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Avatar Went Hot: January 16, 2008 - 3:50 pm
Posted By: seofactor 169 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://searchengineland.com)
Category: SEM Industry
By engaging in knowledge-transfer, an interactive agency specializing in search articulates the need for its clients to embrace SEO as an ongoing discipline within their marketing department. Clients who adopt a knowledge-transfer mindset will profit from the insights afforded, enjoying the benefits of a long-term search marketing partnership.
13 Comments     

Comments

from seofactor 169 days ago #
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This is very important to me.

If you look at my freelance page, I make use of the word "we" very often. I explain later on the same page that I don't have a team of people, but feel a need for The SEO (me) and the client have a working relationship. Education is a bigger part of my job than the actual process itself.

from snipergrunge 169 days ago #
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 It is stupid to keep SEO secrets without sharing with your clients.
 SEOmoz for example tell everything about how they promote websites right from their websites. I bet you will find dosens SEO companies which use SEOmoz to promote websites...

from ckata 169 days ago #
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Awesome post. At Spark we spend time each month clearly articulating to our clients what we've done for them, why and how we did it. Ensuring they understand exactly what we are doing is one way we help them understand the value of our services!

from Wingnut 169 days ago #
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I apparently need to learn some super secret things that I would consider keeping from clients.

from sharkeo 169 days ago #
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Great Reading.

It is important for me to ensure all clients are aware of our optimisation process.  This includes training and education clients on natural seo elements.  Client feedback and response has been very positive as expectations are exceeded. 

Be transparent, provide clients with a top level view, provide detail where asked.

Sharkeo

from msweeny 169 days ago #
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What a great posting Paul and not just because it supports the search offering that I have built here at Ascentium to a tee. I believe that if I reveal the underlying workings of the technology and the specifics of the methods for making the technology work for my client instead of the other way around, then the recommendations that I present make more sense to the client. In 98% of the client engagements, the client becomes more interested in search, optimization and more committed to carrying on the work long after I've completed my part of the project. I want my clients to be as intrigued by search as I am and, when they get a peek under the hood, they usually are.

from seofactor 169 days ago #
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@Wingnut,

    We....ummm....oooh....we have friends at Google. Yeah....that's it.

from DolphinPromotions 168 days ago #
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At the end of the day a research on the Internet and a client could learn the majority of techniques used so there is not much point keeping a client in the dark. However when I used to go on sales meetings I think I lost more clients from giving them details about SEO, as I just go on some geek rant about all the things we do. I leave that side of the business to someone with more people skills than me now. However I am more than happy to explain to clients the techniques we will use, after winning a client I would say our honesty about or techniques is one of the important factors that helps us keep clients and get returning clients.

from iBrian 168 days ago #
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IMO the article reads as theoretical fluff.

Sure, communicate and be open with clients - but if you have any real competitive advantage, to then provide clients with that gives them the opportunity to outgrow your services, or even become a competing supplier.

That doesn't mean to say I don't personally communicate - but generally, the client just wants to know x is done for y reasons because they are too busy to get into every minor detail, and that's fine by them.

If the client wants to be able to do x and learn y themselves, you've changed your business model from consultant to trainer, IMO.

2c.

from pratt 168 days ago #
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This is an awesome article, Paul. I did a similar post a couple of weeks ago: http://www.gonzo-seo.com/how-to-lose-your-clients-not-educating-your-clients/

I have found from my personal experience that if you give your clients a basic understanding of SEO your job will be easier (and you'll do a better job), and the client will be much more satisfied and cooperative.

from seofactor 168 days ago #
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iBrian, that's a really good point. Don't get me wrong. I try to keep things very transparant, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, there are some things we don't discuss.

To be honest, that line has never come up (yet). Ususally, by the time I've explained algorithms and a piece of the process, the client gets the idea, understands I'm not going to rip him off, and says "you know, this is just too much. I trust you. Take care of it." And then I do.

from johnandrews 168 days ago #
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@iBrian sounds to me you guys offer different kinds of SEO services. Tactical SEO support is quite different from agency-style search marketing service providing. I can see how one would have a different perspective than the other when it comes to transparency.

I agree it's a tough subject to address with an article.


from iBrian 167 days ago #
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I'm probably feeling a little jaded - had a client fly me in a few months back to find out what they could do to support the link dev I provided.

Turns out they'd bought into Google FUD and had already decided to drop my services and try and take it in house - and ask me to try and provide help on how to do it, without my realising.

Even still, they simply do not have anywhere near the same level of resources to push their site, and it also annoys the heck out of me because I provided a stupidly cheap rate for a large number of very lucrative keywords, which I succeeded with - there is not a chance in hell they can even begin to replicate the service I provided.

But, c'est la vie - I may have helped them learn to play the piano, but I'm f*cking Mozart.


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