Really enjoyed the recent SEO Book blog post about DIY SEO.

Aaron Wall posts a review of DIYSEO - an SEO tool created by Patrick Gavin and Andy Hagan.

About a year ago, a friend said to me, “You know, you’ll never make the “big” money “just” being a consultant. You have to create a “product” (or products) that will generate residual revenue so you can sit back and not work so hard.”

But truth be told: I LIKE being a hands-on SEO / SEM Consultant. I LIKE seeing the results over time from a process that takes effort. I LIKE developing relationship with clients. I think it’s what has made SEO Web Consulting successful.

We live in an age of instant gratification and it’s getting more “instant” by the day. And, yes, it is getting more difficult to educate clients and prospective clients that SEO is a process that takes time and commitment.

But I have to ask, at what cost? Quality suffers and the instant-mentality perpetuates and reinforces mediocrity - if not a total sub-standard.

I do share Aaron Wall’s suggestion about Google Adwords - with one exception: Yes, it’s a cheap Search Marketing strategy for small & local business, BUT you MUST keep the keyword lists to more obscure long tail terms to keep it cheap. Otherwise Adwords is not advantageous in a more competitive market because of the fact that Google controls the ad distribution in a smaller budget campaign - no matter HOW WELL the campaign has been set up and optimized. I can expound on this in another post later…

Businesses that DO understand that investing in their web presence to expand their revenue, will usually commit to SEO and SEM for the longer haul. And in time, WILL see a return on investment (ROI) from their investment. Statistics prove this time after time.

The other issue I have is so many small business owners who want to take the cheaper “easy” way out, purchase SEO tool after SEO tool - or monthly subscriptions! - in an effort to get their business site optimized. They just don’t realize the knowledge and expertise needed and in the end: The time and money wasted could have been invested towards a 6-month SEO project with a reputable SEO Consulting Firm with MUCH better results and ROI.

I have actually tried (and subscribed) to some SEO tools to see what they offer and have to honestly report that I am surprised at what professionals are putting out there… and share Aaron Wall’s statement about some SEO tools being “designed by marketers looking to sell something that would be easy to sell at scale… not created out of passion to solve a real problem with the desire to help make a difference in people’s lives.”

Also liked the closing paragraph for Better Small Business SEO Solutions. If you are business considering SEO tools vs hiring an SEO Consultant, be sure to check out this valuable blog post.

Where is blogging on your priority list? And are you making the effort to optimize your blog to get the most from your blog?

Quite honestly, while I know how benefitial blogging is not only for SEO, but for building brand, buzz and reputation, I have found it difficult to personally blog. It’s time consuming… time, I usually do not have.

While I preach and consult all day long about blog optimization and it’s significance for business, I can’t always find the time to do it myself. When I’m not working on client projects - and have the time to step back from work - that’s exactly what I want to do: step back from work!

As an SEO Consultant, I’m suggesting, advising and recommending all day long about blog optimization… so the last thing I want to do when I’m on my own time, is blog. Shouldn’t I want to? Shouldn’t it be a burning desire? ‘fraid not. So WHY do I beat myself about not blogging?

Some options are:
1. have a ghost writer write the blog posts and all I do is proof and add any blog optimization

2. hire and train staff to do the mind-numbing basic SEO tasks to free me up for blog writing

3. hire an already skilled person to take over the blog writing and blog optimization

Folks who blog and twitter all day (or what seems like it!), clearly have a staff large enough to cover these time consuming tasks… so they are free to actively strategize and engage in their company’s social marketing campaigns?

So what do I need to do for more blog optimization success? We will weigh our options and perhaps put the word out ‘for hire’ - on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and our blog - for an acceptable skilled person to help w/our blog optimization efforts. :o)

In the meantime, I will try to stay true to my 2010 resolution on offering blog posts targeting helpful SEO, web usability and search marketing tips to our readers!

Till next time.

Happy New Year!

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2010 is to recommit to blogging. Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve said it before, but feel pretty committed to the few resolutions I made for SEO Web Consulting this year… all very doable in the limited time I have.

Quality, not quantity… and to bring readers good info in the ever-changing world of SEO, Search Marketing and Social Marketing… as they say… one-day-at-a-time.

I plan to start by posting 1-2 times/per week, that enough? Need your feedback. Too many blogs in this arena and I want to provide good, training type info for readers… and not the same-old-same-old we see on blog after blog in this industry. Let me know thoughts.

Check back and keep me honest by letting me know if the content is helpful. If one post is too basic, check back again for more advanced info down the road as I have a fairly wide range of SEO-SEM readers.

There you have it. Next post will be on track for training and helpful tips for SEO and Search/Social Marketing. Stay tuned.