10 Rules for Setting Your Internet Marketing Budget

September 29th, 2008 by admin
  1. If you’re building a new site, expect to spend 2X that amount again in the year after the site launches. Unless you want it to sit there, all alone, with no traffic.
  2. If you want a site built by a single untrained individual who ‘learned how to use Dreamweaver’, expect to spend less than $2000. Also, expect to build a new site within 3 months.
  3. If you want a site built by a 5-10 person, boutique-style agency, expect to spend, at an absolute minimum, $10,000. These are experts, and they deserve to be paid as experts.
  4. If you find a 5-10 person, boutique-style agency that’ll build you a site for $2000 or less, expect something that looks like they had a sneezing fit during the design phase.
  5. If you expect to get a #1 ranking on Google for $99, you’re insane.
  6. If you hire a smart individual with a proven track record to optimize your site for search engines, expect to pay at least $5000, one time. Unless they’re your friend, or they’re willing to work hourly.
  7. If you hire a big agency with all sorts of fancy tools, an army of copywriters and other expertise for search engine optimization, expect to pay, at an absolute minimum, $50,000 for a one-year engagement.
  8. If you want to double your sales this year, you are going to have to pay more than $1000 to do it.
  9. Reliable hosting costs more than $9.95 a month.
  10. If you’re spending $250,000 to build your product and get it to market, don’t tell me you can’t spend $15,000 to give it a decent web site, unless you want to watch my eyes bug out like I’ve been suddenly depressurized.

post courtesy of Ian Lurie: http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/09/setting-your-internet-marketing-budget.htm

Yellow Pages vs. Search Engine Optimization

September 20th, 2008 by admin

I just took my dog to the pet spa while I left town for the weekend, leaving my business card for emergency contact info.  When I picked her up, the owner and I were discussing how to get the most from his website when I told him I would be glad to help if he ever has problems.  He had read my business card, and knew that I did SEO, to which he said that he had SEO, the Yellow Pages.  I have heard it a thousand times, but it still gets to me…the Yellow Page listings are not search engine optimization services.

So here is the difference between SEO services and Yellow Pages listings:

Yellow Pages listing. With services similar to local and regional directories, the Yellow Pages directory offers several packages that include a listing on their site. The search results will return a listing for the Yellow Pages site, and then users will be directed to your company site.

The Downside: Search results ALWAYS link to their site, searchers aren’t directly routed to your site; your site never ranks, and you have no long-lasting effects. Ranking is contingent on any work done on their site, you are dependent on them to have high rankings and good site maintenance.

An independent SEO and Internet Advertising Company. Taking an SEO company one step further, they will offer complete SEO services, as well as other internet advertising, social advertising, banner advertising, and affiliate marketing to give a complete presence on the internet. This type of company may also assist you in the selection of a web designer, or participate in the web design process to achieve the best on-site optimization possible.

The Downside: This type of company is dedicated to your company’s complete online presence and therefore has no downside.

Welcome to SEO Louisville Kentucky

September 7th, 2008 by admin
Louisville SEO

Louisville SEO

Maybe you could have guessed this, but those of us that work in online jobs are online tons of hours a week.  Because of this, we have the inside scoop on new Internet trends, the latest products, and a lot of cool news from around the world.  The good news is…we are going to give it to you, free of charge.  We are the Media Venue Interactive team, specializing in Internet advertising, search engine optimization, affialite marketing, pay-per-click, social advertising, and everything else Internet based.

This  blog will consist of interesting SEO and Internet news, as well as cool tips for your company and your presence on the world wide web.