[shaftb]

Hello,

I've been reached by this company for sometime now, and I was thinking of signing up a client with them since I have no experience in SEO. I just contacted somebody on their testimonial page, and am suppose to get a call back. In the meantime I did a Google search on them, and found this forum. Can anybody add any input on these company ASAP please.

Main Street Host

Their Main Site ::: Optimization Company & Search Engine Marketing


Thanks

[cjgraphix]

I recently signed with a client who was already using them. My client said good things about them. I did not see anything extraordinary about their SEO work, but it was pulling in hits for my client.

If you can create SEO friendly content, use good meta data, alt, title tags you could consider doing it yourself. I am not sure what their packages include, but I don't see a ton of backlinks to my clients site.

[andyf]

I think you should first ask them for what keywords they are toping and how competative those keywords are ?
I think they don't have much backlinks according to me any SEO service provider should have a great number of
backlinks as it help to rank top also they don't any useful content on their site.

What they are going to achieve for your site and at what price. If you think your site is more important and need prefessional SEO then you can try paid service otherwise as "cjgraphix" suggested you can optimize your site yourself but will have to work hard and have to keep patience.

I don't have any personal problem with this company but it's just my opinion.

All the best.....

[shaftb]

Thanks for the info. Anybody out there that you would suggest looking into?
The budget is around $175/month.

[cjgraphix]

Do you know what keywords your client is looking for??

[shaftb]

houses, land, real estate, NE Iowa, land homes houses lots for sale real estate hunting northeast iowa Mississippi valley Allamakee river view recreational.......

This is something they listed in their last email.

Thanks.

[SEO Freelancer]

I am a SEO freelancer with 5 years experience doing business online. I can help you develop your internet marketing plans and grow your business. My SEO Services are affordable beacause are tailored to the needs of a small business owner with a limited budget.

I prepare a comprehensive site assessments reports with specific on-page and off-page optimization recommendations of your existing web site and detailing a step by step solution which may be implemented by you or your current web designer would provide your site with improved search engine position and inproved ROI with a minimum cost to your budget.

It involves analysis and optimization of the website's content and keywords, advice relating to link building and submitting your website to directories and monitoring keyword placement for top search engine rankings. I work with small businesses daily so I know what your needs are when it comes to improving your rankings online.

Please email me for mor info at seosfreelancer@gmail.com or my blog supaz.wordpress.com

[andyf]

Just check where you are listed for those keywords and what is the competition for them, Do you think they are important for your business then you can try going with them but $175/month is a bit expensive but if you are getting a good business then it's OK.

I think 2 months are enough for getting top position so don't waste much time and money on them, if you start getting results then you can do it (SEO) by yourself.

[lmclaney]

Shaftb, have you thought about learning how to do SEO by yourself, get some books, read aorund the subject and learn how to do it yoursef. Its not brain surgery and im sure after a while you will pick it up. These seo people make it out to be some magical thing and charge hundreds if not thousands for their services. If you learn how to do it yourself you wont have to outsource work, you will save the client moeny and you will earn more for yourself.

From the forum link you posted i would stay away from mainstreethost, if you do need a company to do the work im sure you can find a company with a better reputation.

[shaftb]

Thanks for all the info. Yes, I would love to do it myself, but my knowledge isn't there. I didn't feel like promising the moon to my customer and then not showing results. I will check around and see what I can find for books. Any that you can think off that would be good?
Thanks!

[cjgraphix]

I purchased the search engine marketing kit from Sitepoint when it first came out ( a few years ago )... think a new version is already out, or just about to come out. It not only goes into the actual work involved in SEO, but also how to sell it.

[andyf]

IMO best place for getting your hand on SEO is the " Google webmasters guide " ( if your are looking for Google ) also forums are best place to learn new things, you never know when the SE algorithm may get changed better be in touch with all SEO blogs and forums, Webmasters are always there to help you.
( for me books may not be that useful as of Blogs/forums )

[grandbbq]

Originally Posted by andyf

I think you should first ask them for what keywords they are toping and how competative those keywords are ?
I think they don't have much backlinks according to me any SEO service provider should have a great number of
backlinks as it help to rank top also they don't any useful content on their site.

What they are going to achieve for your site and at what price. If you think your site is more important and need prefessional SEO then you can try paid service otherwise as "cjgraphix" suggested you can optimize your site yourself but will have to work hard and have to keep patience.

I don't have any personal problem with this company but it's just my opinion.

All the best.....

Sure am glad I was driving when this company called me. It sounded great! Sure. This salesman called me and was telling me things about my rankings on the search engice. LOL..

He said I was way down in ther pages etc... Funny thing is that I asked him to enter the best keywords for my business into Yahoo and see where I come up. He did. Then he asked me what he was looking for! LOL... He then asked me what site he was looking for! LOL.... He called me with the piotch that he was seeking where my site was on the pages and he saw that I was way down in the rankings. Turns out this is a lie as he did not even know who I was or what website he was looking for. LOL... What a joke. I knew he was full of it. By the way my Organic page ranking on Yahoo and MSN with most keywords that relate to my business comes up number 1 and a few down to number 5 or so. I use a serch engine submitter for mass sites and directories and do Yahoo, MSN, and Google manually at their respective submission pages. No big deal.

I mentioned back links as I submit to dorectories using a directory submitter to get better rankings. He told me that BACKLINKS like that will get me blacklisted as well. What a joke. The biggest optimiataion companies suggest backlinks all the time in their free e-mails on how to get better rankings.

Google rankning jumps around from day to day. One day page one the next might be page five then back to one. Strange.

I do my own sites and use front page. No big deal. Once you get the hang of it.
Then I started asking him questions about linking and directories etc... and of course he said everything I was doing is wrong.
Wrong wrong wrong, I will get blacklisted. Directories do not affect your ranking etc... B.S...
I mentioned back links as I submit to directories using a directory submitter to get better rankings. He told me that BACKLINKS like that will get me blacklisted as well. What a joke. The biggest optimiataion companies suggest backlinks all the time in their free e-mails on how to get better rankings.

I asked him then how I consistently for at least a year come up number one on Yahoo etc.. and can he get me a higher ranking than number one? He said he did not know why I must be lucky. LOL...

He did not like that.

Too bad.

But he did defend his company telling me how they are the number one SEO, company on the wb. He gace me akeyword to prove it. LOL... Like I am that stupid. First thing I put in was the domain search and here I am learning about the company. I get 10 e-mails a day from companies saying the same thing he says. I don't buy it. I wont buy it.

I sure am glad I followed up and did a little investigation to make sure who these guys are.

Their website looks like some cheezey template cookie cutter site. just fill in the balnks and pick a design and poof there you go.

I will not be using them.

Thanks!