4 December 2008 One Comment
I am so happy about this. I am no longer taking on new clients with SEO Factor. This has been a long time coming, and it is finally here. You see, I want something else.
A Fun Ride
With SEO Factor, I think I’ve gone through every phase of an SEO provider from offering services to consulting. Consulting was by far the most rewarding. A little more work than I thought it would be, but I was able to really get into some new territory. But these days, I think it’s time to get back to some roots.
When I was first introduced to SEO, it was in offerings to very small businesses. I mean really small. We are talking hamster groomers in small towns. Super small. However, I did get to talk to literally thousands of them. This helped me to hone a little skill, and move up into the big, national/international sites over time.
A few months ago, I was talking with some other SEOs about the small business landscape, and how difficult things seemed in the early years. How easy it would be to really rock a small business’ website with our knowledge. Then we started to remember how many small businesses are getting ripped off because they can’t afford a “real SEO” and have to make due with poor/scam services. This lead to a venture we are all very passionate about.
A New Route
I’ve recently opened One Time SEO for business. Basically, we are targeting those same small businesses we love. It also means we get to give in to the side of us that wants to smack all those snake oil SEOs around. So it’s a win-win.
I’ll still be in the SEO offering mix, but not with larger sites anymore. Mostly working with smaller sites and through our white label service with design firms and such.
And, As For The Factor
I still have a couple clients that I’m working on. I’ve gotten a few off the books and I’m actually kinda excited about leaving the last few with a real bang. There’s an International client I’m working with that simply isn’t taking my advice. I think I’m going to have to jump back into the ring for them. Though they don’t act on my advice, I still like to see websites do well. We’ll see if we can’t get their online visibility to kick up some.
As for the blog, I get to play again. I first started this site to play around and see what I could do. It’s gone through more changes than I can count. I’ve learned a lot about blogging and running a company site. I’ve felt the pain of losing hundreds of posts because I never backed anything up. I’ve learned how to post with a professional touch instead of off the cuff (though I’m still learning, obviously). And I’ve learned a lot about connecting with others through my blog. But I want to play again.
As a “company” blog, I’ve tried to be mindful that a potential client may read this. This prevented me from posting a lot of things I wanted to over the years in an unsubstantiated fear of seeming unprofessional. I also resisted putting ads on here because I didn’t want to be “that company.”
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at monetizing a blog. I’ve always admired Shoemoney, Chris Brogan, Brian Clark, Darren Rowse, etc. I’ve always wanted to know if I had what it took to get some residual income from this. I think I’m going to run a series about my adventure in doing so. I’ve always liked those types of posts, and I think I can bring an SEO spice to the table. Should be neat.
I also want to get back into WordPress. I’ve been so far up Drupal’s butt that I fully appreciate the ease of use WP provides (however lacking in full functionality we need).
Finally, I want to have fun again. We are really excited about the new business because it will give us a chance to play again. But I miss doing so on this blog. I’ve been holding a “corporate” position for a while, and I haven’t had a vent to complain about the amazing inability for some people the “get it.” I miss that. I miss the fun debates and comments from people that disagree with me. I miss the promoting a post I completely disagree with just for the fun of it.
I also miss giving advice I was good at. I never really gave any advice to freelance SEOs on here. Over the last few years, I think I learned a lot about writing your own checks, and I would really like to offer that advice to those of you just getting into it.
So, thank all of you who read my stuff. Let’s have some fun again, yeah?