There’s a huge secret in the SEO community and it’s all about you–the client. Because there’s so much information out there about search engine optimization, true, untrue and half-true, it’s difficult to know what to believe. What’s all the more frustrating is finding an SEO team that doesn’t talk down to you, keeps an open line of communication, and answers questions in an understandable way.
But Google’s big algorithm changes aren’t the largest problem facing SEOs–it’s you and your company. Because few clients actually understand what optimization really is and isn’t, there’s a disconnect between parties. Search optimization professionals face all kinds of obstacles and clients don’t need to be part of the problem. Trouble is, most SEOs don’t explain what they expect from their clients and that creates an untenable situation right from the start.
Building a Lasting Relationship
You do your due diligence, asking family, trusted friends and other business owners about their SEO experiences. After checking websites and reading through client testimonials, off the the local Better Business Bureau’s website you go. You check out a few SEO firms’ ratings and just to be through, send a lengthy email with all kinds of questions.
You want to settle on a team that fits your needs, stays within your budget, and gets measurable results. Guess what, those professionals want the same things because you’ll be their next big testimonial.
Relationships are instrumental in building a strong network of brand advocates and will provide the most value for your business. However, if your teams are uncoordinated, it can lessen their credibility and damage new and existing relationships. —Inc.com
Relationships, so the cliche goes, is a two-way street. Unfortunately, there are far too many businesses which expect far more than they’re paying for from their SEO. It’s not unlike demanding–and getting–to pay the Kid’s Menu price for the most expensive entree in a restaurant and then complaining it wasn’t good enough.
By clearing establishing what your SEO will do and won’t do, what you will and won’t do, the relationship will grow. If this isn’t done from the get-go or very early on, disappointment is inevitable. And, you might ruin what would otherwise be a very productive arrangement where all involved win.
What SEO Teams Expect of Their Clients
When you take your car to a mechanic, you rely on his expertise to fix what’s broken. But in the SEO world, many clients exacerbate problems, create them out of whole cloth or put into motion a series of unproductive events. In their quest to understand search engine optimization and to “help” their SEO, clients make a lot of mistakes.
Here’s some of the things you can do to make the venture worth your while:
- Don’t make requests outside the SEO’s roll. You hire an SEO team to do a specific job, so let them do it and give other tasks to those who are best equipped to handle them. In other words, don’t ask your SEO to put a new contact form or another feature on your site–that’s the job of your IT or web design personnel.
- Keep your SEO in the loop. If you want to change hosting providers or make any other changes, like a website redesign, let your SEO know before you make the move so you don’t sabotage your organic standing or endanger your current search rank.
- Count on performance, not where you rank for keywords. When you consider how many other companies are in your industry and the ubiquity of competition, it’s not realistic to think your site alone can “own” one or more key phrases. Rather, put emphasis on what’s happening like getting more traffic and/or more conversions.
- Let things play out and don’t panic. There’s a cold, hard fact you have to accept as an SEO client, and that’s things change. Google and Bing can drop bombs at any time. Even subtle changes can have a big impact. But that’s just like doing business, there will be obstacles and challenges from time to time.
- Give your SEO room to work. In other words, don’t muscle in on their territory. The news you’ve seen on that big tech blog probably isn’t news to your SEO, or it may be completely inaccurate. These professionals stay up-to-date on the latest tricks, tips, insights, trends and changes.
- Don’t create more problems with so-called fixes. You’re not doing your site or your relationship with your SEO any favors by trying to put a patch over an ever widening hole. Get to the root of the problem and take the time to correct it with the right tools.
If you are looking for a dedicated SEO team that focus on the task of getting your site found in search and is optimized for rank, then contact us. We not only provide superior SEO services, but give our clients full access to their site’s performance through our proprietary SEO portal.
