SEO company concerns

[Dave Erickson]

We're about to pull the trigger on a SEO company. One of our other stores uses them and they've seen some really good results. I've reviewed the live links, URL an anchor text of the work they do and everything looks good. Nothing is being over promised. There's not a proposal to try to do more in a short period of time that is likely possible. I really don't see a reason why we shouldn't pull the trigger EXCEPT I have some reservations about the company itself. The owner seems involved in way too many alternative businesses (health products, politics, etc.) that aren't related to SEO. It causes me to be a little worried about the possibility that the company will not always exist, be sold or even just wind down into in terms of effectiveness.


Should I be worried about this? I mean if we were to have a year or two of SEO work and something were to happen would it be a huge setback to hire someone else?

 

[ajholland]

Are you not happy with your current website provider's SEO? I don't have a VW franchise, so I am not familiar with any site requirements. Is the agreement month to month or is it for a longer period?

 

[yagoparamo]

The owner seems involved in way too many alternative businesses (health products, politics, etc.) that aren't related to SEO. It causes me to be a little worried about the possibility that the company will not always exist, be sold or even just wind down into in terms of effectiveness.

Truly excellent people on their fields must be a little bit eccentric, isn't it?

 

[Dave Erickson]

Funny you say that because I was actually thinking about that very thing while eating lunch today!

 

[Dave Erickson]

It's month to month. Cobalt will do some onsite optimization, but this is more link building to rank better organically for some markets I want to improve in which Cobalt tells me they don't do.

 

[yagoparamo]

It's month to month. Cobalt will do some onsite optimization, but this is more link building to rank better organically for some markets I want to improve in which Cobalt tells me they don't do.

Anything that is month to month is worth trying... even the big gorilla on top of the building.

However, the Cobalt comment really pissed me off: You hire a company that sells websites to optimize the website that they sell that should be already optimized with the money you already pay them! (what?).

If the website is broken a band aid by another guy will not fix it.

Change website providers to one that focuses on good SEO from the get go.

 

[ajholland]

Anything that is month to month is worth trying... even the big gorilla on top of the building.

However, the Cobalt comment really pissed me off: You hire a company that sells websites to optimize the website that they sell that should be already optimized with the money you already pay them! (what?).

If the website is broken a band aid by another guy will not fix it.

Change website providers to one that focuses on good SEO from the get go.

Yago is spot on with this, couldn't agree more. I have 2 Cobalt GM sites and I know what he is going through. I asked them to improve the SEO on a couple of search terms (in my local area) and I was told they were already focusing on other areas off SEO. If you are paying them, then they should be open to your SEO ideas.

 

[Dave Erickson]

Cobalt actually has been really good at reaching out to us in regards to onsite optimization. They've even gone the extra mile and didn't just simply do the work, but offered up some additional research and ideas. I'm not exactly a Cobalt lover, but as far as onsite optimization our contact has gone the extra mile. Last friday my Cobalt optimization contact was off the hook and sent me about 8 emails with ideas and reports in regards to optimization. I wish every contact at Cobalt was as crazed as him.
But the SEO work I'm looking to do is basically hire someone to oversee writers for content to better rank us for search terms. It's not complicated work, but it's tedious.

 

[yagoparamo]

Cobalt actually has been really good at reaching out to us in regards to onsite optimization. They've even gone the extra mile and didn't just simply do the work, but offered up some additional research and ideas. I'm not exactly a Cobalt lover, but as far as onsite optimization our contact has gone the extra mile. Last friday my Cobalt optimization contact was off the hook and sent me about 8 emails with ideas and reports in regards to optimization. I wish every contact at Cobalt was as crazed as him.
But the SEO work I'm looking to do is basically hire someone to oversee writers for content to better rank us for search terms. It's not complicated work, but it's tedious.

Not to beat on Cobalt, but a long term company-partner should have a good process and not just one good person. If the process is good then good people will make it even better. What happens when that person goes up the ladder or leaves? You are left with a bad system and hoping you will get another good guy.

Any way, is this what you are trying to do:

Blog with national entries plus custom written entries: Harris Ford | Lynnwood Ford Dealer

Then custom entries only are entered into the website as a unique page with internal links and local key words: Ford Fusion Has Best Fuel Economy Of Its Class Notice the blog menu with several entries under it.

All you need is to find a person that can use blogger/wordpress and create a blog. I like to play the external blog because it also takes one of the spots under your name helping with your POD. Then have that person write a unique blog every week and enter it in both the external blog and the website. You should be able to do all this for $300-400 a month.