Post by sumiseo558899 on Nov 7, 2024 4:28:24 GMT -6
The problem of interaction between an SEO company and a customer has been discussed more than once. But it was in this video that we noticed an interesting approach: not trying to explain to the client why cooperation is important, not pressing on pity or intimidating with bad positions, but motivating him correctly.
It's good if the client is initially interested in active work on the site and is ready to provide the necessary information at any time. But this is not always the case.
A more typical situation is when content writing service
the customer is a very busy person who has his own things to do, and then there is "your" SEO! It is enough that I pay you, get going. The client does not see the need to participate in the development of the project, is not interested in improvements, does not share valuable information. This format of communication has many risks.
How to influence the situation? Cameron has some advice on this matter.
Share news
The SEO industry is constantly changing, new technologies and methods appear. It is very useful to share them with clients. "You know, Yandex is implementing the Yandex.Dialogues function in the search results snippet! With their help, you can interact with the user even when he has not yet visited the page! Let's do it on your site?"
This approach shows the client: you are an expert and follow the trends in the industry. And you offer him to become a part of this world.
Tell your customers what you do
Yes, it's simple: tell the client in general terms what you are going to implement, and then report on the work done. It's amazing what effect simple communication produces. At certain times, edits may not be very noticeable to the client, but thanks to the fact that you maintain communication with the client, he sees that the project is being worked on. And he is interested in the final result.
Report the results
For an SEO specialist, this is everyday work: add a page to the site, replace text, correct the structure, place a photo, this, that... He understands why this is and what it gives in the long term.
However, if you look at the situation from the customer's point of view (no matter how cool he thinks you are), there is always a risk that he will not want to continue cooperation on SEO. Simply because he does not fully understand its value.
Show the client this very value. "Remember the page? It was in the TOP 20 not long ago. But we improved it, implemented all the edits that we discussed with you, and now it is TOP 5. New traffic is coming to it. Maybe you have already noticed? Have you received any requests or calls for this service in the last couple of days?"
It is very important not to be shy about telling clients about the work you have done and your achievements, and then ask about real requests and calls. This way, it will be clear to the client: what you are doing has a tangible result, contributes to the company's success, and helps achieve business goals.
Consider and direct ideas
Let's look at two examples.
1. You are an SEO specialist and want to create ideal conditions for getting your website to the TOP. You understand perfectly well what will help and what will worsen the positions. The client comes and says: "Maybe we should do it this way?" And you say: "No, no, this is ineffective, wrong, it will not bring any benefit, we will waste time." Such categoricalness can push the client away, make him less involved in the process, or, worse, the client will be left with a negative aftertaste, because of which he will stop communicating with you normally. We do not need this.
2. You want the client to be interested in the project, to look for new ideas for development and to actively participate in promotion. You see that the idea he came up with may backfire on the site's positions. But the desire to satisfy the client is stronger, so you still make an edit. And this is also not the best choice.
In this situation, we need to strive for the answer “No, but…”.
The client asks for a new so-so edit to the site. You: "Yeah, I like your approach. It's good that you're interested in things like this. I think your site could do something similar..."
You have moved the conversation in a more appropriate direction, but the client is still involved in the process with you, and you are leading him to the right conclusions.
Risks
Let's consider what can happen if your clients are not interested in cooperation.
1. SEO becomes a checklist
When you don't know the client, don't really know what the organization is, haven't established communication with the customer, your hands are tied. The only thing you know is that there is a website that needs to be "improved". Write the correct tags, change a couple of paragraphs, improve H1, get rid of 404, and so on. Eliminate some basic errors, which will have to be done in any case, since this is guaranteed to improve the quality of the resource.
But that's not a productive SEO strategy. It's not a strategy at all, it's a tidying up. You're just making sure nothing is broken. That's not all SEO is. Get the client on board to be productive, not to fiddle with minutiae.
2. Promotion is contrary to business goals
So, you are a specialist that clients don't talk to. They don't care what you do on the site at all. But you still decide to take the initiative and act according to the strategy.
You select keywords based on what you see on the site. You find a keyword: it seems similar to the target, it will bring a lot of traffic... And here is the content on the site, and the client says: "This is not our topic at all. It does not look like our services." We are in trouble.
It's good that you were proactive. It's bad that you didn't engage the client and figure everything out completely. In this case, the innovations on the site may contradict the company's business goals and present it in a false light.
3. You are missing out on PR opportunities
If you don't communicate with the client, they won't tell you how they are doing in the real world. You might miss important news from the customer, something like: "Here our organization is sponsoring an event..." or "Yesterday I was an expert on the most popular reality show on the planet about glazing balconies...".
But this is very important information, this is exactly what is very valuable for SEO! We want to interest the site users, tell more about the company. And we missed such a wonderful opportunity.
4. The client controls the dialogue
Perhaps the client is not talking to you because he does not trust you yet. And if he does not trust you, he may start dictating his terms without listening to expert opinion.
"I want these ten backlinks to my site", "Place these five pages on the site, immediately". At the same time, what he offers may not be bad in itself. What is bad is that it is the client who asks you to do this work. He imposes his strategy on you.
It is clear that this is his business, and he has the right to defend his point of view. However, it is important to remember: it is the SEO specialist who, upon receiving information from the client, must turn it into an SEO strategy that will be effective for website promotion. There is a difference between simply following the client’s instructions and developing his ideas into a productive plan.
EFFECT
So the basic principle is: customer interest + cooperation = productive promotion.
According to the MOZ expert, the above methods should help an SEO specialist or account manager establish a connection with the client and motivate them to participate in the project. They are not revolutionary, to say the least. But they work.
A client with a small business in repair and finishing, which needed to be developed, approached our agency. The customer had a website, but it was practically empty: several pages with sad texts, contacts.
First, we asked the client for information on all services provided, the company's operating principles. The account manager was in constant contact with him, told him why this or that information was needed, clarified the nuances, "announced" the possible results when posting useful content...
The customer tried hard and prepared a large file with answers to absolutely all the questions asked in a week: he provided a full price list for all types of work, a list of services for various types of repairs, the company's advantages, a payment scheme for services in several stages, unique discounts for clients, information about the warranty, employees, photos with examples of work, and so on, and so on...
Thanks to this, we were able to fill the empty site with informative, useful content, place specific data of interest to potential clients, and make the site visually and informationally attractive.
In less than six months, 40% of promoted queries reached the TOP, and after another two months, it was already 85%. The site received applications and calls. And all this was largely due to the correct format of communication with the client and his interest in cooperation and work on the project.
Conclusion
Yes, each client is individual and you will have to find your own approach to each one. Some need to be constantly aware of the results of promotion and reaching the TOP positions, while others are only interested in real conversion and applications. Some will be interested in innovations in the field of SEO, while others are as far from it as possible. It is unlikely that you can give an ideal instruction for working with any client.
But an SEO specialist or manager can try to interact with the customer using different methods, find out what interests him most, what motivates him. Experiment together with the client and infect him with your own enthusiasm. The main thing is to always maintain contact, and the results will not take long to come. It worked for us.
It's good if the client is initially interested in active work on the site and is ready to provide the necessary information at any time. But this is not always the case.
A more typical situation is when content writing service
the customer is a very busy person who has his own things to do, and then there is "your" SEO! It is enough that I pay you, get going. The client does not see the need to participate in the development of the project, is not interested in improvements, does not share valuable information. This format of communication has many risks.
How to influence the situation? Cameron has some advice on this matter.
Share news
The SEO industry is constantly changing, new technologies and methods appear. It is very useful to share them with clients. "You know, Yandex is implementing the Yandex.Dialogues function in the search results snippet! With their help, you can interact with the user even when he has not yet visited the page! Let's do it on your site?"
This approach shows the client: you are an expert and follow the trends in the industry. And you offer him to become a part of this world.
Tell your customers what you do
Yes, it's simple: tell the client in general terms what you are going to implement, and then report on the work done. It's amazing what effect simple communication produces. At certain times, edits may not be very noticeable to the client, but thanks to the fact that you maintain communication with the client, he sees that the project is being worked on. And he is interested in the final result.
Report the results
For an SEO specialist, this is everyday work: add a page to the site, replace text, correct the structure, place a photo, this, that... He understands why this is and what it gives in the long term.
However, if you look at the situation from the customer's point of view (no matter how cool he thinks you are), there is always a risk that he will not want to continue cooperation on SEO. Simply because he does not fully understand its value.
Show the client this very value. "Remember the page? It was in the TOP 20 not long ago. But we improved it, implemented all the edits that we discussed with you, and now it is TOP 5. New traffic is coming to it. Maybe you have already noticed? Have you received any requests or calls for this service in the last couple of days?"
It is very important not to be shy about telling clients about the work you have done and your achievements, and then ask about real requests and calls. This way, it will be clear to the client: what you are doing has a tangible result, contributes to the company's success, and helps achieve business goals.
Consider and direct ideas
Let's look at two examples.
1. You are an SEO specialist and want to create ideal conditions for getting your website to the TOP. You understand perfectly well what will help and what will worsen the positions. The client comes and says: "Maybe we should do it this way?" And you say: "No, no, this is ineffective, wrong, it will not bring any benefit, we will waste time." Such categoricalness can push the client away, make him less involved in the process, or, worse, the client will be left with a negative aftertaste, because of which he will stop communicating with you normally. We do not need this.
2. You want the client to be interested in the project, to look for new ideas for development and to actively participate in promotion. You see that the idea he came up with may backfire on the site's positions. But the desire to satisfy the client is stronger, so you still make an edit. And this is also not the best choice.
In this situation, we need to strive for the answer “No, but…”.
The client asks for a new so-so edit to the site. You: "Yeah, I like your approach. It's good that you're interested in things like this. I think your site could do something similar..."
You have moved the conversation in a more appropriate direction, but the client is still involved in the process with you, and you are leading him to the right conclusions.
Risks
Let's consider what can happen if your clients are not interested in cooperation.
1. SEO becomes a checklist
When you don't know the client, don't really know what the organization is, haven't established communication with the customer, your hands are tied. The only thing you know is that there is a website that needs to be "improved". Write the correct tags, change a couple of paragraphs, improve H1, get rid of 404, and so on. Eliminate some basic errors, which will have to be done in any case, since this is guaranteed to improve the quality of the resource.
But that's not a productive SEO strategy. It's not a strategy at all, it's a tidying up. You're just making sure nothing is broken. That's not all SEO is. Get the client on board to be productive, not to fiddle with minutiae.
2. Promotion is contrary to business goals
So, you are a specialist that clients don't talk to. They don't care what you do on the site at all. But you still decide to take the initiative and act according to the strategy.
You select keywords based on what you see on the site. You find a keyword: it seems similar to the target, it will bring a lot of traffic... And here is the content on the site, and the client says: "This is not our topic at all. It does not look like our services." We are in trouble.
It's good that you were proactive. It's bad that you didn't engage the client and figure everything out completely. In this case, the innovations on the site may contradict the company's business goals and present it in a false light.
3. You are missing out on PR opportunities
If you don't communicate with the client, they won't tell you how they are doing in the real world. You might miss important news from the customer, something like: "Here our organization is sponsoring an event..." or "Yesterday I was an expert on the most popular reality show on the planet about glazing balconies...".
But this is very important information, this is exactly what is very valuable for SEO! We want to interest the site users, tell more about the company. And we missed such a wonderful opportunity.
4. The client controls the dialogue
Perhaps the client is not talking to you because he does not trust you yet. And if he does not trust you, he may start dictating his terms without listening to expert opinion.
"I want these ten backlinks to my site", "Place these five pages on the site, immediately". At the same time, what he offers may not be bad in itself. What is bad is that it is the client who asks you to do this work. He imposes his strategy on you.
It is clear that this is his business, and he has the right to defend his point of view. However, it is important to remember: it is the SEO specialist who, upon receiving information from the client, must turn it into an SEO strategy that will be effective for website promotion. There is a difference between simply following the client’s instructions and developing his ideas into a productive plan.
EFFECT
So the basic principle is: customer interest + cooperation = productive promotion.
According to the MOZ expert, the above methods should help an SEO specialist or account manager establish a connection with the client and motivate them to participate in the project. They are not revolutionary, to say the least. But they work.
A client with a small business in repair and finishing, which needed to be developed, approached our agency. The customer had a website, but it was practically empty: several pages with sad texts, contacts.
First, we asked the client for information on all services provided, the company's operating principles. The account manager was in constant contact with him, told him why this or that information was needed, clarified the nuances, "announced" the possible results when posting useful content...
The customer tried hard and prepared a large file with answers to absolutely all the questions asked in a week: he provided a full price list for all types of work, a list of services for various types of repairs, the company's advantages, a payment scheme for services in several stages, unique discounts for clients, information about the warranty, employees, photos with examples of work, and so on, and so on...
Thanks to this, we were able to fill the empty site with informative, useful content, place specific data of interest to potential clients, and make the site visually and informationally attractive.
In less than six months, 40% of promoted queries reached the TOP, and after another two months, it was already 85%. The site received applications and calls. And all this was largely due to the correct format of communication with the client and his interest in cooperation and work on the project.
Conclusion
Yes, each client is individual and you will have to find your own approach to each one. Some need to be constantly aware of the results of promotion and reaching the TOP positions, while others are only interested in real conversion and applications. Some will be interested in innovations in the field of SEO, while others are as far from it as possible. It is unlikely that you can give an ideal instruction for working with any client.
But an SEO specialist or manager can try to interact with the customer using different methods, find out what interests him most, what motivates him. Experiment together with the client and infect him with your own enthusiasm. The main thing is to always maintain contact, and the results will not take long to come. It worked for us.