BATAVIA, ILLINOIS: In this ghastly economy, small business owners are caught in a terrible bind. They need search engine optimization (SEO) to stay in front of customers and prospects, but can ill afford the expenditure.

Their problem is solved. Industry expert George Ajazi has launched a new business model offering free SEO services to small and mid-size companies (SMBs) in exchange for a single hyperlink.  No cash required. 
 
Ajazi started his business 11 years ago. In addition to a wide range of SEO services, he provides website development, keyword research, and paid search engine marketing programs. He created his model to make high quality SEO accessible to companies with modest or nonexistent SEO budgets.

He recalled: "It occurred to me there was only one thing stopping the little guy from getting first or second page Google rankings -- money. The government is dishing out billions to bail out the fat cats, but I say it's high time to help the hard working entrepreneur. If the federal government won't do it, I will."

While the model represents a paradigm shift in the SEO industry - or any other industry, for that matter -- Ajazi has already won the affections of SEO services seekers. What does he Ajazi out of it, a skeptic might ask. "Time savings is benefit numero uno," Ajazi bilingually observes. "No more convoluted price matrices. No more protracted price negotiations. No hounding clients for overdue payments. No book keeping. I've never been busier, yet my business has never been simpler. How many people can say that?"

To help promote the model, Ajazi hired longtime collaborator Brad Shorr of Word Sell, Inc. "It's an honor to be part of this," says Shorr. "We hammered out a deal where I get 30 percent of all the revenue George collects from his free SEO services. Granted, it amounts to nothing, but if it helps entrepreneurs, I want in."