Expectations of SEO

[PixelPyro]

Hi Guys,

Having had several clients (well 2) come back to me recently and ask why they are not on Google or number 1 for "insert keyphrase here" I feel I need to do something.

It occurs to me that even after having a lengthy conversation about SEO and its position as a seperate part of a website project with clients at which point they assure you that they understand - they don't.

So I think that I would like to put an additonal option on the project outline that states some basic SEO work for the site as a foundation for a potential campaign should these be required in the future. I would like to add a good link that clearly (as basically as possible) outlines what SEO is, so that a client can clearly destinquish between the creation of a website and SEO of the site.

Now as a rule I do as much as I can within the content provided - however I don't review keywords or phrases as this is SEO work and not site development and creation (in my opinion and certainly for some of the budgets of projects). If I can explain the differences and value of some additional SEO from the development stage that would certainly help stem some questions.

Does anybody have any advise on this - have similar experiences or links that can help explain SEO and how it differs from site creation?

TIA

[Marcia]

Having had several clients (well 2) come back to me recently and ask why they are not on Google or number 1 for "insert keyphrase here" I feel I need to do something.So actually, you're being paid for designing and creating the website and they're expecting that they'll get top rankings due to that, right?

that a client can clearly destinquish between the creation of a website and SEO of the site.Sure, definitions and links would be fine but even with those, they might still expect it all done within the price of the design even if they do know the difference by definition.

Now as a rule I do as much as I can within the content provided - however I don't review keywords or phrases as this is SEO work and not site development and creation (in my opinion and certainly for some of the budgets of projects). While designing sites to be search-engine friendly can be part of the design process, web design & search engine optimization are two different skill-sets - and different pricing models. So you know that but it's not getting through to them.

If I can explain the differences and value of some additional SEO from the development stage that would certainly help stem some questions.

It occurs to me that even after having a lengthy conversation about SEO and its position as a seperate part of a website project with clients at which point they assure you that they understand - they don't.Do you offer SEO as a separate service from design, or as a value-added additional, billable service that's available to them along with design?

[PixelPyro]

Marcia

In answer to your questions

So actually, you're being paid for designing and creating the website and they're expecting that they'll get top rankings due to that, right?
YES

Sure, definitions and links would be fine but even with those, they might still expect it all done within the price of the design even if they do know the difference by Sure, definitions and links would be fine but even with those, they might still expect it all done within the price of the design even if they do know the difference by definition.

YES

While designing sites to be search-engine friendly can be part of the design process, web design & search engine optimization are two different skill-sets - and different pricing models. So you know that but it's not getting through to them.
CORRECT

Do you offer SEO as a separate service from design, or as a value-added additional, billable service that's available to them along with design?

Yes I do (using a third party) and that is what I need to make clear and outline to a client what should be expected from a design and creation in comparison to an SEO / SEM campaign.

I would like to offer a base element of SEO as an option to the original project that would involve page title, good <Hx>, site structure, file naming, meta data etc but NOT Site submission or the creation of a link campaign. However, I need to distinquish that this alone will not get them to the "top of the list" or page 1 on Google - but is worth doing at the initial stages of a project. Problem being of course that a client would not see the benefits of this.

Does that make sense.

cheers

[L Alan]

Hi PixelPyro,

I'm not a professional SEO so I hope the point you are trying to make has not been completely lost on me.

I think SEOs have highly specialised skills. It therefore wouldn't hurt to simplify (or even over-simplify) your descriptions of these skills/services when dealing with customers because of the huge knowledge gap.

When you keep it simple, people just feel more confident about the deal and more importantly their expectations match yours so everyone's happy.

Perhaps you could also think about keeping 'Web Design' and 'Search Engine Placement' under two distinct headings in your services description page? State under Web Design that SEO is a different entity, state how it is different (I find images useful e.g stick diagrams, flow charts etc) and link to the Search Engine Placement page to emphasise the point.

I hope that actually answered your question. :)

L

[PixelPyro]

Hi L Alan,

I agree with what you are saying completely.

Ideally if I can get a couple of links to sites that clearly explain what SEO is and how it is a seperate skill / service that would be useful.

Any suggestions

PP

[L Alan]

PixelPyro,

Are you an SEO? If so, you're the best person to compile these explanations.

If you are not an SEO, I found Danny Sullivan's 'Introduction to Search Engines' to be a very good way to explain it to the non www-savvy.

http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2168011

L

[Mikkel deMib Svendsen]

It occurs to me that even after having a lengthy conversation about SEO and its position as a seperate part of a website project with clients at which point they assure you that they understand - they don't.

I am not sure I get it either :)
SEO is not much different from usability in the sense that it's not something you add later, it's something you build into your publishing strategies. Sure you can always do more and label it something different. Usability experts often do testings with groups of people. SEO/SEMs do keyword analysis, paid placement etc. This is off course not a direct part of the website design but indirectly it surely is as you need a platform that can sustain, contain and use the knowladge both usability experts, SEOs and SEMs come up with withou having to completely redesign the website.

Having said that it sounds like your main problem is managing client expactations. For various kinds of websites, in various kinds of markets and countries the strategies and reasonable goals will not be the same. It pays to teach the clients this very fast :) Also, clients should know that competitive markets (and there are more and more of them every day!) it takes extensive analysis to really figure out the best strategies. The less time they invest in this the more likely it is "we" will fail with them. Sure, we (as experienced) SEOs can give them a good guess on what might work for them, but unless they pay the money it takes to really figure it out in their particulatr case and situation they will have to live with the risks.

For some sites you can just design it, add a few pages, throw it on some cheap hosted server and bang! within a month you are number one all over. I do that almost every month with brand new sites. However, for a lot of sites that just won't do it - especially sites targeting US/English only.

[PixelPyro]

Just to be clear I am not an SEO - I use a third party when required.

Having said that it sounds like your main problem is managing client expactations.

That is the issue I am finding (hence the title of the post). I agree that SEO should be integrated into the project from day one but if a client isn't willing to pay for it then it isn't viable to simply add this in as part of the "design". The majority of my clients are start ups or small businesses with limited budgets so when I being to speak about the importance of SEO, they dismiss it - that is until they want to know why there not number one on Google or Yahoo for what they do.

Trying to make it clear to a client what exactly SEO is and why it doesn't fall under the "design" of a website is where I have difficulties (more then likely because it isn't my area). On a base level I need to make the client understand that having a website doesn't mean they will instantly be on page one of Google, why that is and what can be done about it (ie additional SEO/SEM services).

Thanks for the link L Alan I'll take a look -