Interesting SEO course, from old hands

[mikeb]

Just got an email from messrs Rohde and Thies about "white hat black hat" a course. Considering their reputation $297 sounds interesting, particularly because you get the entire course in time to claim on the refund.

https://seobraintrust.net/

Not an affiliate link.

Tempted to do it

I have heard both of them speak in the past, indeed Rohde is in some ways the godfather of SEO having coined the phrase link reputation in the first place!. There was a little back slapping between Mr Cutts and Mr Thies over the drumming out of blog networks recently, some people losing thousands of ranked sites in a single network ....**ouch**
http://trafficplanet.com/topic/1925-...-planet-uh-oh/

Don't know if they have any new "take" on recent updates.

In a london event I remember Leslie talked about stimulating conversations, even creating social posters on either side of a controversial subject. The ethical question of course is if you have to have multiple identities starting a conversation, however genuine it later becomes, are you really white hat.

Some take this to extremes of course. One marketer I follow (who has been known to take a few shortcuts!) was talking about having bought a large batch of twitter accounts recently with the robotic conversation about mundane things linking back, and that it had a big impact on rankings. Proving if nothing else that social media to which google do not have direct access also can count.

Anyway - sore tempted to do it - might report back.
Anyone else considering it?

[TheodoreK]

...you get the entire course in time to claim on the refund.

I believe this is not true. Their guarantee is valid for a 30-day period while they say it takes 5 weeks to get all the modules.

The remaining 5 Modules once per week for the next 5 weeks

So, if you ask for a refund you miss on the last module.



Now, I was immediately turned off by the video sales page that does not allow you to jump to the end of the video. That alone screams newbie-trap and should raise some red flags.

Apart from that, the video does not say much about the course itself and claims such as "White hat and made to last forever" do not sit well with me.

[mikeb]

Apart from that, the video does not say much about the course itself

True. But then messrs rohde and thies are selling to own list here, so can perhaps trade on their reputations

[petertdavis]

You really don't need to pay someone to teach you SEO. It's dead simple. Create great content, and get links. If you're expecting to learn about the insider dirty tricks, then save your money. These guru types are expert at only one kind of dirty trick, and that's extracting money out of the pockets of people like you.

[mikeb]

You really don't need to pay someone to teach you SEO. It's dead simple. Create great content, and get links. If you're expecting to learn about the insider dirty tricks, then save your money. These guru types are expert at only one kind of dirty trick, and that's extracting money out of the pockets of people like you.

The devil is in the detail. Which links for example are good? Particularly pertinent post penguin. If you take information and testing from people whose day job is not teaching but doing what you want to do on an industrial scale, it can save a lot of wasted time and cost in experimentation.

The ancient greek proverb - "give a wise man instruction, he becomes yet wiser "
The seeming resistance to training on this forum fascinates me!

[KenW3]

The seeming resistance to training on this forum fascinates me!

Actually, I did learn from your post: Thank You. Your link above caused me to take a look at the Infusionsoft QuickSalesSystem.com add-on software from Strategic Systems. I will add that information to my arsenal of potential tools.

I don't see resistance to training on EP, but I see strong resistance to paying for what is free and paying for what appears to be scams as you might expect on a forum of people with experience.

I would recommend that you do not spend any money for this.

[mikeb]

Actually, I did learn from your post: Thank You. Your link above caused me to take a look at the Infusionsoft QuickSalesSystem.com add-on software from Strategic Systems. I will add that information to my arsenal of potential tools.

I don't see resistance to training on EP, but I see strong resistance to paying for what is free and paying for what appears to be scams as you might expect on a forum of people with experience.

I would recommend that you do not spend any money for this.

I am still fascinated. How for example from the scant information they provide you deem messrs rohde and thies as either scammers and/ or giving away free?

I have heard rohde give a number of talks in the past and he has always given useful stuff, two years ago explaining the conclusions of their testing on how best to use social media for seo. Cutting edge at the time.
To be worth the tag all this has to do is save me a few hours more than i spend listening to it. So I am willing to take the gamble that i will learn something new, or take the money back. I am willing to give the benefit of doubt because of having spent time talking to him.

Alternatively and preferably - I voiced an opinion on another thread, that what mattered most was proof of results in a sales presentation first because it made the best and informative pitch, second it proved that results were possible, and finally the converse that people who do not prove income or results, probably have no results to show. There was a definite resistance to that argument at the time.

So how do you pick the courses you do?

[KenW3]

So how do you pick the courses you do?

I just had a course from Infusionsoft thanks to your link above. They taught me what I needed to know to use their software

If I am interested in a store, I expect the service to supply a manual and instruction on how to build the store for free. If I want to build a WordPress site, I can go to a premium theme seller, and read their documentation. If I want to know how this forum works, I go to https://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/ or search for video on YouTube.com. If I don't understand hosting, for example, I can go to HostGator to read and watch all of their tutorials and support videos for free.

If you are interested in SEO, I would recommend you follow the links in SEOmoz - Beginner's Guide and Google Webmaster Academy threads, and learn for free.

I never followed Leslie Rohde and Dan Thies for SEO information, but I have read extensively from Rand Fishkin at SEOmoz.com and Aaron Wall at SEObook.com. If you go to YouTube.com, search those two names and watch the material, the compilation is at least a thousand dollar video course for free.

[Kay]

The seeming resistance to training on this forum fascinates me!

Your fascination fascinates me. We're not resistant to training, whatever gave you that idea? On the contrary. Most of us love training. In my not very humble opinion, EP is one of the best learning environments you could possibly find. Most of the members are experienced people (geddit?) who are quite sceptical about things and can spot newbie traps a mile off.

The best way forward to resolve whether this "White Hat Black Belt" thing is any good is for someone (perhaps you, Mike?) to do the course and report back. I would stick my hand up for it in the same way as I did for Internet Tycoon, but their sign up form requires too much personal information such as my credit card number and my phone number. Ooh, la la. They're not getting that. I don't mind paying for stuff by PayPal but I back off when people want to know where I live, what my phone number is and what colour of knickers I'm wearing today.

Go on, Mike. Do us a favour and sign up for it and then tell us how you get on.

[mikeb]

Most of the members are experienced people (geddit?) who are quite sceptical about things and can spot newbie traps a mile off.

So am I sceptical - which is precisely why I did not do the tycoon course, even for a $ - it did not smell right.

Having read the critiques of more or less any and every course mentioned here, it is hard to see what would convince anyone here to part with money.

I am thnking of doing this not because of the video ( which puts me off completely, but not as much as the tycoon one) but that I have heard him speak before, and spoken to him. I also know that some of his marketing buddies will have put him up to creating that video, and I do not think he made a terribly good job of it. Much as I suspect you gave justin the benefit of the doubt despite the video rather than because of it,, so did I with Mr Rohdie.

The video I would have created if I were Leslie would have been entitled "penguin proof" or similar, - and give stats on the success of all his and his client sites, proving his way survived. An outline of the strategies, then a pitch for the course.

An interesting question: had he done that, would it have attracted more interest?

and my phone number. Ooh, la la. They're not getting that.

They are not getting mine either! - I had not noticed that, I tend to **lie** if ever forced into that situation!
It can be as simple as them failing to deselect default information, rather than actively requesting it. I do not see them as spammers, and have never had a spam email once despite being on the list for years.

Go on, Mike. Do us a favour and sign up for it and then tell us how you get on.

It is kind of what I suggested I would do..