I don't know Gord but if Gord is retarded enough to say that yes I would argue with him. That is the most ridiculous thing I've read here yet.
LOL I have one thing to say to that.. .for someone who supposedly has been a webmaster for years and knows SEOs who earn xxxxx..... you're not knowing who Gord Hotchkiss is shows you don't know jack
There is a new site called Google.com where you type in the keyword and you can learn things.....Like who Gord Hotchkiss is and what firm he is president of....
I would look at the portfolio of the SEO in question and not their site. If their site is ranking well then that is good but I have seen cases where the SEO was swamped with so much work that they didn't have time to worry about keeping their own site ranking well. If they can give me a list of sites that have had solid results from their optimization then that is proof for me.
You picturing the interwebs as this linear everyone markets with everyone and just has to know who so and so is makes you a donkey. I can name people all day you don't know. The people you glorify in this business are often the ones who have duped you the most. Everything you know about them is what you've been told by them or someone they are associated with. And again, if Gord is that damn retarded to make the statement you pasted I don't want to know him.
OK.. I toss my ‘thing’ in the ‘ring’ on this…. While much of this thread is pure banter… I agree with a couple I could care less if I ranked for ‘SEO Services’ because we have been booked solid for quite some time… I already have to field the ‘Get me PR6’ crap and ‘I want to rank for ‘Competitive Term’ but we have a small budget†– waaayyy to gadamned many ranking there…. Second, pricing models vary greatly depending on one’s business structure. Outsourcing smartly can reduce the costs on a vast number of ‘leg work’ areas of the SEO process. Web Developers used to cost far more 10 years ago… Prices can vary widely depending on the services provided…. There is no hard and fast $5000 and up.. jeez… or did I miss the ‘collusion’ meeting for the price setting of SEO? Ha ha ha ha… L8R M8