SEO is an industry in its infancy. The rapidly evolving and changing nature of it makes it an exciting place to be. During certain times of the year, it seems like every hour there is some new tactic worth learning or some update Google has made that has everyone talking. It often feels like the “rules” are invented one day and re-invented the next. But the very things that make SEO exciting are also the cause of major headaches—for SEOs and business owners alike.
People like to understand things—at least at some level—before they buy them, so a big part of selling SEO is education. Few things are as frustrating as explaining the SEO process in detail to a business owner only to have another company “undo” your work a day later. I’ve personally had a few less-than-ethical online marketing companies pitch my clients pay per click advertising while trying to pawn it off as SEO.
From the business owner’s perspective, the lack of clearly defined standards makes the typical “SEO guy” seem about as credible as someone selling snake oil or male enhancement pills (it’s difficult to believe that anyone actually believes those pills work). Your typical business owner barely has time to manage the workload they already have—let alone try to figure out the difference between inbound links and external links (these all refer to the same thing by the way).
Recently, I’ve helped launch a new company—DMBC Ventures. Our first publicly available product is an SEO software built specifically for the HVAC and plumbing industry. It’s called HVACSEOReports.com. Basically, it provides HVAC and plumbing contractors with a logical framework with which to evaluate their SEO.
Contractors select a package (they start at $39 per month), enter their website address, select their lines of business and geographic service area, add some competitors, and hit “go.” The software does the rest.
HVACSEOReports.com performs a professional SEO audit of your site as well as your competitor(s). It shows you your website’s ranking for hundreds (in some cases thousands) of high-value keywords related to both the services you provide as well as your target geographic area. Most importantly, the software provides tangible ways to improve your site (which in turn improves your rankings—resulting in more traffic, leads, and sales).
If you’re an HVAC or plumbing contractor, I highly recommend you check it out. We’re in the process of launching additional versions of the software—some targeting other industries we know well and a generic version for marketing professionals (ad agencies, etc.). If you’re interested in learning more or you’d like a demo, contact me directly.
