Jon Samsel

Recently I was on LinkedIn and came across the following SEO question:

“Looking for one of the best SEO companies in the world. Can anyone recommend one that has amazing track record / recommendations?”

I read through the Q&A thread. Over 20 people responded by providing SEO tips, as well as the names of SEO firms to follow up with. Some were big name SEO companies, some were creative agencies, and some were unknown to me.

I decided to do a little detective work. You see, from my experience, not all search optimization firms practice what they preach. So I thought of a quick way to gauge which SEO consulting firms were legit and which ones are full of bologna–run a Websitegrader report on each firm’s URL and then compare the results.

Why use Websitegrader? There are lots of free tools online that measure this and that. I like Websitegrader.com because it looks under the hood of a company’s URL to uncover what developers are doing well and where they could use improvement–mostly from an SEO point-of-view. They also provide a score so you can compare one website against another.

Websitegrader is not foolproof, mind you, but the results are very insightful. And as long as Websitegrader applies the same algorithm to the each website they grade, a user should be able to benchmark the good from the bad, from the ugly.

I looked at 30 SEO firms mentioned in the LinkedIn Q&A thread. The results were somewhat surprising. Here is how these companies ranked by Websitegrader on a scale of 0-100, 100 being best:

99.9 - www.bigmouthmedia.com
99.7 - www.6smarketing.com
99.7 - www.primevisibility.com
99.6 - www.bruceclay.com
99.6 - www.webadvantage.net
99.5 - www.vizioninteractive.com
99.4 - www.submitawebsite.com
99.3 - www.seo.com
98.9 - www.oneupweb.com
98.2 - www.webmetro.com
97.9 - www.netconcepts.com
97.6 - www.iCrossing.com
97.3 - www.thinkseer.com
96.5 - www.purevisibility.com
96.3 - www.seojunkies.com
95.9 - www.increasevisibility.com
95.5 - www.reprisemedia.com
95.5 - www.rustybrick.com
95.0 - www.seop.com
94.0 - www.nowspeed.com
93.0 - www.ilikesem.com
92.0 - www.usawebsolutions.com
91.0 - www.tmpdm.com
90.0 - www.iprospect.com
85.0 - www.360i.com
85.0 - www.razorfish.com
71.0 - www.ip-seo.com
67.0 - the-ccg-group.com
43.0 - www.asenyo.com
27.0 - www.wsiim.com

Who would have thought BigMouthMedia would outperform so many larger competitors? Of course, these results don’t mean that any of the above-rated SEO firms are not good at doing search optimization for their clients. I am pretty sure many of them are just busy doing client work…so busy that they have neglected their own website optimization efforts. However, for prospective companies considering doing business with any of these firms, wouldn’t a prudent client take a close look at an SEO company’s track record–both client results AND the quality of the SEO firm’s website as well? I think so.

If you are thinking about hiring an SEO firm to assist your company optimize its website for search engine rankings, you might want to run a Websitegrader report on the SEO agency first. Not only will the resulting grades be useful in evaluating two SEO firms against each another, but you can use the scores as a conversation starter when talking to the sales manager from an SEO firm trying to sell you their services. It really trips them up when you ask them why they scored so poorly next to competitor X!

Did I just say that?

Good luck.

1. Apple’s design process revealed!
2. Hilarious video about ‘Death By Committee’ group decision making processes. Love the logo designs!
3. Naming tools to help get your creative juices flowing.
4. The Components of a Writing Business Plan.
5. Website up-time tool.
6. What every web designer needs: A handy Lorem Ipsum generator!
7. An online font tester!
8. 100 things on the Internet that might be of interest to you.
9. Type in a word to find rhymes, synonyms, definitions, and more.
10. Life of Pi - Interactive promo. The mood that this creates is almost like a movie. Awesome.
11. The website is down: Sales guy vs. web dude. Funny!
12. ZeFrank’s song about social networking
13. Good site for hiring freelancers to work on social media gigs or web dev projects.
14. Quantcast - Free, competitive website analytics.
15. See every mouse movement and every click on your website. Record & more.
16. Fun brain teasers and exercises.
17. Need to quickly translate text into another foreign language?
18. Nice gift idea - give a personalized book to your child or relative.
19. SEO tool. How many desired .edu or .gov links does your site have?
20. Over 1,500 stories about coffee’s impact on real lives. Very cleaver marketing.
21. Social search engine. Pretty cool.
22. Where’s WaldObama? 1,474 mega-pixel picture of the Inauguration. Wow.
23. Mint or Rudder - which is best online tool to manage your money?
24. Runners. Track your distance, pace, progress & calories with this cool NIKE tool.
25. Looking for the perfect Web 2.0 domain name? Try Dot-o-mator.
26. Download free Web 2.0 logo designs!
27. UGC traffic to triple by 2012, according to Cisco.
28. UGC / user reviews are critical. See latest Nielsen findings.
29. “The Crying Game” of viral marketing. So well done. Click till you see the surprise ending!
30. U.S. real estate prices from 1980-present plotted to a roller coaster ride!
31. I just love Howcast - learn about almost anything!
32. Creepy girl. Watch as her eyes follow your cursor.
33. Amazing interactive simulation by Motorola.
34. Heatmap simulation for any image you upload. Sweet.
35. Design for Emotion and Flow.
36. Website User Journeys, Needs, and Trust: A Volkswagen Case Study.
37. Very helpful usability blog site by Craig Tomlin.
38. Net Promoter Score: Pro’s? Con’s? Full of bologna?
39. Get Elastic’s landing page optimization webinar recap.
40. Consumer purchase preferences by zip code.
41. Free version of the Word of Mouth Manual Volume II.
42. Social media marketing case study: Will It Blend.
43. Free 34 page ebook - The New Rules of Viral Marketing.
44. Social Web Analytics eBook 2008.
45. Introduction to Good Usability - Free PDF Ebook.
46. How to think virally w/ Jeff Benjamin, the creator of  Subservient Chicken.
47. Customer Feedback Usability Insights.
48. 5 new skills for the future of marketing.
49. Bring Holistic Awareness to Your Design.
50. Long live the Cluetrain Manifesto! 95 theses ahead of their time.

Source: http://twitter.com/jonsamsel

James Carr just self-published his own book, Will My Daddy Ever Work Again? It’s based on his experience as a child enduring a difficult period of unemployment in his family’s life. The book delves into the family’s trials and tribulations as seen through the innocent eyes of a child.

The story is written gender neutral so that boys and girls alike can identify with the 1st-person storyteller because of their own family’s difficult situation. It is a new and unusual way of telling a children’s story. And, according to the author, “That is why the child outline looks as it does on the cover and on every first chapter page–empty.”

The fact that James, the budding author, is currently unemployed is especially ironic, but also hopeful, as it shows he’s not the type of person to sit and wait for life’s opportunities to come at him–he’s out there taking destiny by the horns and opening up new possibilities for himself. It’s a story of hope through creative expression. It also demonstrates the power of the Internet as the publishing and marketing platform of the future.

Q:  Jim, tell me about your decision to self-publish.

A: Because of the current economic downturn, I believed my children’s story had value. The story is one that can help families experiencing long-term unemployment and financial issues. With the economy and housing markets becoming worse, the job market shrinking, and parents possibly not knowing how to discuss their family’s economic difficulties with their younger children, I believed my book could help with that very personal family conversation. I did not want to wait any longer to be ‘discovered’ by book agents or publishers so I published the book myself.

Q:  Did you utilize any online services to help you publish your book?

A: Yes. I used Lightning Source, a publish-on-demand (POD) self-publishing company based in Tennessee.  And I am selling my book on Amazon.com and through other online bookstores.

Q:  How did you settle on the retail price for your book?

A: I researched different types of children’s books available at Borders and Barnes & Noble booksellers to decide on the best retail book price.

Q:  Are you doing anything to promote your book?

A: Well, I am being interviewed by you–does that count?  Ha! Although I have been approached by several book marketing companies to represent my book, I am using my experience in corporate communications and as a newspaper reporter to create a personalized marketing strategy.

Q:  What lessons did you learn about the business of book publishing?

A: Paying attention to details is everything. Every word, every phrase, every punctuation mark, every piece of art, every laid out page, and every step in the process is critical. Self-publishing your first book can be an anxious experience because you want everything done correctly, with no mistakes, and you are learning the process to boot. I would advise new authors not to rush. Take your time. Ask questions of the people you are working with to accomplish your publishing goal. If you feel overwhelmed–take a break. You can come back to your work a little later. The only deadline is the one you set, and that could work against you if you rush yourself and your project into production.

Q:  Did you learn anything about yourself by writing this book?

A: I learned many things. But the most important thing I learned was: never quit, never give up on your dreams. Everything written is evergreen. Persistence and personal fortitude are what count.

Q:  Any advice you’d like to share with budding writers out there in the world?

A: Because of computer technology and the Internet, the legacy publishing industry is going through tremendous changes. If you pursue the traditional publishing channel, you need to secure an agent and a publishing deal, plus you will still need to market your manuscript. I would recommend not waiting for other people to discover your work. You may wait a very long time. If you believe in your work, invest the time and money to make it available to the public. It may be a gamble, but the outcome may be worthwhile (and personally satisfying).

Five Benefits of Self-Publishing

1. Authors have greater control (and responsibility) over their work
2. Results can be immediate (instead of waiting for a publisher to pick up your title)
3. High return on satisfaction
4. Your book can be used as a calling card to secure additional work
5. Success is limited only by an author’s tenacity and hard work