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Considerations...
This page will attempt to objectively review the optimization tutorial options available today to help you decide which SEO course, or type of instruction is best for you - according to your level of experience, your budget, study time available & your individual needs. Before signing up for a search engine marketing course, you might think about these factors...
- does training require a personal instructor (or is self-study allowed)
- are there time limits set on lessons
- what is the difficulty level
- will you have time to travel out of state to a workshop
- any ongoing membership fees or other things to buy
- when an online course website is down, login is unavailable
- will workshop fees include travel & hotel expenses in the package
- does the tutorial teach important information beyond search engine optimization
- will the trainer provide any free scripts, software, website templates, etc.
- a PDF file (with perhaps hundreds of pages) can be very difficult to use
- compared to self-study at home, a forum-based course can be frustrating
- all necessary optimization tools should be included with training
- instead of an on-site visit, company staff could be given a discount e-book
- are you able to evaluate previous customer comments
- what are the teacher(s) qualifications - can you call or email them directly
- does the SEO package clearly disclose everything offered and what to expect
- how about an effective, easy-to-learn SEO training program that costs less
Comparison Reviews: SEO Packages
On-site Training
This type training involves an SEO consultant traveling to your location, usually to train company staff members, or whoever will be responsible for promoting your website. It's a personal, hands-on approach that can be very effective - plus the service most always includes printed literature for further study and limited telephone follow-up for questions.
Prices will vary, though you can be sure costs will be quoted to cover the consultant's travel expenses, lodging, plus hourly fees for consultation. Along with other services offered (that you may or may not need), prepare to spend $250 hour - $3,000 per day.
Online Membership Based
Most often refers to an online forum where members login to ask and answer questions about website marketing. Forums can have one or more moderators (usually hired), though sometimes they'll be either the owner of the service or a volunteer. Memberships can be paid with a one-time fee, or recurring annually. Community type instruction often proves to be very helpful and the data given can be leading edge. It's great for those with a lot of free time on their hands and a desire to build new friendships. Price: $25 - $400
Standard Hard Cover Books
Most hardcover books on the subject of SEO are best viewed as a vehicle to help the beginner understand the process of search engine optimization. Some books have exemplary introductions and offer detailed examples and schematics, however, by virtue of the "printed word", a book is unable to provide clickable links to important resources.
Unfortunately, given the time involved between publisher and printing press, together with the evolving nature of search engine algorithms and the Internet in general, a book's information can be obsolete by time it actually arrives in bookstores. Prices: $10 - $79
PDF E-Books (downloads)
One of the good things about SEO e-books in PDF format is that they make search engine promotion advice readily accessible to everyone. There are at least three PDF ebook downloads in particular which are very informative and right on the mark. This type information delivery makes it easy to print documents for later reading off-line too.
However, as anyone having used a PDF doc knows, there's a big downside to the file's usability. Even with recent improvements by Adobe®, there's only so much you can do with a PDF file. By design, the document is essentially one long, single page. Besides being difficult to navigate, many users find that large PDF docs can lock their browser, or crash their system. While some PDF downloads have clickable links, most do not.
Many competent SEOs provide a PDF course to help webmasters; unfortunately, the interactive limitations of a PDF ebook adversely inhibit its usefulness. Price: $10 - $190
Seminar Class Attendance
Seminars are classes designed to accommodate medium to large sized audiences. SEO seminars can be advertised to the public at large, or sponsored by one or more individual companies. Basically, Web marketing seminars employ an SEO expert to visit on-site and explain search engine strategies to the invited attendees. Printed hand outs are usually common in addition to an audio visual presentation. Similar to on-site training, expect up-selling of associated products & services. Cost: $1500 - $7000 day
Resident Workshops
Also known as classroom SEO training, workshops are scheduled by the number of participants per availability of classes in a given city. To achieve a higher level of interaction & lesson retention, the best SEO workshops set a maximum of registrants to about 15 students. This type of instruction is usually orderly and well planned with a 2 - 4 day curriculum covering the breadth of website optimization & ranking techniques. Registration booked in advance - workbooks & materials provided. Price: $700 - $1500
One-on-one Consulting
For those people fortunate enough to have a large advertising budget, contracting with an experienced SEO consultant to provide one-on-one training is without doubt one of the surest ways to learn search engine optimization. Few methods can substitute for personalized instruction direct from an expert on-location and tailored precisely to the student's own individual pace. Expect a full range of personal instruction from natural organic positioning techniques to pay-per-click ad strategies. Cost: $1000 - $2000 day
Hourly Telephone Consultation
A call time-slot, or phone appointment is assigned to the caller with whom a consultant provides a general overview of the SEO process, where a website needs improvement, optimization suggestions, together with advice for positioning the site favorably in the search engines. Various software tools and reference websites may be mentioned, although no lessons or other materials are provided. Prices can run $100 - $700 hour.
Free Online Course
Consists of free SEO information compiled into either a publicly accessible web site, a site requiring entry of your name and email address before viewing, or a free e-book download. Some source websites provide exceptional, well structured instruction; many more though function solely as collection centers for email addresses and unsolicited spam campaigns to sell related products. Another disadvantage is outdated material.
There are also free websites on the Internet where a webmaster will offer his own mix of tips & suggestions, though an all-inclusive, online optimization course is difficult to find. As the term "free" indicates, you get what you pay for. Price: $0 (+ your valuable time)
*note: all prices are average examples and vary with individual contractors and type service offered
Caveat Emptor! (words of warning about deceptive practices)
Beware of ANY search engine optimization school, e-book, person, or instructional program that claims:
-- "we'll disclose to you for the first time, our closely-guarded, previously unknown optimization secrets"
-- "you must consistently submit your website to thousands of search engines for a top ranking"
-- "by using our services, we can guarantee your website positions in the search engine results pages"
-- "with our methods, you'll make millions of dollars and be rich in just a short period of time"
-- "we have a privileged partnership arrangement with the search engines to ensure your success"
Keep in mind there are many expert SEO mentors who are indeed qualified and who also possess the requisite integrity which warrants your respect and payment for their services, however, listing hundreds of specific SEO's/companies is beyond the scope of this review.
Ultimately, you'll want to weigh the benefits of any SEO training program (along with your own personal requirements) against its total costs, its degree of difficulty, the testimonials of past students/customers/users, along with any extra bonuses the vendor might include.
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