Dealing With SEO Clients

The world of online marketing continues to grow and develop to accommodate the evolving needs of the marketplace. More and more companies are beginning to understand that success on the Internet depends on more than just creating a website. They've heard of this mysterious thing called SEO and someone told them that they needed it for their site, but beyond that, most clients don't know what to expect from an SEO company.

And this can lead to misunderstandings and misplaced expectations. And when that happens, it can be very difficult to deal with your SEO clients.

So how do you do it? How do you keep the clients happy?

It's not easy, but it can be done. You just need to anticipate some of their inevitable issues very early on.

First of all, time means different things to an SEO company than it does to the client. For the average Internet company, whether selling items or services, they need to see immediate results. It's bred into every decision they make. If they are not making progress then they are falling behind. That is simply the attitude that is created in such a competitive market.

To an SEO company, on the other hand, time is a necessary part of the equation. It can't be manipulated and it can't be ignored. Time is simply a requirement of the search engines, and the only way to get around it is to employ less than ethical SEO techniques. And these are as likely to get them banned from the search engines as it is to increase their rankings withing them.

Another misconception is that once they've achieved certain rankings they'll no longer need to employ an SEO company. This also is untrue, but something that traditional companies cannot wrap their heads around. The normal advertising model would include a large marketing push to establish your name and reputation, and then riding it out as long as possible. When that momentum dries up they can just make another push.

It doesn't work like that with SEO. Once you've established yourself in the natural SERPS you've got to maintain that position. The moment you stop actively improving your ranking you'll start slipping back down. And Internet mentality is different from normal consumerism in that if they are not in front of the consumer's eyes, they will not be in the consumer's mind.

Now, with these impending problems in mind, I am not suggesting that you go to all your clients with demands and requirements that involve significantly extended contracts. This is not the way to deal with your SEO clients.

What I am recommending is a practice application of education. This is not a simple road, after all, the reason many companies are hiring you is specifically to avoid the need of gaining that extra education. So how do you begin? This can be different for each client, but you should be direct and honest with them. Full disclosure of your practices should not be feared. In fact, if you do it right, by teaching clients about your procedures you will also be teaching them about the overall SEO process and how the two interact. And, more importantly, exactly what kind of results they can reasonably expect.

Many SEO companies try to horde their practices as if it were some secret knowledge that no one else can have or possibly understand. But when your clients have no idea what you are doing for them on a day to day basis, is it really a surprise when they get a little tetchy? This kind of direct dealing is a great way to anticipate and take care of your clients' needs.

Andy Eliason is a writer at Main10, Inc, a Utah SEO firm. If you'd like to learn more about Internet Marketing, visit their site today.