Warmest Greetings,

Please Don't Index This Blog Post  

:: Thursday, June 30, 2005 ::

Everyone once in awhile I just want to talk about something that doesn't require that I fret over the blog post title.

You see, as a blogger with SEO tendencies and a user centered worry wart, I'm keenly aware that this blog has become a favorite (a deeply humbling thing), and is therefore included in many other blogs that track blogs and feeds that hunt for blog feed updates.

I'm only going to grab your attention with my catchy title because I figure you, like me, are subscribed to 3450 other things and informationed to death on a daily basis.

So, today, I'm going to talk about something boring and long overdue and I just wanted to warn you ahead of time.

Okay guys. I'm No Longer THAT Cheap!

For quite a long time, forever really, I've been counseled by my peers and friends in the SEO industry and later, the usability one, that I undercharge everybody. There's a simple reason for it, and nobody in marketing ever likes it.

I like what I do. I get scolded by my friends, many of whom are REAllY well known folks whom you all are paying the big bucks to hire, that I'm "giving" away my services.

So okay. The final straw for me was when the last several clients hired both me and some famous competitors and compared our services. Now, even my clients are scolding me that I'm not charging enough and they love my reports more than the ones they paid handsomely for.

Therefore, as of August 1, 2005, I'm inching up the fees for my web site usability reports. A teeny bit. Not what I'm advised to charge. But, heck. I'm stubborn.

I'm Gumby

Like the flexible green guy (and his little orange horse, Pokey), I'm flexible. Therefore, I have a few different ways you can hire me.

The most popular is to hire one of my Partners, and this is what I most recommend that you do. This is because when you hire one of them, you get some major help. These folks will handle your design, SEO, copywriting and make sure the whole end result is usable. With this team approach, with their various skills and expertise, the moment you let your web site out the gate, it will win the race.

For those who just want to hire peace of mind, I accept retainer-basis contracts. This means I'm on call and available via email to check over something for usability or functionality. I'm like an Editor for a writer. I haven't stared at the same thing endlessly and I quickly spot what you or your design team may have missed. Or, as it often happens, I verify all is going well. Peace of mind is a glorious thing.

Just wanna review? Check out the variety of usability evaluations you can choose from. These are for use when it's just you and me trying to tackle usability problems and finding solutions to improve conversions and traffic.

Loyal to Small Businesses

I wouldn't be true to myself if I abandoned the needs of small and medium businesses. I know budgets for some of you come down to paying the mortgage or paying for web site help. Therefore, I've created, and will continue to create and offer, low and budget priced web site usability testing and reviews for you. I won't budge on this.

I will give you tremendous support and get you set on a positive course. The only thing I require from you is that you keep learning and trying new things. I'll guide you to trusted resources to help you stay afloat. Sure, you get what you pay for. I do see some of you making poor choices and suffering for it. You will have to pony up eventually.

But, I'm in your corner, will go above and beyond the call of duty and I've written up test plans intended for you, to cover the basics and motivate you towards success.

Why Kim?

I bring to the table my background as a professional SEO, who started out in 1995 in web design. I'm trained in software quality assurance and was mentored in Human Factors. There are companies who need metrics, specialized analysis, graphs, in-house consultations and numbers crunching to impress management and they have $100,000-plus budgets to get it. Well worth it, for those who can afford it.

However, I've developed strategies for those who can't or want something personalized (and understandable). They want a friendly voice on the phone. They want someone with a passion for usablity, who also knows and understands how to increase conversions by design and by content. They want honesty.

I DO refer some of you elsewhere because you need someone either in-house or who can travel and work with you on a big project for several months. I'm perfect for those who want the freedom to do a lot of the work themselves or with some coaching. Sometimes you just want to know why something isn't working, without a lot of hassle.

I'm also more attractive than a spiked line in a Power Point presentation.

Final Word

I didn't know, until yesterday, that Rand Fishkin, of SEOMoz.org, had written about his experience with my services. In an effort to please my friends who say I don't market myself enough, here is what he said.

I especially liked this line:

"Kim Krause Berg's usability reviews are bar-none the best in the industry."

August 1, 2005 - Prices Rise

Web Site Usability Reviews.

What can be done to improve conversions? Are your visitors understanding what you're offering? Lock in your spot now at the lower fees or contact any of my Partners for a full web site work up that could include design, PPC, SEO, copywriter and more.

And, I thank you for reading this post.

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 6/30/2005 01:22:00 PM

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