Search Engine Optimization

It’s not unheard of for a client to come in with an idea (or full-blown plan) of what they want their SEO to do and how to go about doing it. And while I appreciate the enthusiasm, sometimes clients can get in their own way and actually hinder their the growth of their website.

Case Study One: Microsites
A client decided they wanted to launch several microsites. They truly believed the only way they could rank with keywords in the search engines was by purchasing and launching a keyword rich domain name. You’ve probably seen those before, where the Meta title tag is stuffed with keywords and ends in a … because the phrases go on and on. Creating microsites like this, ones designed solely rank and push visitors through to the main site, actually dilutes your brand. Why not skip the middle man and direct traffic directly to your main website? Having the extra click means losing visitors. Plus, what if your wish comes true and the microsite actually outranks your main website in the search engines?

Case Study Two: “I think that’s good enough”
I had another client who I was working with for a short-term “test” project. They had never done any SEO before and wanted to see how it would work. I had a few months to convince them. At the end of the “trial,” the results were better than I had hoped for. They were ranking incredibly well for their chosen keywords, sales had gone up and their company was getting a lot more attention. What did the client decide to do? Stop. They thought those few months of SEO were enough to carry them onward. The hardest thing to get clients to accept is that SEO is a long-term, ongoing process. Why cut the legs off what has proven to be a very successful SEO campaign?

Case Study Three: Once Bit, Twice Shy
One of the hardest things to do is work with a client who has already used another firm to handle some or all of their SEO and that company employed black hat SEO techniques, effectively scarring the client. Their lack of trust makes it hard to make changes without having a long line of approval to work it through.

They don’t mean to be a bad SEO client they just are. If you have been in the SEO industry for quite some time you know the red flags to watch out for. Most of the time you can spot them within the first 2 minutes over the phone and often times you can get the sense in the lead form by reading the message and just looking at the website. The search engine optimization industry is a very wild wild west type of industry and until we get some regulation and order in place we are going to have really frantic clients from time to time.

Let’s take a look at some of the red flags that could start waving early in the process that could cause you to drop the hammer on a client.

Bad SEO Client Trait#1 – Being Burned In The Past
You know those clients, the ones that have been burned over and over in the past by other SEO companies promising all the gold in Fort Knox if they sign up for their $59 dollar plan? When you acquire a client that has been burned numerous times in the past and they have decided to drop the hammer on you right from the very start you are going to have a not so fun time on your hands. They have decided to finally stop being ripped off and automatically play the police roll with you. Don’t take it personally they are just sick of losing their money.


Bad SEO Client Trait#2 – They try to teach you about SEO
This one is the best because sometimes I bump into potential clients or newly acquired clients who have never approached an SEO campaign but all of a sudden they’re the professional telling you what is right and what is wrong? Just because you read The Dummies Guide To Search Engine Optimization does not mean that all of a sudden you are the expert. You contacted us for help not the other way around. SEO is a craft and a skill that sharpens with time and experience.

Bad SEO Client Trait#3 – Lack of education on the service
I know this contradicts a little with the paragraph above but every client looking to purchase search engine optimization services should educate themselves a little bit on the process of how it is conducted and the truths about the industry. Just because someone told you they can get you rankings in a week, doesn’t mean that is the norm of the industry.

Bad SEO Client Trait#4 – Unrealistic Expectations
This can often times be a nightmare as well. Unrealistic expectations are something that usually requires lots of time explaining on how things really happen in the SEO industry. Realistic expectations are all about understanding that SEO is a long term process and things take time. Unrealistic expectations are getting irate that you are not number 1 in the search results after one month of marketing your business online.

Bad SEO Client Trait#5 – Lack of communication
When it becomes virtually impossible to get a hold of your client that could cause a nightmare as well. Sometimes the nightmare doesn’t come up until tax season when accountants are going through the numbers. When your clients signs up and disappears for three months that is a red flag that nothing good can happen. For search engine marketing to work how it is supposed to there has to be a constant communication every single month because there are marketing efforts required to be executed every single month.

Bad SEO Client Trait#6 – Denial is strong
This can come in many different flavors. The first is when a client thinks their competitors are nothing compared to them and that things will happen quickly because “our website is better”, it doesn’t work that way. On the other side of the spectrum a client shows up with a hot mess of a website but they think it is the cat’s bag which is also an indicator that there could be a problem down the road. A website needs to be positioned correctly to convert.

Bad SEO Client Trait#7 – Depending on SEO for complete business survival
SEO should be one component of a business’s revenue model. When a client comes aboard and they have nothing else in place and put all the weight of their survival on your SEO that is when disaster happens. Search engine optimization and marketing takes time to really start working and a website just getting started should have other forms of revenue coming in.

Don’t get me wrong it is important to spend the time with every potential client and educate them away from some of these thoughts in order to have a long lasting business relationship, but the SEO client has to have an open mind about learning how SEO is done the right way. Are you ready to become a good SEO client?