Last week, you read about the first three expectations clients often have that are sometimes unrealistic and impossible to achieve. This week, the discussion continues as we conclude this topic on how to properly explain and hopefully debunk some misconceptions that clients have when it comes to doing SEO.
1. Amount of Traffic – Clients often have this notion that the amount of traffic is based only on search volumes and calculate click-through. Sometimes, it just doesn’t happen – which is often caused by the following occurrences: visitors may not be clicking off the results page, the client is not the 100% relevant based on the search term, or a listing on the SERP may have a larger predicted share of click-throughs.
2. Number of Leads – SEO is a process which involves a lot of other factors such as keyword rankings, site traffic, and leads which will ultimately bring sales. In that process alone, there are a lot of possible setbacks or failures that can occur. Clients need to know that SEO only works with what they have or try to have. Sometimes PPC is done before going into SEO to find which keywords could generate the most income. Even after researching the most profitable keywords, sometimes the website itself is not convincing enough for a good lead generation. This is not an SEO problem, but rather a conversion problem.
3. Client Impact on Success – A client’s participation is just as important to any SEO campaign. If a client puts their entire marketing budget on SEO, be wary. If they seem to have all the time in the world not worrying about anything else, ask their assistance by assigning different internet marketing strategies. Let them do social media networking, link building, email marketing, and so on. On the other hand, a client who seems to be the busiest person in the world with late responses in emails and requests should also make you cautious. Make sure to involve the client in any way possible.
When it comes to dealing with clients, it helps to have an open mind. Be polite when explaining why some of their expectations cannot be done. Additionally, listen to them as they share ideas and concepts that could be implemented for successful SEO campaigns. Communication is a two-way street and it helps if both parties are willing to listen with an open mind.
