WordPress Expert for Hire
One of my pet projects right now is a web site promoting me as a wordpress expert for hire. The site focuses on my portfolio of custom WordPress themes and includes testimonials from some of my clients.
Why a WordPress Expert
For many years I specialized in a piece of software for shopping carts and as an expert in that software, clients came to me expecting that I knew everything there was to know about it, and quite frankly, I did. I spent so much time working with this software that I knew more than most of the technical service department. As an expert, it brought me in touch with a lot of great clients and I like to think I helped a lot of folks get their business off the ground or gave it a serious face lift. One of the things I liked about this package was its flexibility in design and features, and that more than anything has drawn me to WordPress.
WordPress has the ability to provide such diverse designs and yet contains an incredibly powerful and understandable programming framework. Since back end is very easy to use for novices as well as experts, WordPress makes updating your web site very easy. You don’t have to use just the WordPress admin anymore – you can get an iPhone app or even email in your updates!
Hire a WordPress Expert today
Right now I’m taking on new clients and projects for fall or early holiday release. If you are interested in working with a WordPress expert for hire, please give me a call at 917-456-7754 or use the contact page to get in touch. Also, you should know that I do more than just WordPress. I can help with search engine optimization, email marketing, list building, and all other kinds of online and offline marketing.
WordPress 3.0
One of my favorite lines from Steve Martin’s The Jerk is … “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here.” His enthusiasm is so entertaining for something most people find so trivial. Well, that’s probably how I feel about WordPress 3.0. WordPress 3.0 came out recently and I’m really excited to check it out and find out how to integrate all of the new features. In the meantime, here is a video showing off some of the new things WordPress 3.0 will be capable of.
px to em conversion
I found a great tool recently and I wanted to share. A client of mine asked me to set my type sizes in my css as ems for this project and I usually work in pixels. A quick Google search later brought me to this gem – http://pxtoem.com/ It is fast and easy px to em conversion and I’m finding it to be incredibly useful. I hope you do too
p.s. It will even write CSS for you! Check it out http://pxtoem.com/
In metal type, the em was the height of the metal body from which the letter rises. (Measurement c in this illustration) wikipedia
Favorite Paid Keyword Research Tool
My good friend Mark over at SilverECHO asked me what my favorite paid keyword research tool was and my fast response is this…
Most of my favorite paid keyword research tools are actually free!
Mark asked me about WordTracker and I’ve heard good things about word tracker but why pay when you get an amazing free light version. They have a KILLER free plug-in for WordPress and FireFox. It totally rocks the party! http://labs.wordtracker.com/seo-blogger/
Another great free resource often overlooked is http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/ Yahoo site explorer can show you a whole mess of stuff that can be really helpful.
Google has a ton of great keyword research tools and tips. Here are my top picks.
- https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal Also check out the beta tool.
- using link: or site: to see what google thinks of your url for example try site:practicallydutch.com
- check out the screen cap below. Take a peak next time under #1 – more options. My favorite is the “wonder wheel”.
- #2 is really helpful. Keep in mind the higher #2 is, the harder it is to rank for that term. If you are ever looking for a fast estimate on how hard a term is, under 100,00 is probably attainable quickly, over 1,000,000 – going to take some work.
To answer Mark’s question what is my favorite paid keyword research tool – I’ve been using this one called “Market Samurai” and I find it to be pretty insightful.
The other one I’ve used is SEONuke SEONuke is definitely a paid keyword research tool but it is SO much more than just that. Its nothing like Market Samurai and you could easily use both together. SEONuke is a monthly fee of something like $130 wile Market Samurai is a one time fee in the $150 range. Best news is both offer free full version trials. I’d look at them both and see which you like better.
Keep in mind – none of this software “comes with secret compiled data” – it is basically a GUI/filter of readily available data from Google, Yahoo or Bing.
- Remember that when writing for keywords, there are rules. If you don’t follow the rules, you are just spinning your wheels.
- Keyword writing isn’t a one time deal. You don’t just “optimize” the page and walk away and expect to rank well. You may if it isn’t a very competitive keyword , but for tougher keywords, you have to think long term.
- When writing for keywords, keep in mind the end game. It is no use being number one for your keyword if you don’t convert.
Just so you are aware, the seonuke link is an affiliate link. If you sign up for the software, I may get a commission.
Spinal Stretch
“Seth Sobotka is often one of the reasons I sleep well at night. I know that if he is on a task it is getting done and done well. There is no ego with Seth – he is not afraid to ask questions and admit when he is does not understand something. Once he get clarification he’s on the job. If he lived on the west coast I would make sure he would be in our offices at this very moment.” Michael Weiss, CEO, imagistic
“Seth is one of those people who you know you can count on to get the job done well and on-time. He is thoughtful and very knowledgeable. I highly recommend working with Seth if you have the opportunity to do so.” Kevin Howard Goldberg hired Seth as a Internet Software Deveopment in 2004
“Seth is an extremely talented Web strategist/developer who operates at the lead of Internet technologies and development. His core programming skills, attention to specifications, business rules, best practices and client needs are a perfect blend for getting the job done right, on time and within budget. Of the numerous projects we worked on together he has never come up short, late or with sub-standard results. Seth is one of the few people I can set free on a project, knowing full well he will exceed my and everybody’s expectations.” – Robert Sullivan, PMP
ShopBarbara.com
“Seth hired me to do php programming on a project in 2004. He did a really terrific job managing the project; it was made very clear up-front exactly what was expected of me, and there was absolutely no feature creep as the project progressed. I still consider it the best freelance project I have ever worked on. I would strongly recommend working with Seth as he is very professional and does excellent work.” Omar Steinberg, Web application developer, Freelance
Litter-Robot
“Good news for you. Your web site is in GREAT shape and needs no help from the outside. Your web team has everything buttoned up and the results are amazing. Congrats. “
Stacey Yates – Omni Portals
“Well…. I’ve compiled the analytics, and bad news: There’s not much we can do for them that they’re not already doing!
They’ve already got a blog, RSS feeds, Facebook page, Twitter account, even social bookmarking tags on their blogs pages. They have TONs of backlinks, including links from .edu and .gov sources… a Wikipedia page, listings on the DMOZ and Yahoo Directories. Looks like they went onto Hubspot for a website grader ranking way back on May 1, 2008, and have followed all their advice. “
JP English – Omni Portals
“I just read through the whole report. There are a few things we could look at doing, but it’s nice to know we’re on the right track. We have worked a lot with Seth over the years to get the site optimized and I attribute a lot of the good performance to his efforts.“
Brad Baxter - Litter-Robot
2Jane Co
We have worked with Practically Dutch and Seth for several years. Seth has been instrumental in keeping us abreast of latest web and SEO developments and helping us implement those that work for us and our web site. Seth has taken an instructive approach with us which allows us to manage our own site once we’ve learned how to do it. Seth is proactive, extremely reliable and accessible. I have had to call Seth a few times on weekends due to site or server problems and he’s always been available and ready to tackle the problem. If you’re looking for someone to help you develop a web site or assist you in optimizing your site and increase traffic, I highly recommend Practically Dutch.”
Brad Baxter hired Seth as a Web Site Development and SEO in 2004
The Perfect Bite Co.
“Seth is a very passionate and committed associate. His is always keeping up to date on current trends and best practices and incorporates this into his work. He is flexible and fair with requests and budgets. We have worked on tons of projects together and look forward to continuing our collaboration.”
Mark LeRoy hired Seth as a Web Development & Technology Consultant in 2000, and hired Seth more than once
