This is an article that is a long time coming. It’s incredible how many companies ask me for second opinions on other SEO companies’ work. It’s a fact that every search engine optimizer has to start somewhere. I understand that. However, the unfortunate truth is that far too many companies and freelancers are using SEO as a source of easy money (and making the pros look bad). Effective SEO takes experience and know-how.

Here are 10 signs that the SEO you hired is doing amateur work on your business’s website: Read more…

Part of SEO involves getting links to point from other websites into yours. Link building (or off-site SEO) is a tricky and delicate service. It’s also extremely time consuming and tedious if you do it properly (see the list below!). Read more…

I spend a lot of time providing consulting services to small businesses and educating potential clients about search engine optimization (and SEO techniques in general). I’m often surprised by the (poor) quality of information they have. Throughout my years of SEO consulting, one of the greatest mysteries to me has been where these individuals get their information from. To be clear, by information, I mean misinformtation, dated information, harmful information, and the very common simplified information.

I honestly don’t know why but there are a handful of items that continue to be mentioned in my discussions with small business owners. The most popular include: Read more…

Each page on your website contains different content. What’s written on your homepage is different in content from what you might place on your products or services pages. This in turn, differs from what’s on your testimonials or contact us pages. You shouldn’t expect people to find your website by the “contact us” page. Read more…

Even though this is a pretty basic SEO question, getting listed in Google (and other search engines such as Yahoo and MSN/Live) varies based on several factors. Here are the most important points.
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If you consider that search engine optimization is most likely the fastest growing area within the web design and website development industry, it’s actually surprising to find so few people who are qualified to teach it. Read more…

I will begin this post with my definition of Website Development Hell:

A point at which crucial decisions must be made and actions taken in order for a website to be completed. It indicates that a project has been stalled for an extensive period of time, typically far longer than was expected at the outset. This is generally coupled with a lack of a clear view of how or when the website work will be completed.
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I’ve been using Craigslist since long before it came to Montreal. I was living in Boston and first used it to find an apartment. I couldn’t wait for it to take off in Montreal and I’m happy to report that it has become commonplace in the city.

For those of you who aren’t sure what Craigslist is (and for some reason a lot of people have trouble describing what the site is), put simply: Craigslist (Craig’s List) is a free classified ads website. The company generates revenue by charging for job posts in a select few cities.

Once in a while I post help wanted ads as I search for fresh talent to hire. Most of the time I’m looking for web designers, website programmers, graphic designers, SEO people, Internet marketers, and related talent. Unfortunately, the replies I receive, while plentiful, leave a lot to be desired. So here is my guide on how to reply to an ad for a web-related and/or designer position on Craigslist. Read more…

What do you expect from your website? That is the first question you should ask if you plan to build a company website, re-design your current one, or implement an Internet marketing strategy. Through my seemingly countless consultations with business owners and corporate marketing executives, I have concluded that far too many are mislead when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). I provide Internet strategy consulting on a daily basis and have noticed a number of commonalities across the various discussions. They are presented below.: Read more…