I couldn’t help but chuckle at every self-proclaimed SEO certified professional. Needless to say many companies are making a bunch of money offering SEO certifications to oblivious buyers. To be straight, you shouldn’t be able to charge clients $200+ per hour just because you spent nearly a fourth of your annual income to be “certified”.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a highly needed skill in today’s web-focused world. If done right, the results are phenomenal. Organic search traffic is highly valuable for any website, since it’s free. Would you rather pay thousands of dollars a month for paid ads or pay nothing per month for the same amount of traffic? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to answer this one.

As with all things, there really isn’t a proven guaranteed way to perform SEO. Search engines algorithms are continuously changing and therefore no one can make SEO an exact science. It’s really a continuous trial and error game with no guarantees for a top ranking position.

So how do you become an SEO expert? Well, it first begins with the basics. By reading reliable SEO blogs such as SEOmoz, SEOBook, and even Search Engine Land to name a few, you’ll be on the right track in no time. Try out what you’ve learned from these sources and apply them to your personal websites. If you feel that you have gained search engine rankings by what you have done, then it may be alright to start offering it as a service to your clients.

There are three ways to bill for this service. The most common ways are to bill by the hour or to bill by the project. The third and less widely used way to bill is by performance. Basically, your clients will pay a set amount per month upon the condition that their website reaches a certain search engine ranking. The pay by performance model can be quite risky and has the potential to make you do a lot of free work.

So in the end, don’t waste your money on getting an SEO certification and focus more on the free and low cost resources available online. Try these processes out first on your own sites before you try them on your clients. If it all works out, you could be looking at gaining some much needed profit.

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The other day my neighbor was asking me what I did for a living. Being an elderly gentleman and not computer savvy, I began to try to explain to him what I did. I immediately began to understand that he and everyone else that I talked to had no clue what I did for a living.

Imagine for a moment that you are in an elevator that is close to reaching your destination. Also imagine that before you get to your floor you get into a conversation with someone regarding what you do for a living. You only have a few seconds to tell this non-technical person how you make the internet better the simplest way you can. This is called an elevator pitch.

Remember the KISS ideology? Keep It Simple Stupid. Don’t assume that every person you are talking to knows what the internet is and what a website is. Stay simple, yet complicated. Simply saying that you make web pages isn’t exactly interesting. But if you say that help your clients make more money by creating professional and marketable websites, then you will have their full attention. Mentioning results and how you provide solutions to problems is a whole lot more exciting to your audience.

During my conversation with my neighbor I caught myself before I made the discussion stale. After explaining why businesses need websites and how they use them efficiently, I had his attention. When our chat ended, he told me that he would tell people he knew about me and how I could solve their problems. Show solutions, get results.

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It seems nowadays there’s a popular term being repeated throughout the web world; that term is Web 2.0. Some people confuse the term as a style of web design, but in reality it is the definition of a different and more social web. It’s a web where people around the world can communicate and share ideas, images or websites. Here is how this evolution of the internet is aiding businesses and political campaigns.

How Political Campaigns are using Web 2.0

Political candidate Barack Obama has raised millions of dollars online to fund his campaign. He did it by tapping into the social media market. By participating on social networking websites such as Digg, MySpace and Facebook, the campaign was able to reach hundreds of thousands of small donors. This has put the campaign in a very good financial standing compared to the other candidates running for president.

Getting Started With Social Networking

Social networking begins with, you guessed it… being social. Sign up on social media websites and begin to make friends. The more people you can network with, the more people will know that you exist and what kind of services that you offer. Participation is the key strategy. Be sure to check out what your new friends are interested in. The more involved you are, the better.

Contribute

After you have established a relationship with your new network of friends, you can then contribute items that they may find interesting. If you run a blog that promotes your products or services, you may have a post you would like to share with your network. If your friends like what you have to offer, they may share it with their friends and so on and so forth. This is a strong traffic starter.

But be careful when submitting your own items as it make look a bit spammy and many socialpreneurs won’t appreciate it. It is always better for someone else to submit your content and share it. This way you know you have something that’s worth sharing and will cut back on your self-promotion in the long run.

In conclusion, word of mouth is what grows a business. By tapping into the social internet known as Web 2.0, you will extend your reach to new customers or new friends eager to spread the good word about what services you offer.

How has Web 2.0 helped your business?

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1. StumbleUpon

This is a great way to drive some fast traffic. StumbleUpon is basically a way to “channel surf” the internet. Users will select a topic of interest and click “Stumble!”, thus bringing them to your related page.

2. Facebook

Networking is the probably the best way to get new clients. By having a Facebook page, you are allowing your network of friends to become fans, thus making your friend’s friends aware of your service as well.

3. Google Adwords

Advertise your site on Google’s search engine results pages.

4. Digital Point and Sitepoint Forums

Become an expert and a nice resource for other forum users. Post your services and find work in the online marketplace.

5. Squidoo

Create a Squidoo lens that provides information on your services.

6. Blogging

Develop relationships with bloggers. Have them write posts for you to promote new services or deals.

7. Digg

Write an original high quality article and submit it to Digg.

8. YouTube

Create a video that will promote your services. Either film one, or use screen capture software.

9. Wordpress Templates

Create and distribute free Wordpress themes with a link to your website. Wordpress themes are in high demand and it’s a great way to build links to your site.

10. Start an Industry Blog

Create a blog about your targeted niche and become an authority expert at it.

11. Leave a Comment

Post non-spammy comments on blogs such as this one about ways you promote your site online.

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