Latest Proposal Kit Ideal for SEOs
By Kalena Jordan of Web
Rank
Last year I discovered a terrific new business tool and I was so
thrilled with its potential that I wrote a review article about it
to share my discovery with others.
The product was Proposal Kit.
My review was called Close
the Sale With Proposal Kit and I've had a lot of feedback from
readers of that article, thanking me for introducing them to the
product.
In case you're not already familiar with the
software, Proposal Kit takes the guesswork out of drafting a
proposal or contract. It automates the chore of putting together a
complex business proposal. Basically, Proposal Kit provides a
comprehensive range of templates to suit any business requirement
and helps you build a framework for your proposal to match virtually
any product or service offering. You then flesh out the templates
with your own data and contact details. Templates are particularly
suited to online businesses and include documents for the initial
sales pitch, the planning stage, estimating, contracting, project
timelines, analysis and even invoicing.
 Sample Proposal Pack Template
Style
I've been using Proposal Kit for over 8
months now and I am still as enthusiastic about it as ever. So when
developers of the product (Cyber Sea) told me of their latest
upgrade this month, I was very excited.
You see,
amongst the 28 new contract templates available in the new versions
of Proposal Kit Pro and Contract Kit Pro is a Search Engine
Optimization Services Contract, designed for SEOs just like me. More
about that later, but first let's take a look at what's been
upgraded in the latest versions of the product:
Proposal Kit Pro 8.0/Contract Pack Pro 7.0
> 28 new contracts, agreements and related
documents have been added, consisting of over 100 pages of new
material, (for example: Software BETA Testers Agreement, SEO
Services Contract, Authorization for Credit Card Charge Signature
Form, 3rd Party Web Hosting Reseller Agreement)
> PDF versions of all documents are included for
comparison purposes (useful if using word processors other than
Microsoft Word and you want to check your formatting against the
intended formatting).
> Contract Pack is now
supported in more operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and
Linux.
> Contract Pack documents are now supported
across many word processors (not just Word). Documents now operate
in Word (all versions), Word Perfect, Star Office, OpenOffice.org
and Appleworks.
 Sample Proposal Pack Template
Style
> All proprietary Word mail merge tags
have been replaced with cross-platform compatible plain text tags.
> More documentation has been included for
multi-platform issues, examples of common situations and how to use
a variety of Contract Pack documents together as a system and
documentation on which documents work best together as a group.
> HTML organizers have been broken into multiple
pages with PDF document links added for each document. Recommended
document templates related to each other are now included in the
document descriptions to aid in putting together a comprehensive
collection of project documents as a full contract management system
(from pre-project through to post- project requirements).
> There are now smoother template importing and
integration features between Proposal Pack, Contract Pack and the
Proposal Pack Wizard.
> More graphic template
styles (skins) have been added to Proposal Packs (sold separately)
for you to choose from. Some of them are pictured, but you can view
the full range here.
For details on Proposal Kit pricing, a product
comparison chart and information on how to upgrade, Click Here.
 Sample Proposal Pack Template
Style
Now about that SEO Services Contract that I'm so excited about.
Having run an SEO business for over five years now, I KNOW how
difficult it is to produce a reliable, standard contract to give to
SEO clients. Search engine optimization can be such a complex
process that it is vitally important your client contract spells out
your services, delivery schedule, responsibilities and campaign
expectations while addressing all areas of potential client
confusion.
Such contracts take time to develop and can
be very expensive if drawn up from scratch by a law firm. Many SEOs,
especially those just starting out, simply don't have the time,
resources, knowledge or budget to have a high quality, water-tight
contract developed for their business. That's why I see the
inclusion of an SEO Services Contract in the latest Proposal Kit
upgrade as a boon for SEOs everywhere.
Even if your
business already has a contract in place, the purchase price of
Proposal Kit Pro or Contract Pack Pro, (both which come with the SEO
contract included), is well worth the investment to be able to
compare your contract with the detailed sample provided. Something
important to keep in mind is that legal contracts in the Contract
Pack should not be viewed as binding legal documents until they are
reviewed by your lawyer. Because every business has different
products, services, clients and operates in different geographical
environments, legal requirements vary widely. By all means use the
contract templates to draft your contract, but make sure you have
the document carefully reviewed by your company law firm to ensure
it meets your specific legal requirements. This is emphasized within
the templates.
 Sample Proposal Pack Template
Style
Not all sections of the SEO Contract will
apply to every SEO business, particularly those listed under
"Services Provided", but the document is so comprehensive that you
can mix and match sections and clauses that are specifically
relevant to your business, such as "Delivery Dates and Milestones",
"Web Page Creation, Edits and Custom Programming" and "Keyword
Selection". I've already spotted three or four important clauses
that our existing client contract overlooks. Not to mention the
benefits of having access to hundreds of professional proposal
templates from which to pick and choose to match your own business
requirements.
For smaller SEOs or those just starting
out in the industry, the latest version of Proposal Kit
could save you a fortune and give your business a much needed
injection of professionalism. Of course that goes for non-SEO
businesses too :-)
Learn
more about Proposal Kit...
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Greetings Readers!
Happy New Year! I hope you had a memorable one, no
matter how you chose to ring in 2004.
This year
promises to be a special one for my husband and I, but we are
still in baby limbo here, impatiently awaiting the arrival of
our first born who is due 12 February.
Speaking
of limbo, those of us who work in the search industry are in a
kind of limbo at the moment while the search heavyweights like
Yahoo, Google and MSN continue to circle each other baring
their teeth in preparation for battle. 2004 is set to be the
backdrop for a massive search showdown, with the market
heating up and expecting to attract billions in revenue. In
fact, as you'll see below, the first casualty appears to be
LookSmart, who are closing up offices and laying off staff
faster than you can say "never screw over your
customers" (-;
Last year was a year of
consolidation for the industry, with lots of takeovers,
buyouts and internal restructuring by the major search firms
in preparation for the year ahead. Should be an exciting time!
If you run a small business, don't miss this
month's feature article. It reviews the latest Proposal Kit, a
tool that - as a small business owner myself - I find
absolutely essential. Also this month, we're giving you a New
Year's gift. A free downloadable report called How to
Prosper With the New Google. It was written especially for
webmasters struggling to understand Google's latest algorithm
and offers practical advice on how to get your web sites
ranking high in the "new" Google.
Enjoy this issue and remember to visit our daily Search
Engine News Blog for the latest industry news and gossip.
Till next time - wishing you high rankings...
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LookSmart Loses CEO, Closes Australian
Operations |
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 LookSmart has announced
the resignation of their CEO, the axing of half their global
staff and the forthcoming closure of their Australian offices
in what seems to be a triple death blow to the troubled search
firm.
Former LookSmart Chief Executive Jason
Kellerman has stepped down after only two years in the job.
LookSmart Australia CEO Damian Smith has been asked by the
LookSmart Ltd Board to fill Kellerman's shoes until a
permanent replacement can be found.
Since losing
its lucrative distribution contract with Microsoft last year,
LookSmart, founded in Melbourne nine years ago, has been
forced to wind down its global business, including the closure
of its British office and the selling of its Australian assets
to Sensis, a wholly owned subsidiary of telecommunications
giant Telstra.
Sensis operates both the White
Pages and Yellow Pages directories in Australia, as well as
online services such as CitySearch and Whereis. It is rumored
that Sensis paid less than AUD 3 million for the intellectual
property behind LookSmart's Australian search technology.
The search firm will also be slashing their
global staff numbers from 429 to less than 200 by the end of
this quarter and will close offices in Melbourne and Sydney in
June. The company will continue to have a presence in the
U.S., managed from their San Francisco headquarters.
Blog
version...
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Yahoo Drops Google Results |
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 Earlier this month, Yahoo announced
they would be dropping Google listings from their search
portals within the next few weeks, in favor of their own
Inktomi search technology. It appears the migration has
already started, with many Inktomi listings already appearing
in place of Google results when conducting searches at Yahoo.
Previously, a search on Yahoo sites would pull
up Google listings as the default search results under the
heading Web Results. Yahoo's own Directory results are
still provided as back-up search results, accessible by
clicking the Directory tab.
Since Yahoo went on
a buying spree and purchased both Inktomi and Overture last
year, it has been widely expected that they would gradually
phase out Google results in favor of Inktomi listings. The
concept is not new to Yahoo, with them having used Inktomi
listings for a number of years before signing a partnership
agreement with Google back in July, 2000.
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version...
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Open Directory Integrates
"Thumbshots" |
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 The Open Directory has
now integrated thumbnail-sized screenshots of web pages in its
directory listings.
Using a technology called
"Thumbshots", the ODP now includes a red toggle ball on all
its pages as a way for searchers to activate the web page
screenshots and gain a sneak peek of what to expect if they
click to a site. The technology was developed by Thumbshots.org, a
charitable initiative from Smartdevil.com that contributes its
technology back to the Internet community.
Since
the official launch of Thumbshots in December 2003, hundreds
of Web sites have already integrated the technology into their
search engine, directory and content pages.
ODP
editors are praising Thumbshots too. "I think that display
of the thumbshots adds value in a similar fashion to Google's
display of pagerank and sorting", said an editor at Resource-Zone,
a public forum used by ODP editors. Editors are apparently
using Thumbshots to help review links for inclusion, maintain
the categories, remove broken links and spot duplicates sites
in the ODP.
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How to Prosper With the New Google - FREE
Report! |
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 Did you get caught out by the latest Google algorithm
change? Did your sites plummet in rank on Google over
Christmas? No idea why or how to get back on top?
Fellow industry expert and search forum buddy
Dan Thies of SEO
Research Labs has written a special report in response to
the controversial Google Florida Update that speculates on the
reasons for it and explains how to approach the new algorithm
if you want your site to be found in Google.
Dan
was kind enough to provide us with a copy of How to Prosper
With the New Google especially for newsletter readers. You
can download it now completely FREE of charge by
clicking on the link below (links direct to the PDF). You'll
need Adobe's
free Acrobat Reader to view the file. Happy Reading!
Click
here to download your FREE Report...
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Google Woos Domain Registrars |
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 Here's something Google I've not heard about before. Google DomainPark
allows domain name registrars and large domain name holders to
utilize their inventory of parked pages by delivering AdWords
advertisements targeted to those pages. The conceptually
related keywords and advertisements are delivered via Google's
semantic technology which "understands" the meaning of each
domain name.
Here's how it works: DomainPark
customers redirect traffic from parked domains to the
DomainPark service. When Google receives the request, it
processes the domain name and returns formatted HTML that
includes contextual ads and related searches.
Customers can either display the full HTML page
or include it in a frame. There are no set up fees, but the
minimum amount of site traffic to qualify for the service is
750,000 page views per month.
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version...
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Speak and Ye Shall Find - Voice Activated Search
Arrives |
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 It's not often you see true innovation in the search
industry. Most of the "new" technology flaunted by search
firms is simply old search technology, borrowed, recycled,
trussed up with a lick of paint and paraded around as new.
Well, a company called SearchLimo have developed
a truly new technology - at least new to me - a Voice- Activated Search
Engine.
According to the site, you just
"speak or spell your keyword(s), use phrases or sentences
and let MyChauffeur (James or Jamie) drive you to the web's
best destinations".
The program recognizes
pneumonics of the English language and translates them into
"actual" words for the compiler to recognize. The compiler
then scours SearchLimo's database and meta crawls the web in
search of the keyword(s) requested. The technology allows
users to search the web by simply speaking into their PC
microphones and letting SearchLimo's meta engines locate the
relevant search results, just as the user would expect from a
standard "type and search" engine.
The company
has integrated the software with Netscape's browser and plans
to officially launch the VG-SSE (Voice Generated Super Search
Engine) on February 15th.
Click
here for a full text/print version of this
newsletter...
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