I read a great article the other week by Mark Jackson from Search Engine Watch regarding setting expectations for search engine optimization. In it, Mark wonders how many SEOs have suffered due to unrealistic expectations from clients. I applauded Mark for speaking about the giant “elephant in the room” and was even compelled to post a positive response, something I don’t normally do.
The truth is that beyond the rankings (and associated traffic and ROI from those rankings), the work we do for our clients is often hard to quantify. The reasons for this are many but stem in large part due to the length of time it can take for a result to occur from our efforts. Building links this month, for example, may not impact our client’s overall results until 3-6 months down the road. It is this fact that often has clients and SEOs at discord. Conversely, many clients have left SEOs prematurely or even at the end of their contracts and have reaped the rewards for a long time after. So (and in keeping these relationship inequities in mind) what are the right expectations to set? Below is a list of items that I feel should be discussed prior to engaging with a client:
- SEO is front loaded- When you engage in SEO services, much of the heavy-lifting is done at the start of the program. It is important to discuss this fact up-front and realize that often much of what is paid during the life of the contract is the initial strategy and the execution of that strategy. Many SEOs charge accordingly with a heavy start/set-up fee, which is a great way to account for this main truth about optimization.
- Clients pay for knowledge and expertise – It’s not an exact comparison BUT you pay for SEO much like you’d pay for a plumber, engineer, or health care provider. Most of us in the Industry have spent considerable time and money learning our craft. Unlike those services, however, Clients are paying for a future “result” that requires experience, knowledge, and a solid strategy that may take many months to materialize.
- SEO is a long-term investment- Yes, the benefits from a good SEO program can literally transform your business overnight. However, good optimization is a long-term process that deserves a long-term commitment. SEO is not about tricking the search engines into short-term results. Instead, this is a long-term process and should be contracted as such.
- SEO is a partnership- If you think that optimization is a one way street then you are dead wrong. Strategy, keyword selection, content development, and link building are collaborative efforts and best done in partnership.
- SEO is all about ROI – There is an ego thing involved in getting to the top of the rankings. However, being number one doesn’t mean a thing unless it is for a keyword that gives you a good return on your investment. When calculating your returns, however, make sure you the estimate the lifetime value of your gains.
Finally, I submit that everything in online marketing is trackable. So, one value of an SEO program can be measured via rankings reports, analytics, and the improvements made during the program. That said, however, it is important to remember that the true measure of SEO will not be realized until years after optimization starts. Too many customers get caught up in this month’s ROI versus calculating the lifetime value of their acqusitions and the competitve advantage of being positioned at the top.
Tags: client expectations, managing clients, Search engine optimization, SEO
