SEO and Web Consulting by Michael Kovnick

My Credentials

Before you even bother to look at what I have to offer, let's take care of credibility. I am the founder of Cyberspace Headquarters, LLC, the makers of the all-time best selling search engine marketing software, AddWeb Website Promoter. I have been involved in search engine marketing every step of the way since 1993. I've seen major search engines come and go, and I have been in the trenches throughout the search engine ranking wars. I personally wrote AddWeb 1.0 and 2.0, and as Cyberspace HQ grew, I was the architect of every version since. I was the first to take a search engine friendly stance, rather than try to outwit the search engine spiders. I wrote the first spider that spiders the search engines themselves to determine best ranking concepts, and my company was the only publisher of search engine marketing software that was sanctioned by the major search engines at a time when all of the others thought 'spamdexing' was the way to the top of the rankings.

If that doesn't say enough, consider this: Tens of thousands of search engine optimization professionals and search engine marketing firms have not only chosen the software that I wrote as the main tool in their arsenal, but have privately consulted with me over concepts and direction for the past 11 years. In other words, for more than a decade, thousands of the guys that are out there selling search engine optimization and positioning services and consulting have been learning what they know from me, and using the tools that I designed to do it.

I have a different approach

It is clear that my experience in this field is extremely unique, and as such, it has given me an extremely broad perspective. I can start throwing around a few dozen buzzwords that sound impressive (I even coined some of them!), but there is something you will find that the few of us who have been doing this since long before SEO had a name have in common. We’ve seen the hype of the moment come and go over and over, and we have a handle on what is real.

If you choose to retain my services, you will find that I bring an incredibly no-nonsense approach to the table. Everything I teach will make sense. I’ll show you how each and every concept you apply to your online presence relates perfectly to concepts you apply to your business across the board.

Not only is it an effective approach, but it works. As long as you go into your SEO plan with a long-term strategy, looking for real, sustained success, it works.

For example, in your other advertising channels, do you focus on keyword targeting? Do you optimize your print ads for keywords and key phrases? Of course not. Instead, you focus on concepts and themes. Still, the SEO world is buzzing with keyword this and key phrase that. There was a time that it mattered, and in some cases, it still does. But when you look at the big picture, if you properly optimize your website, your keywords and phrases will create themselves. If you concentrate on concepts and themes, the correct keywords simply happen.

I focus on this simple fact (albeit in much more detail) in my consulting and our training. The nice thing about it is that it just makes sense. You can take a person that is struggling with keyword density and weighted averages and just watch the light bulb above their head turn on… as though it is too simple.

A Very White Hat

Nothing I will ever teach is in any way questionable with respect to search engine ethics or policy. My goal is to show you how to build real, natural traffic to your site. There are no special secret tactics that boost you up to the top in a month. Everything I do is about sustained long term growth.

It’s Not Easy

While I am saying that I take a simple approach, that does not mean it is easy. The concepts are simple, and the plan I can help you develop isn’t complicated. But the execution of that plan will require a great deal of commitment on your side. If you are up to it, I am happy to work with you. If you are not, you may want to talk to me about a maintenance agreement instead of training.

I'll Teach You to Fish

Short term efforts get short lived results. Growing your site's traffic is a slow process that requires dedication. My goal in consulting with you is to teach you how to do it yourself, or teach the ropes to an employee of yours. As needed, I will be available for consulting, but I am not after long term maintenance contracts. If you would prefer to outsource part of the work on a regular basis, I can work with you to that end by consulting with your company, while training someone on my end to work toward your goals.

The Process

With any consultation, we get started by getting to know one another. What is your company about, where are you succeeding, where are you failing, what are your goals, who are you competing against, etc. In a nutshell, I need to know what you are all about, and what your company culture is... I need to fully understand your company. This can take anywhere from an hour to days, depending on how large your company is and how diverse your offerings are.
Next I will have a very in depth look at your site, at your competition, and the general landscape of your presence on the Internet. I'll look at what I think you are doing right, and what I think needs attention. I'm not just looking at your site, I am also looking at your stats, sites linking to you, sites that relate to your business, how your competition looks, where you can get visibility off of your site, what kinds of online marketing you have in place, etc. This can take a few hours for small sites and small companies, or days for larger companies.
After having gotten to know your company and a feel for its online presence, I will prepare a detailed report. This will include how I see your presence now, and how I see it developing with my guidance and training. I will show you what my vision is, based on the goals you have conveyed. I'll list steps and milestones based on the resources you are willing to commit to those goals. These will include changes to your site, outside publicity, marketing, networking, etc. This step can take anywhere from several hours to several weeks, depending on your company and its goals.
Once we have an approved plan, we will execute. If I am training your people, now is the time for a trip to your location to sit down one on one with everyone involved. I'll train them on every step and I'll organize their time with them from milestone to milestone. When I am finished, they will have a complete understanding of their mission, as well as all of the tools to support it. If I am taking care of the execution, we will get to work as soon as we have your approval on the plan, and we will provide monthly detail reports of our efforts and progress.
After our training, I will be available as needed for any assistance you or your employees may need.

My Rates

I charge a flat rate of $375 per hour for all consultation which is billed in 30 minute increments, with a minimum 20 hour retainer. For on-site training, I charge $3.000 per day, plus travel expenses, including travel days with a 3 day minimum.

Getting Started

If everything I have written has gotten your interest, we should interview one another. I won't take anyone that throws money at me. I need to believe I can help you before I can work with you. That said, if you would like to spend a little time on the phone to see if we might work well together, click here and send me an e-mail with your contact info.