I find this to be a problem with web design - and I like the response of using the consultation fee as part of the package. At least you are paid for your suggestions!
I started doing SEO work last summer for an existing company that has employed a programmer and a webdesigner - after paying for keyword research however, this client cannot get his web designer to implement the changes! At least I have been paid for the tremendous amount of work involved (followed Jill's lynda.com class very closely and appreciate adding it to my toolbox!).
My encounters with this first customer - someone who does not understand SEO - were a bit different,
1. I absolutely refused to 'teach the web designer who is interested in SEO' anything - and in return told the client that I would not make code changes on the web designers work (although now I am wondering if that was a good idea - this guy wants to redesign the website while it is live and is really dragging his feet on any organic SEO changes....arrrgg!). However, by making it clear in the beginning that I do my SEO work alone, it has saved me a ton of problems. The web designer has still made an attempt to coerce the client into PPC - before any of my SEO research was implemented, and the client learned how expensive that can be - actually went into debt by following this designers advice. I want the HTML code and phrases in place before PPC - and the client made the decision on his own after listening to a 'get top ratings quick' person during the first month I was working on keyword research - before I turned anything in to the client.
2. Clear contract with explanations and understanding signed by both me and the client before I did any work. I sat down and explained what I did (not the steps, but the work) and the outcome for the client to expect - what I needed from the client, etc. Now, I got many 'I understands' - it took a few times to explain that everyone enters a different sequence of words when they do an internet search, but he understands that. However, no matter how many times/ways I explain it - I STILL get the remark ' hey - I am number 1 already when I type in xyz' - and xyz happens to be the exact word for word sentence in the first line of the client's web page.....so even though I always explain this to the client - there are some pre-concepts formed that are very hard to conquer. As long as the main process is understood - this client/any client will be happy with your work.
There is one point I am still trying to figure out - and I think it is a legitimate concern - my client wants absolute confidence that any 3rd party program I use is confidential. He wants to know that any information scanned on his site will not be public information for his competitors. I hadn't anticipated that question but did explain that there are some online tools that are open and public for anyone to use. I have no control over those, but I sure do look under rocks of every program/website I consider because of this. Does anyone have any thoughts about this?
I started doing SEO work last summer for an existing company that has employed a programmer and a webdesigner - after paying for keyword research however, this client cannot get his web designer to implement the changes! At least I have been paid for the tremendous amount of work involved (followed Jill's lynda.com class very closely and appreciate adding it to my toolbox!).
My encounters with this first customer - someone who does not understand SEO - were a bit different,
1. I absolutely refused to 'teach the web designer who is interested in SEO' anything - and in return told the client that I would not make code changes on the web designers work (although now I am wondering if that was a good idea - this guy wants to redesign the website while it is live and is really dragging his feet on any organic SEO changes....arrrgg!). However, by making it clear in the beginning that I do my SEO work alone, it has saved me a ton of problems. The web designer has still made an attempt to coerce the client into PPC - before any of my SEO research was implemented, and the client learned how expensive that can be - actually went into debt by following this designers advice. I want the HTML code and phrases in place before PPC - and the client made the decision on his own after listening to a 'get top ratings quick' person during the first month I was working on keyword research - before I turned anything in to the client.
2. Clear contract with explanations and understanding signed by both me and the client before I did any work. I sat down and explained what I did (not the steps, but the work) and the outcome for the client to expect - what I needed from the client, etc. Now, I got many 'I understands' - it took a few times to explain that everyone enters a different sequence of words when they do an internet search, but he understands that. However, no matter how many times/ways I explain it - I STILL get the remark ' hey - I am number 1 already when I type in xyz' - and xyz happens to be the exact word for word sentence in the first line of the client's web page.....so even though I always explain this to the client - there are some pre-concepts formed that are very hard to conquer. As long as the main process is understood - this client/any client will be happy with your work.
There is one point I am still trying to figure out - and I think it is a legitimate concern - my client wants absolute confidence that any 3rd party program I use is confidential. He wants to know that any information scanned on his site will not be public information for his competitors. I hadn't anticipated that question but did explain that there are some online tools that are open and public for anyone to use. I have no control over those, but I sure do look under rocks of every program/website I consider because of this. Does anyone have any thoughts about this?
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