Marketing Sherpa is a well known internet and search engine marketing and information service. Their reputation is one that is the envy of many in the internet marketing field. To be included in any Marketing Sherpa publication is a privilege.
Last year, I was fortunate enough to be invited to be part of the 2005 - 2006 MarketingSherpa's Buyer's Guide. (shown left) I have been invited to be part of the 2006 - 2007 MarketingSherpa's Buyer's Guide as well. In both issues, I am included in the search engine optimization section for SEO firms and professionals.
It is free to be included, but it's necessary to qualify for inclusion. The entry form is a survey that requires some time to complete, and not everyone is included in the final edition. A series of questions is asked and answers are required for inclusion with the company and professional profile in the directory.
Here are some of my responses to the various SEO related questions:
They wanted my vision of my ideal SEO client:
My ideal client is a medium to large size business whose management understands and wants to learn more about the process of SEO. Along with the company's desire to maintain its brand image and to present a postive public image, my services of completely ethical SEO techniques makes an ideal combination. The company executive in charge of the SEO process will understand the need for patience, and take a long term view of how SEO, is practiced in an ethical manner. My ideal client is not one seeking a quick fix but a long range holistic approach to SEO, and to achieving solid search engine rankings, rather than chasing the latest fads.
They asked how I would respond to seekers of unethical SEO services:
I would advise the client to seek another firm. I specialize in ethical, "white hat", and search engine approved techniques only. I do not use, and will not consider utilizing any unethical or "black hat" search engine tactics. As a result, the client and I would not develop the ideal working combination that is necessary for good SEO practice.
They requested my opinion of who would be the wrong client for my practice:
The wrong sort of client is one seeking short cuts and fast fixes instead of utilizing a holistic approach to SEO. If the client wants unethical SEO tactics used, and sees no problem with "black hat" SEO methods, they are not right for my practice. I use entirely ethical, "white hat" techniques that are not compatible with unethical SEO practices.
As you can see, my emphasis is on providing entirely ethical and "white hat" SEO services. I don't believe it's necessary to resort to tactics that are in violation of the guidelines provided by the major search engines. In fact, I believe it's a privilege for any online business to be included in their organic search engine results. As such, a website is a guest of the search engine, and such should follow their posted rules.
My current list of clients hired my services precisely because of my ethical SEO position. They like their company reputation maintained and further enhanced by their online presence. They enjoy resting easily knowing their sites won't suffer any penalties or possible search engine bans for unscrupulous tactics.
Three of my clients are as follows:
Alan Wayler at Green Mountain at Fox Run
Tara Lefave at Enerjy Software and Teamstudio.com
Vicky Lincoln at Zeus Technology
I work closely with all of my clients and as a result, I can provide even better SEO services. Knowing the people and their business helps me do my job better. It also gets the clients better search engine placement for the most important keyword phrases for their business.
It's a win win situation.
And I'm proud to be part of Marketing Sherpa's brand new 2006 - 2007 MarketingSherpa's Buyer's Guide.
