SEOmaven: Search Engine Optimization; Get to page one on Google, Yahoo, MSN.

I was in Information Technology for over 30 years before making photography my career. But why waste time reading about me? Let me show you how I've positioned my own photography web site in the search engines:

I'm on PAGE 1 on Google for about 40 search terms. Same with Yahoo, MSN, AltaVista and AOL. On many of these I am listed in the top three. As a result, I get approximately 100 unique visitors to my web site every day. Take a look at a snapshot report from early August 2005, showing only some of my selected keywords for Hershel Belkin Photography (www.belkinder.com):

Don't believe this report? Then go to the search engines and try some of my keywords and see for yourself how they rank today! While you're at it, check some of them on MSN, AOL, and AltaVista. You'll find similar great results.

As you can see, many of these keywords are "local" in nature, since photography is a localized service. So perhaps you think hitting big with a more general keyword isn't possible? Not that I really wanted it, but notice "child portrait photographer" in the above list. I'm among the top few on Google!

Of course over time there is some give-and-take in the rankings, as this is the nature of the game. But here is a snapshot of my site summary six weeks after the above results were posted (This report from Sept 13/05):

By any measure, 245 page-one listings on the top five search engines is impressive!

No tricks, gimmicks, or cheats. But I do have some requirements. Like you must be willing and able to make some changes to your web site. You must represent a legal, moral, and ethical business. You must have a good web site, with real content. And you need to want success.

I've spent two full years researching this field, and I've developed a system of sorts that relies on a progression of actions, some of which I perform (sorry, these are my trade secrets!), and some of which I will ask you to perform (web site modifications.) Oh, by the way, if you've used one of those services that promises search engine placement by submitting your site to thousands of search engines every month, don't bother calling me... there's probably little I can do to repair the damage.

My methods are not magic, but rather based on hard work and a thorough understanding of how search technologies function. My methods will not guarantee a number one listing on Google overnight -- run from anyone who makes such a claim!

My service is for those of you who really don't care to become web site experts, but prefer to keep your efforts focused on your business. We'll work together to develop a valuable and realistic set of keywords -- ones that people are really searching for and are most pertinent to your business. But I'm not going to teach you SEO. I won't even bore you with all sorts of details or explanations of why I'm asking for specific changes. I'll just deliver RESULTS.

There are lots of services that will drive tons of traffic to your site. But often these are based on schemes that pay people to click on sites -- people who have absolutely no interest in what your site has to offer, and will click away from your site as soon as they have arrived. What you want is not traffic, but quality traffic -- people who are looking for what you are selling.

Getting a top listing in the major search engines is very important, as more and more people rely on sites like Google to find what they're looking for on the web. The internet public is realizing that pay-per-click listings do not always represent the best quality vendors -- only those who are willing to pay more. This mistrust of paid ads is driving people to rely more on the unpaid listings to locate trustworthy vendors. But I'm not going to tell you that you'll be flooded with traffic just by getting a good listing. That depends on what the real demand is out there for what you're offering. If you have a number one listing for something that no once cares much about, you won't get much traffic. However, if you're in a high-demand category you will certainly pick up quality traffic by having a well-ranked listing. What your listing says in a few words can greatly affect the click-through rate to your site. And don't forget that traffic alone doesn't mean too much -- your site needs to quickly grab your visitors' attention and convert them from browsers to buyers.

That said, if you have a good product or service, and a well-designed web site, what you need in order to reach that next level of sales is a strong ranking in the major search engines. I can deliver that to you!

Questions I often hear are "Which search engines do I need to be listed with?", and "Isn't listing with as many search engines as possible the best strategy?" So what exactly are the major search engines? Read my description in:

You've probably seen such services advertised at many different prices. There are the cheap rip-off artists that take a small fee to totally mess up any chances for your web site to ever get well positioned in the search engines. There are the services that will get you top listings all right -- but in some obscure search engines that no one uses! Then there are the legitimate services, most of which have charges based on numbers of pages in your site, number of keywords you want listed, and many other factors -- which drive the initially-quoted price much higher, often into thousands of dollars per site just to get that initial ranking.

I keep it really simple:

$0 for an initial evaluation. I'll check out your web site, your desired key words, and the competition in your internet zone. I'll then tell you what I can or cannot do for you. If I don't feel that I can be of significant help to you, I'll tell you so and I won't take you as a customer. I will be totally honest with you. For example, if I feel that your set of keywords is too large or too general, of that your site is very poorly designed, I'll tell you so.

$500 for a full analysis which includes very specific requirements for changes to your web site. In most cases these will be minor in nature, not affecting the look and feel of your site. This initial fee also includes advising on proper keyword selection, and the various submission tasks that I do. This is all you will pay until I achieve specific results for you! If I do not achieve those results, you owe nothing else! [I won't take you as a customer unless I am sure I can achieve results, so figure on paying the next amount as well!]

$400 when your site is listed in the top 10 (page 1) on at least one of the three major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) for at least 2 of your desired key phrases. [Don't worry, this is just what I guarantee for charging purposes -- but when it happens, it will almost certainly be for more than two keywords, and on more than one engine!]

So, as you can see, it will cost you a total of only $900 to get to page one of the major search engines (only $500 up front)!

Think of the potential pay-per-click savings!

You can then leave it at that, and continue to benefit from your improved search engine placement, or you can order additional work at any time for $350 per instance. This could include further "fine tuning" to get even better rankings for specific keywords, adding additional keywords, reporting on your positioning, and/or finding and arranging additional inbound links -- all designed to further improve or solidify your site's position. Once again, I will advise you as to whether or not such follow-up actions are worthwhile for your site. I won't take your money if I don't think I can provide a valuable service to you!

Because many of the search engines are constantly modifying their methods, there is a needit is adviseable to occasionally monitor your position and make minor changes as necessary. It is also important to track your traffic and understand what keywords and phrases people are actually using to find you, and adjust your use of those terms accordingly.

OK, so now you're probably wondering how long it will take to get your site to page one. That's not something I can answer directly ... it depends on many things, including the timely response of your web designer to making the changes I request, the competitiveness of your field, the whims of the search engine crawlers, and much more. Suffice to say that it will generally take at least 5-6 weeks, sometimes more.

Look at what some clients have to say about the results I achieved for them ...

You are amazing!

You deserve every cent.
What's your paypal address so I can transfer funds?

That is terrific! You are a miracle worker!

Get started today!

Here's what you need to get started:

If you meet the above criteria and wish to get your FREE evaluation, fill in and submit the following form. Please be sure to complete all the areas, or I won't have enough information to proceed!

I look forward to hearing from you and helping you to achieve new goals for your web business. You have nothing to lose by applying. If I agree to take you on as a client I'll tell you honestly what I can do for your web site. Then it will be your decision whether to proceed or not.