Testimonials

“Michael’s depth of experience and success in even highly competitive fields makes him a terrific choice as a consultant or partner. There is perhaps, no greater praise I can offer than this: I’ve tried to hire Michael personally at Moz. He’s that good.”

– Rand Fishkin, Founder, Moz and Spark Toro.

“I am so grateful to be able to benefit from Michael Cottam’s SEO expertise. We’re a growing content business in the aging care industry and with his help, have doubled our organic search traffic over 18 months – and continue to see steady improvement. I learn so much and get so many actionable ideas for improvement in every conversation. His strategies and tactics are far more effective than the vast majority of SEO consultants. Given the impressive results, he’s more than worth his fee! I also appreciate that he doesn’t require a monthly retainer like so many others, especially those who spend most of their billable hours on useless metrics reports and keyword monitoring. On a personal level, he’s a kind and interesting person that I always enjoy speaking with. And, he shared (pro bono!) his personal experience and clever solution in an article on our site that has helped countless families stay connected with their loved ones living in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic, bringing much needed comfort to a vulnerable population.”

– Connie Chow, Founder at DailyCaring.com

“I hired Michael to help me with the SEO for my website. I found him to be extremely knowledgeable and felt I got valuable advice and clear, specific direction on what to do to improve my SEO. I was also impressed by how quick he was to respond to questions. I strongly recommend Michael for anyone looking for SEO help from a real expert.”

Michael Stein, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Anxiety Solutions of Denver

“I found Michael when searching for an SEO consultant. He showed up on the first page. That alone spoke volumes to me about his expertise. I immediately appreciated his approach. Unlike so many other companies, that wanted a 12+ month commitment, before seeing any results along with a monthly recurring fee, he had fixed cost. He clearly broke down what we needed to do to improve our organic search results and local 3 pack. There was no ongoing costs, he educated me and then empowered me to execute. We have improved from page 10 or 11 in our industry to the #11 ranking (just outside of page 1). We are number 1 or 2 in the Google local 3 pack (we didn’t show up before). I expect we will be page 1 within the year in a very competitive industry. He has continued to be an excellent resource as I have had questions. A large news agency reached out to us about advertising stories with the pitch it would help SEO. Michael reviewed their examples and showed that had no SEO value, saving me a lot of money. He is honest, prompt and knows his industry. I wasted 12 months and money with another agency that didn’t do a tenth of what he did for me in a couple of weeks. I highly recommend him (if you are not in my industry).”

– Owner, Solar Norcal

“Words cannot describe how thankful I am that we hired Michael Cottam as our SEO consultant. He has truly been a blessing for our business—a law firm based in Michigan. First of all, he is an expert at his craft and has delivered results far beyond our expectations. He has really helped take our business to a new level, and I feel like we have a secret (legitimate and white-hat) weapon for our online marketing efforts. Second, he is highly trustworthy and, as a former-F.B.I. Agent, I use that term sparingly. But with Michael Cottam, he has earned my trust. Unlike the big, “professional” SEO company we previously employed, you simply pay for Michael’s time and expertise. He does what is necessary to help you obtain the results you are striving for without the typical monthly gouge/retainer that seems to be all too common in the industry. Trust me, he is worth every penny! Lastly, he is simply a really nice, interesting guy to get to know and work with. I trust his insight and respect his opinion on all matters of business and marketing. Thank you, Michael, for all you have done for our business this year. We are extremely grateful.”

– Gary K. Springstead, Managing Partner, Springstead Bartish & Borgula Law, P.L.L.C.

“I’ve known and worked with Michael Cottam for years. He attacks problems with an intense focus and will not rest until he’s cracked them. Michael’s focus on continuous improvement, both personally and professionally, speak to the well-rounded technologist he is. I’d work with Michael again in a heartbeat; I’d definitely want Michael on my team.”

– Scott Hanselman, Vice President of Developer Community at Microsoft

“I don’t know what to say about Michael Cottam other than he’s someone who I wish I could get to work exclusively with full time. In 15 years of working within the web in various roles and verticals, I have never met any contractor / consultant, who is as honest and trustworthy as Michael. He doesn’t over-promise and under deliver, he does the exact opposite. His business model for his services is literally set in such a way where he sacrifices revenue opportunity simply because it is the honest and ethical thing to do for his clients. Who does that? SEO is a minefield of quasi-professional people, who will sometimes take short-cuts and put your business at risk in order to achieve some quick gains, and often they charge obscene amounts of money for something that could have harmful long term effects. Not Michael, Michael is a white hat operator who truly takes the time to get to know your company, your goals, challenges within the vertical, and a level of detail that I have just never experienced before. I could not be happier with his work performance and my only complaint, which is not a fair one, is that he’s not available to work full time for my company.”

– Sean Sullivan, Founder and CEO, HealthNetwork

“Michael has been an absolute God send! I have been performing SEO services for Clients on a regular basis for more than five years and I like to consider myself better than most. Even so, I ran into an issue with one of my more important Clients that left me at a complete loss. They had experienced the perfect storm in terms of bad SEO – an attack by a competitor and mistakes made internally made it almost impossible to move the needle. As a last result I decided to find the best SEO consultant I could find – that’s actually the key phrase that I googled in order to find Mr. Cottam. After our very first meeting I had clarity and direction in terms of what needed to be done and how we should do it. He is the perfect strategic partner and everything you could hope for in a digital provider – he doesn’t nickel and dime, you don’t feel like he’s constantly watching the clock, he fields questions quickly and in a way that makes his response actionable and he is able to take complex issues and simplify them without being condescending. More than that, he’s the most knowledgeable person in his field of practice that I have ever encountered. I’m thrilled to have found him and to have had the opportunity to work with him. For what it’s worth, he carries my absolute highest recommendation. ”

– Kasim Aslam, Owner, Solutions 8

“One thing I have learned during my lifetime is that those people who give to their community of their time, talent and treasure are those that go the extra mile in satisfying their customers. I seek givers when I offer my business. Michael Cottam is a giver.”

– Al Jubitz, President, Jubitz Family Foundation; Past President, Rotary Club of Portland

“Michael Cottam successfully helped us create a website for real estate professionals. His of knowledge of system architecture and project management made the site successful, and his easy going personality made the process enjoyable. We would gladly use Michael’s services again.”

– Beth Murphy, President/CEO, Regional Multiple Listing Service”

Over the many years that I have known Michael he has never failed to respond to a friend’s needs. He willingly steps forward even in the toughest situations and lends a hand. His honesty and character make him someone who clients can trust will provide services that will exceed their expectations.”

– Sylvia Skratek, Mediator/Arbitrator; Senator, State of Washington, 47th Legislative District, 1990-1994

“The one thing that I have found working with multiple SEO optimization companies over the last 5 years is that most will only promise what Michael Cottam has been able to deliver. The extensive network of resources that he constantly utilizes to fulfill each individual clients needs is far and away been for my company the most effective for producing results that translate directly into sales. The progress that has been made came faster than expected and is continuing to exceed our expectations. The length that Michael has gone to ensure that our company is successful with this investment has been incredible. Some claim to know how to get your company and website recognized by the best search engines, with a tireless work ethic Michael lets the results speak for themselves.”

– Rodney Smith, Vice President, Sunspots Safaris

“Michael’s knowledge in the SEO marketplace is unparalleled. His ability to promptly create or dramatically improve your firms web presence is welcoming in this challenging economic environment. After all, we need sales opportunities and those are frequently coming from web searches. From experience, he’s one step in front of the competition in that he knows what search engines are seeking in order to bolster a website reputation/ranking. More importantly, he’s a genuine person, serves others and always goes beyond the call to ensure the clients he serves leave very pleased. You will want him on your team.”

– Sean Heyworth, Partner, Portland Houseworks

“Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to work closely with Michael on a number of web projects. I was immediately impressed with his breadth and depth of knowledge in a seemingly endless array of subjects, most notably SEO. Michael has demonstrated that he has the passion and intellect required to stay a step ahead in today’s ever-changing SEO environment.”

– Jacob Miller, Classic Ridge Web Design

“What do you want when hiring a computer/web/consultant? Clear, concise, well thought out ideas and concepts explained in a way a business person understands and can implement. Lots of technically adept people can tell you what you need, but few if any can present it, in a simple and straightforward manner that’s easy to understand. Add to that the fact that Michael has the background to discuss almost any current web technology and you have as close to the total package as I have seen. I have known Michael since 1992 in both the personal and business areas so here’s the scary part, ‘Trust me’, when I say you need Michael. ”

– Robert G. Jensen, Operations Manager, Columbia Gem House Inc.

“Michael Cottam was easy to work with, down to earth, and knowledgeable. The results speak for themselves and I recommend Michael for anyone seeking to master their SEO aspect of web marketing.”

– Larry Parks, General Partner, Prime Partners LLP

“Michael’s SEO work is pure magic! He optimized our website as well as provided us with information on how to rank higher on Google. As a result of his work, our business has more than doubled in the last two years since he’s done our SEO! Working with Michael was the best thing I’ve ever done for our business.”

– Amy Boggs, Sparkling Palaces