You+Me=Together, Getting SEO and Clients on the Same Page

Posted on 09 September 2009

As SEO-ers we hear “why” a lot. Why didn’t my page’s rank increase? Why should I target a more specific keyword? Why should I spend money on a PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaign? Why are you so pretty?

Ok- not the last one but all of the others I have heard a million times over. I think many of these questions come from a fundamental breakdown in communication and education. We (SEO-ers) spend quite a bit of time pitching our ideas and methods to potential clients, but once the deal is made we can forget to continue the dialogue.

Even clients who have experience with SEO need to be given the time it takes to explain what exactly it is we do. The breakdown in communication doesn’t come solely from us though; often the client isn’t clear on what their expectations are. This is why it is so vital to our industry and to our client’s success that we have frank and open discussions regarding what SEO is and what the client would like for it to do for them.

• Some clients love to spend money. I’m not sure who said it, but somewhere at sometime somebody told their client that throwing money at their SEO problems would make them disappear and a top ranking would shortly follow. I have to assume this was the case because so many clients seem to think it’s a finite rule of SEO.  This is not so. Not at all. Yes, SEO costs money- of course it does, but if your SEO company is trying to convince you that money=#1 then you need to find a new SEO company. You can’t buy a number one ranking; it takes quite a bit more than money to achieve that.

• There are many components to optimizing your website. Your SEO-er should explain which ones will work the best for your particular website. And not all of those methods should cost you beaucoup bucks.

• Rank, rank, rank. For some clients this is all they can think about. I understand that way of thinking- heck, I used to be the president of the rank, rank, rank club. Unfortunately, SEO isn’t that simple. Of course, we all want our clients to achieve top ranking on most if not all of their sites pages… but high rank doesn’t necessarily mean success. You could have your client ranked number one for every single page on their site, but if their website isn’t achieving its purpose  (be that revenue, form conversions, members, or whatever the case may be) then that website can not be considered a success. Imagine a client who has a website dedicated to selling custom grocery bags. You work your SEO magic on the site and it gains top ranking on a number of different terms: Excellent! But also imagine that though they are number one they have sold the same amount of custom grocery bags as they did at number 12. This website isn’t fulfilling its main point of existence and you need to go back and re-think your methods and strategies in order to not only attract visitors but also to attract customers. Being the top-ranked site certainly helps — but it doesn’t mean any of your websites goals will be achieved. You (and I’m talking to SEO-ers and clients here) have to consider every perspective of a website not just the rank.

• Listen. An SEO-er might be an expert in SEO, but the client is an expert in their business. You need both sets of expertise to have a successful partnership. You have to create a synergy between client and SEO. After working together the SEO-er should know a lot about the client’s business, and the client should know a lot about SEO. I’m not sure where the habit of keeping SEO methods to ourselves came from, but in order to best serve our clients we have to get over it. Clients need to know and understand what it is we do for them. It’s important to listen to one another and really make an effort to learn. Good communication can be the difference between a successful campaign and an unsuccessful one. Besides, SEO is a reputation game, if they love you they will tell everyone they know and the same goes if they hate you, which would you rather have said?

• Expectations. Your client needs to be clear as day about what they expect to come out of your SEO efforts, and SEO-ers need to be clear as day about what outcomes are possible and what outcomes are impossible. The clearer everyone is on their expectations, the lesser the chance they will be disappointed.

• There isn’t one formula. There are many different methods and strategies in SEO. What works for one website won’t necessarily work for another. SEO-ers have to take every website on an individual basis and make changes based on that particular websites issues. Clients have to understand that since there isn’t one formula there may be more time and testing involved in finding the method that works for your site. It takes some patience on both sides but in the end finding the best possible combination of methods and strategies for a website makes it all worth it.

Communicate with each other: we are all working for the same end. There should be a very open dialogue between client and SEO. Neither side should ever hesitate to start a discussion. The success of your partnership depends on this openness.

SEO-ers, explain what your methods and strategies are from the beginning and don’t be annoyed when your clients ask you “why?” They need to know and you need to tell them (even if you have already said it a hundred times). Let them explain their business and what their expectations of it are to you. Clients, make sure you are listening to what your SEO expert is telling you. Make an effort to understand what they are changing on your website and why. Be clear about your expectations: SEO-ers are smart, but most of them aren’t mind readers; if they don’t know what you want they can’t give it to you. Again, it’s about communication.  So, let’s talk.