subject: 5 Steps to Selling SEO [print this page] 5 Steps to Selling SEO 5 Steps to Selling SEO
The real trick to selling SEO (among many) is convincing the potential client that SEO is about long-term success, not short-term gain. That's where the battle should begin and end. If a client can't see the big picture up front, it should be an all-to-obvious hint of their expectations and reactions down the road.
Be picky. If you really want quality case studies to look back on with satisfaction, don't accept the first client that comes along demanding to be on the first page of Google within two weeks. First of all, any client that is under the impression that being first on Google is the only worthwhile result is severely uneducated about SEO. If you must take on clients who hold this assumption, make a real effort to explain how SEO works in the long run and what the benefits of a long-term strategy would be for them.
Quality SEO service should never be about quick rankings. Instead, a successful SEO campaign should be an ongoing process, relying heavily on relevant keyword optimization, user and web crawler-friendly meta tags, strong internal and external linking, informative article submissions, directory submissions, and social media-driven content (blogs, social networks, review sites, etc.).
Here are five easy steps for your next potentially tough client meeting. Good luck and remember, the more the client understands in the beginning, the easier and more profitable a relationship will be in the long run.
1.) Push the benefits, and then push them again. Most business owners won't be interested in forking over thousands of dollars for something they think won't benefit them immediately. Here's where you come in. Turn on your snazzy power point and launch into the straight facts of capturing market share, increasing website visibility, and collecting targeted, highly qualified leads. That'll get their attention.
2.) ROI might be king, but strategy can yield a pot of gold. Getting more things done for less money seems to be a sticky philosophy that's here to stay. One great advantage of SEO is that the initial cost is usually much less in comparison with other forms of marketing. In addition, the potential return on investment is very high in comparison to the initial investment. Stressing these points can go much farther than a simple argument about how everyone is doing SEO and they should too.
3.) Let's go to school! Education about SEO is the key before launching into the hard sell. Even though search marketing has been around for more than a decade now, the tactics its practitioners use are slow to catch on with businesses. Unless you work in the industry or have some kind of direct relation to it, odds are you're not going to know the lingo or understand the basic concepts. If possible, set aside enough time for a meeting to discuss how search engines operate and rank sites based on relevant keywords, meta tags, incoming links, etc. If you see eyes start to glaze over, ditch the industry lingo and stick with easier explanations (i.e., search engines rank websites based on the amount of relevant content they see in regard to various search terms).
4.) Keywords. If the client knows anything about SEO, it'll probably be about keywords and the assumption that stuffing them all over their website is maybe the right thing to do. Errrrr no! Be polite and encouraging about the extent of their knowledge and explain that while relevant keywords are a good foundation for SEO, balanced usage is paramount for optimal results.
5.) Show off some numbers. Data speaks for itself, so do some mining and reveal the wonders that a successful SEO implementation can do for an online business presence. Don't forget to compare the high cost of pay-per-click campaigns to the lower cost of a well-optimized site when trying to rank for competitive keywords.
Are You in or Out?
Now that you've made your spiel and possibly mentally exhausted your client, it's their turn to make a decision. Encourage questions and answer them to the best of your ability, keeping in mind to carefully craft your responses in simple, benefit-oriented ways. With a lot of groundwork and a little luck, you just might snag a collection of quality clients who get' SEO and its long-term value.
