Indeed. My dad paid a patent attorney somewhere in that range.

Anyhow, we should at least try and keep this civil. On-Ramp posted something that he found to be a bit over the top. Numerous people responded that maybe it's not so outrageous. No reason to get all personal and start the mud-slinging.

On-Ramp, in the web world, $725 doesn't go far. You should see what good web design companies get...

I think I know what business you're in On-Ramp, and I agree that $725 might be a bit steep for the niche you're in. There are other well tested means of advertising on the web that can bring in traffic (and therefore, revenue). What works for someone else isn't going to always work for you; it might just plain not work or need tweaking to be optimized for your situation. I would recommend that you concentrate first on getting more in-bound links (mentions on other websites) on well trafficed sites. And make sure your design is easy to navigate, doesn't take forever to download (or render) and is pleasing to the eye. Then you can concentrate some time on SEO. Google and MSN will turn up tons of results, but beware: it's a black art, and anyone claiming to know it all is probably blowing hot air. Big search companies (eg, Google) don't tell people how their PageRank system works. So, critically read the articles you find on SEO and determine which ones you can implement, and then implement them. Make sure you have a good stats tracking system to determine what affects your changes are having. You'll have to give it some time, though. You have to stay on top of it, also, because search companies are always tweaking their ranking systems, and new sites are constantly being added, and existing sites are constantly being modified and taken down. So keep an eye on it.

Alternatively, you can just shell some $$ out to an SEO company/consultant. I think we have a few on Pelican, even.

You should be more than able to bring up tons of articles on using/optimizing AdWords with a little searching.

If I'm way off base here and you weren't in need of any web marketing/advertising stuffs, then I apologize for the lengthy post.

My father is a nuke physicist, West Point then MIT. He is 77 now and retired from a very distinguished career... and industry throws money at him to come and figure out how to get nuke work on contract.

That way, they save money because he comes in, gets it right and leaves in two weeks. No need for a strap-hanger working full time.

Last time I checked, his gun stays holstered. He has a skill and reputation in demand. The market decides worth.

WTF? Then they shouldn't be in business.

I was hoping I didn't have to use green for sarcasm. I will edit the offending post.