From the responses I've been getting from many of the folks I refer to SEOmoz's Recommend List (averaging about 3 leads per day), the list is getting a bit stale. Many of the people seeking services are being turned away, often because their brands aren't big enough, they don't have enough to spend on SEO or they're simply not a good fit. In many of these cases, the businesses seeking SEO contracting have legitimate companies and business models, so it's not just bad clients.
What I'm hoping to start in the comments of this thread are your suggestions for SEO companies or individuals that you think deserve to be on the list. Now's your chance to nominate your favorites or even yourself (if you think you've got what it takes). I'll spend some time looking into everyone who gets mentioned and only list those folks I'm confident in, but please be as generous as you can - there are a lot of people who need SEO help.
Also - please note that I'm also seeking recommendations for web designers, developers, PPC management firms, web hosting companies, registrars and analytics companies. If you've had a great experience (or you run a great company in this field) please drop a line below.
Thanks for all your help! Hopefully, it will lead to a lot more business for you and/or the companies you find valuable.
Final Thought - Don't be shy about submitting your own firm. This is one of those times when self promotion in the blog comments is greatly appreceated.
I would certainly recommend Epiar Inc (www.epiar.com) for optimization services. Their in-house keyword tools are second to none and the optimization services are done ethically and accurately with long term strategy in mind. These guys and gals are also pretty easy to get along with, which is a nice change in this industry.
For design work, Top Draw (www.topdraw.com) has done some excellent work. I'd feel comfortable recommending them to anyone who asks.
Hello there.
This is A.N.Onym from Cre8asite here ;)
You can check the company I work for, https://www.myneatsite.com.We are into web design and usability.
Thanks ;)
We are also looking for companies, providing services, complimentary to web design, such as SEO, internet marketing and copywriting. Feel free to let us know if you are interested.
If you have anyone looking for real estate and mortgage SEO please have them consider our firm, https://www.oppenheimergroup.com In business since 2002 we have had great success in RE as well as mortgage and even have a few legal clients.
well.. I'll throw myself into the ring as well. My partner and I recently authored a book, "Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day" and there *should* be a complimentary copy on its way to you (if you haven't yet recieved it, email me and let me know!). We are long-time SEOs who have been operating under the radar (no SES gigs or insider connections) for years. We provide organic SEO and PPC management. I'd love it if you'd take a look at our book, and if you like what you see, consider recommending us! We are located in San Francisco and L.A.
I'm also interested in the debate about displaying prices on the website! Me and my partner have been having this very discussion for the last few weeks...
Thank you for a fantastic website!
Gradiva Couzin
Rand, How long will your window be open for soliciting new firms to add to your recommended list?
Risa
I think I'll close it off at the end of this week. Thanks for checking, Risa.
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to respond to this blog post.
Please consider the web design services of my company, RB3 Web Design, for inclusion in your referred list. I am a web designer and I work with consultants to provide SEO, usability, copywriting, and programming to my clients. As the designer/project manager, I have a good understanding of SEO and do a lot of my own copywriting and keyword research.
I have been designing websites since 2000. My first client is still a client today.
My best to you and the rest of the SEOmoz gang for a Happy New Year.
Risa Borsykowsky
Hey Rand, Im way late on this one. I run an seo firm called https://www.97thfloor.com we cater to companies of all sizes and have packages that fit almost anyone. We also have some awesome local organic and local vertical products to help with regional companies with smaller budgets. We have 100% satisfied customers I would be happy to send a list of all our rankings and URL's to sites we have serviced.
Also my brother runs a Kick A design company that can cater to any size business, https://www.modernbluedesign.com He validates everything including Flash and incorporates Flawless Code and CSS to all of his clients. Has been trained well in SEO for Design from us.
Chris Bennett
Rand:
I am part of a content firm that is geared towards web content for SEO firms. We do a lot of "bulk" content, very high quality, at a reasonable (and resalable to clients) price. We only hire US-based writers with college degrees (several Ivy Leaguers in fact).
The company is Applied Content, and we like to think of ourselves not only as a content firm, but a technology firm too. We have implemented several features that come standard with our content, such as doing "Intralinks" or in-content links to other pages of your content, as well as a templatized export of your content, automated footer links, etc. We have worked with both large and small companies, even a fortune 500 (if that means something). :)
As you can see from my account name, we are also starting a "do it yourself" SEO company called SoloSEO.com which is geared towards the small business and do-it-yourself type of individuals and companies. We are planning on an official launch in September, but have a few fun (and remarkably useful!) tools that give a small glance of our tools and services.
Dear Mr. Fishkin, We're the little guys on the spectrum of all you folks here (actually, we're the little husband-and-wife), and are avid readers of your blog. We work with small U.S. companies, and are managing to swing top 10 rankings with them for a variety of their products and services. A lot of our clients seem to come from the agriculture/specialty product/artisan goods fields.
The largest e-commerce sites we are running have a few thousand products, but we also work with non-e-commerce folks who want really simple sites advertising their local services, etc. To tell you the truth, we're frightened by big corporations. Speaking with corporate people makes us want to get back to watching birds (our one true love)! We'd prefer to send the big guys to you.
At any rate, we scale our fees toward the Moms & Pops of America and have gotten to meet some of the nicest people this way. If you'd be so kind to review our site at www.solaswebdesign.net we'd be so honoured.
Kind Regards! Miriam & Liam
aww, that was the most politely written comment I have ever read on SEOmoz.
If you're really ok with people recommending themselves, please consider me recommended. In case you don't recognize the name, many just know me as the mysterious qwerty. My site's at raisemyrank.com. It's quite unimpressive, but it's not where I get my clients.
I can perform pretty well for mid sized to larged company in the adult space or for Adult content producers.
I don't know if that fits into your family themed site, but if people need the services we can deliver.
Rand, I have always wanted to get on your Recommended List. I use the list as a tool for my customers to go out and compare offers for SEO proposals. I'm sure the requirements and background checks will go deeper than any information that I can provide here but I will attempt to list my achievements. My company Comit Technologies offers Link Building, Web Design, Dedicated Web Hosting, PPC Management and Copywriting. I would be honored to be included on your list. Thanks, Spencer Hoyt
sorry St0n3y, I accidentally selected "edit comment" instead of reply... and unintentionally overwrote your original comment... I apologize. Sorry. It was a really good comment...
-2k-
In bold is a piece of St0n3y's original message (I accidentally deleted)
I'm sure it's easy to add those you have a relationship with already (friendships, etc), but how do you go about determining if those you don't know make it or not.
This might be a bit of suprise to some, but I've never met none of the moz team in person, and nor have worked with them in common projects, and in fact my relationship with rand was very non-existing before I became an contributor here (tough we did have some nice debates at seochat) and even in current state it is very non-existing (we send a email every 2 months or so)
... so how does rand know I'm good?
My bet is he
a) analyzed me with a nice tool he has stored somewhere Looking at past works / person website tells a lot about seo talents... For all interest on testing this tool; it will be publicly released in 2050 when seomoz finally gets all their online tools working.
b) used his hidden jedi-powers I think rand can sense if someone is good or not & has potential to turn things gold. At least I can...
c) took a risk that's what being an enterpreneur is about
One of the best ways I can judge is by reading a history of the person's past posts and writings (easy to do with a prolific pontificator like 2K :)). I also try to solicit opinions from other trusted folks in the industry, i.e. "Do you know Mr. Kortelainen? How's his work?", etc.
I also get feedback once folks are on the recommended list and I'm really proud to say that so far, I've only ever received positive comments about the people I recommend there.
thanks... You forced me to open up dictionary 1st time this year with "pontificator"... lol
My sister did that to me once. ONCE!
I'd just like to throw Pole Position Marketing in the nomination ring to be on Rands list. Per his comment above, I can't say I've commented much here or in other blogs, but I gots me plenty of articles publiched on Search Engine Guide and elsewhere.
Oh, and I like furry animals and long walks on the beach!
I am honored to have my company on the list. I think we have even landed a couple of projects that were referred.
That being said, I'd recommend Blue Virtual (www.bluevirtual.com) for web hosting. This company was started a few years back by former employees of Communitech, a great hosting company that was ruined after Interland acquired them.
As for registrars, all mine go through DirectNIC (www.directnic.com). $15 per year and great control panel for managing make for a great alternative to the links of NetSol and GoDaddy.
Ever since directNic's implication in the Domain Kiting scheme: https://www.bobparsons.com/DomainKiting.html,I have stopped registering with them.
My registrar of choice is SiteLutions.com. It is $8.75/yr with free DNS usage. Furthermore, with your free account, you can direct any domain to ns1.sitelutions.com and use their DNS to set up A-Records, etc. It is very useful for BH.
May I recommend my hosts to you? I've found UnitedHosting.co.uk to be absolutely superb, and they own both UK & US servers.
For the accessibility/usability side, I would like recommend my friend, Matt Bailey, who has gone off on his own with his new company, Site Logic (www.sitelogicmarketing.com). He combines many skills into his services and his abilities with log analysis and the stories the data tells are the best. His devotion to accessibility needs are commendable.
He's already on the list Kim, right near the top. :)
I asked my company if I could recommend us-- and they were so-so about it. I don't really understand but I will abid by their wishes.
I'd recommend Chris Pearson (pearsonified.com) as a designer for web sites. Among his recent works are the redesign of the Link Building Blog and SEO Book.
I second that vote for Chris Pearson!
Hello Randy, I just read your post and invitation to present ourselves and our activities. Seeing you are prompting self promotion this is the right place and time to present myself and my perspective/perception of business.
First of all business is a very personal issue: People do business and network with people that have their view of the marketplace, of business models, and of personal relationships.
In the search marketing field we are called to provide highly specific and intangible services, I believe personal interactions even more important.
Having made this point, which by the way is extremely important to me, a few words on my professional activities.
I operate as an SEO consultant and have 8 years of hands on experience, mostly with Small and Medium Enterprises in Italy and Europe. I have a Corporate background and international exposure (I worked for the European Space Agency in Noorwijk – The Netherlands) where I used the web for the first time in late 1994. I'm fluent in English and Italian.
I have participated as a speaker in 3 Search Engine Strategies events, London, Stockholm, and Milan. My presentations covered Web site architecture, dynamic web site optimisation, and basic SEO issues
https://www.jupiterevents.com/sew/london03 https://www.jupiterevents.com/sew/sweden04 https://www.jupiterevents.com/sew/italy06/
A more detailed listing of services and professional experiences are available at:
https://achille.name
a new site I am working on, but there is information and documents I have written – others are in the pipeline :)
An activity I would like to highlight is what I call SEOM – Search Engine Optimisation Management. Typical SEOM Clients are bigger firms requiring an expert to “survey” their needs, identify potential problem areas, write a specification that can be used in a RFP (Request for Proposal), and help identify the company offering the best technical solution at the right price. My hands on experience gives me insight on pricing and is of great help to management in identifying the price range reference for specific activities.
Thank you for your attention,
Sante
I've gotta nominate my awesome blog designer for your list on designers: https://www.designbyreese.com- she says I should run her fan club, but it is hard to find people (especially designers) who do decent work. She does a lot of blogs, but can do regular corporate site design too. I've used her on several projects, plan to use her on more too. She's not "cheap" and has a full schedule (so having her start a week after you hire her usually isn't an option), but she's been reliable and on time. I almost don't *want* to recommend her because I don't want her getting "too" busy, but she deserves it. :)
Hi Rand,
I recently started an Information Architecture/Search Engine Marketing firm after working as a Consultant in the IT industry. Although we have yet to build a large portfolio of work, I'd be more than happy to provide you with the Curriculum Vitae of the individuals involved and let you come to your own conclusions. Please send me a note if your interested.
Cheers!
rand,
I'm honoured that my business is on the current list, and hopefully will remain there till the end of time. The list is definitely a minor source of incoming traffic (about 15 visitors a month currently) and highly valued; and I make my best that all contact requests get a reply they can expect from pro-level company.
Below are the worst issues I have come up with some contacts originating the list.
a) anynymous requests In real world, b2b conversation usually begins by telling who-what-where, i.e. exchanging basic business details. I get occasional "anynymous requests" asking for a quote and the reply I currently give is always the same; "please give a business name and/or business number". This is a must even for legal reasons as the quotes we make would not be bindable otherwise. We also check for business types as some are not fit (legal issues, ethical issues, conflicts of interest etc). Most understand this, some dont... IMO it's all about trust. If it doesn't exist from the beginning, then it's not worth the shot.
b) budget issues A full seo service with a budget of 500-1,000? I think this is the most common request I see... I know european seo/sem prices are miles away from US levels, but that's way low even in my standards. As most of the pricing etc information is already available on our website, I sometimes get the feeling people just go to contact page, copy paste the same offer they did to 100 other companies and wait for replies....
So how to fix this... I think the list should have some some sort of quick advice for people - "how to shop for seo/m services". For example:
1) Visit the pages listed and read carefully what they provide. SEO/M is not one size fits all -business. Most sites provide detailed explanations what they do, how they do it, what price etc.
2) Be honest. All listed companies are professional business you can trust, and they expect the same from you. No anonymous requests.
3) Be realistic with your budget. Don't ask for full scale service unless you have the required resources to pay work worth hundreds of manhours... If you don't know what your money can buy, then state it. These businesses are here to help you.
If adding more business to list, I'd think that making it more organized (tabs etc) would be a great idea.
that's all I can come up with...
As most of the pricing etc information is already available on our website, I sometimes get the feeling people just go to contact page, copy paste the same offer they did to 100 other companies and wait for replies.... So how to fix this...
I notice there is neither pricing information available on the contact page, nor a link to it.
In fact, I can't seem to find a dedicated page that discloses all of your prices (which you could then link to); I might be wrong but your pricing levels seem to be declared on the (multiple) individual services pages.
;-)
hi red5,
why would the prices be available on contact page? I couldn't imagine a more unlogical place... You just need to select "SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION" on main menu, then click "General terms and conditions of SEO service" link on sidebar, and presto. Only 1 click away from main topic...
Why we don't put these on front page clear and loud is discounts and varying customer needs. Prices listed on tos-page are valid for samples given and can give a rough indication of final price, but in real life there will be various discounts based on project size, season discounts etc. issues. And of course, customers will have varying needs (keyword counts, different areas of analysis, education needs etc). All affect on final price...
The link may not be in the most visible place, but if I was seriously about to invest money in online marketing, I'd study provider website from tip to toe. I would not be buying shoes or anything of small importance, I would be making the most important investment to my company's future... Therefore I'd encourage people to read and study what SEO/M companies provide and offer.
Hey, that was only my second post here and I thought I was contributing. I'm sorry if I stepped out of line. I have no wish to argue.
Please continue to contribute, Red5 - the folks here may seem a bit defensive, but we appreciate your input greatly.
:-)
why would the prices be available on contact page? I couldn't imagine a more unlogical place.
I don't understand that at all. Why should one not place prices on the contact page? Please understand, I'm not trying to undermine anyone - I'd just like to join in. I mean no harm. :-)
I can understand why you'd create a link from your pricing page to your contact page, such as: "We cost $xyz for abc service, click here to get in touch and discuss further pricing options," but combining them seems rather silly. Pricing and contact serve two very different purposes.
Hi Red5,
I do appreciate feedback and I apologize if you received any other image. I may seem a bit edgy sometimes, because in moz/forums I usually skip ahead some basic issues (and assume people are familiar with them). But let's give it a try...
Considering website conversion and usability, the most important task of contact page is to get potential client details and lead them to 1-to-1 conversation with sales people. If a user finally comes to contact page, you definetely don't want to provide them a new distracting link that would lead them away because there is a possibility they might not come back. After all, it's like giving money away.
Another part of contact page conversion is that incoming requests are of good quality. I.e. users already know basic details of product (after having read the page content) , and are in "buyer mode".... What leads to bad conversion is situation where users just go to contact page and ask details that are already explained in page. But as rebecca said earlier (or below), most users could do several issues wise, but they prefer to play it dumb.
Thanks 2K (& Oatmeal). Not wanting to hijack this discussion any further I'll leave it at that. Regards, Red.
I think that your quick advice list is great and, if implemented, could weed out a lot of the duds. I say "could", but it probably won't. People tend to be pretty dumb. Oh well. Good list anyway!
I agree. Duds cost money and make you cranky for the next caller.