If you’re working on the behalf of a client, or as an in house SEO, like any area of business it’s vital to get your relationship off to a great start. After all it is a lot easier to keep a good relationship if you get off to the right start, compared to the difficulty of getting it back on track should things begin to get a little bit sour.
SEO is still seen as a dark art by many, sometimes it is because they have been stung before by supposed “gurus” selling them a non service, or it could be that they have just read so many outdated or contradictory articles online they just don’t know what to believe any more!
So if a new client is on the horizon, or if you’re starting a new in-house role, then do everything you can to get the relationship off to a great start!
Meet With Them!
This may seem pretty obvious, but if you can meet up with your potential client face to face as opposed to communicating via e-mail or telephone. I know by definition we’re techy geek types (don’t try to deny it!) but if we can show that we are (relatively) human we can be more than a voice on the telephone or a person that sends e-mails.
Get to Understand the Business
Your client understands their business and you should do your best to as well. If you can do this, you will be able to make better judgement calls on all aspects of the project such as keyword selection and content creation. You’ll also have something extra to talk about to your client as in my experience just about every business owner loves to talk about their business!
Be Realistic: Define Achievable Goals
If you’re just starting out in the world of SEO, or if you’re desperate to get a client/a job then you may fall into the trap of saying “yes” when you really shouldn’t. It’s important that you define achievable goals from the outset and be completely honest. For example you may be meeting with a potential client who demands their brand new website gain a top ranking for “Car Insurance” within a few months and no marketing budget. If you went along with this unachievable goal, how do you think your relationship would be looking like a few months in, even if you were overachieving? It’s all about being realistic and managing expectations from the outset.
Be Transparent
If clients are paying you then you need to convince them that you are actually working on their behalf. I’ve heard the phrase “don’t know what, or if they are doing anything” too many times for it to be a surprise any more. Keep a record of the work you are performing and don’t be secretive about it!
Educate / Conduct Training Sessions
I’m a big fan of educating clients about SEO, if you can get them to understand a few fundamentals of what you are doing and why it can keep them on board with what you’re doing. It can also reduce the amount of “I’ve just read this article, why aren’t we doing this” e-mails you may receive in the long run.
Some people may not be keen on this as they believe that their client will then end the relationship as they will believe they can take over the reins. If you think about it, it’s pretty unlikely to happen as you (should) have the expertise factor that got you the contract/job in the first place.
SEO Training sessions don’t need to be particularly long, not even a full day. Invite your client into your office and run through the process of what you do and why.
Respond To Emails and Make Follow Up Calls
Being available is important in your relationship, if you receive an e-mail from a client, reply to it and do so promptly, if you are taking days to reply then your client (or boss) isn’t going to be happy! The same goes for returning phone calls as well. If the client is being too demanding in terms of e-mails and telephone calls, then it is something that you will need to address, but don’t just ignore them!
Reporting and Reviews
I’ve previously discussed about what to include in your seo reports but it is important. You need to present what you have been and what you will be doing for your clients to keep them interested. Also including statistics to prove that their money is being well spent (be it an increase in traffic, enquires or sales) will help convince them that continual investment in your services are a good thing!
Telling your client that you’d like to meet up every month, or every few months for a review and discussion is also a good start to the potential or new relationship. I’ve found that the more you can get clients talking about your work, the longer they will want to continue to pay you!
So there you go, a few logical pieces of advice that if you follow should help you to get your client-relationship off to a great start, but also help to keep it that way!
