rcjordan - 9:55 pm on Jun 29, 2000 (gmt 0)

>depends on how competitive your key words are.

Some keywords can be ultra-competitive, but the specific market may not have any players that are very sophisticated in SEO. Some categories are choked with thousands of small businesses with no one large enough or willing to pay for professional SEO. "Hotels" in a mid-level resort region, for instance. One can often compete well with minimal page manipulation in those markets.

But, if you are planning on going toe-to-toe with a big dog in a market that is hot online (ex: air travel), rest assured that you will be up against sophisticated techniques.