Turning my Design Business site into a site to promote SEO

[JCDenver]

I need advice on retooling my website for my SEO biz. I have shifted my business model from graphic designer who does websites, to "internet marketing consultant who does graphics too". My main website and domain name is over 10 years old, so I've made the decision to keep it, even though it has no keywords in the name.  The name works well for the new business, otherwise.

The site has a PR3 and I rank well for small business advertising terms, which gets me graphic design business. I intend to keep doing graphic design, but that is a smaller part of my income.

I had considered making 3 satellite sites with keyword domain names to cover my offerings of graphic design SEO, website development, and internet marketing. But am leaning against it for several reasons (that all of us SEO's know) but mainly the fact that I cannot keep up with both working for my clients and blogging on multiple sites and link building for multiple sites.

So my question is (you knew there was one coming, right?), what is the best approach to building categories of web development, internet marketing, and SEO into my existing graphic design/advertising oriented website?

This is slightly embarrassing to ask as an SEO, but given the multiple approaches possible, and knowing the importance of doing it right the first time, it's best to get an consensus perspective on the BEST approach.

My main concerns are the navigation system and the links from the homepage into the site. I have too many pages I've identified as essential to link off of the home page and navigation menus? (Website development, social media marketing, link building, keyword research, pay per click, online advertising, graphic design, brochures, catalogs, Logos, Branding, SEO, keyword research etc.)

I've always tried for the ratio of one link off of any page for every 100 words of content. Do I create a home page that is of monster proportions?

Do I just have the 4 basic areas linking off the home page then create a "landing zone" of 4 folders and create down from that? I am concerned about URL length as I go deeper with that approach.

Or, does it make more sense to have a dozen second-level pages, and not link them all off the home page, and build from beneath (and relying on external juice).

Next issue is the nav system. It will be huge. Am I best off just keeping it to 4-6, and creating subnavigation on everypage within the site according to section (PITA)? I've read dozens of blog opinions on how much nav systems do or do not hurt link juice.

I've always thought footer links were right next to worthless to pass any juice, but given this situation, does it make sense to make a footer link for each major page (about 20)?

Thanks for your opinions.

[AndySolo]

Good luck to you! I plan on opening an SEO/ Internet Marketing company in about 2 years. I don't plan on going global either but it is a nice business to be in.

[JCDenver]

I agree... and it made it a tough decision to use my main site for seo promotion (ie taking valuable title and tag space from less competitive terms). Luckily, I'm a one man shop with no aspirations to go global!

Therefore I can use a little more long-tail, and local terms because I don't need 20 new customers every month. Those terms do use more title and url space though...

[AndySolo]

I'm not really sure how you would go about the whole process of redeveloping your site. IMO, I think having everything locally centered on one home-page with maybe drop down menu's to the other sub-categories within the main category would be good. I would look at what some other SEO companies have done and how they've developed there website. I can say that obviously ranking for an SEO company is pretty difficult given the competition.

I think traditional sales and business to business marketing strategies are very effective. Also, PPC is a great way to drive business.