Local Business SEO Journal

i'll be on pins and needles waiting to find out how many months it takes you to get the login credentials to the bail bonds site! this is exciting! lolz.

sorry to be sarcastic, but this thread is ghey. too many words, too little happening.
 


Feel free to not read it.

Filmed a short video for client's site yesterday, had lunch and took some pictures to add to the gallery, as well as worked out the payment.

Putting together an email to send to bail bonds guy today.
 
Today I scanned a shitload of pictures in, and created a directory of schools to showcase photographs of his customers according to school. Took me a bit to figure out how to hide all of the pages, but I have it in a two column page layout listing all of the schools, with the pages hidden from the top.

I know for a fact that I have gotten him something like 3-4 new clients (as well as one from a new school) via the Contact Form 7 plugin that bcc's me when a customer emails him through the form.

In light of that, I think I am going to ask for more for the upfront deliverables, I was originally going to ask for $500 but I think that my services have provided a significant impact to his business (his product sells for $300-600 dollars) to ask for more.

He also said that he has given my information to another client, so I could potentially have two new clients by the end of this weekend.

Out of town this weekend though, will update soon!
 
money loves speed and ur the proof of that. keep up the great work! ur firing me up to work! :D
 
Ok so hosting failed today due to (I think) a failed credit card. I think he has a new one that needs to be updated. But, I can't get into the hosting because the retard designer doesn't know the password to log into the HostGator cpanel...

How do I get the domain back up and hosted on some other host without being able to access the cpanel of the current host?
 
phoenixrising said:
Ok so hosting failed today due to (I think) a failed credit card. I think he has a new one that needs to be updated. But, I can't get into the hosting because the retard designer doesn't know the password to log into the HostGator cpanel...

How do I get the domain back up and hosted on some other host without being able to access the cpanel of the current host?
Click to expand...

From about a month ago
Uptime said:
. . . If your client has the domain on his credit card then even if he doesn't have the registrar login details he can get them. Setup new hosting and point the DNS to the new server. . .
Click to expand...
 
/facepalm should have realized this. Thanks, emailed him with instructions and he's gonna get the information.

On a more global note, I think I need to tie up as much of the work for this client as I can, get paid, and move on to more clients. I'm stalling and dragging my feet too much.
 
Update 1/28/2011 -

Coming up on finalizing initial work and retainer for 1st client - I just need to clean up a few issues on the site and make some copy adjustments and we're off to the races on that one.

I potentially have two new clients

My first client recommended me to two people, one of them a supplier of his, and the other a personal friend who both are in need of SEO and overall internet presence. I will be contacting both of them today with a proposal.

I think I'll turn one of them into a regularly updated case study within this thread.
 
Sup dudes -

Big Update:

I'm finishing up the initial work for my first client TODAY. I've brought this guy at least 5 new clients, some in new schools, as well as been the reason he has sold $500 worth of additional products via the website. I've broken down my deliverables and the time required to do them, and created (what I think) is a nice little payment for myself, as well as a fee that is fair to him:

Service Hours
General Website Optimization 5
Link Building 5
Registration with Online Business Directories 3
Schools Page 3
Patches Page 1.5
Facilities Page 0.5
Referrals Page 0.5
Directions / Contact Us Pages 0.5
Video 1.5
Total Meetings for Photographs, Video 2.75

Total Hours 23.25
Hourly Rate 35
Total Price $813.75
You already paid $110.00
Final Price $703.75

Additional Work to be Done
Redline Changes
Flesh Out and Organize Patches Page
Re-Film Video
FREE OF CHARGE


Things I've Done Well

With this first client, I have definitely 'faked it til' I made it' as far as acting professional and as if this is something that I have done in the past (thought I did say I hadn't done it for long). I managed his expectations well, setting them lower than I thought I could reasonably achieve, then ended up exceeding them, which I think does well for goodwill between me and him.

I have begun to take this more seriously in my own mind, coming up with a wireframe for my website services that I'll end up building, as well as some ideas for packages, information forms, advertisement methods.

I used a strategy of "do everything I can for him and ask for compensation later" for this first guy, and I honestly think it works well. Obviously I'm not going to do this in the future, but I think taking the same spirit into dealings with my future clients while also giving them an idea of the cost will be pretty solid.

Things I Could Do Better:

Speed. Get shit done faster. While I'm waiting around for him to get information to me or to arrange a meeting, I should be building the bones of my business (website, ads, packages, lkasjdf) and looking for new business. I should also be coming up with as many new strategies for marketing a client's business as I can, and writing all of this down in their client file.

Treat this as a real job. Because it is. I have set a goal for 6 clients in 6 months, which I think is not only attainable but definitely surpassable.
 
Great going,

Small suggestion of performance data record keeping to help with future sales. Have the ability to show potential clients hard evidence of how you took previous clients websites from x to y position. What it meant to them with the increased traffic. Presented properly should help with the cred.
 
That's a really good idea - do you have any good methods for knowing if you actually converted a lead for someone? Right now I have Contact Form 7 bccing me any queries, but other than that I can only go on word from my client, which he's been very honest about.

I was thinking of filming a short testimonial by him to go on my future site, or asking for a written review of some kind. Yay/nay?
 
phoenixrising said:
That's a really good idea - do you have any good methods for knowing if you actually converted a lead for someone? Right now I have Contact Form 7 bccing me any queries, but other than that I can only go on word from my client, which he's been very honest about.

I was thinking of filming a short testimonial by him to go on my future site, or asking for a written review of some kind. Yay/nay?
Click to expand...

depending on the volume of leads, you can manually follow up with each one and ask about their experience. Should be able to figure out who converted from there.
 
WHATUP BRO'S -

Just finished final Initial Deliverables meeting with client. HE SIGNED AND DATED MY INVOICE, FIRST SUCCESSFUL TRANSACTION AS A BUSINESS OWNER BITCHESSSSSSSSS.

$813.75 with a retainer activating on 2/1/2011 for an undetermined amount, estimating $200-$300 dollars per month.

TIME TO CLIMB BAYBEE
 
Congrats! Always feels good to make a client happy, and make some bank at the same time.

I agree with Uptime that you should start logging performance data as well. It's great to say you spent 5 hours building backlinks... but it's much better to say you moved a client from pg 3 to pg 1 on maps for their main kw.
 
phoenixrising said:
That's a really good idea - do you have any good methods for knowing if you actually converted a lead for someone? Right now I have Contact Form 7 bccing me any queries, but other than that I can only go on word from my client, which he's been very honest about.

I was thinking of filming a short testimonial by him to go on my future site, or asking for a written review of some kind. Yay/nay?
Click to expand...

Personally I stay out of the exact dollar to bottom line projection. Too many ways for that to come back on you. Instead it's easy to show thru tracking software actual kw positions before you and what the results were after you for previous clients. That coupled with the kw volume lets them fill in the blanks of what it could mean in additional sales. I guide them to their own conclusions so to speak. For testimonials I have a couple of local clients that are happy to talk with prospects on what it meant to their business in roi. This happiness partially stems from an agreed upon contingency consideration built into their monthly seo fee :) Not scamming, everyone is making money. Majority of 2010 customers opted in to continue ongoing seo after initial contract.

With that said I have grown weary of selling potential clients the obvious. 2011 plan is to dominate the local niche first with my own properties and from that bargaining position sell leads, space, website itself, etc.

BST section is going to get significant coin from me this year.
 
Sweet, thanks for the info Uptime.

I might wanna hit you up sometime for a few questions :)

Working on the website for my business, will provide a link for critique when I've got a solid version going. Also finished up a fuckload of photo editing for the client's site, almost done with all of the revisions on the site and excited to move onto a couple new clients.
 
Hola Homies -

Got a second client via referral from the first, meeting with them tomorrow to discuss a plan of action.

Also working on my business site, it's beyond n00b right now but I plan for it to showcase my past clients, discuss why a company would need my services, as well as operate a blog on Local SEO and Local Lead Generation.

Supreme Strategies | Local SEO, Local Lead Generation and Internet Entrepreneurship | Providing Performance-Based Marketing for Your Small Business

More to come tomorrow
 
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