| LED Digest 1963: The Best PPI Search Engines |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" pair Networks: The LED's Web Host Hosting and Domain Reg. from a Trusted Leader pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. April 28, 2005 Issue #1963 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ====== NEW ====================== --== The Best PPI Search Engines? ==-- ~ Tom Anson "I'm just wondering if any of you have current thoughts on the this." ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Problems with Web Design ==-- ~ David Yancey "...the company you teach can [think] it can do the same tasks cheaper in-house..." ~ Kathryn Martyn "Would you hire you?" ~ Michael Linehan "...the cost is not really relevant - it's what their investment will bring that matters." ==== BILLBOARD =================== --== Google vs Froogle ==-- ~ Ian Dickson ~ Dave Starr ======== NEW ===================================== From: Tom Anson Subject: Pay for Inclusion Search Engines Hi LED-ers, I've recently acquired a couple of websites, which along with my website, I'd like to get listed on some Pay for Inclusion search engines. The question I have is: Which are the best PPI search engines to target? Which ones are a waste of your (mine, actually) money? I've done some research (a little), and the names all look familiar from somewhere out of the fog, but the landscape has changed since I've seen anything of any detail on this subject, and I'm just wondering if any of you have any current thoughts on the this. Along the same line -- more or less -- which are the best on-line classified ads? Or is this even a realistic on-line marketing concept anymore? Thanks for your help. Tom Anson Anson Digital Concerns http://www.ansondigitalconcerns.com/ ===== CONTINUING ================================= From: David Yancey Subject: Web design I really hate this thread on dealing with smaller businesses; I also love it. On the one hand, it is so important and useful a discussion that it is making me take time from my own business -- which is helping smaller businesses -- to comment. But of course I love posting looooong comments in LED, so... All who have posted so far have had useful things to add. But in #1962 David Pineau really got my attention with his thoughtful summary of the risks of focusing entirely on larger accounts, namely, the danger of having too many of one's eggs in too few baskets. A story, if Adam Our Fearless Moderator II will permit it: Back in the heady, heavy-duty corporate part of my marketing career, I made time as a favor to serve on the board of a small Texas metal manufacturing company. This company made several consumer products that were, well, less than totally successful, to be kind. After learning about the problems, I flew in for a meeting and suggested with conviction that the company focus for the short term on doing contract manufacturing for a Fortune Ten company that had a huge facility nearby in Central Texas. Overcoming the initial reluctance of the main owner and his right hand guy, I showed them how to develop a Statement of Qualifications, write proposals, develop demonstrations of their tooling and manufacturing skills, and even how to price jobs. Then I flew back to New York and opened enough of a door for them at the company's corporate level so that they could qualify, then begin to win out-sourced contracts. The "little company that could" quickly climbed the Big Account learning curve, and, over the next three years, the following happened: - They went from near zero sales to the seven figure level (with no investment needed in new equipment, etc.) - They went from about a dozen employees to well over one hundred, becoming the largest employer in the little rural county seat they called home. - They were handling between five and seven substantial contracts in parallel. - Their useless consumer products were, obviously, forgotten. Then, the large company changed its outsourcing policy... Thanks in no small part to my "expert advice", that little company is no longer around, and, thanks to its failure, along with a business-sucking new Walmart, the already weak economy of the town where it was so successful is more on the rocks than ever. It doesn't require a great deal of imagination for any LEDer to think of parallel risks in the web services profession. The moral of the story? Well I *could* say it is not to hire me as your strategic consultant! Ahh, but then, I'm older and hopefully much wiser, now. Instead, the moral is, the company you teach can easily become the company who thinks it can do the same tasks cheaper in-house, or can buy the same services for less, or, learning how really difficult this business is, abandon it altogether. For those who choose to pursue Martha Retallick's advice, do so with your eyes not just on the main big account prizes, but on your plan for replacement revenues when one or more of these accounts decide to do business another way, pull the whole thing in-house. or, the ever present risk, switch to another consultant. David Yancey http://www.vivante.com -------- new post - same topic --------- From: Kathryn Martyn Subject: Web design As an aside, my husband, Charles Holt, formerly worked as a commercial photographer in Boston and New York. He said clients who paid his regular day rate without qualm (in excess of $5000 over a decade ago), were never a problem. Paid on time, and treated him with respect. They paid on time; they didn't moan and complain every step of the way. The clients who begged and cajoled for a reduced rate were the problem children who needed constant hand holding and far more time and effort. He said the professionals recognized the value of paying another professional and that's all I needed to hear. So how do you get to the rank of the true professional? Start by recognizing your value in yourself first. Would you hire you? Are you professional in all aspects of your work from start to finish, i.e. not just work product but the way you present yourself, how you answer phone calls, the message on your voice-mail, are you timely in response to messages and e-mail? The list goes on, but act professional and the professionals will want to work with you. Frankly they'll be suspicious of the fellow who quotes too low. So quote a rate that makes you a good living. You deserve it. If one client isn't willing to see the value in your work, there's another who will. (Same thing works in dating, BTW). Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP Ending Emotional Eating, One Bite at a Time http://www.onemorebite-weightloss.com ------- new post - same topic -------- From: Michael Linehan Subject: Web design costs > ... businesses - not only small, but some that are larger > - keep trying to find the lowest cost services they can, > without really knowing how to judge what they are getting. - Kevin Jackson, LED 1962 I'm often asked early on how much I cost. I say, "Sorry, I'm not telling you." And after waiting 1 second for them to internally go, "Huh!?", I say, "First we sit down. You tell me what you want. I tell you what I can offer. We discuss it thoroughly. We make sure you understand. THEN, I'll give you a budget." By the time I finish explaining, people start to get it. Somewhere in that conversation, I also remind them that the cost is not really relevant --- it's what their investment will bring that matters. Spend $500 and make nothing, or spend $3,000 and make tens times that. Hmmm. Why do so many choose the first? One potential client had heard my rate from a friend. He said, "There are other people around here who cost half what you do - or less!" I told him, "Yes. But they don't know what I know and can't do what I can." I proceeded to explain what I meant by that, and back it up with testimonials and client stats.. When I finished, he didn't bother talking to any of those other people. So we are back to sales. If you can articulate what you offer in an informative and inspiring way, and then back up your claims, you are well on the way to a strong business - whether you want to work with micro-business, small business, professionals or corporations. Michael Linehan Marketing Alchemy. www.marketing-alchemy.com ==== BILLBOARD =================================== From: Ian Dickson Subject: Google Froogle Smoogle General note re trademarks - if you intend to have one, don't go crying to the courts when you discover that someone else has already got something similar, and beaten you to it by a serious margin. Might is not right. In this case Froogles were first - and the idea of deriving a name for a shopping comparison engine from the root Frugal isn't exactly original. They beat Google's Froogle by about 18 months. If anyone has a case for complaint it's Froogles against Google. Certainly in the UK Google would be in danger of losing a "passing off" claim on grounds of name similarity in sector. Sidebar - I need a graphically minded web designer to prettify my horrible (but effective) engineering for my current project. Ideally based within 100 miles Gloucester (England), as I find that face to face is essential to get things right. (I'll do the travelling). Small beer initially but, if I'm right, will provide regular and growing level of business. ian symbol iandickson thingy com (spam bots are soo cunning these days, they know about at and dot I'm told). Ian Dickson -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Dave Starr Subject: Google Froogles I'm glad someone dug into this... I was quite confused last issue as to why Google could sue Froogle... since they are both owned by the same company. The understandable confusion thus points out the apparent merit of their suit I guess. Registering plurals and other common mistypings of legitimate trade names is a well-known scamming or cyber squatting tactic. Many web businessmen advocate registering the plurals of important domain names just for this reason... the $8.95 cents a year each is certainly much cheaper insurance than a law suit even if, as in this case, the aggrieved party is almost sure to prevail. Best regards Dave Starr www.satviz.com ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by pair Networks: pair.com for Hosting | pairNIC.com for Domains Copyright 1995-2005 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "The years teach much which the days never knew." - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
