So when Donna states up front that she’s getting paid, it’s refreshing (though it’s a requirement anyway, right?). And it’s clear from this review that she’s pretty honest, which makes me think about the same of her and her blog as I did in the past. Great stuff.

I am guessing my 2 cents is in the minority here. You can’t please everyone (I guess that is just me 🙂 ).

Why not take a poll like I suggested earlier?

Ok, I will shut up and listen now…

As a regular reader of seo-scoop, as well as much of your other seo stuff on other sites/forums, I felt the need to throw my 2 cents into the ring.

My first reaction to the paid reviews was this: a) I am glad you were up front about it being paid. I thought it made you look MORE credible for being honest. (And when I say up front, I don’t mean the placement of your disclosure…just to be clear.) and b) I thought that if someone was willing to pay you for your review, that says to me, you’ve got the experience to give a complete and thorough analysis of the tool.

So, if I’m interested in the topic/product, I can save myself some time/energy by not having to do the research myself.

And I’d also like to mention, that aside from what little advertising there is on this site, you don’t get paid for sharing your vast experience in seo with the rest of us. Unlike many sites out there, there is no “buy this now” spiel or “join here” to access a great wealth of information. We should all be grateful.

I think perhaps the issue that Dave is trying to express is that it is introduced as a paid review which in turn can give off a bitter taste in someone’s mouth. The expectation of the blog post changes from its introduction that it’s a paid review.