subject: What To Expect From Some Of The Worst Seo Clients [print this page] Anyone who works in search engine optimisation (SEO) will be, at times, forced to deal with clients that they would prefer never having signed on. These clients cause a multitude of problems for SEOs, from wasting their valuable time with trivial problems to never getting back to them when the problems are much bigger. If you are yet to take on a bad client (lucky you!), the following list is what you can expect from some of the worst of the worst:
Argue against every recommendation: Some clients believe that they are always right and will question every single SEO recommendation that you make even if you have the proof to back up how well your techniques and strategies work.
Attempt to out SEO you: Whilst there is nothing wrong with the client being actively involved in the SEO process, it can be downright annoying when they begin to assume that they know more about the process than the person they have hired.
Call or email all the time: Yes, communication is necessary for developing a good business relationship, but this doesnt mean that your clients need to call or email you every minute of the day. Some clients dont even want to talk about their SEO campaigns when they do this.
Failure to return emails or calls: When the client fails to return calls and ignores emails, this can actually severely slow down the progress of the SEO campaign. If you are asked for feedback, there is clearly a reason for it and it is likely that all other work will be at a standstill until feedback is received.
Forward spam emails: Some clients have such difficulty taking heed of the recommendations of their SEO, but when they receive a spam email from a relative stranger they immediately begin demanding why you arent doing what the email says to do.
Overriding the SEOs work: The website changes implemented by an SEO are all done with the aim of improving the visibility of the site. Some clients decide that they do not like the changes that have been made, so will go back in and change them, effectively ruining the optimisation.
Unreasonable expectations: Whilst it is not always the clients fault that they have unreasonable expectations for their SEO strategies, it is still the responsibility of the client to keep their expectations in check. Only so much can be done in a limited amount of time and with a limited amount of funds on hand.
Whilst it is difficult to turn away SEO clients, when it becomes clear that you have a textbook bad client on your hands, it will definitely be tempting. If you are in the very early stages of the campaign, you could perhaps get away with telling the client that you are pretty swamped at the moment and that you dont think youll be able to dedicate the necessary time to their website, but even then there is no guarantee that theyll decide to go and annoy someone else.
