I've always found the SEO/SEM industry rather shady. It is full of consultants with relatively low technical knowledge, usually just following the herd. I'm pre

I've always found the SEO/SEM industry rather shady. It is full of consultants with relatively low technical knowledge, usually just following the herd. I'm pretty sure Google itself offers plenty of resources (analytics, webmaster tools, etc.). Most of the advice I've read over the years seems pretty common sense, as long as you're offering a fair product for a fair price. If I were in your shoes, I would probably use what Google offers for free for a few months. After that, I'd sign up for moz.com's free 30 day trial ($99/mo afterward), and learn as much as possible from what their service offers. If I felt comfortable on my own after that, I'd cancel. This is not my area of expertise, but I hope it helps.