PPC
How to Avoid PPC Rip-Offs
Recently I’ve had a front row seat to a seemingly good PPC firm ripping off a client. It is a vivid case within the all too prevalent trend of bad PPC firms that hurt the reputation of the whole search Read more
SEO
Your SEO Project is Done. Now What?
In the early 2000s I raised hackles among my peers at a major conference when I asserted that pushing monthly retainers for SEO was unnecessary and thus ethically suspect. Back then, SEO was much more a one-time job than it Read more
SEO
We’re All in SEO Hell for 10 More Years
Ten years from now, old-timer SEO pros will look back to the 2000 to 2020 years–the late infancy of the web–with relief that the labyrinthine complexity of technical SEO is a thing of the past. We will focus more on Read more
ROI Planning SEO
Should SEO Firms White-Lie to Clients?
In explaining and proposing services, most SEO firms lie by omission—and they probably should. My firm’s neuro-marketing wizard, Jennifer Williams, has admonished me for including in proposals too many options worth considering in the near future. Long before that advice, Read more
ROI Planning SEO
Should SEO Consulting be Pre-packaged at Set Prices?
When shopping for SEO consulting, you want to know the cost. When search marketing firms sell SEO, they don’t want to spend too much time writing proposals. These two marketplace motivations make set-priced SEO packages convenient and attractive. But do Read more
SEO
Stop Paying for Keyword Research
Good keyword research produces the linguistic DNA by which your business is found, and it should be used in everything from product databases through URLs to social media posts. So why do I tell you to stop paying for it? Read more
SEO
PageRank and the Pitfalls of DIY SEO Research
In my college Internet Marketing class, I teach students to understand the huge forces of bias in articles about web marketing. Public relations campaigns, the need to scream controversial headlines (like the dunderheaded “SEO is Dead”) to get social buzz, Read more
SEO
Restore Inbound Links For Rapid Boost in SEO Performance
Inlinks (or backlinks or inbound links), which are links to your website from other websites, comprise roughly 50% of what determines your website’s ranking in the search engines. Most websites have inlinks to pages that no longer exist on your Read more
SEO
Yes, Most SEO Firms are Untrustworthy
Two or three years ago there was big news that many of the sleazy sales people who sold the bad mortgages that led to the financial crisis are now selling SEO for firms with great looking websites. These sales people Read more
ROI Planning
Yes, You Can, So Should, Predict ROI of Web Marketing
Most businesses know they need a website and search marketing, so many just do it. But there’s a huge range in how much you can invest. Seeing the likely profit scenarios will enable you to invest wisely. The fact is Read more