught up in semi-relevant (or downright phony) metrics. What difference does it make if you rank well on insignificant keywords? Or even if your traffic is up, but it's lousy traffic that doesn't generate sales.

A common "trick" used by SEOs of less than outstanding virtue is to optimize for not very competitive keywords. This is quite easily done and presents the illusion of progress. It can also generate really nifty reports with impressive charts and graphs. But to what end?

The fact that most of your traffic is coming from branded keywords is another alarm bell. It means that most of the people accessing your website are already familiar with your brand. But I'm betting that the whole of your web strategy is to reach new prospects.

If your competitors are getting almost all the non-branded traffic and you have other issues with your current firm, it may be time to move on. As mentioned before, you might want to give them one last chance. Talk about your billing issues and concerns with non-branded keywords.

I suspect what you really need is a deep data dive into the whole competitive web landscape. The findings should drive the strategy  going forward.

Is your site by any chance www.c3medianetwork.com? if so, I must tell you there are serious issues on everything form on-page stuff to the diversity of your link profile.

If the trust is gone, it may be time to move on.

Make sure you have a plan in place for a transition.

After all,  however dissatisfied you are now, something is better than nothing.

But why not give it one last shot? Tell the company you are thinking of moving on, and see how they react. if you are otherwise satisfied with the company's performance, and it's just a matter of billing practices, the relationship might yet be salvaged. It could be as simple as moving to a monthly blanket charge, rather than itemized charges for different services.

Again, I don't know what your contract says, so I'm just taking some guesses here.

It's really difficult to comment intelligently in the absence of more information about the overall relationship with you SEO Provider or what is spelled out in the contract.

But my gut tells me you are right to raise your eyebrows....

(to mix metaphors and body parts)

Anyone have experience in getting clients' sites listed on webcam-listing sites for SEO purposes?

If so, which sites would you recommend?

What was your experience?

Any  tips or tricks?

Any pitfalls?

Thanks!

• • I am not a BBB fan. Here are some excerpts from an earlier thread, beginning with a post from me

    • There is a decidedly less sunny view of the Better Business Bureau. It has been the subject of many journalistic exposes. Critics say it supresses consumer complaints for cash, acts as a shill for its paying members, and operates a pay for play scheme. The basic accusation is that it is a bad guy posing as a good guy. Wolfgang Puck and the Boston Ritz Carlton Hotel got failing grades. So did Disney World -- until it became a paying member.

    • The Connecticut Attorney General opened an investgation at one point.

      See the ABC News 20/20 expose

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo8kfV9kONw

      After a highly unflattering series of columns in the New York Times, The BBB tried to defend itself here

      http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/your-money/10haggler.html

      The BBB may have high domain authority. But whether it is wise for businesses to be associated with such an organization is quite another matter.

      i agree with a previous poster: local Chamber of Commerce directories are the way to go

    • • **Aaron Schinke **| July 5th, 2011

        I have heard some of these horror stories as well. However I don't think the vast majority of people have. So, even if the BBB just passes the perception of trust along with the link juice it's probably worht it. Perception is reality.

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      • <a name="137344f8f9416707_jtc147147"> </a>**BathroomGetaways **| July 11th, 2011

        I think part of the reason they get a bad rep is because just because you're not a member, doesn't mean you won't get turned in.  For instance, we had a hosting client that turned us in because we HAD to raise her hosting rates and she didn't feel she should have to pay (not very bright person was she).  So she complained to the BBB, despite the fact we're not a member.  We got a letter, we let them know how we resolved the issue, and they considered the matter CLOSED, and said we did everything we could do satisfy her.

        So my guess with many of the companies that have had the "pay for play" complaint, isn't that they were necessarily being strong-armed into paying to join, but that before they joined, they weren't resolving complaints because they probably didn't fully realize they had to.

        I agree the BBB walks the gray line, but lets not forget that 20/20 and other news outlets love to latch on to stories like that about big company or org messing with the little guy, and they are probably worse from a "bad standpoint" (20/20 and news outlets that is) than the BBB could ever dream of being.

        The media are whore's that will air anything they can.  The BBB, while not awesome, does provide a valuable service to both businesses and consumers.  What's the news media really do other than stir the pot for ratings?

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    • But of course I'd be willing to reconsider my previous post.

      Perhaps the BBB would care to avail itself of my complaints resolution services?

      My fees are very reasonable.

      And everybody wins!

      This is a joke. I'm not serious.

      But the BBB is. Which is a problem.

      • <a name="137344f8f9416707_jtc146406"> </a>**Djjinx13 **| July 1st, 2011

        Hmmm

        I think the point of the post was in direct referece to the search engine marketing implications of BBB which is not only a powerful backlink, but as another poster pointed out it appears its "brand" gets a Google human "trust" bump which is understandable as Google always states they are about the user not the fringe opinons (not blasting your opinion.) Just stating that in consumers eyes the BBB is trustworthy ( i understand that is you point that it should not be) but once again the point I believe is the SEM benefits. Now in the future if consumers begin to gain your views that "trust" metric will begin to fall... But that is not today!!! and Today it appears in local search asepect a BBB link is good in consumers eyes and search enigne eyes so i see no reason if ROI justifies it one would not get it.

        once again just my opinion

        Edited by Djjinx13 on July 1st, 2011 at 6:16 am<a rel="nofollow"></a>

I worked as a non-profit executive long before I ever got involved  in SEO.

So I appreciate the difficulties with budget, staffing, and training.

That said, I really think the long-term answer is to take more of the work in-house. Given the Rip Van Winkle timelines that can prevail in non-profits, this could be a one or two year process. All the more reason to get started right away!

If you are on another platform, migrating everything to WordPress, for example, is not a small task. But it could probably be done for $1,000 to $2,500 by a developer whose mandate also includes training a staff member or intern for all future updates short of a major redesign. The developer could then lurk in the background, ready to be called on rare occasions. I have been though his process for both for-profit and non-profit clients.

I really think the days of delay, dependency and paying $50-$150 for every minor text or graphic change need to die.

The site has no sample articles and no testimonials.

Prices should be 25 to 100 times more expensive.

See my comments above.