Setting  SEO expectations to Clients

Our company No Risk SEO Inc works hard on behalf of every clients website.  It’s important to set the right expectations from the beginning. Those expectations are that SEO is not flipping a switch and getting your website to show up on the first page of Google the next day. A good SEO campaign starts with an initial website audit.

Are there broken links, duplicate content or bad tags? What are some of the non SEO friendly items that can be fixed?  It is only at that point that we can start talking about improvement of said website.

The process is long and challenging. That it is. For a client that has a quick turnaround in their mind, they need to be educated.  Todays SEO program focuses on content marketing. Writing compelling, unique content and building valuable links of said content to the website.  Then as time goes by evaluate how that content and inbound link strategy is improving the websites overall rank.

If any company would just bight the bullet and take the time to improve their website, they would be in a dominating position in less than a year. The problem is nobody wants to that in the world we live in. The world of instant gratification.  Can you imagine if a company would just put a year into SEO and how successful they would be for the next ten if they were continue?

So what can we do as SEO experts to help our clients with setting the right expectations.  Number one on my list is transparency. We us e Basecamp to show all of our clients the multiple items we have just for the set up part of their site. As well as all of the content that is being written, where it is being placed and what the anchor text is we are using.  What else? Participation. Participation is key to a good client relationship.  Not only should they be logging into Basecamp, but they should be participating in monthly meetings. Hearing directly from the project manager what has been going on with the site, the reaction from the search engines, as well as what next months strategy will be.

You had a great meeting with a client and ideas are being planned out. Keep those ideas and plan of action concise.  A clearly defined plan of action is the first part. That is what the proposal will be. If there are too many ideas flying around a client could easily get sidetracked causing the deal to stall. That would not be very good.

Solution: Agree on Specific Deliverables, and Deliver on Them

It’s time to get specific both in what you’ll do together and how you’ll do it. Your first step is to outline clear deliverables with timelines and due dates. Set the big goals, then break them down into achievable benchmarks, allowing room to adjust as things change. Different industries will have different challenges. For instance, a private equity SEO campaign is completely different than a local service based SEO campaign.

After this is set, establish operating procedures with a clear contract. How quickly can your client expect you to respond to emails? What kind of extras do you offer if they’re not happy with the initial work? Clients often need coaching not just for the subject matter at hand, but also in working with you, especially as they may not have employed anyone quite like you in the past. So, make it clear, write it down, and stick to what you say.

Client is Frequently “Checking In”

Frequently checking in clients. These are clients who just keep “checking in” to see how things are going, effectively interrupting any workflow you have going on their project. Or, even worse, they might freak out and redirect the course of the project when they see unfinished work too early after pushing you for more insight. We typically like to check in once a month to report all activities completed. Each hour we are on the phone is an hour we could be working on the website, so keep that in mind! Our goal is to make you money. It is important you understand what we are doing and why, however, always remember the end goal. Allowing us to help you make a return on your investment.

Solution: Give Your Client Real-Time Project Updates. We use and recommend Basecamp along with auto-reporting guidelines.

Provide a project management software with your client like Basecamp, where you can lay out all of your tasks with due dates and send your client automatic emails as you complete them. Sharing documents and spreadsheets through Google Drive is another option, as your client will see you editing work in the project. And never underestimate the power of setting a monthly update meeting to discuss progress.

Despite all of these efforts, your clients still may feel disconnected. Frustrating as it may be, it’s also perfectly understandable. We all communicate in different ways, and while you may feel you’re paying them enough attention, it may not be in quite the way that makes them personally feel assured. This deeper disconnect can feed any of the problems discussed previously.

Solution: Communicate Religiously

As tempting as it may be to funnel all of your communication through email, take the time to get to know your clients’ preferred communication style. A good rule of thumb is to prioritize in-person meetings first, then face-to-face virtual hangouts using a tool such as Google+ Hangouts, Skype, or GoToMeeting. After that, go to the phone, then email.

You Start Out Strong…and then Drift

Whether a company’s goals change or great communication slowly slips, project drift is a common issue. What was once a well-oiled machine is now a lazy one, and the project is lollygagging along indefinitely. This will not get you the type of results we are capable of. SEO is not a set it and forget it type program. If you want these types of SEO results, it takes two.

Solution: Regularly Evaluate Expectations. Speak about what is changing in your industry. 

Yes, setting goals is essential, but marketing is about more than simply spreading the word to customers. In fact, for many companies it’s a process of discovery – one that can tell them things about their business and their target audience they never knew they needed to know.

If that process isn’t managed properly, you can end up tacking on extra goals and chasing down rabbit holes until your efforts are spread far too thin. Or, to the contrary, you can find yourself forcing a project into rigid goals that no longer apply, with poor results. Rather than letting this happen, set regular reevaluation meetings with your client to reset and refocus goals. It’s okay to change direction, just as long as you do so in a controlled manner.

Like it or not, effectively managing client SEO expectations is one of the single most important things a internet marketer can do – one that should be treated like any other task on your very long list. Take the time to get it right, and an easy, effective, productive dynamic will be yours, as well as a job well done.