SEO Training in India and Kolkata in Specific - Think Again !

Well, I never thought of writing a post like this but due to the increasing number of queries about SEO training that I am receiving these days, I feel that it might be better to have a post on this.

I do receive a lot of request for providing SEO training or to suggest some SEO training institute. I receive these requests from people all over India but specifically more from people in Kolkata. Also there are few who plan to join some SEO training course in Kolkata and call me to check if I know anything about or recommend the person/ institute offering the training .

I have never been a fan of classroom training for SEO and I always tell people that the best way to learn SEO is to read on the web and try them practically. There are thousands of good blogs and SEO forums that provide valuable information and help for the SEO beginners. There are also tons of SEO whitepaper available for Free that can work as a starting point.

While there are definitely a few institutes that might be helpful for a beginner to grab the basics of SEO, there is no full proof course that can make you a SEO guru. For those of you, who are planning to join a SEO Training institute or some personal SEO training class allured by the possibilities of high paying jobs, here are few questions that I suggest you ask your SEO trainer…

1. How did they learn SEO ?
   If they could learn it by themselves or through on-job training, you can too..



2. What has been there career graph? Have they ever worked for any leading brand? Do they have a portfolio to show their SEO skills?
   Trust me, someone who does really well for himself as a SEO would not get into training. Working as a SEO pays much more than running a SEO training course.



3. What about their accreditation? Are they associated with any university or any bigger institute ( e.g,NIIT) ?
   Remember, if they don’t have a proper accreditation, the certificate that they give you is absolutely useless.



4. Do they give a job guarantee?
   Don’t be fooled by vague promises like “don’t worry about jobs, once you complete this course jobs will come after you”. In most cases even after completing one of these so called SEO courses you will probably start off in your first job at the same salary that any other fresher gets at your position.



5. Industry Exposure?
   Most SEO training institutes offer a “industry exposure” for their students. In most cases the SEO trainer or the training institute also have a service wing or operates as freelancer where they provide SEO service to external clients. In the name of industry exposure they are able to get half their work done through you for free (rather you are paying them – training Fees). This experience can actually be a good exposure but you can also get the exposure if you build a site of your own and try optimizing them. Ask them if they would allow you to work on your own website to gain this exposure?

I would also suggest you do a few reference checks before joining any SEO training course. The reason I say this because I have received two calls till date where someone running a SEO training institute in Kolkata told the prospective students that they have actually learnt SEO from me – where the fact is that I just know that person as a casual industry acquaintance. I would not be able to name the person/ institute here because I don’t have a written proof on this but I am thankful to those two guys who actually cared to call me to check if I was actually involved with the SEO training institute/person.

I am more than happy to help people learn SEO and that is one of the main purposes of writing this blog, I have also provided a FREE Guide to SEO whitepaper that details the SEO process and ideas for a start and I also make sure I answer all questions that I receive from people about learning SEO – and yes, you DON’T need to pay me anything for that.

p.s. I am NOT involved with any SEO training institute in Kolkata or elsewhere or HAVE NOT provided any formal training to any individual. I did conduct some corporate training for few companies though.

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What Rates do you Expect from a SEO Consultant in India ?

Well, this is kind of a rant post and am not sure how much value you will derive from it but I presume if you are reading this, next time when you are looking for a SEO consultant whether from India or anywhere else in the world you will probably have a different perspective.

On an average, I get around 3-4 request for SEO consulting job from this blog every month, and though I said “consulting”, some of them do not really require a SEO consultant and are primarily looking for someone who can just follow instructions blindly and carry out stuff like link exchange, directory submission etc and I politely decline those.

Now there are some other clients who actually require a senior level consultant who can create a proper holistic internet marketing strategy for their business and implement / help in implementation of the same. These are the projects that I really look forward to.

Typically with this type of clients and projects , we would have a few discussion/ email exchange to understand their business model and marketing requirements and when they are all happy and ready to start the fun begins as it comes down to pricing.

Because I am based out of India, some people would have an impression that I will work for peanuts and the most common phrase that I get to hear from them is, “there are so many other SEO experts in India who work at a much lower price” – Agreed ! but I offer much more than just that! What you get typically from those so called “SEO Experts” is what I call 90’s SEO – Keyword stuffing +link building( read: link exchange) for a few months without any effective strategy and noticeable result.
Some clients definitely understand the difference in the level of service, knowledge and experience but then there are others who fail to understand that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.

Being in India, shouldn’t be a reason why someone would devalue my services. Of course, it does give me the opportunity to offer my services at a lower rate compared to my US or European counterparts and I do leverage that advantage by offering a much lower price compared to SEO consultants from those countries. My location doesn’t really affect the quality of service I provide and when you are looking for a premium service isn’t it natural to pay a few dollars more than usual? Though most SEO projects are priced based on a monthly fee in India, a little calculation would reveal the hourly rate to be at around $10-$12/hour. My rates are typically a dollar or two higher than this and I offer a lot more for that minimal premium.

Just to put in perspective, here are the SEO consultant rates for some of them who have been nice enough to put up some ball park figures on their website:

• Scott Hendison ( UK) : $2500 Set Up fee+ First Month, Monthly Price: $1000 or higher


• Simon Shandler ( US) : price varies by project complexity, $4000 retainer fee


• Shane Hunter (US): $1000-$2000/month


• Dream Ware Enterprise(US) : $350/hour for Telephonic consultation


• SozoFirm (US) : $150/hour Email, chat, & phone consultation


• Sheffield Marketing (Chicago, US): $150/month for telephonic SEO consultation


• iOptimal.co.uk –Cost: £6300. Delivery time: 7 months ( for moderately competitive keywords)

(The rates are taken from their respective website as on 12th January, 2011)

Now when you look at these prices, I am sure you can understand that if an equally experienced guy in India is asking you $250-300/month, he isn’t really asking the world from you.

I really don’t mean to offend anyone or come across as a snobbish high priced SEO consultant, most of my clients are small businesses and I do understand that each penny counts when it comes to small businesses. I am more than open to talk about prices, discuss and find mutually beneficial options, however, it really pains, when some potential client tells me “why can’t you work for $5/hour, after all you are in India” .

I hope this blog gives a fair idea to my readers and potential clients about the level of expertise and experience I have in this domain and while we are all looking for bargain prices, as a professional, I expect the rates to be respectable.
I would rather end this rant on a positive note. I have found some of my best clients through this blog and I take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks for all the business they have offered. Hopefully the New Year will bring in a lot more business for all of us.

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