There has been a spate of posts recently that talk about spammy SEO agencies offering guarantees, trying to con webmasters into linking to them.
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/david-trattnig/262091025/
As a small business SEO/SEM, how do you deal with competition by these “guaranteed” page one results type SEOs? There are two elements to this situation: one is protecting your current client roster, and the second is gaining the right new client.
To start with, I would like to discuss protecting your own clients, and would like to illustrate this with an example. Below is an email conversation I had with a client fairly recently (edited to remove irrelevant comments and identifying markers):
Client: Rishi – see the email below, what would these guys do for us? (fwd email – yadda yaddda yadda guaranteed Page one Results yadda yadda yadda Adwords qualified yadda yadda yadda see clients' testimonials yadda yadda ) Me: I would love to answer, but can I ask you a few questions instead? Client: Why do you have to be a pain? Go ahead Me:- Exactly what keyword are you targeting that you aren’t on page one pos 1-3 for?
- What do you normally do with cold calls?
- Have you Googled the word “Adwords Professional”?
- I have worked with you for over a year now, I am sure you are pretty good at basic SEO understanding, can you run me an eyeball audit of the site of the “so claimed” SEO?
- I have forwarded you Google’s guidelines before - what do they say about guarantees?
- None
- Swear at them
- OK, PPC has nothing to do with SEO. I get it.
- Lack of alt tags, site wide title tag duplication, broken links
- No guarantees.
- Point taken and relegated to spam folder.
- Lose weight
You see, what happened here is I have worked hard with this client, forged a relationship with him, but have also empowered him to understand exactly what I do and how I do it. I encourage him and others to understand exactly what SEO is, and to learn to make decisions based on hard facts, exactly how they would if they were making any other business decision. This is Empowerment and Education at work.
Not only does it free you from countless arguments, but the clients start to even understand how to rate a “real” link request from spammy ones over time.
Don’t make the mistake of mystifying SEO – unravel its secrets to your clients, build a base on which your client has trust in you such that it can only be shaken if you don’t deliver. And if you don’t intend to deliver, then don’t even pretend to start.
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/byronshell/2468121053/
How do you deal with potential new clients who you are pitching to, but who have been contaminated with these “guaranteed” SEOs?
I keep it pretty simple, really. The information is out there, all you have to do is to dress it up such that the clients understand.
Take, for example, the base one starting points:
- Webmaster Guidelines by Google: Part of the pitching process included testing the site for all the given guidelines, along with an explanation of what else over and above would I offer, such as keyword research, clickthrough analysis, etc.
- SEO Definition by Google: This link is ideal and I am going to pull out two paragraphs that I highlight without fail:
Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue. Amazingly, we get these spam emails too: "Dear Google.com, I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..." Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators. No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
- When dealing with “Adwords qualified professionals,” I make a point to include the data from this link :
Search results on Google are generated automatically. No company can buy placement in Google's search results (also known as the 'natural search results'). AdWords ads, which companies can purchase on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis, are clearly marked as 'sponsored links' and appear above and beside the search results.
There’s a whole host of literature that you can use to point out why you are better, more ethical and the right choice compared to these “SpamEOs.” You just have to figure out what's right for you and the audience you are presenting your proposal to.
I have said this before, but will stress again, “Don’t try to impress with knowledge, but try to impress with your strategy.”
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/518613153/
Don’t Go Yet!
If you would like to know more about Small Business SEM processes that I use, please feel free to read my take on SEO Swot Analysis, as well as:
- Small Business SEO: Content Strategies
- Small Business Link Building: Part B - Grabbing the Bull by the Horns
- Small Business Link Building: Part A - Analysing Opportunities
- Building Bricks: Keyword Discovery Process for Small Businesses
This must be the third article on this topic I read today (after one by Rand and one by Danny Sullivan, linked to by Rand); and I STILL can't believe we still have this kind of 'SEO agencies' around!
How can this industry have so many cowboys - I mean fine, I can understand clients can be sometimes uninformed in as far as rankings, Google and SEO are concerned. But they could still google some of these things!
True story, first hand: I was in my second week with one of my past life employers; smallish company, part of a much larger one. SEO agency used by the parent company comes to me and, out of the blue, informs me that our site is about to be delisted (?!) from Google. CCd: my MD and the group's CEO. What follows: a week of storms over my very SEO-ignorant head, followed by the proposal of the same SEO agency to fix our site. For 100,000 dollars. I kid you not.
So what to do? I go and google the entire bloody thing starting with the basics of SEO and what the heck does it mean to be delisted from Google, and is there such a thing, etc. Then I talk to 10 (ten) different SEO agencies, pick a decent, transparent one who comes, gives me a site audit, we implement and in 2 months we're no 2 for one of the industry's most competitive keywords. Update: and I just noticed my baby climbed up to no :)
Six months later, the said SEO agency finds itself penalised out of the index, not ranking even for their own name. Chuckle, chuckle.
Conclusion? It's not rocket science to figure out who are the cowboys. One doesn't need to know SEO, just have a bit of flair in smelling out the rogues. So how do these people still exist and presumably make money is beyond me.
Argh. Been there. Done that.
Thanks for sharing. Boggles the mind doesn't it.
I applaud you - you actually tried to figure out the issue before implementing any advice. Awesome, and a major thumbs up.
Its intelligent clients like you that I like to work with (its so easy :P)
Thanks rishil - I think it was just a case of WTF?! If they would have said 10k perhaps I would have just said yes, given my level of ignorance at the time. But for 100k one does tend to think twice.
I try and imagine that they don't make any money: that they're living in boxes, picking that last bean out of the tin can, and every once in a while, going to the library to check and see if anyone was dumb enough to fall for any of their spam messages.
Though this is probably not the case (sigh).
I don't know, I'd like to believe that too, but I expect they must make a living or would have dissapeared a long while ago. The problem is that they're polluting the reputation for the entire industry.
They sure are. This reminds me of all the people that set up these "paid directories" that tell everyone how much traffic they're going to get by spending 25 dollars a month with them and it turns out you can run a compete report on them in two seconds (also note their external links and PR) and wonder how they hell anyone who spent money with them isn't chasing them down with a pitchfork after a few months?? And torches, of course.
Great post.
I was actually at a meeting with a client yesterday and she said (I'm half quoting/half paraphrasing here) "I work with you because you not only research but you explain your research so I understand what it is I'm getting and we're doing".
There are so many companies out there that think "we can't divulge our secrets, the competition will steal our process". But what they are really saying without knowing it is "we don't have enough faith in our own services to be that open and honest".
Thats the key. We all "know" SEO but the way you empower the client makes the whole difference when it comes to competition am retaining the client.
I was going to comment about empowering the client but you already did.
Just gonna add that through empowerment you will not only increase your reputation as a leader in their eyes, but you'll also open yourself up to learning from them. win win!
Absolutely. We also have to keep in mind that not every client wants to learn more about SEO, but properly educating them can help to keep them from falling victim to common scams in the industry.
Not to mention the fact that once they realize they don't really want to do all the work required to fix on-site issues and/or carry out social networking and link building strategies themselves, they're far more likely to call on you to do it for them. As with any other business relationship, it's really about building rapport and earning a client's trust & respect.
Thats the key. We all "know" SEO but the way you empower the client makes the whole difference when it comes to competition am retaining the client.
You also make the client a stakeholder. It's tough to push back when it was your idea in the first place.
really cuts down on backtracking and re-dos.
That's a great point. I recently started working in-house for a company who had just wrapped up a year with a shady web dev company selling their SEO snake oil. Empowering them with knowledge was the key to their own self-discovery.
That is the perfect way to put it - there is a total lack of confidence in the service provider if they won't be open with clients about their techniques and the results.
I agree wholeheartedly. If an SEO isn't willing to explain something fully, it's often because they don't fully understand it themselves and are afraid of digging themselves into a whole they won't be able to climb out of.
Kick. Ass. Post.
Education and Empowerment. Exactly.
Almost everything explained as to why it is done this way... backed up with examples of how not to do it.
I get them doing some of the work themselves, even some very basic coding, gives them some "control".
I get them to start looking at site searches, WMT and Analytics, so they can begin to find problems themselves and ask questions.
As difficult as SEO can be to understand for our average clients, it's usually not so hard to convince them that these companies, spamEOs, are full of crap.
They like being able to come into our office (which they do too often sometimes) and see that we are real people. They can't do that with the spamEOs.
Great post. The problem is that these spammers are promising BETTER results than we would guarantee and for a much CHEAPER price. To respond to that I like to refer to the story in this: Why Do the (Good) SEOs Cost So Much? It doesn't have the best title to send to potential customers, but the message in it is very effective.
That's a great reference article that you pointed out. I'll have to keep that in my list of must-reads for clients. Thanks.
Excelent article, the one you recommended. Loved the analogy!
Excellent topic rishil.
Search marketing empowement and education of clients or potential clients or even non-potentials (i.e companies who already have contracted search agencies) is good karma.
I have witnessed countless referrals and renewals given to selfless search agencies/consultants from companies that want to give something back for the advice or education received.
Companies sending you search marketing clients with a glowing endorsement sure as hell beats coldcalling companies...
Shor a compliment from you is worth a hundred thumbs! I am not even on your level - I love the stuff you write! Thanks :)
Really liked your post and decided to follow you on twitter ... but got somehow disappointed when I saw that you aren't the bird licking the Jack Daniels bottle :-)
just kidding, keep up the good work
What if we like the post but already follow you on Twitter? Is there a prize?
Yeah you get the booby prize of seeing me act like I know anything about SEO :P
Why are people always looking down on SEOs flashing their Google Adwords qualifications? I think it's a good thing that they've got it. First of all, they are more likely to be aware of Google and their (rules) guidelines. Second, they are more likely to have a better understanding of keyword research etc.
PPC is also a pretty good way of conducting keyword research for your SEO campaign. With PPC you can test keywords, the traffic they give you and the results they deliver. A recent client (the last one I signed actually) was targetting a highly targeted keyword in his niche and spent thousand with another SEO firm to make it. Then my company got to play around and we found a new keyword with half the traffic, hardly no competition (we didn't even have to do any external link building to rank top) and it even performed 20% better than the main keyword. We used PPC to find this keyword and you bet my client was happy we did! :)
Anyway, good post!
I have nothing at all against PPC - I am an experienced paid search marketer and have run campaings in excess of $1million.
But that doesnt mean I get the right to put myself forward as an adwords qualified SEO - which is the impression a lot of these small shitty SEO co.s are doing.
haha, I don't notice they used the term "adwords qualified SEO". That sure is bad for business. However, being just a adwords qualified can be a good thing for SEO as well! It sure doesn't hurt you..
Of course it doesnt. I believe EVERY SEO should learn PPC and experiment with it. It has some excellent crossover learnings that would make SEO work even harder!
The problem with qualifications, is when scummy people try to use them to bamboozle the customer, as in this recent example:
https://searchengineland.com/conversation-with-an-idiot-link-broker-14862.php
Sorry. The reference that I am referring to, is buried in the middle of that article..
Terrific post, Rishi. Speaking just for myself, I either take on clients who are anxious to learn SEO, whom I can more or less train, as you suggest OR take on clients who don't fully understand it, don't necessarily want to understand it, but trust me 100%. Anything in the middle makes me walk away after the initial phone call. :)
It is nice to see you continue to highlight the need for SEO education among small business owners, if only to save them from the vast majority of "SEOs" which solicit business among this demographic. I do get the sense from going to conferences, etc., that most large companies do understand the need for SEO and aren't likely to get duped. But it's important to continue to take a step back and look at the larger sample.
David - thanks - your compliment means a lot, considering I think you are an awesome writer!
Regarding the choice of clients, I think you have that nailed down - pick your battles carefully or however goo you are, you will probably be banging your head against a brick wall every so often. Excellent advice.
Great Post.
I have had some real fun debunking clients who "know a little bit about SEO". Those are the scariest to work with.
I've been a little behind on my reading lately, but made a point to read this, because I've really enjoyed your Small Business SEO series. Sorry, this isn't really a useful comment for other readers, but I'd love to see you revise and compile these down the road - it would make a great resource.
I would love to, but honestly speaking - there is nothing exciting about these - I just thought we need to add some common sense to SEO strategies, which is what I tried to do through these. But as always, I really appreciate your support.
Maybe we could convince SEOmoz to create a Small business SEO category and get Rand et al to edit and add these to the depository :P (wishful thinking)
We make too much of "exciting", IMO. These are strong pieces with good advice in a niche that needs a lot more good advice. We so-called experts have a bad habit of preaching to each other instead of the unconverted. There are a lot of small businesses out there who don't know the basics and being able to communicate those basics is an uncommon ability, in my experience.
Hey, Rishi! Remember, Pete is in eBook writing/creation mode. Sounds like he's prodding you to do the same!
Maybe you guys could co-author and distribute through the SEOmoz Store under SEO Guides.
heh! Lol good point - I remember him mentioning hes writing!
I think I am too lazy - I need to do something about that - its the only reason I dont run my own blog - cause I know I will be too sporadic....
Maybe I should find a ghost writer and pay them royalties off sales... hmmm
I can't believe I missed this post! Excellent read, Rishi. You're all quite right that education helps a lot in client work: firstly, are they simply supposed to take our word as gospel? Providing resources helps a lot, as does explaining why something works for SEO, rather than just claiming that it's true.
Gets my vote.
And spot on to whoever pushed the "Promote to Blog from YouMoz" button, too.
Yeah me too, Cant believe it i missed this post in YouMoz and caught it only until promoted to SEOmoz. :P
That's why I promote the good ones!
Rishi - as usual I just love this :)
I'm all about transparency - it's imperative that your clients understand what you do; and that you have their buy in.
In doing so, you've built a relationship with that client, and engaged them with the process, and indeed the service which you're offering.
Excellent post as always Rishi.
Don't be afraid to educate clients, even if means that once they are informed they may decide to not use you at all.
I echo the sentiment! I have always been of the mindset that an educated client is a loyal client, even if that means not needing my services on a regular basis. I will provide them with literally all the information the could possibly need or want throughout the course of our business relationship. Not being forthright, or only telling part of the the story, only leads people to believe you're not as informed as you want them to believe.
I'd MUCH rather provide clients with useful and worthwhile information that helps them get results. Sure, they may never need my services again...but there are certainly a whole host of others that will. Providing valuable, honest and straight-forward information helps build rapport...and having good rapport makes it more likely that current clients will recommend you to prospective clients. It's a win-win situation.
I think you've made some great points here! I think through education you can turn the relationship into one more like teamwork. It becomes synergistic at that point!
Good post, hope small business owners will get some tips and benefits, I think the terms like Magic seo, seo miracle, etc are frauds and all are dominating among large level business
Just came from the 3-E's too. I am not stalking you Tola.:)
My partner and I were just talking about a strategy today on how to combat the "SpamEO's" Great post and conversation.
Good post really it is empowering the small business gourps
I taught a client how to upload to ezine today. It took awhile but now he doesn't have to pay me to do it for him.
Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he writes an e-book on it.
LOL by any chance you read my last post? I ended with the canon version of that quote!
Great stuff Rishil, really clear and solid information for small business's.
Keep it up!
I always enjoy your writing and comments Rishil.
I am going to print out this post and glue it to the desks of some business analysts whom shall remain nameless. I try to get this whole point of empowering clients across to them and they just don't seem to understand. Not that it stops me in any way ... there have been some heated debates though ... I won't back down ... ever!
Education and Empowerment builds a foundation of Confidence and Trust in the work we do for clients.
This is a great post on some great tactics for handling the "guarantee" push back. I'll be sure to use this information in the future.
Thanks for the down-to-basics breakdown and business strategy.
You are empowering us as well with these educational posts!
Hey rishil nice post.. it was very informative with lots of humour.. really liked the way you have written it.
Just came across this post from the recent one about the 3 E's.
Its really good to see that type of relationship with a client, that way you can be bluntly honest with him while still telling him the fact. Truely, it all comes down to transparency...
Loved the comic clip as well, lol.
funny conversation with you and the client. im very impressed with your strategies and how you choose to deal with clients questions / your competition
i am currently running through your other posts now to see if i can find some more good advise :)
I will rank your site.. Google, Google, google... that was very funny. LOL
I enjoyed reading this post.
thanks.
SEO Greensboro Company.
Execellent post, thanks
My first comment here, maybe I should have filled my SEOmoz profile first...
This is really in line with my strategy for my upcoming belated blog.
Thanks, great read!
Great work, you certainly deserved it. Hope for more better results from your end.
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It is amazing how many companies out there prey on the ignorant or misinformed small business owner. I think that a good business owner should learn the concepts behind SEO and PPC, how they work and gain a understanding of search results. Atleast they know then how their money is being spent, and make sure they pick the right company to help them with their advertising if they choose not to do it themselves.
I really liked your sassy conversation.
Great post and very informative.
I'm revising my list of client selling points.
"Adwords qualified professionals"? Love it.
Thanks
sorry about the bad formatting in the conversation bit.
Good Post Rishil.
I really like the "Hot" "Spam Black Pepper" Jars.
Well done.
rishil, excellent points.
I thought I was the only one dealing with these jerkwads.
The other thing the spammys don't give is face. Even over a distance your clients know you are involved with them and interested in their success not just a bunch of numbers that don't mean a thing to their bottom line.
Nice work.
excellent post Rishil, I totally agree with your points, if the SEO doesnt take the time to educate the client, in the long run the project is likely to get troublesome. I am actually doing SEO at the moment for a client whose relationship is being managed by an IT professional that has commissiomed me the work. It couldnt be more cumbersome. As I cant talk directly to the client, part of the messages sent to him via my contact are lost in the process, there is lack of real understanding about SEO between the parties, including my contact. I doubt that I will accept a project like this again. It is paramount that the client is educated
Great post, I have found that as you educate the client they become more involved and start to think of opportunities for themselves to gain links, optimise content etc.
A big part of any seo strategy should be client education.
I would add that the "Education & Empowerement" philosophy is about big business SEO as much as small. When a budget holder at a large client/brand understands the reason behind SEO, s/he is much more willing to sign off budget for it. For this reason we actually invite clients to the office for a half day seminar on certain topics.
SEO is not about knowing the theory of ranking factors, its the creative process of applying that theory on a site.
Great post as always Rishi.
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True. More You study SEO, more You understand, that the is mo more fooling search engines. Just create quality websites and keep them fresh, provide new quality content. Dot.
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