SEO Firm Recommendations

[Chris.C]

So I often get asked by friends and family who know I'm in the internet marketing business if I can help them out, and inevitably tell them I don't do little stuff and I just stick to working on my own projects plus a couple of major clients, but I really would like to recommend them to some decent lower cost SEO firms who can handle the sort of clients who can only spend $1000 or so a month on SEO.

So do you guys have any recommendations or experience with various Aussie SEO firms?

 

[helloworld]

The main issue with any large agency is that they all seem to have a high turn over rate.I have worked for one of Australias largest firms and the moral was low at best. This obviously has an effect on the initial strategy.

My best recommendation is to find a small player that focuses on the needs of small business and a strategy that will provide a return on investment. I'd love to help and have sent you a pm

 

[Chris.C]

I don't really care if the firm is small or large - I just care that my family and friends will get an ROI on their investment with XYZ firm.

 

[payattention]

No idea what they cost nor have I used their services so keep that in mind but I enjoy the videos Jim Stewart puts out from http://stewartmedia.biz/. Been following @jimboot on twitter for a long time and he's a good guy, knows what he's talking about etc.

 

[findtim]

i'd be looking for a "google places" expert, ranking number 1 in some field places you at number 8 on the page !!!!!

i have clients that use freedomseo com au but i am yet to be impressed with their organic result abilities

i had a client that used exa com au and i wouldn't go near them

i have a client using aussieweb com au for adwords and not doing to bad but nothing exceptional.

tim

 

[findtim]

No idea what they cost nor have I used their services so keep that in mind but I enjoy the videos Jim Stewart puts out from http://stewartmedia.biz/. Been following @jimboot on twitter for a long time and he's a good guy, knows what he's talking about etc.

when i contacted them i was told $1200 a month and min 6 month commitment but that was a year ago, and yes they seemed like nice people.

i'm currently using an indian firm, we have gone from nowhere on google ( brand new site) to first page in a few months we keep slipping off first page and then back on , until they get me to number 2 for my desired search i won't recommend them.

my advice to "family and friends" is to blog, i have a few clients doing it and their rankings are working REALLY well for them. Gets them out of my hair and saves them money.

tim

 

[James]

i'd be looking for a "google places" expert, ranking number 1 in some field places you at number 8 on the page !!!!!

i have clients that use freedomseo com au but i am yet to be impressed with their organic result abilities

i had a client that used exa com au and i wouldn't go near them

i have a client using aussieweb com au for adwords and not doing to bad but nothing exceptional.

tim

Freedom SEO went into administration recently -

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/inte...tration-some-staff-saved-by-white-knight.html

Google Places is no more as well, the company has rolled the product into Google+ Local now, many factors have changed.

http://searchengineland.com/google-...the-center-of-gravity-for-local-search-122770

Kind Regards.

 

[theseoconsultant]

Freedom SEO went into administration recently -

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/inte...tration-some-staff-saved-by-white-knight.html

Indeed

Google Places is no more as well, the company has rolled the product into Google+ Local now, many factors have changed.

http://searchengineland.com/google-...the-center-of-gravity-for-local-search-122770

Kind Regards.

Rather interesting move by Google if I might add there - definitely keeps us on our toes.

 

[findtim]

Freedom SEO went into administration recently -

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/inte...tration-some-staff-saved-by-white-knight.html

Google Places is no more as well, the company has rolled the product into Google+ Local now, many factors have changed.

http://searchengineland.com/google-...the-center-of-gravity-for-local-search-122770

Kind Regards.

great links, thanks, even more reason now for my suggestion BUT.......

how many times can google get away with DRAMATICALLY changing the rules before business get peeeved off ? the answer is probably 2099 unfortunately.

how long is google going to flog this dead horse called google+ ? we are heading for a google first page that is FULLY PAID and if you own "carsales.com.au" and don't pay google but i own " carsalessss.net.au" and do pay google then i win !

This is why i try not to do seo for other people, i'd have to be constantly going back to them asking for more money to keep them up.

This is why i like wordpress, almost every seo business likes it so i built it correctly and then push them off to someone else to handle the pain

its a can of worms

tim

 

[BenWalker]

For something we all really need these days...It’s surprising to find how no one can really give you a direct answer. (I’m not sure if that’s because people are too scared to share their secrets or if its rather a case of genuinely not knowing.)

Chris...I don’t have firsthand knowledge because I’m yet to start their service. (Still doing market research on who to use.)

However, I recently (about two weeks ago) spoke to ROI. I wanted to rank one of my printing websites. While I was on the phone to the consultant, they asked me to google for the term “printing”. And apparently the top two results were their clients. I would put printing in the top 10-15 “highly competitive keyword” category. So if they are on #1 and #2 they must be doing something right. (Provided that it really is their client.)

I asked straight out, how much to beat them. The price I got quoted was between $600 - $1200 per month depending on the plan you selected. And roughly 12 months.

Then I went on to ask, If you take me on board as a client, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest to your existing clients. To which he really didn’t have an answer. And that didn’t sit well with me. Because how can they promise two companies essentially the same thing. Yet have them compete against each other?

 

[findtim]

Ben you are right , i wouldn't like that and it is a conflict as you have NO involvement in what they do for you, now if you had a major involvement as in you telling them what you want and also say blogging to save you costs then it isn't a conflict as you are in control essentially , IMO

i personally only deal with one client in a business sector within a postcode and thats because i do very localised based websites

eg: townservice.com.au or "jim the plumber in ballina and only ballina"

back to none of us offering suggestions, i just don't have anyone that i would recommend and i'm in the same boat as Chris.C and just trying to sort it out for myself as well.

When i find the right company i'll post it.

tim

 

[BenWalker]

back to none of us offering suggestions, i just don't have anyone that i would recommend and i'm in the same boat as Chris.C and just trying to sort it out for myself as well.

When i find the right company i'll post it.

tim

Sorry guys (and tim) , that wasn’t a stab at anyone.

I was more trying to get at the fact that SEO is like a rainbow. Everyone seems to know about it. Yet no one seems to know the exact directions to "find it".

And the companies I do find, leaves me with the question of am I paying for what I already know/Are you going to make a difference to my site Or am I just wasting money.

Anyway...end of rant! haha

 

[findtim]

ben i didn't take offense.

now for my rant so you are pre warned.

what bugs me is a had a client that ranked 2nd organic for a reasonably tough search term and wanted SEO to rank for other search terms, but she wouldn't pay any money for it so i said " i've installed a blog so go start blogging" which she then didn't do and next thing i find she is paying freedomseo $495 a month to do what i said she should do, on top of that she let them alter my design to how i wanted it in the first place but she vito'd which just basically insulted me in the "i wa TELLING you so mode" but it took someone to charge her $495 a month for her to believe them.

And then they added in all this crap spam keyword stuffing to the home page and now she has dropped to 8th when i had her at 2nd !!

the moral is ... and what i'm doing no.... "build your own team" and CHARGE heaps for it, and DO NOT offer any promises.

tim

 

[helloworld]

For something we all really need these days...It’s surprising to find how no one can really give you a direct answer. (I’m not sure if that’s because people are too scared to share their secrets or if its rather a case of genuinely not knowing.)

Chris...I don’t have firsthand knowledge because I’m yet to start their service. (Still doing market research on who to use.)

However, I recently (about two weeks ago) spoke to ROI. I wanted to rank one of my printing websites. While I was on the phone to the consultant, they asked me to google for the term “printing”. And apparently the top two results were their clients. I would put printing in the top 10-15 “highly competitive keyword” category. So if they are on #1 and #2 they must be doing something right. (Provided that it really is their client.)

I asked straight out, how much to beat them. The price I got quoted was between $600 - $1200 per month depending on the plan you selected. And roughly 12 months.

Then I went on to ask, If you take me on board as a client, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest to your existing clients. To which he really didn’t have an answer. And that didn’t sit well with me. Because how can they promise two companies essentially the same thing. Yet have them compete against each other?

That sounds like a straight sales pitch. I presume one of the sites you were talking about was http://www.discountprinting.com.au/ I can see that roi do, do their seo . But ROI work off long tails for the budget you suggested in anycase which retun your ROI much faster because there is less competition.

I use to work at ROI and they do have some good account managers who know there shit backwards, what you mention is also part of the frustration between sales and the people who do the work and then need to set you straight...it's not always like that, but did happen to me a few times.

It is possible to get a non-competitor guarantee at ROI from memory...bit useless if they already have those clients though as they're not going to kick them to the curb.

 

[James]

That's the first problem, is when a SEO company has a sales team who promise the world, but the people actually doing the work you never meet them, then you have "client facing people" who go and give all the presentations.

Most bigger businesses are really switched on to this now some big tenders I have been involved with the procurement teams actually want the people who are working on the account to be involved with the pitch. .

But in regards to the original questions: SEO companies who are decent in the Australian market place for SME business and who I would personally recommend after 7 years in this business:

http://www.kwasistudios.com (South Australia Target Market) Ask for Woj, he is a really nice bloke knows his stuff, met him at a few conferences he knows his stuff.

http://www.123seo.com.au/ (Brisbane Target Market) Dejan SEO's small business offering, these guys are decent, I have met them at a few conferences and events they know their stuff.

http://anseocompany.com.au (Perth Target Market) Ask for Bob, he is a nice guy who deals with SME SEO, been around for a few years, knows his stuff.

And finally if you really want to ask the questions and meet some decent SEO's don't beat around the bush talking to sales people do direct to the SEO events - http://seomeetups.com.au/ is a free event series in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne where you can talk to SEO's for free.

 

[BenWalker]

James...thanks a bunch for that info!

I'll deff get in touch with the SA one!