SEO has no great secrets, we all have read about it and know all about link exchange, link building, meta tags, manual directory submission and so on but does it substitute the knowing hand of a professional SEO?
Do you really think amateurs can do it as efficiently or would you pull out the bucks and pay a professional SEO? What do you think is the fair budget for a three-month campaign?
I think amateurs can do it effectively given the right tools and determination. I have also learned that if you are going to hire someone it is best to hire a Service and not an individual. A service will only charge you per project as opposed to per hour for most individual rates.