Now that I have my VA site up and running, I am looking for SEO recommendations and was referred to check out Addme.com. I went ahead with the free version before signing up for the professional option. If any one out there has used this site let me know your thoughts and recommendation on signing up for the Addme professional SEO - thank you!

I would never encourage anyone who owns a website or runs SEO campaigns to use an automated service. SEO should necessarily be a more intricate process, specifically geared toward your website, your content, your industry, etc.
These services, while cheap and effective at getting your site listed seemingly everywhere all-at-once tend to do more harm than good - slow and steady is always a better approach than any of these types of sites (free or paid) can offer.

Spend time researching SEO, learn what you can so that you are more empowered as a business owner - and then take the time to tweak your site on your own, submit your own links, etc. The results will take longer but will also last longer and have more impact.

Google knows the difference between 200 links to your site showing up *tomorrow* and 200 populating across the web over the course of a month - organic is always favored in search results, always.

Hope that helps!

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Thank you so much Tess! I am definitely aiming for long lasting results and impact, so I really do appreciate the feedback and will refrain from even considering the professional option.

I wouldn't necessarily say that hiring a professional to do SEO for you is a bad way to go - but these 'bulk SEO' sites tend to be sort of UN-professional...
Someone who's established as a guru in the field can work wonders for a website, but again, that's personal, individualized attention to your site based on your industry, etc.
It can be cost prohibitive though for a solo-startup on a budget to hire an SEO expert (I know because that's part of what we do for our clients ) which is why I recommend using the info here in the SEO section to boost your site initially on your own - there is so much you can do and it will cost you nothing but time. Think of it as part of your marketing hours for each week...

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I agree with Tess. It is usually not cost effective to hire an expert until you have enough revenue coming in to justify the expense. Spend some time here on the forum and you will learn a lot of free or inexpensive ways to do the SEO for your site.

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DeAnna Troupe's VA Service
http://www.deannatroupe.com

Absolutely not. Not a good choice to use an automated site for submitting your URL. Go to search engine sites and directories individually and submit your site. Good sites to add your url: Google, MSN, AOL, Yahoo (directory) you will need to do a search on your topic in Yahoo, then go to the bottom of the search page and click "Submit a Link", DMOZ (directory) Same as yahoo, need to do a relevant search first. Dawn

Not meaning to sell anything here, but go to my web site and view a small article I wrote on SEO. It is not an indepth article on all the ins and outs of SEO, but it will help anyone who is designing their own site. http://www.branicwebdesigns.com

Originally Posted by Tess

I would never encourage anyone who owns a website or runs SEO campaigns to use an automated service. SEO should necessarily be a more intricate process, specifically geared toward your website, your content, your industry, etc. These services, while cheap and effective at getting your site listed seemingly everywhere all-at-once tend to do more harm than good - slow and steady is always a better approach than any of these types of sites (free or paid) can offer. Spend time researching SEO, learn what you can so that you are more empowered as a business owner - and then take the time to tweak your site on your own, submit your own links, etc. The results will take longer but will also last longer and have more impact. Google knows the difference between 200 links to your site showing up *tomorrow* and 200 populating across the web over the course of a month - organic is always favored in search results, always. Hope that helps!

I completely agree with everything Tess has said.

I'd like to add that although learning how to properly optimize a website is a time consuming process it also a rewarding one. You learn the intricacies of the web and how it works. You learn the intricacies of how a search engine works. You learn what works and what doesn't. You learn how to spot someone who says they know SEO from someone who actually does.

Learn SEO here at the forums and I also suggest reading Aaron Wall's blog. And, if you are inclined to learn more, you might consider buying Aaron Wall's SEOBook. It's a bargain at $79 and an excellent read.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

Also check with your local community college. I took an extension class on SEO for 80.00 and it was well worth it. Dawn

Dawn,
Can you share the article with us again?
I clicked on the link and it was not an article but a login page.

Thanks.