Here's the deal. This was classic marketing 101 from Eli and I give him props for what he is doing. He gives away so much. The old give away the farm but keep the magic cow that produces endless supplies of milk and the hen.
Get's us little fishy's on his hook has he gently reels us in because we know hey Eli's a good guy as the hooks firmly imbeded in our cheek and his grill is fired up on shore, ready to cook us once we get to shore with a smile. Even as he filet's us, we say awe, Eli, the nicest SEO in the world as we are cooked to his liking. Then, the rest of the fish just jump on the grill for him, no questions asked.
Especially for a tool where there is no actual real world results for testominals or examples of previous work. $25,000 for a tool that we dont know for sure works.
Why did he sell out? Because we trust him and we want the magic pill he is offering, just like all the ebooks out there that promise the secret key to success. I'm not comparing Eli to the kooks that sell ebooks because he is in a league of his own and will dominate the SEO world if he keeps it up. Yes, the next Aaron Wall.
How brilliant to offer the form of an ebook into an SEO tool cure all for PR and rankings?
I'm not bashing Eli at all and I think no one contributes as much as that guy to the online world of SEO .