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PayForWords
07-22-2013, 12:46 AM
I have a content/SEO company and we have a new site. Just wanted to know what everyone thought?


PayForWords.com // SEO, Content, and More! (http://www.PayForWords.com)


I welcome ANY criticism and would love to hear your opinions!


Thanks! :D

Wozcreative
07-22-2013, 08:38 AM
Hire a professional designer, don't do it yourself using a theme. The reason:


1. The home page has photos that are botched up/stretched.
2. Whoever designed it didn't intend for users to read the website.. all the text is on black backgrounds and is in bold CAPS.
3. No descriptions on service/pricing. Even a restaurant menu has that.
4. I'm not fond of the logo. Outlined text is not favourable.
5. Theres no privacy policy, sitemap, terms of use, photos, contact information
6. These "testimonials" could also include real life screenshots of some analytics

Also for an SEO company, they have not put in place a lot of things that they should have. Yikes!

Harold Mansfield
07-22-2013, 09:03 AM
I hate doing reviews like this because I know what it's like to finally get your website up and hope that everyone likes it, however....

I'm not a big fan of anything about it. Design. Content. SEO.
I don't want to go down a long list of things, but there's almost nothing about this site that says you know how to do any of the services that you expect people to hire you for, because you haven't done any of it yourself.

It looks like it was put up in haste just to get something online and no thought was put into anything.

JMO of course.

PayForWords
07-22-2013, 11:05 AM
Thanks for the input!

Harold Mansfield
07-22-2013, 11:12 AM
I'll agree with you guys on the design BUT...
We're ranked on the first page of 3 different search terms (1st and 2nd results) for terms that get 30K+ searches a month (high comp).

All with only being up for less than a week which is pretty good in my opinion.
But you're exactly right. We did basically put something up to have it up...

We've landed some good clients thus far though and that's the main reason we rushed it up.
In the near future, we'll be re-doing the design though.

Thanks for the input!

(There's contact information on 3 different sections of the site by the way).

Then if it's working for you don't change a thing.

PayForWords
07-22-2013, 12:06 PM
I'd still like to change the design up but as far as everything else, I think I'm good to go.




Thanks!

Harold Mansfield
07-22-2013, 12:11 PM
I'd still like to change the design up but as far as everything else, I think I'm good to go.
Thanks!

I'd say that you may want to think about your content too. You're not following ANY sound SEO principles at the moment. Whatever you are ranking for will be short lived because anyone can beat you right now with a few well optimized pages. And I suspect that you will soon see Google realize that you barely have any words on your pages and NONE of them are optimized properly for any keywords or phrases.

Just an observation.

PayForWords
07-22-2013, 04:52 PM
I'd say that you may want to think about your content too. You're not following ANY sound SEO principles at the moment. Whatever you are ranking for will be short lived because anyone can beat you right now with a few well optimized pages. And I suspect that you will soon see Google realize that you barely have any words on your pages and NONE of them are optimized properly for any keywords or phrases.

Just an observation.

I do SEO for a living haha we have SEO principles incorporated utilizing keyword research and a top notch LSI tool.


You're right though, a quick observation won't show that as it's utilized in our blog which isn't up yet.


It's all re-routed to the index so the searches still pick it up but it won't be those actual pages.


Thank god for the post-Penguin era ;)

Harold Mansfield
07-22-2013, 06:48 PM
I do SEO for a living haha we have SEO principles incorporated utilizing keyword research and a top notch LSI tool.
You're right though, a quick observation won't show that as it's utilized in our blog which isn't up yet.
It's all re-routed to the index so the searches still pick it up but it won't be those actual pages.


I don't understand any of that, or what it has to do with the fact that you have very few actual words on your website.

LSI tools?
Rerouted index?

Can you dumb it down for us non-professionals who don't do it for a living or on our own websites?

PayForWords
07-22-2013, 10:45 PM
I don't understand any of that, or what it has to do with the fact that you have very few actual words on your website.

LSI tools?
Rerouted index?

Can you dumb it down for us non-professionals who don't do it for a living or on our own websites?


Sure thing! Not saying you're dumb or anything like that haha.


Basically, SEO applies to the visible and the non-visible (which is what applies to my particular site right now).


Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.


An LSI tool, is the most valuable thing in the world of SEO right now.


It's not based on keyword density so much anymore as it is based on LSI (and the software Google bought a few years ago).


The keyword is still important but it's only 10% of what matters now.


What matters even more now is what is SURROUNDING the keyword.

Harold Mansfield
07-22-2013, 11:04 PM
Sure thing! Not saying you're dumb or anything like that haha.


Basically, SEO applies to the visible and the non-visible (which is what applies to my particular site right now).


Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.


An LSI tool, is the most valuable thing in the world of SEO right now.


It's not based on keyword density so much anymore as it is based on LSI (and the software Google bought a few years ago).


The keyword is still important but it's only 10% of what matters now.


What matters even more now is what is SURROUNDING the keyword.

You still haven't told me what an LSI is or "redirected index" but from your explanation it seems that your style of SEO is more about fooling the Search Engines for position, than it is about attracting actual people to engage with your website and take action.

Am I misunderstanding that? You're saying what's seen isn't important as long as Google believes it is there and what people see doesn't matter.

Harold Mansfield
07-22-2013, 11:16 PM
I looked it up. LSI is Latent Semantic Indexing. And from what I just read, it is heavily dependent on content. It's actually content based.


The contents of a webpage are crawled by a search engine and the most common words and phrases are collated and identified as the keywords for the page. LSI looks for synonyms related to the title of your page. For example, if the title of your page was “Classic Cars”, the search engine would expect to find words relating to that subject in the content of the page as well, i.e. “collectors”, “automobile”, “Bentley”, “Austin” and “car auctions”.


Latent Semantic Indexing came as a direct reaction to people trying to cheat search engines by cramming Meta keyword tags full of hundreds of keywords, Meta description full of more keywords, and page content full of nothing more than random keywords and no subject-related material or worthwhile content.

Source: What Is Latent Semantic Indexing | Search Engine Journal (http://www.searchenginejournal.com/what-is-latent-semantic-indexing-seo-defined/21642/)

So now I'm even more confused about the strategy that you are explaining to me. If it's all about the "LSI" then why doesn't the content on the page matter?

PayForWords
07-23-2013, 12:55 AM
I didn't say the content on the page doesn't matter. What I said was just because you can't go to a site and see it, doesn't mean Google can't.



The content will be live soon BUT it's not yet (it's on our blog which isn't live yet).



However, I can use Webmaster tools to let Google crawl and index my site and rank for the targeted search terms that way.



No fooling about it.



LSI isn't about cheating but it's about targeting a keyword and seeing WHAT Google looks for when it comes to ranking.



It basically mimics the human mind. For example, if the keyword is "basketball" you may also expect to see "NBA, court, etc."



In my opinion, keyword density is about cramming words unnecessarily in the hopes of ranking.



But hey, what do I know? We all have our own opinions. It works for me but maybe not everyone.

Harold Mansfield
07-23-2013, 01:55 AM
I didn't say the content on the page doesn't matter. What I said was just because you can't go to a site and see it, doesn't mean Google can't.
.
Forgive me if I sound like a noob, but I keep getting back to this. Wouldn't faking Google out be frowned upon? Surely Google is smart enough to realize that there is no visible content on the page by now. I mean people were doing this 6 years ago when it was easy to manipulate your own rankings.

What is the benefit of hiding content from website visitors?


The content will be live soon BUT it's not yet (it's on our blog which isn't live yet)..

I understand. So basically Google is ranking you now, for content that you will make live in the future? How does that work?


However, I can use Webmaster tools to let Google crawl and index my site and rank for the targeted search terms that way..
So all you have to do is let Google crawl your site from Webmaster tools and that's it? Doesn't ask you for for a sitemap? How do you get it to ignore that?


LSI isn't about cheating but it's about targeting a keyword and seeing WHAT Google looks for when it comes to ranking..It basically mimics the human mind. For example, if the keyword is "basketball" you may also expect to see "NBA, court, etc.".

Yeah, I understand that part. But you don't have related words. You barely have any words. So how exactly is it working for you?
Are you saying that you are ranking purely for keywords alone? No content. No sitemap. Missing image tags. Using inline styles. No H2 tags. Missing meta tags. Barely any back links except from Twitter and just recently, this forum. On a domain that is barely a month old.

Not even a G+ profile or author tag connected to it.

This flies in the face of everything I thought I knew about SEO. I didn't know it was that easy.



In my opinion, keyword density is about cramming words unnecessarily in the hopes of ranking..
Actually Keyword density is about how many times it's mentioned within the context of the page. You need a decent density to get a good SEO score per page.

Keyword stuffing is cramming multiple keywords into one page.

I seriously would like to know more about how this. Do you mind sharing a little more SEO knowledge?

PayForWords
07-23-2013, 03:13 AM
Sure thing!


1. There isn't a benefit to hiding the content from visitors but it also doesn't hurt either.

2. They're ranking me (the main page of the site) for content that is live now but I haven't made visible yet.

3. Pretty much. It WAS live at one point (at the time it crawled) but not now. Most sites don't have every page indexed much less updated.

4. I do have related keywords and keywords BUT, it's not visible any longer. Either way, I won't get beat out anytime soon.

5. I never use a keyword more than 4 times regardless of length. Google looks more for what is around the keyword.


(Other search engines may work differently but I put all my focus on Google)


Google is getting smarter thanks to LSI as well. Some content ranks for a keyword that was only used once just for being better content.


Make sense?

LGCG
07-23-2013, 09:36 AM
There's definitely some good things going for this site. Have you thought about making it a bit easier to contact you through it? Maybe put the phone number and an email address right in the header. And perhaps highlight the contact button a bit more. The sites all about lead generation, so don't make them guess.

Harold Mansfield
07-23-2013, 10:28 AM
Sure thing!

1. There isn't a benefit to hiding the content from visitors but it also doesn't hurt either.

I actually do understand this, and have one page on my website where all of the content isn't visible. It's not a strategy though. It's just part of the design. However, I only do that on one page. Every other page is full of content and I wouldn't dare hide it. It attracts actual people.



2. They're ranking me (the main page of the site) for content that is live now but I haven't made visible yet.

I see. The hidden content. Do you mean like unpublished pages? Or actually hidden?

You've mentioned this "hiding content" before. What about Google saying for years that:

Hiding text or links in your content to manipulate Google’s search rankings can be seen as deceptive and is a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines (https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/answer.py?answer=35769).

Are you saying that doesn't matter?



3. Pretty much. It WAS live at one point (at the time it crawled) but not now. Most sites don't have every page indexed much less updated.

Actually that's not true. Sure, people have unpublished pages and development, but for the most part indexing all of your pages is a good thing. Not a bad thing.

Doesn't a site get crawled repeatedly, even daily in some fashion? You've only got like 9 pages. I still don't understand why you would remove the content that helped you to ranks so well. This does not sound like good advice for clients.



4. I do have related keywords and keywords BUT, it's not visible any longer. Either way, I won't get beat out anytime soon.


So you hide your keywords too? And how can you be so sure of that? Anyone can be challenged at any time for anything. That's just life. How are you so confident no one will ever beat you? From what I see, you look pretty vulnerable at the moment.



5. I never use a keyword more than 4 times regardless of length. Google looks more for what is around the keyword. (Other search engines may work differently but I put all my focus on Google)

You actually shouldn't use it more than once on a site. But you do need page density for that word or phrase.




Google is getting smarter thanks to LSI as well. Some content ranks for a keyword that was only used once just for being better content.
Make sense?

Actually no. To be honest it sounds like a bunch of tricks just for the sake of doing tricks. A magnetic sign on the side of a plain white truck...kind of approach.

Seems to all be based on manipulating Google instead of doing the work and providing quality content that people want to actually read, and recommend regardless of the next Google algorithm update.

Seems to me if you just employ solid, honest priciples steadily, and build something of substance that it will be a lot more beneficial in the long run and actually attract real people.

That's just my opinion, but I'm not hearing anything new here that I haven't heard for the last 5 years of tricks and shortcuts. Seems to me the good sites, with the best content, that stay updated and relevant, and have the best designs...win. Without all of the BS and manipulations. At least that's been my experience.
But what do I know? And surely I understand that everyone doesn't have the same needs, every website is different, and evryone isn't in it for the long haul.

I do appreciate your time though.

PayForWords
07-23-2013, 03:24 PM
I actually do understand this, and have one page on my website where all of the content isn't visible. It's not a strategy though. It's just part of the design. However, I only do that on one page. Every other page is full of content and I wouldn't dare hide it. It attracts actual people.


I see. The hidden content. Do you mean like unpublished pages? Or actually hidden?

You've mentioned this "hiding content" before. What about Google saying for years that:


Are you saying that doesn't matter?


Actually that's not true. Sure, people have unpublished pages and development, but for the most part indexing all of your pages is a good thing. Not a bad thing.

Doesn't a site get crawled repeatedly, even daily in some fashion? You've only got like 9 pages. I still don't understand why you would remove the content that helped you to ranks so well. This does not sound like good advice for clients.



So you hide your keywords too? And how can you be so sure of that? Anyone can be challenged at any time for anything. That's just life. How are you so confident no one will ever beat you? From what I see, you look pretty vulnerable at the moment.


You actually shouldn't use it more than once on a site. But you do need page density for that word or phrase.




Actually no. To be honest it sounds like a bunch of tricks just for the sake of doing tricks. A magnetic sign on the side of a plain white truck...kind of approach.

Seems to all be based on manipulating Google instead of doing the work and providing quality content that people want to actually read, and recommend regardless of the next Google algorithm update.

Seems to me if you just employ solid, honest priciples steadily, and build something of substance that it will be a lot more beneficial in the long run and actually attract real people.

That's just my opinion, but I'm not hearing anything new here that I haven't heard for the last 5 years of tricks and shortcuts. Seems to me the good sites, with the best content, that stay updated and relevant, and have the best designs...win. Without all of the BS and manipulations. At least that's been my experience.
But what do I know? And surely I understand that everyone doesn't have the same needs, every website is different, and evryone isn't in it for the long haul.

I do appreciate your time though.

There's no manipulating about it but maybe I just did a bad job explaining.

It may look vulnerable but that's fine. My sites have been ranked for years haha.

Sorry I couldn't help more. Good luck!

billbenson
07-23-2013, 03:30 PM
This sounds an awful lot like cloaking to me. That is presenting different information to Google than to your site visitor. Google definitely doesn't like that.

PayForWords
07-24-2013, 12:30 AM
This sounds an awful lot like cloaking to me. That is presenting different information to Google than to your site visitor. Google definitely doesn't like that.



Been doing it for 5 years and never had a problem. No different than ranking for "Members Only" sections that the casual visitor can't see.




I don't do it for my clients as most of them have different needs but it works for me.




Also keeps me from having a day job so I won't complain.

billbenson
07-24-2013, 05:16 AM
Cloaking has been a no no for more than 5 years with G. Over the years they have gotten better at things that violate their T's and C's. Having said that they may have kind of grandfathered your pasts sites in. Not sure.

It will be interesting to see how your new site does. From what you are saying, it sounds like its only been up for a short time, so you really can't make a determination from that.

I wish you well with the site, but keep us posted on how it does in SERPS as time goes on.

Oh, if you you are doing it in a different way such as a member section, that's not cloaking and shouldn't be a problem.

I try to get individual pages to rank for an individual search term. Different term for a different page. I'll put a term in the title tag and one or more (depending on how it reads) in the text. I will also use synonyms as appropriate. That also seems to match some of what you are doing.

markhendricks
07-26-2013, 09:53 AM
Hope this helps.

When I get to your site the main thing I notice are your three graphics that gobble up LOTs of your page.

Yet, your site is about words.

Maybe consider get words higher up, above the fold so to speak, so the visitor does not have to scroll down to see words that tell what you do for them.

2 cents... :-)

As always, my best to you --

Mark Hendricks

Wozcreative
07-26-2013, 11:54 AM
I noticed the screenshot on your testimonials page being incorrect. You state it is 7 days of when the site launched.. however, this only shows 24 hours.. the first few hours are 0. The rest of the hours show spikes every few hours. Nothing is consistent. It shows that you did something to spike it. Can't be an AD, you'd get consistent clicks.. looks like blackhat to me. Notice on the 18th hour how it goes back down to almost 0 vistors again?

PayForWords
08-04-2013, 09:18 AM
Yeah the screenshot is for 24 hours but it clearly says that is what they were getting 7 days into their campaign.


I never said they were getting these results on day one hence why I said "7 days into their campaign."


Nothing "blackhat" there at all though. We used a targeted list to get those results along with social media.


The majority of those came from a Twitter account with 60,000+ followers and a list with around 22,000 people on it.


All 100% real. That site is currently ranked around 300K on Alexa and is making around $700 a month from AdSense.


On top of that, they landed a partnership with National Geographic.


Thanks for your concern.

PayForWords
08-04-2013, 09:19 AM
Hope this helps.

When I get to your site the main thing I notice are your three graphics that gobble up LOTs of your page.

Yet, your site is about words.

Maybe consider get words higher up, above the fold so to speak, so the visitor does not have to scroll down to see words that tell what you do for them.

2 cents... :-)

As always, my best to you --

Mark Hendricks



Thanks for the advice!

Russ in Vancouver
08-04-2013, 03:18 PM
@ Pay for words,

I was wondering if you could give me more details about what one would receive for these services you offer.
I am looking to populate a site with some content.

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