Hiring web development / SEO consultant / company

[begreen]

The fly swatter is actually an excellent idea, but sends a weird message, no?

Imprint with the logo - We get the bugs out of your systems.

 

[crstrode]

I've been trying to do my own web development / SEO for my small business for way too long, and the results are really not helping my business. It's time to find a pro.

I get absolutely inundated with solicitations from SEO providers, mostly offshore if I had to guess from the poor English in most emails, and suspect they're probably not my best option. I'm really looking for either an independent consultant or company who can be a marketing partner, in terms of helping us to create the best web presence, within the budget of a small company.

The bit of research and books I've read on the subject indicate that all of the old hacks and tricks for SEO really don't work anymore, Google's AI has just become too smart to be "tricked" into placing undeserving sites near the top of search results, and anyone promising such is basically a modern snake oil salesman. Content rules, and I'll admit that as a mostly one-man operation focused almost entirely on engineering and managing fabricators, I'm not super content-rich. I know that will be an ongoing obstacle, at least in the short-term, but I also know there are ways to help maximize the impact of even minimal content, of which I am just a total noob.

So, how does one go about finding a good web development and/or SEO consultant, partner, or provider? Anyone here in the biz?

Thanks!

What you are doing by asking around is a good start.

Here is a guy I know that has been doing it for a long time. https://duanebentzen.net/

If I was going to hire a professional, it would be him. I, myself, have dabbled in this sort of thing, however it takes constant continuing education to retain competency. That skill has left me in the dust a long long time ago.

Tell him that Carl gave you the recommendation.

 

[Ashful]

Does not matter if you have a specific need, any web development that is telling you the numbers you posted are just out for your money.. I used to do web design and it is alot of work to make those numbers a reality,

Definitely. I get absolutely inundated with companies promising quick/effective SEO, but short of buying paid adds (eg. Google Ad Words), I really don't think there are any hacks to trick modern search engines for better ranking. Google's and Bing's AI is so good now, that only the best and most oft-updated content can organically rise to the top, and no offshore SEO company is going to be able to generate that for me. I do think Ad Words is something I should be doing, though.

i live out in the middle of nowhere and always liked to see customers in person a few times compared to video chat as you can learn alot more in person. Just got to be to much traveling and got tired of sitting in front of a computer most of my life..LOL

I can definitely appreciate all that. But my reality is that I'm only generating money when I can either rack billable hours or ship product, and both activities require me to be at or near home. Any days spent traveling is not only overhead cost, but also takes away from my available billable or NRE hours, so I need to be very careful in how I spend that time. One of my largest costs is simulation software licensing, which is like buying a new car every year, and so I try to really maximize the hours utilization of that software.

It is a LOT cheaper for me to hire rep's on 10% commission (typical in this low volume / high customization industry), than engineers + additional software licenses. Also, while I don't mind traveling and spending face time with customers, I don't have any personal need or drive for that interaction, so I'm fine with letting others do most of the face-to-face work. I usually pick up the lead via email or MS Teams, after initial contact is established and the need roughly defined.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ad words is tough. They want 80-100 a click. It hurts when they charge that for somebody that got a wrong number.

 

[Ashful]

Ad words is tough. They want 80-100 a click. It hurts when they charge that for somebody that got a wrong number.

Isn't the rate based on the frequency or popularity of the search word or phase? Pick "Tesla charger", and it's going to cost you more than something no one ever searches, "hemorrhoid enhancement cream." Right?

I think the false hit rate for a product as specialized as what I do will be relatively low, but that certainly could hurt a little, if the rate is that high.

 

[mellow]

CPC is supply and demand, you can find out the estimated cost and traffic on a keyword beforehand.