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5 ways to Get New Clients Excited About SEO

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Get New Clients Excited About SEO

There’s no business like new business. It’s exciting for us SEOers to get a new client ready to invest in their brand and company through internet marketing services. Getting a new client that hasn’t had any prior SEO is like a sculptor getting a brick of clay. You understand the potential and what you can do. But does your client feel the same way? More importantly, what about all of the businesses you know you can help but haven’t come around to the idea yet. Help these types share your enthusiasm with some of the following tips.

1- Become a Temporary Expert

Sure, it is frustrating to put a good amount of time into a project that yields no results. I’m talking about proposals for potential clients that don’t pan out or even respond. When you’re proud of your well thought out proposal, it can be especially biting.

Don’t let it bring you down. Put your enthusiasm into these proposals using research about the company you want to hire you. Become a temporary expert on their industry, and use the tons of SEO tools available out there (SEOMoz and Google Keywords Tool) to compile a brief snapshot of how their potential customers try to find them and how successful they are (or aren’t yet). Tell them about a few of the things you can do for them, and the benefits their site will see from your efforts.

2- Highlight How Their Potential Customers Search

The next weapon in your arsenal to hammer in the importance of Search Engine Optimization is showing the tracking studies and statistics of the average search engine user. There are numerous studies on this topic, with varying results. But all of the different studies agree that the first page of a results page is where their company needs to be. I’ve read reports that show 90% of searchers don’t venture past the first page and a large percentage of that group click only on the first few results.

For a company not on the first page or even showing up, this means they are missing out on a ton of potential business.

3- The Benefits of Analytics and Webmaster Tools

This is for when you’ve landed the client, but they still have their trepidations. Explain your process starting with the first two weeks. Set them up with Analytics and Webmaster Tools from Google. The results aren’t always pretty, but emphasize that this information is exactly what you need. Now, you have a better understanding of where their customers will be looking for them, what these customers find most interesting on their site, what holds that interest, etc.

WebMaster Tools gives you the chance to flex your muscle and find any problems with their site before they can. When the client hears your results, they’ll trust what you’re saying more, and be more at ease about moving forward. Maybe they aren’t quite pumped yet, but they’re getting there.

4- For Local Clients – Compare Completed to Non-Completed Profiles

There is something to be said about aesthetics. We can’t help being attracted to pictures and content over a blank profile. Show these clients some examples of what claimed and un-claimed profiles look like. Start with Google Places and Yelp.

It’s night and day between the claimed and un-claimed profiles. Explain the weighted benefit of a claimed profile and how local is really playing a bigger part in search (especially Yelp, regaining some footing with the new iPhone release).

These local profiles will be some of the quickest concrete examples you can show your potential client of the work that can be done and the benefit that derives from it.

5- Set Realistic Goals Together – Meet Often

The end goal is always the same. Get to the number one spot on the SERP for their most popular keyword. But there are factors to consider that are less exciting, like their budget and resources. At the end of the day, SEO is an ongoing process that takes time and effort. And it should.

Map out your goals with your client, setting milestones. While they may not be jumping for SEO at the start (we all would like instant results), if you present positive info at these meetings, they will get excited about the process and the progress. I think it’s a great idea to check in fairly often when I have a question or a quick update. It lets them know there is constantly work being done for them.

About

Matt Brown is the owner and founder of Evolving Interactive, a Chicago SEO firm. He has years of experience in internet marketing sales, management, and consultation. Matt is from Cincinnati, and is a die-hard Reds and Bengals fan, a runner, and loyal dog-owner.

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{ 26 Responses }

  1. Abhi Balani says:
    ... temporary expert.... that was nice.
  2. Shiva says:
    Those are really some great tips Matt. I think if some one follows these tips properly then one can certainly get more SEO projects. It is important that a person explains their clients what to expect from the project upfront, so that they can set realistic expectations from the person they have hired
  3. Radu says:
    I'm no SEO Expert nor even a medium one but whenever i start to promote some keywords for my websites / blogs i'm always creating a plan. And by all means, i am following the plan. Maybe my results are not spectacular but hey i'm still at the beginning.
  4. Maja says:
    This post is the result of research on SEO but in the field of SEO it is hard to satisfy the customers as search engines constantly changing their algorithms. Because of this change ranking is also effected.
  5. Vijayraj Reddy says:
    Ya, we should divide the mail goal into parts and try to achieve on time and have an interaction with clients to make sure all is fine...
  6. Jeanie says:
    Agree completely with you! Especially about setting realistic aims. I do think that we should set aims according to opportunities we have and achieve them,
  7. Maria Pavel says:
    Set Realistic Goals Together – Meet Often is one of the most common problem of SEO company. They tend to promise a positive result within a span period of time then in the end, they won't able to meet their expectation. As a result, rather than to get referrals from them, there's a high possibility of losing them either. Why do some SEO companies do this strategy? ALl because other SEO companies usually do this because they want to attract more clients. Maria
  8. Chandan says:
    Another best tips to excite new client about SEO by showing first page ranking for one of their low competetion keyword. Whenever I start work with new client after doing complete onpage SEO staff I then pick-up the very low competitive keyword that I can bring ranking within 2 or 3 weeks.
  9. Salah Messaoud says:
    LoL I loved the part about being a temporary expert, you made me feel like you are talking about me thanks for the tips
  10. Ewan Kennedy says:
    Yes, it's so galling when you've spent a day or even two scoping a project and submitting a proposal only to find you don't even get a reply. Still, lessons learnt. I'm not so ready to commit that kind of time without first getting stronger signals of intent from the prospective client. I think your point about frequent contact is a good one, particularly since it helps to build trust and this can be a big issue with some clients who may already have had their fingers burned. But yes, getting the juices flowing must be the key. If you're naturally passionate and enthusiastic about the subject, that should happen naturally.
  11. matt magi says:
    Good article, I always stress every client of mine to have google Analytics and Webmaster tools even if they have very basic SEO work done I think its key, if they ever want to add more time into SEO the Analytics info really helps on targeting. I also think google places and for us Canadians Yelp tends to come up on most searches. As you say I always show them how much better a properly filled in profile no only looks better but works much better as well. Google places can take quite a bit of time even optimizing in itself.
  12. Prosklitiria Gamon says:
    I do my first steps on this business and it is quite hard. This post give me some useful tips to follow. I hope for some good results.
  13. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Power tips Matt! Setting goals and meeting makes perfect sense: build a bond and your new clients are more likely to become excited. Thanks for sharing! RB
    • Matt Brown says:
      Ryan Exactly, thanks for reading. Once a client is excited about their campaign, you'll be glad to start delivering them good news. Constant updates early in the campaign help to build this bond I have found.
  14. Jamie Northrup says:
    As a web consultant, I try and sell my customers on SEO services all the time, usually by showing them the end game, but now I'll have more arguments, thanks Matt.
    • Matt Brown says:
      Jamie Absolutely, glad you liked it.
  15. Nishadha says:
    I totally understand your frustration when it comes to creating proposals for clients. Even the initial contact and the discussions can be frustrating. Most people know they want SEO but few understand who it can benefit them and its a long term thing.
    • Matt Brown says:
      Nishada I can't count how many hours I have spent toiling away at a website I'll see for the last time because a client isn't ready to start internet marketing. I use these proposals as an opportunity to improve though. What could I say differently? How can I really relate the benefits to someone on the outside of the industry? On the sales side though, sometimes it's just a numbers game. (Most times!)
  16. Amit says:
    Hmm.. interesting ways of getting new clients excited about SEO. It's hard to get the clients to really understand what SEO does mean and what SEO is all about. It's important to make sure the clients understand what they are paying for, also.
    • Matt Brown says:
      Amit Of course, I think that is what starts the relationship, or bond as we've been referring to it. Finding a way to relate your services in a way they understand and appreciate. My other post, https://famousbloggers.net/honest-seo.html discusses how to tackle that aspect. Thanks for the comment.
  17. Adam Gottlieb says:
    All great points, Matt. But aside from all of these things you mentioned, I think a lot of it has to do with attitude. If you trully see the value in your work, and you can get yourself to the point where it's OK if some clients just don't get it, or don't want to listen (meaning *you* are able to let it go), then you'll actually get many more clients to go along with your SEO work/recommendations. Once you come across as desparate for your clients' approval or business, you'll lose their respect and their cooperation. Adam
    • Matt Brown says:
      Adam Actually, you make a good point. When I was first starting off I probably spent a good amount of my client's time over explaining the services, hoping they'd really see where their money is going. There is the matter of conveying the understanding that "I'm the expert, I'm going to get this done for you". In the early stages though, it's about finding the balance of the confidence and expertise and fostering the client's trust in the industry. Great comment.
  18. Chris says:
    Often times most SEO consultants are not realistic when it comes to promising results to their clients. It's a battle between creating quality vs. quantity backlinks.
    • Matt Brown says:
      Chris I would agree with parts of that. Certainly some SEOs bite off a bit more than they can chew to impress a client. But finding links, both quality and quantity, can be done with time, and that's part of what a new client has to understand at the beginning. It takes time, but the benefits are tangible once the campaign is allowed to grow.
  19. Raj says:
    I guess its important not to over commit. SEO is not always about gaming the search engine like how some clients seem to think. Its more about adding value to the business they are doing and the customers who want to know more about their businesses. This definitely takes time, and a realistic picture should be portrayed by SEO consultants.
    • Matt Brown says:
      Raj Exactly, very well said. I've heard sales people talk about manipulating the search engine as a selling point. This is not the case. It's working with the client to make their website more desirable, both to the search engines and the people searching. I agree, SEO's should be honest and realistic with new clients. An experienced SEO should be able to accurately convey optimism in a new campaign, which I think gets clients thinking about the possibilities. Well done!