SEO Business Kits

SEO Marketing Services Agreement � Just Sign The Damn Thing And Pay Us Already

Article by John Romaine on 2012-07-24 11:55:59 EST

Here's a funny seo contract that I just put together, that I think you might get a giggle out of. As funny as it is, I think there are a lot of seo firms out there, where some of this might apply! By the way, you can download this below.

Enjoy!

This agreement is made between Links r Us Pty Ltd (the “Links r Us”) and the client specified on the Order Form (the “Client”).

1. Service Delivery

Links r Us will blast the crap out of as many chinese blogs, turkish soft porn dating forums and illegal prescription drug websites with every backlink type conceivable. This includes, but is not limited to blog commenting, hidden text, keyword stuffing, blatent spamming and other methods that we can put on our proposal to make it sound like we know what were talking about.

It’s more than likely that in addition to these tactics, and to achieve the desired outcome, that we’ll probably also implement automated link building software, like Dicky Links v2.3, Google Woogly, Juicylinks, and Linklickers Pro, just to ensure complete saturation and coverage, as well as just to annoy and aggrevate webmasters for our own self amusement.

For those ordering the platinum level membership (extra $5,000 per month) we will also utilise our highly trained team of ex Indian cab drivers and Malaysian Pygmies to churn out recycled non sensicle content of your choice, around the clock from our inhouse sweat shop.

Links r Us, will commence providing the services as outlined in the Work Order Form (the "Services") on the terms and conditions of this agreement (or whenever we feel like it, whichever comes first). In order for us to begin you must provide a completed Work Order Form and signed copy of this agreement, as well as having made payment. We do accept direct debit or credit card, but prefer cash, for tax evasion reasons.

Any services which the Client requests Links r Us to provide that are outside the scope of the Services will be provided at the rate of $450 per hour (ex tax). Because let’s face it, that just pisses everyone off and causes delays.

2. Fees

(a) The Client will pay the fees specified in the Work Order Form (the "Fees") within 3 days of the issue date of the invoice, or when we decide to threaten you via telephone or email. This basically means, don’t try to screw us around with payment, otherwise, there’ll be trouble. Be mindful, we prefer cash for reasons mentioned above. We might consider sending you a thank you letter for early payment, but it’s probably not likely.

(b) All fees are quoted exclusive of applicable sales taxes. We might chuck in a few extra charges and fees every now and then if business is slow.

3. Client responsibilities

For the sole purpose of providing the Services, the Client:

(a) will promptly provide all other assistance reasonably required by Links r Us. This means;

1. Don’t screw us around;

2. Call us occasionally with praise, because we’re awesome.

4. Client acknowledgments

The Client acknowledges that the conditions listed below basically mean that if things goes pear shaped, such as Godzilla running amok through one of Google’s main data centers or your rankings falling like Facebook shares, that it’s not our fault. We are well within our rights to;

1. Blame someone else;

2. Continue taking your money;

3. Become totally evasive;

4. Shift our business operations to Mexico

The Client agrees that Links r Us will not be deemed to have breached this agreement;

(a) if the ranking of the Website adversely changes for any reason. In this respect, the Client acknowledges that Links r Us does not guarantee the ranking of the Website, even though we say we do. We just pull that crap at the time of getting the contract signed to make things feel a bit more warm n fuzzy;

(b) if Google changes their algorithm, leaving everyone at a total loss as to what the hell is going on. At this point, we will send your monthly reports containing Bing’s search results;

(c) if Google decides to remove, deindex or suspend the Client's Website from its webpage ranking system or search result system. This happens every now and then but don’t worry, when it does, we’ll just recommend you begin using Adwords, and we’ll charge you for that;

(d) if Google decides not to promptly process any submissions made by Links r Us. If this does occur, we have a team of experts able to flood Google’s search engine with a DOS attack rendering it useless. This will see an increase in your Bing and Yahoo traffic. It’s a win win situation.;

(e) if a government agency, like NCIS or the A-team takes any action which adversely affects the ranking of the Website. I wouldn’t worry too much about this. It's us that should probably worry;

(f) if the Client makes changes to the Website, whether on its own initiative or by someone’s 12 year old nephew with a little bit of Front page experience. In this respect, the Client agrees that Links r Us will be entitled to slap some heads, send further abusive emails or request more money; or

(g) if the Client decides that even though they’ve hired an seo contractor that they know best, and want us to include a dancing chicken as your header tags, then its likely we will smile, nod in agreement and continue taking your money. Of course the client further acknowledges that it may select and pay for additional SEO methodologies, such as negative seo, should it wish to Google bowl its competitors and rank above them.

5. Term and Termination

This agreement commences when we say so, or when you send us an envelope containing non sequencial unmarked $100 notes. We’ll let you know when the shows over by not returning your calls or emails, or :

(a) the date which is 30 days after the delivery of a threatening letter sent directly to your mothers house; or

(b) the date at which point you realise that we’ve milked you for every cent and you’re considering hiring a legal representative. We’d rather just call it even and go our own way.

6. Acts of God

If an event or circumstance occurs which prevents Links r Us from delivering all or part of the Services that are outside the control of Links r Us (an "Act of God" event), then Links r Us will be:

(a) able to bail; and

(b) entitled to claim any money or trinkets of value (such as star wars figurines and bacon scented neck ties) as a result of the Act of God event,

provided that it promptly notifies the Client of what terrible event has actually taken place, whilst maintaining a level of professionalism. Even if someone’s underwear is on fire during that time.

An act of God might be considered something along the lines of;

(a) Jesus returns with an endless supply of chocolate biscuits;

(b) Elvis is found alive; or

7. Loss and Damages

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this agreement, neither party is liable for any indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever caused or suffered by the other party in connection with this agreement. Unless of course, our team decides to leave a robots.txt bomb on your website as a result of non payment. In this case, we’ll be long gone.

8. Liability n' Stuff

Subject to certain clauses in this agreement, the liability of Links r Us to the Client for any losses arising in relation to this agreement as a result of the non-performance or perhaps us just skipping town, shall not exceed the sum of money in our petty cash tin. As of writing this agreement we have $6.30.

9. Confidentiality

We’ll be sure to keep the agreement and its terms strictly confidential unless of course, external parties or competitors offer us an irresistable amount of money. In which case, it’s likely that the odd report might get slipped under the table during coffee at the local café. Of course, we’re joking, but if interested, please email us at insideinformation@linksrus.com.

10. Dispute resolution

All disputes must first be attempted to be resolved by both parties over a friendly game of ping pong and a few beers. We advise you bring your own bat and beer. If the parties are unable to resolve the dispute within 2 games, they will play the best of 5.

At no point is diving onto the table in an effort to save a shot, accusing Links r Us of rigging the game, excessive swearing, bat throwing or burping to be tolerated.

If during the game both parties become heavily intoxicated and no-one can remember the score, the dispute is immediately disregarded and the agreement stands. Links r Us, may at some point consider cheating during the game or continually refilling your beer to ensure avoiding a potential lawsuit.

11. Notices

Let's just hope if things go bad, that nobody notices.

12. Amendments

Links r Us, has the right to change this agreement at any time. Especially when it doesn’t work in our favour.

13. Severability

If any part or provision of this agreement is found to be void, invalid or otherwise unenforceable, then Links r Us, will most likely try to ammend the agreement in favour of ourselves or just pack up and bail. You can try your best to find us, but we can assure that we’ll be long gone with your money. We might send you a postcard.

14. Waiver

We like ice cream, but not those waiver things. Please don’t send us any. Thank you.

15. Entire agreement

Yes, this is the entire agreement. Unless we’ve missed a few pages. In which case, no this isn’t it.

16. The law

This agreement is governed by Starsky and Hutch, Macguiver and Chuck Norris. It has also been read and given approval by Vanilla Ice.

17. Interpretation

In this agreement:

(a) what we say and what we do are probably going to be two completely different things;

(b) with any hope, this agreement has confused you. If that’s the case, we’ve succeeded in our objective;

Executed on behalf of the Client
by its authorised representative:

……………………………………………………
Signature

……………………………………………………
Print name

……………………………………………………
Date

[DOWNLOAD THIS SEO CONTRACT HERE]

Top 10 Tips When a Client Requests a Refund or Threatens Non Payment

Article by John Romaine on 2012-05-28 02:31:56 EST

“We’ve just received our ranking report for this month, and we’re very dissapointed. According to this report our rankings have actually dropped lower than they were last month. I cant understand what we’re paying you for. Our management team has decided that unless you can improve our rankings, that we won’t pay, and if that’s not possible, we’d like a full refund.”

Let me tell you, if ever you’ve received an email from a client like this, you’ll know just how terrible it can feel. I mean, you’ve invested your time, resources and efforts towards helping your cleint with best intentions, and then suddenly you’re hit with threat of either non payment or worse, a refund request.

It can be a sickening feeling, especially if you’re just getting started in your business and every dollar counts. I mean, we’ve all got bills to pay, right?

Thankfully, I’ve never been in this position, but I do know of other freelance seo consultants that have. Instead of running around trying to put out fires when it’s all too late, here’s some solid advice that can help provide a solution or perhaps prevent this from happening altogether.

1. Your contract is your only saviour.

Unless you’ve clearly outlined exactly what your payment, cancellation and refund policies are within your contract, you’ll find yourself sitting in some smoke filled bar sipping cheap bourbon, telling everyone how “SEO was a tough racket”.

Failing to specify these clauses clearly within your contract before getting the client onboard will only leave you in this position later on. It’s vital that the client has a clear understanding of these terms, and they sign off on them – both within the seo proposal and the contract.

To be sure of this, I always have the client not only sign the last page of my contract, but much like a real estate contract, I have them initial each page too (usually just on the side of each page). That way, they cant say afterwards “Oh, I didn’t see that”, or “That page wasn’t there before”

Here’s a small snippet taken from the seo contract that’s included in the business kit.

“The Client agrees to pay monthly, in advance, without set-off or deduction either via EFT, Cheque or Cash by the xxth of the month preceding the month in which the SEO service commences. Non-payment of the fee will entitle XYZ SEO Company to immediately terminate the SEO service, until such time as all amounts due to Company have been paid in full.”

If you don’t specify your payment terms and cancellation clauses clearly in your contract, you will have no option but to grant the refund and swallow your pride. But for crying out loud, if you do make this mistake – only make it once!

2. Clearly define expectations.

So you agreed to rank this clients 2 week old weebly model train website for the term “credit cards” That’s fantastic. I hope they realise it’s more likely that they’ll win the lotto or see Elvis before that ever happens.

Instead of making promises you can’t uphold simply to land a project, be realistic with your clients and clearly define expectations before you have them sign the contract. There’s little point smiling, nodding your head and saying “Sure, no problem”, when they’re of the understanding that they’re about to outrank Ikea for the keyword “furniture”. It’s just not going to happen. You know it, so be honest with them and don’t lead them on.

More importantly, it’s absolutely vital that the client understands that search engines own the algorithms, not you – so you cant gaurantee anything. The client should be completely aware of this before shaking hands.

Oh, and lastly, don’t talk in technical jargon about page rank, algorithms and glow in the dark onions. They wont have any idea of what youre talking about and as a result, will most likely have no idea of what to expect. This of course, can, and will most likely result in an issue with payment later on.

3. Clients must implement your recommendations.

This one usually always comes up at some point. Clients resisting changes to their sites because they don’t want to lose that warm and fuzzy feeling that the 4,000 line code non browser compatible javascript dropdown menu gives them.

Have you ever had a client say this?

“We’ve considered the changes you recommend on our website, but we like the big giant dancing teddy bear flash animation. We understand that it takes 2 minutes or so to load, and that it could be hurting our conversions, but all of our customers think its cute, therefore weve decided to keep it.”

If this is the case, then there are 2 pressing issues.

Either ;

You didn’t specify client obligations clearly within your contract ; or
You aren’t being firm enough about what needs to be done in order to achieve the desired outcome

In either case, you’re headed for disaster. You must be firm with clients and have them understand that the changes you recommend, must be implemented, otherwise everyone is wasting time.

There’s little point having to argue with someone that won’t take your advice. Youre the expert, that’s why they hired you.

Clients like this are just waiting to deny payment due to poor performance, but if theyre not willing to implement your recommendations, then its just a train wreck waiting to happen.

Be sure to cover this indepth within your contract. Here’s a short snippet taken from the seo contract included in the business kit.

That the Client make the required changes to their website as requested by Company, within a 2 week time period from the date of the request
That the Client is completely open, honest and upfront in terms of the website and all issues surrounding the website
That the Client ensures that the designated web developer cooperate with Company in terms of the website changes for SEO requirements

4. Don't take on clients that are only interested in rankings.

Image rights Big Oak www.bigoakinc.com - Art by Kelly Ishikawa www.kellyishikawa.com

I remember speaking with a client once and every time I mentioned conversions, site layout, social media and user engagement times, his response would somehow always go back to ….

“We just want to be number one on the Googles…”

Clients need to understand that rankings don’t somehow magically equate to earnings. Just because your client wants to rank first for “Elephants in pink high heels” doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be rolling in hundred dollar bills – and it’s important that they understand that ahead of time.

Clients that are obsessed about rankings, will most likely be the worst to work with, and typically the first to complain or argue about payment if they slip even just one spot in the search results.

To prevent issues with outstanding payments or refusal to make payment, you really need to either

Skip these types of clients completely, or
Educate them as best you can during the initial consultation

It’s important that you measure what’s important. And it’s equally important that the client understands this as well.

Just as you wouldn’t pay a surgeon based upon the outcome of an operation, the same principles apply to seo – you’re not selling rankings, youre providing optimization.

5. Get paid in advance.

When to get paid always makes for an interesting debate.

I’ve always wondered what determines when a person is eligible to receive payment. I mean, a mechanic services your car - then receives payment. A plumber fixes your toilet - then invoices you. But for other services it’s the other way round. You pay first, then receive the goods or services afterwards.

When it comes to search engine optimization, some consultants choose to receive payment in advance, others upon completion of certain work.

Myself personally, I always prefer payment in advance. That way you’re being paid for your time, and not having to worry about whether or not you might be paid later on.

At the very least, it’s always wise to request a deposit up front if you’re not comfortable asking for payment in advance or choose not to use this method.

6. Your sales pitch sucks.

If a client is refusing payment, then it’s likely that you screwed up big time during the initial consultantion. And if that’s not the case, then your proposal or contract must suck. Either way, something has gone wrong somewhere, and you’ve allowed yourself to be in this position – unless of course you have an absolute nightmare of a client, in which case, you should be able to begin proceedings based upon your signed contract – you have a contract don’t you?

7. You don’t own the algorithm.

Before you start making gaurantees about rankings, be mindful that you don’t own the algorithm, the search engines do. How can you possibly gaurantee something you have absolutely no control over?

Making gaurantees has the potential to leave the client feeling dissatsified with the service you’ve provided, and in turn, leave you chasing up unpaid invoices.

8. Prequalify your clients.

I’ve spoken about this numerous times. Infact I mention prequalifying clients here in this article. Always use your gut instinct when meeting with new clients especially. If you meet with a client and it just doesn’t feel right – you might want to reconsider the job.

I’ve sat with a few clients have said “I’ve been through 5 web designers, 2 different hosts and countless SEO firms, and they’re all useless”. This is a big red flag for me. Sure, some service providers mightn’t be that great, but all of them? It’s not likely.

I believe the success of any project relies on both parties. Not just the seo consultant.

Chances are if they’re whinging about their hosting provider, their web developer, and Google, it will be just a matter of time before they’re whinging about you too. Avoid them, its not worth the hassle.

9. Be careful with your reporting.

You may not have given this much thought, but the monthly reports you’re sending to your clients might be sending the wrong message - especially if they’re focused soley on rankings.

Your monthly reports should include every metric that is critical to the project objectives. This should include, conversions, time onsite, return visitors, enquiries and so on.

There’s little point showing just rankings. Rankings are only a small part of the overall equation. If you’re just sending ranking reports to your clients, then you’re entire business is going to be one algorithm change away from a lot of angry customers.

10. Educate your clients.

Okay before you roll your eyes and say “Hey listen, I’m just here to land the job, I don’t have time to be lecturing Barry about his hardware store about keyword research, anchor text and guest blogging techniques” – hear me out.

By educating I don’t mean, sitting down in a training room with a handful of text books, an overhead projector and a laser pointer. I mean, provide the client with a reference guide or handbook that they can read over in their own time, that will provide them with useful information about what’s involved during the seo process.

I include one within my seo business startup kit. It’s nothing fancy, it’s just a 4 page document that covers why seo is important for online business, how it can be beneficial, and a breakdown of what the process involves.

This simple handout answers some of the most common questions, and helps bring the client up to speed. Of course, the more information you provide to the client, the less likely they are to be demanding refunds or refusing payment.

Simple things like this can often give the client a much better understanding of whats involved, what to expect and how the seo process all pieces together.

I usually give it to them during the intial consultantion, (before I compile the proposal and quote for the job) and say “Hey, have a read over this, you might find it useful towards understanding more about what we do and the overall seo process.”

This can really help not only prevent monetary disputes later on, but also help towards landing more projects because the client feels more comfortable.

Don’t forget, all of the contracts and required documentation that I’ve mentioned here in this article, are all included within my SEO Business Startup Kit, that you can purchase, download and have immediate access to for a one time payment of just $97.

Before You Meet - The Complete Client Meeting Checklist � 17 Point Definitive Guide for SEO Consultants

Article by John Romaine on 2012-05-21 22:28:25 EST

Being unprepared for a meeting with a client could mean the difference between a new contract and you wondering how on earth you’re going to make budget for the month. Fumbling through paperwork, forgetting a client’s name, being unsure about responses to client questions or running late, are all signals to the client that you may not be the right person for the job, regardless of your seo expertise.

When it comes to client meetings, always be sure you have everything organized before you arrive – never during! Read through any prior correspondence via email, quotes or notes you have to refresh your memory about this client’s needs and go over them in your head. Then make sure you have a full understanding of the objectives and outcomes you and your client both want to achieve for that meeting.

Still unsure? Here’s a few successful meeting tips to get you cracking.

Here are some quick guidelines on adequate preparation for a successful meeting with a client:

1. Practice

You remember that scene with Robert Deniro in the movie Taxi Driver? You know, where he’s looking at himself in the mirror and asking “You talkin’ to me?” This might sound crazy, but if you’re a bit of an introvert, client meetings might be just enough to scare you to death – but don’t worry. As with everything, you’re bound to make mistakes, and that’s okay. Even if your pen does run in your top pocket.

Remember the old saying “practice makes perfect”, well - start practicing.

Get yourself in the bathroom and start rehearsing in the mirror. That’s right. Slip on your favourite tie and scribble out some notations and start rehearsing your responses, and how you intend on dealing with those tough questions.

You might feel like an idiot, but wouldn’t you rather feel like now, rather than later, in front of a client?

2. Set Objectives for the Meeting

There’s little point meeting with a client, unless you both know why you’re actually meeting. Sure it might be nice to share a coffee or talk about the weather, but that’s not going to put money into your account.

Be sure before you head off, that you create some objectives you would ideally like to achieve throughout the course of the meeting. You may want to cover specific topics, discuss time frames or work allocations, or even consider verifying unclear details with the client while you’re face to face.

Trust me, you don’t want to find yourself back at the office, with an unsigned contract, wondering what on earth you just talked about for 2 hours.

You don't want your meetings to go like this.

3. Provide an agenda beforehand

This is always useful. I like to think of it as a client ‘itenarary’. Rather than have the client rock up with no idea of what to bring, expect or talk about, its much easier to provide them with a complete overview of whats going to take place during the meeting.

If the meeting agenda is clarified ahead of time, you will both have a better chance of keeping things on topic and not find yourself talking about left handed screwdrivers and inflattable dartboards.

Be sure to include a list of questions you want to ask the client. You may also want to find out what specific requirements the client has in mind to make sure you are meeting their exact needs.

4. Assign meeting preparation

There’s nothing worse than meeting with a potential client and they arrive with nothing but a smile and a handshake. No notes, no laptop, no documents, no nothing.

To prevent this, you may want to ask the client to bring certain information or relevant documentation to the meeting. By assigning who needs to bring what to the meeting, there is less chance of seeming disorganized when you do meet.

It might be worthwhile calling them ahead of time and reminding them (in a polite way of course) to bring certain information that is required during the meeting.

5. Assign actionable items

Any topic addressed during the meeting should end with an agreement or discussion on how it should be acted upon.

This should mean, agreeing upon some form of tangible action that will see the project produce the end result.

Talk is cheap. A signed contract is everything. As said in Glengarry Glen Ross - “Always be closing”

6. Examine your meeting process

You might think that you nailed it, but what about the client. Feeling all warm and fuzzy about the way you handled those tough questions during the meeting mightn’t mean much if the client is left confused or annoyed.

Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, regardless of how long you’ve been doing this.

Always take some time to assess the meeting and try to pinpoint any areas that could be improved upon. Even if this means asking your client for feedback.

Your level of preparation and planning will portray your level of professionalism to your client, and could mean the difference between securing new work, or hindering a successful outcome.

7. Be On Time

This should be a no-brainer, but it’s worth repeating. If you’re late to a meeting, this shows a distinct lack of respect for your client’s time. Always try to arrive at least 15 minutes early, but if you are running late for any reason, give your client the courtesy of a quick call to let them know.

And no, its not worth a speeding ticket.

8. Personal presentation

With so much business being conducted via virtual means, either by email or video conferencing, it’s becoming rarer to meet clients in person. However, there will be times when it’s necessary to meet face-to-face to discuss specific project details. It’s at these times that your presentation must be professional and appropriate.

First impressions really do count, especially in the world of business, so be sure you take care of all the details of your personal presentation. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be wearing a power suit, but you also shouldn’t think that ripped jeans and a metallica t-shirt will be appropriate either.

Smart business attire is always a wise option. Neatly pressed trousers and a business shirt with freshly polished shoes is a great option.

9. Personal grooming

Dressing very well but neglecting basic personal hygiene is a definite no-no. Brush your hair, shave, use deodorant and be sure your hands are clean, especially under your fingernails. You should also be sure not to go overboard with the strong, over-powering cologne. A little is more than enough.

Brush your teeth and use some mouthwash. There’s nothing worse than sitting in an appointment opposite someone with bad breath or brocolli stuck in their teeth, so imagine how your client is feeling as you talk. And no, don’t have that butter chicken curry for lunch before the meeting.

10. Communication skills

When you’re in a situation of face-to-face contact, there are three facets to any communication that can tell you much about the other person. Likewise, the other person is seeing those same things in you.

Research has proven that only 7% of communication is reliant on the words you say, while as much as 38% will be impacted by your tone of voice as you say those words. Hesitation during a response can indicate uncertainty. When you pause or draw out sentences with a lot of “ums” or “errs”, this can also indicate to a client that you’re not sure of your response.

A client may very well choose another company to do business with because of that feeling of uncertainty you could have inadvertently conveyed. The biggest facet of communication when face-to-face with another person is your own body language. The way you move, sit, respond, twitch, fidget or gesture can speak volumes more to a person than anything you’ve just said.

If you have an air of desperation about you that screams silently how badly you need the work just to stay in business, this is going to come across to your client subconsciously. This is irrespective of whether you’ve used all the right words or not.

11. Shut up and listen

You have two ears, but only one mouth, so it’s important to keep this ratio consistent.

When your client speaks, don’t interrupt, or talk over the top, or otherwise try to anticipate what they’re trying to say. Let them talk and really LISTEN to what they’re saying.

12. Body language

Slouching isnt cool. Nor is leaning back in your chair yawning every 2 minutes.

Positive body language is all about being open and relaxed. A professional level of confidence in your ability to successfully meet the client’s needs will be conveyed by your own body language, so prepare yourself beforehand and your body gestures will let the client know you’re confident you’re the best person for the job.

13. Location, location, location

If you have the option, try to arrange for meetings to be held in your own office. If you prefer not to do this, opt for a quiet café that isn’t overcrowded or too noisy. Bringing your client out of his own office will give out a professional image about you and give your client a sense of confidence in your company.

Try if possible to cover the costs. Be mindful that paying for $2 coffee on behalf of your client might be enough to have them sign your $15,000 contract.

14. Take notes

During meetings, always take notes of any points that you don’t want to forget. This includes points of interest, comments made by the client, preferences or omissions the client may have specified, or any other important points that you can’t afford to overlook later.

Don’t feel obliged to write down every word being said, as you could miss potentially important information as you write. Just general, informal notes jotted onto a notepad will be fine to jog your memory when it matters. If possible, have someone with you to take notes so that you can devote your undivided attention to the client.

15. Provide client checklists

It’s important your clients understand exactly what goes on behind the scenes while you’re working. Many clients won’t completely understand the SEO process, but they’ll want to see results quickly.

If you provide checklists of tasks that are being carried out and completed behind the scenes, your client is far more likely to understand a bit more about what you’re doing to assist them. (I include one of these in my seo business kit)

16. Obtain client details

Always be sure you have your client’s full details. This includes their name, phone number and email address. Even if you don’t end up winning the contract, you should still have these details so you can follow up after your meeting.

Following up with clients after a meeting is one of the more important business moves you can make.

17. Client perception

The biggest factor in whether or not you land the job lies heavily on the clients perception of you. Whilst you can only do so much, your client’s perception of you can be directly attributed to your attitude and body language throughout the entire meeting.

These things are also known to have a significant impact on the final decision your client makes about awarding you the business or not.

So do your best, and remember to have fun. It’s about building relationships and enjoying what you do. Making money is just a bonus.

Some Clients Will Take Anything for Free. How Much Are You Willing to Give?

Article by John Romaine on 2012-04-27 10:55:10 EST

Free is never really free.

While we’re all reasonably aware that free things are free only in the sense that you don’t exchange money for them, and there’s always an associated cost somewhere down the road, a lot of us don’t realize that free things aren’t free on either side of the fence – they’re not free for the person who gets them, and they’re not free for the person giving them either.

This is easy to see when you’re talking about something like a free gift in exchange for goods or services. Obviously, the gift cost something; it wasn’t free for the person giving it out. Someone paid for it. And since it’s free “with purchase,” it’s not really free at all – you still have to buy or pay for something. Obviously, the cost of what is being given out “free” actually comes out of the profits on your investment.

But what a lot of people miss is the associated cost in positioning – a critical element of any small business. When you come right down to it, you get paid whatever you get paid because that’s what your work is worth, and when you give away work for free… well, obviously at least that part of the work isn’t worth very much at all.

How much is free, really worth?

We’re taught from an early age that anything you can have for free isn’t worth very much, and that anyone who says they’re giving you something free is probably trying to trick you. So when you add free offers or discounts to your products or services, many people view this as you bribing them to buy that product or service.

Another common reason people think you might give something away for free is because, well, you can’t seem to sell it. When a company’s bacon-scented neckties aren’t exactly jumping off the shelves, a good way to get them off of your increasingly bacon-scented shelves is to have a “free bacon-scented necktie with purchase” special.

With information, of course, this isn’t normally because it’s taking up space in a warehouse (or making it reek). It’s more likely because it’s unpopular, outdated, or just plain wrong. In the SEO world, every time Google rolls out a new algorithm change, the price of the old and outdated strategies drops… sometimes all the way to nothing.

The price is right.

This makes it pretty clear that you shouldn’t be trying to hand out free information too much, but there’s another side – the client, or prospective client, who asks for a certain amount of free information or work that you’re not actually handing out.

The idea is that if you give them something they like, they’ll hire you and pay for more of the same. They may call this a sample, or a test, or working “on spec,” but they all have one thing in common: they are tremendously unlikely to ever pay for anything.

What you’ll find, when you do free work, is that people are very happy for you to do work for free and have all kinds of additional work you could do for free. And if you hand out free information, people will take it from you all day long… then walk away and throw it out.

Have you ever been to one of the big conventions for an industry or profession? They have these huge halls full of displays and demonstrations, and whenever people go to one, they pick up an absolute stack of free information about various companies and their products. Then they go back to the office and set it aside until they have time to read it… but they never do, so it just sits there until they eventually throw it away.

But every year, they’ll go back to that same convention and take the same stack of "free stuff" from pretty much the same companies.

Now, there’s one place that you should have free information and services, and that’s when it’s a gateway to something paid. But the key element of this is that your expenses – both money and time – have to be very, very small.

This is much easier today than it used to be. You can easily provide your prospective client with perhaps an audit of their site, or perform some low level keyword research. The key is to be careful about clearly defining the line between “giving away too much,” so your customer doesn’t have to spend anything at all, and giving away nothing at all – which provides no proof of quality.

An excellent way to accomplish this is by providing something near the beginning, but not at the beginning. The customer then needs to make an investment or commitment towards the service being provided, not only to get the most benefit from it, but also to cover the introduction to the free offers.

So be careful, in your SEO consulting business, about the temptation to give away too much for free - or to provide free samples of your work. While it might seem like the best way to get new clients, it can rapidly become a supply of people who don’t want to pay for anything.

Free now, should mean money later.

Instead, explain some of the things you’ll do for the client, in detail, so they can confirm you know your business… and maybe even provide some examples of the work that will be performed. The benefits of doing this is twofold.

On the one hand, they get to see that it works because you've openly demonstrated it with other clients; and on the other, they get to see just how much works involved… and how much they would rather not do it themselves.

This is a solid, winning strategy for obtaining clients that can both see your expertise and appreciate the amount of work you do, which is often, the best kind of client to have.

Market Samurai Review � 10 Reasons Why You Need This Software and Why You�ll Thank Me Later.

Article by John Romaine on 2012-04-18 06:52:49 EST

For those that know me, they’ll already know that I don’t promote garbage. Infact, to be honest, I really don’t promote that much stuff at all, so when I do, I want to make sure it doesn’t suck.

There’s nothing worse than being told, “This is the best piece of software on the Interwebs and you have to buy it now!”, then when you do buy and install it, you get the blue screen of death, your refund request goes unanswered and everyone locks their front doors, draws their curtains and you hear nothing but the faint sound of crickets off in the distance.

I'm sure most marketers will shove just about anything under your nose just to get their affiliate cut. That’s not how I roll.

I respect my subscribers and I hope they’re thankful that I only make recommendations based on personal experience and good genuine advice.

Then why am I promoting Market Samurai?

Good question, I’m glad you asked. I decided to write about and promote this software because, quite honestly, it kicks ass. Pure and simple. There's no other way to put it.

Market Samurai is software that I’ve been using every day since 2008 in my own seo consultancy business and I’d be lost without it. It really has become my “go to” piece of software for just about everything in terms of search engine optimisation and marketing. It really is solid stuff.

For those that have already heard about Market Samurai, they’ll already know how fantastic this software is, because everybody’s been raving about it since its release back in October 2008. Since then its built a real following, amongst marketers, online business owners and seo professionals especially.

For those that haven’t heard about Market Samurai or aren’t using it, you’ll probably be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Well here’s the deal. If ever you’ve performed keyword research, or tried to assess how competitive a market might be, or you’ve wanted to know where a clients site is ranked for certain keywords, then you’ll know just how drawn out and tiresome the process can be.

This is where Market Samurai really comes into play.

Rather than rave on about it, here’s my top 10 reasons why you need this software in your SEO business today. Trust me, it will make a HUGE difference, as it has for me.

1. It’s a one time fee.

Unlike a lot of other software applciations, Market Samurai is just a one time fee. Theres no annoying monthly members or lock in contracts, or upsells or annoying sales pitches. You just pay the $149 and youre ready to rock n roll. And no, there arent any support or maintenance fees either, which brings me to my next point.

2. Theres continual updates for free

That’s right, you heard, continual upgrades and support for FREE! I remember seeing someone ask on a forum once, why do the guys at Market Samurai offer life long support and upgrades for free? And to be honest, I don’t know, because I guess they could, quite easily, but they don’t. I guess they’re just nice guys. They’re Australian, maybe that’s why.

3. The support is excellent

Have you ever purchased a software application only for it to go pear shaped and then youre stuck for support? Or worse, when you do finally get help, you get sent to some chat thing based in India where it seems youre speaking to a robot with an accent? There’s nothing worse. The team behind Market Samurai arent like that. They’ve not only have a great ticketing system in place, but they also keep everyone updated with their blog. This is really nice because you can log in and interact with other buyers and share experiences.

4. Its easy to use

Using this software is an absolute no brainer. The interface is a breeze. All the menus and options are clearly labelled and easy to follow. Even if you do get stuck, you can refer to the training videos on the Market Samurai website. They break each video down into segments that cover keyword research, competition analysis and more.

5. I can fast track the process and make decisions much, much quicker.

If you’ve been in the SEO game for a while, you’ll already know how tedious the process can be. Checking backlinks, performing keyword research, analysing competiton. It all takes time. I remember in the past it would take me hours just to check a handful of keywords. Now, using Market Samurai, I can quickly and easily assess dozens of keywords in just minutes.

6. Keyword research is a piece of cake

As said above, Market Samurai simplifies the keyword research process significantly. What I really like about the keyword research feature is the data matrix that they provide. Instead of being subjected to confusing graphs and squiggly lines, they present it to you with 3 colours. Red indicating a difficult level of competition, amber indicating somewhat hard, and green meaning its going to be a walk in the park. Unlike a lot of tools, this visual aspect has you performing keyword research like never before.

7. I can assess strength and amount of competiton easy

Not only can I do keyword research quickly, but I can also assess the amount of competition using the seo competition feature. This basically allows you to calculate how many pages you’ll be fighting with when trying to rank for a given keyword. Again, it’s a piece of cake, and always very accurate.

8. I can reverse engineer other sites

This is a little bit sneaky, so don’t tell anyone. With Market Samurai, you can quickly see where other sites are getting their backlinks from then reverse engineer that strategy to suit your own purposes. If a site is ranked in first spot, it only makes sense to find out how theyre doing it. Market Samurai makes this easy.

9. I can use it on up to 3 computers under 1 license

Heres another great feature. Instead of just being limited to having a single license and only being able to install it on one device, I can install it on up to 3 computers if I want. So in my case, Im running a copy on my desktop, and another copy on my laptop, so I can use Market Samuria while Im at the local café sipping $12 lattees.

10. I can easily monitor my sites rankings

This is another great feature as well. Simply enter in all of your keywords, your domain, then hit GO and Market Samurai will then scan that list and generate a nice little report that shows you where the site is ranked for each keyword. If you’re still clicking through the search results manually to see where youre ranked, youll love this option. It’s a massive time saver.

Okay, so there you go. Market Samurai. It’s a great piece of software, and one that I highly recommend. If youre in the SEO industry, working as either a small business owner or a freelancer, then take it from me, you NEED this software. I couldn’t imagine not having it.

Double thumbs up. 9.5/10

Ready to take action?

If you'd like to check it out (you can download a free trial copy) go HERE
If you'd like more information about this software, follow this link HERE
And if you want to just cut straight to the chase and start kicking goals, click HERE

Just to make you feel all warm and fuzzy, here's a couple of videos that demonstrate Market Samurai.

How to Determine Keyword Relevancy

How to Assess the Strength of Competition

There's plenty more on the Market Samurai Website (click on DOJO up the top, then click on "Market Samurai").

Oh, and before I forget, once you start smashing it with this software, dont forget to email me and say "John, thanks so much for the recommendation - you were right!"

PS. Please note that if you purchase through my referral that I am paid an affiliate commission. It's kinda like buying me a beer as thanks :0)

50 Ways to Find More Clients in Your SEO Business Part 1

Article by John Romaine on 2012-04-15 07:45:15 EST

Recently, I performed a survey against my list of subscribers, all of which are actively involved in the SEO industry as either freelance consultants, or small business owners and asked them, “What would you like me to write about? What's your biggest frustration or concern within your seo business?”

Without a doubt the most common area of concern was how to get more clients. Infact a staggering 80% of the feedback I received, were questions relating to finding more clients.

So how can we get more seo clients?

This is a question that I'm asked often and is obviously one of the biggest areas of concern with most freelancers, because lets face it, without customers, our businesses simply can't survive.

But how hard is it really to find paying customers?

Speaking from personal experience as a freelance consultant myself, I understand how difficult it can be, especially when you're just starting out and have no portfolio.

So in direct response to those that completed my survey, and are looking to land more clients and secure more seo projects, here are my top 50 suggestions to how you can begin attracting more seo clients today!

1. Setup a referral or affiliate program

Starting a referral program is an excellent way to reward your existing customers for recommending new ones. The way in which this can be worked is numerous; either by way of offering a commission to the affiliate, (the customer directing new clients your way) or by offering them some form of discounted optimisation work. In essence, your existing customers send more work your way, and you reward them with some form of incentive as thanks for doing so.

2. Approach those already promoting via adwords

In simple terms, this method involves seeking out businesses that are promoting their websites by way of pay per click advertising. Its obvious that if they are spending money towards advertising, then its likely that they’d be willing to potentially save some of that money and improve their organic search placement. You can usually seek out a dozen or so keywords that a business might be paying for, in an effort to see where they are ranking, then use this as leverage towards motivating them towards investing in your services. For example “We noticed that youre using PPC for the search term Sydney Florist, and your site is currently ranked page 8, would you be interested in a free consultation? We could rank you for this keyword and save you some money. Give us a call.”

3. Bang on doors - hit local businesses

I'm still a big fan of this method. Its amazing just how much business this can drum up within just a few hours. Unlike freelancing sites, email and telephone, face to face marketing is extremely powerful in that it provides that immediate relationship building element. When I first started my freelancing business, I would scour local businesses, introduce myself, leave my card and contact details and in every case, would secure a new client. Don’t think that there's no money to be made in local business. You'd be surprised just how many times I had business owners thank me for coming in and then go on to organise our first meeting. All within 5 minutes.

4. Do a leaflet drop

In many cases, the simple things often go overlooked. Leaflet drops are no different. Leaflet drops, or flyers whilst very simplistic in their nature, can also be very powerful in terms of generating new business. They’re also very inexpensive. Here in Australia, you can have leaflets printed and delivered at a cost of just $25 per 1,000 leaflets. According to recent surveys and statistical information gathered, leaflet drops can attract up to a 48% response rate, with many people passing them on to family and friends.

5. Get active in marketplace related forums

I'll be honest, I was never much of a fan of forum marketing until I began tracking search referal data using Google Analytics. Over time I found that just by participating on a large web development/seo forum, that I could determine that quite a few leads were being generated just through my interaction with other members. Through giving advice and helping people within forums, you can build a reputation which in turn can lead to more clients.

6. Speak at events

Look I'm certainly no public speaker, but for anyone that’s got the courage to step on stage and host an event, they’re seriously going to kill it in terms of building a client base. Lets say for examples sake you organise a gig and attract 300 people, and out of those 300, you have 15% people that decide to do business with you. That’s 45 potential clients you’ve just landed, that are ready to work with you. And lets say that each client is worth an average of $1,200 per month. That’s an immediate $54,000 worth of business. It’s a bit of a trade off isnt it? The fear of public speaking vs the potential earning amount. Perhaps a shot of vodka might help?

7. Email marketing

Anyone that’s involved in search engine marketing, really should be building a list. And if you aren’t you should be, so get started! Of course, the sole purpose of building that list is to direct market your services, products and software via email. So having said that, it really only makes sense to start pushing your services through direct email marketing. Email is most definitely one of the most powerful, yet cheapest ways to stay in touch with your existing client base.

Be sure to find a balance between providing useful, helpful content and self promotion though. Subscribers tend to become a bit annoyed if you’re emailing them twice a day with blatent sales pitches.

8. Go to chamber of commerce meetings

I went to a few of these when I first started my freelancing business and let me tell you, they are a fantastic way of meeting business owners in your area. If you can tolerate big wigs walking around flashing expensive watches and glossy business cards, then it really can open up opportunities to really leverage your business, through networking. It definetely landed me a few projects, so I recommend it. You should be able to find out where and when these things are scheduled through local newspapers or of course, online.

9. Offer free consultations

Most clients won't have any idea of what you can really do for them unless you sit them down and spell it out for them. This is where the power of consultations comes into play. I've met with plenty of clients over a casual coffee and a muffin at numerous cafes and blown them away with ideas I've literally scribbled down on paper napkins. Once they have an understanding of exactly what it is you can do to help move their business forward, they’ll be literally begging you to help them. One thing to be mindful of here though is your time. You certainly don’t want to waste time. Be sure to get in, hit it hard and get out. Like Alec Baldwin said in Glengarry Glen Ross, “Always be closing.”

10. Guest blogging

Guest blogging is another really powerful way of generating exposure for yourself within the industry. And of course with exposure, comes leads. Guest blogging essentially allows you to share your experience and knowledge with a highly targeted audience on another organisations website, and in most cases, list your own website, services offered and contact details. This all works towards building your credibility and overall profile within the marketplace. The difficult part, especially when first starting out, is finding someone to accept your offer. This is where organising an event and getting others in the industry involved can help build relationships that in turn will accommodate other means of marketing, such as guest blogging.

11. T-shirts

This one might seem a bit weird, but people love free stuff, and especially t-shirts. Given the right design, and the right people wearing them, they can certainly gain some attention and draw in some business. Something like this would be great to hand out at a seminar or local gig.

12. Run an ad in your local newspaper advertising your services

You might screw your face up at this one, but seriously, give it some thought. As newspapers decline, so does the cost of advertising. Yet readership is still respectable. For a small advertisement in the newspaper, you might be looking at $30, and in return, might land a dozen clients, all of which sign up to a $1,000+ monthly contract. Gee, even if you landed just one client, you’d be laughing.

13. Submit a press release

Press releases are awesome. Not only for the sake of promoting your business, but also for the seo element as well. I'm a big fan of press releases, and I use them myself within my own freelancing business. Not only can you raise awareness of your business, but you can also leverage contextually relevant keywords that can help rank your own site well, which will attract more enquiries.

14. Establish relationships with web design businesses

Not all web design firms offer SEO, just as you as a freelance seo consultant most likely don’t offer web design. This is a gold mine just waiting to be tapped into. Through simply contacting web design firms and asking if they would be willing to exchange referrals you can quite literally begin building a targeted client base overnight. All you have to do is ask, “Hey, you send seo referrals my way, and I’ll send clients looking for web design your way, what do you say?”. You’ll find that most businesses would be more than happy to work with you. What have you got to lose by asking?

15. Publish case studies

What better way to get the attention of potential new clients than by way of providing insightful case studies. This might be a case study of how you ranked a clients website, or how you improved their bottom line. The key here is providing tangible results via way of a report, rather than just “telling” a client you can help them. Often, once a prospect sees evidence of your work, they’ll be eager to sign up and start working with you. Case studies in essence showcase your abilities and expertise in the field.

16. Business cards in cafes

Here’s one that I've always wanted to try myself. Business cards in cafes. Why cafes? Because a) people are usually sitting there doing very little for 30 minutes or more and b) a lot of business people meet in cafes for lunch or to discuss work related matters. Instead of simply having a salt and pepper shaker to stare at, your business card is right there, in front of them, just waiting to be picked up. Of course, you'd need to seek permission from the café owners to do this, but this is where offering a commission through referrals might work.

17. Car stickers

One of the first things I did when I started my freelancing business was put a web address down both sides of my car. I then measured the effectiveness of this by way of capturing certain data when I received an enquiry. This was usually a simple form field that read “How did you find us?” and of course, vehicle advertising was one option. The costs for doing this are extremely low, and the end result can be something that is very eye catching. Just be sure to include all of your details clearly, that is readable at a distance. Oh, and be sure not to use silly fonts or bad colours that prevent your details from being read at a glance. Don’t forget, youre on the road, and in most cases, other drivers might have just a few seconds to note your details.

18. Rank your own website well

This really should be a no brainer, but its definetely worth mentioning. There's little point trying to promote and sell your seo services if your own site isn't ranked. Lets say for instance, you're promoting your seo business in Sydney, and lets say that you’re currently ranked back at page 12 for “seo services Sydney” That’s not going to look so good to potential clients that might be considering hiring you. You might want to do this ahead of other promotional methods like car stickers and business cards, as I know first hand that prospects will usually Google you first, before calling.

19. Social networking

Instead of sitting on facebook all day chatting to your friends, think about how you can leverage 800 million users to your advantage. Social media is definitely the way forward in terms of online business, so get started! Go on, do it now. Just be sure you measure the time you spend socialising as opposed to actually selling.

20. Freelancing sites

My thoughts on freelancing sites are varied. Whilst they can provide a relatively quick and easy way of finding work, the issue that I was always faced with was pricing wars. Not only was it difficult to secure jobs, but as a result of high competition I found that I lowered my prices significantly in order to compete. This may not be the case for everyone of course, but be mindful that this method introduces its own problems. Many still prefer this method as a means of securing work, and I think this is mostly due to the amount of work that is readily available.

21. Tv and radio

Without a doubt, some of the most powerful means of generating business and building a client base – television and radio. The advantages of this are of course the sheer coverage that both mediums provide. Just one short television advertisement can be potentially seen by millions, as is the case with radio. Just a short 30 second ad, given the right timing, might be heard by millions also. The disadvantages however are cost. Both mediums whilst very effective are quite expensive, so this method might be more suited to larger, more established firms.

22. Taxi advertising

Without doing any specific research on this myself, I do know that in my part of the world, all of our taxi services provide advertising opportunities for businesses. Typically this is done by way of providing rear vehicle signage, that showcases, whats called a ‘creative’, in which you can provide details of your services. Whilst I haven't tried this one myself, I can only imagine that the coverage, given the number of taxis everywhere here in Sydney, would be substantial.

23. Exceed expectations

Im not sure if you’ve ever heard this expression, but apparently theres a saying that goes “If your client is happy, they’ll tell 5 people. If they’re dissatisfied, they’ll tell 20”. So what can we do to encourage clients to tell more people about our services? The answer lies in exceeding the clients expectations. If you say the task will take 3 weeks, do it in 2. If you promised ranking 10 keywords, rank 15. It's little things like this that will have your clients thanking you and sending more referrals your way.

24. Pay per click advertising

Without a doubt one of the fastest ways to not only generate traffic, but also build leads is paid advertising. Whether it be Google Adwords or another network, pay per click advertising can help you build a client base fast. Of course the only downside to this is the potential costs involve, and of course your ability to offset those costs through way of monetizing your leads.

25. Perform audits on prospects sites and email it to them

This is one of my favourites. This method involves performing a website audit on a website of interest, then emailing a detailed report directly to the site owners. The effectiveness of this method is that you can immediately address any issues with the website and then provide a proposed action plan, which outlines how you can help improve rankings and potential site revenue. Given that you’ve provided something tangible that the site owner can actually look at, its more than likely that this would stir up a bit of interest and possibly lead to an enquiry.

Click here to read Part 2

50 Ways to Find More Clients in Your SEO Business Part 2

Article by John Romaine on 2012-04-15 07:42:37 EST

If you haven’t already read part 1 of this article, then be sure to do so by clicking here.

Here's part 2 of my article titled, "50 Ways to Find More Clients in Your SEO Business".

26. Build a list

This really is another no brainer. If you aren't building a list then start now! Having a list is essential in terms of establishing ongoing relationships that can bring about new business. This revisits direct email marketing, where it's possible to follow up with existing clients, by perhaps sending seasonal greetings such as christmas and easter well wishes, and of course asking for referrals. Myself personally, I recommend aweber.com for its simplicity and affordability.

27. Send thank you gifts or cards to your clients

For what it's worth at just a few dollars, a thank you card, christmas card or even a birthday card can have a significant impact on your business. I've also given out gift boxes to clients that have launched new sites. I mean, it might be just another job to you, but for clients that have invested a lot of time, money and effort towards their online prescence, the overall experience is one that should be congratulated. I've often given out thank you cards and small gift boxes containing a bottle of wine and some chocolates and clients have been absolutely blown away. This of course brings about repeat business and plenty of referrals.

28. Go to seminars and workshops

There are literally hundreds of events, seminars, seo training courses and workshops happening right now in your area. These events are a networkers dream, in that you get to meet new people, exchange business cards or even in some cases, have a dedicated area where you can showcase your business and services. Often times, even if the event sucks, it’s the people you share a coffee with during the breaks that you end up establishing the best relationships with.

29. Run a competition

How motivated would business owners be if you offered free search engine optimisation or another incentive for them simply entering into a competition? Competitions can be another excellent way of not only acquiring clients, but also building a list. I've often seen simple newspaper column competitions and also competitions being held in local corner stores for businesses promoting their services. Prizes range anywhere from a weekend away to a gaming console. The end result however is the same. Building a list of prospects. When you give people some form of incentive or reward for participating, then they become much more motivated and likely to contact you.

30. Billboard advertising

Billboard advertising although somewhat old school in its approach, can still be extremely powerful, especially with the right creative. Believe it or not, billboard advertising is quite affordable. I recall looking into this out of curiosity some time ago, and found that for a 6 week campaign, the costs were around $1,200. Not too bad considering the positioning of the signs. All 3 of them were positioned on a major highway, and according to statistics, over 100,000 cars pass through there daily!

31. Build relationships with other seo firms

A good friend of mine works in a rather large seo firm and he quite often send leads my way. Not because he doesn’t want them, but moreso because they don’t necessarily fit the profile of the company. Most often than not the clients are seeking entry level campaigns that are below the minimum budget of which they offer. Either way, I don’t mind, I get the lead, the customer gets what they want, it fits their budget and everyones happy. Of course I also return the favour by redirecting clients his way when possible. By establishing relationships with other seo firms, you can really tap into the work that’s readily available.

32. Credit your work

You might already be doing this, but for those that arent, be sure to plug your work on each clients website. This should include something like “SEO by Johns SEO Company” or something of that nature. In most cases, this is done by placing a link within the clients website, typically the footer, but if possible, try to work a deal with your client so that you can place banner ads onsite as well. I've done this in the past, and offered the client a discount in exchange for the favour. Of course, by placing contextually relevant links, this will help boost your own site within the rankings.

33. Write some kickass articles and promote them onsite

Articles really have the potential to draw a following, and with that following comes leads. By publishing articles on your own site, you can not only demonstrate your expertise and knowledge but also use those articles as reports, case studies and examples of why seo is beneficial for online business owners. It can also help draw traffic to your site and improve your own search engine rankings.

34. Create free tools or software

Another excellent way of generating interest towards your business is through way of creating free tools, or software that you might consider giving away or providing access to on your actual website. A great example of this would be Google’s Keyword research tool. This tool is used extensively amongst seo professionals worldwide, and whilst it's entirely free, it does provide Google with excellent exposure and of course, attracts more people towards pay per click advertising. Remember to always brand your free tools or software with your company or business logo and or website.

35. Public transport advertising

Millions of people commute daily to and from work using public transport. This in itself provides an excellent advertising opportunity for those looking to generate more business and capture more leads. Where I live in Sydney, public transport advertising is huge, with advertisements placed on buses, ferries, trams and trains. Whilst I’ve never actually tried public transport advertising, I can certainly imagine how powerful it would be, especially since most people are sitting playing with their smart phones during travel.

36. Consider doing charity work

I've mentioned this method in this article here. Charity work, even though it's unpaid, is an excellent way of building up your rapport with potential clients, because by performing unpaid work, you're demonstrating good will, credibility and integrity. All of these things work towards building trust, which can be a huge factor in terms of building a client base. Don’t be afriad of contacting your local salvation army, red cross or family support groups and offer to help them out.

37. Advertise within a niche specific magazine

Here's an interesting one – magazines. Believe it or not, a few years ago I was approached by a rather popular real estate magazine who requested that I write an editorial for them outlining the benefits of seo within the real estate industry. The effects of this were huge. I wrote the article, they published it, and the enquiries came hard and fast. I quite literally couldn’t keep up. The entire experience was awesome and I highly recommend you consider doing the same. For those just starting out, it might be difficult to get a foot in, so consider sending them links to some of your articles you’ve published onsite as a means of demonstrating your expertise.

38. Business cards - professional cards, keep em on hand at all times

I hate to admit it, but honestly, I don’t know how many times I got asked for my business card when I first started as a freelance consultant. People will ask you at the least expected times, so be sure to keep a handful in your wallet or purse at all times. Trust me, it’s a great way to lose a potential client, when you respond with “Oh sorry, I don’t have a card on me at the moment”. It just doesn't look as though you're really serious about doing business when you don't have business cards on you.

39. Throw a barbeque

Who doesn’t love a good old barbeque in the park? It's amazing just how many people get involved when you keep it simple. I remember some years ago going to an event like this in a local park, where a newly launched business decided to host a barbeque. They had free burgers, sausages and other finger food available, and were handing out flyers and business cards. The whole concept of keeping it informal and just chatting to everyone whilst enjoying some food and drink made it very relaxed and took away that “hard sell” approach.

40. List yourself in business directories or the Yellow Pages

Whilst the yellow pages is slowly dying out, you’d probably be surprised just how many leads still originate from this method of advertising. The yellow pages is relatively inexpensive and offers both online and phone book style advertising in which case, provides a way of capturing both online and offline enquiries.

41. Cold calling

I don’t know how I feel about cold calling. If you asked me in person, I’d probably respond with “It’s not for me” I know when I have telemarketers call me unexepectadly its extremely annoying, and in most cases I just hang up, but for some, cold calling is a powerful way of securing clients. I don’t know how effective this method would be in terms of landing more clients for seo, but its certainly a strategy that needs to be mentioned. I guess if you kept it short, sharp, friendly and to the point, it might open up some opportunities to organise an initial consultation or meeting.

42. Attend trade shows and expos

Trade shows, much like seminars are another fantastic way of not only showcasing your business, but also networking with other business owners and potential clients. Whilst this method might be more suited to medium or large scale businesses, it can still be considered amongst freelancers that are new to the industry as a potential marketing angle once more established.

43. Post controversational content on your site

As they say, any form of publicity is good publicity, and whilst that may not always be the case, it certainly does bring about a level of public interest. In my training course, I talk about using a method of which is commonly known as “link bait”, which in essence is simply publishing controversial content such as a funny article, a survey, or perhaps a series of short videos that are likely to be shared heavily on the web. Instead of simply posting your everyday article, that might get a few reads, post up something that is a little left of centre, that might attract a flood of traffic to your site. This in itself can bring about new clients alone.

44. Sponsor events

Perhaps for the larger, more established firms, sponsoring events or seminars is an excellent way of getting your name out there. What better way than to provide a level of funding for an upcoming event in your area in exchange for the promotion of your services? The benefits of doing this is that you’ll be targeting a highly focused group of people, who you know will most likely be interested in engaging your services.

45. Video Marketing

Instead of just writing content or submitting a press release, think about shooting videos. These are a great way to build a level of trust with your viewers, in that, they can put a face to your name. It's also another way of introducing yourself, and providing an insight into your business and it's services on offer. Be sure of course to brand your videos with either your web address or contact details before you begin uploading them.

46. Snail mail

Don’t write off actually typing up some letters and licking a few stamps. Snail mail will most definitely have you stand out from the crowd because most other SEO firms will be emailing, texting and calling. Snail mail is still powerful in that it demonstrates you being proactive and actually taking the time out to send a personalised letter.

47. Stationery

This is an age old marketing strategy that still seems effective, even after all these years – and that is printed stationery. Pens, calenders, notebooks, fridge magnets and more. For such small costs, it's definitely worthwhile considering this as a means to capture more referrals. The best option is to either direct mail them out, do a letterbox drop or send them within client gift boxes.

48. Run naked down the street with your web address written across your bum.

I tried this once and got arrested. The fine was $180, but I landed 2 clients, both paying $500 a month, so it turned out to be profitable.

49. Showcase your portfolio

This is another no brainer. If you’ve already performed SEO for clients, then show off your work! Provide testimonials and links pointing to your existing client base and provide examples of how you helped those people improve their rankings. I know when I'm looking to hire a service provider, that I usually always ask to see examples of their work, or at least see what work they’ve performed.

50. Look after the clients you have!

The best customers are the ones you already have. These people have decided to work with you, have handed over their hard earned money and have entrusted in you with the well being of their online business. Instead of constantly seeking out new clients, don’t forget those that have already worked with you. It’s a lot easier at times to gain repeat business than it is to find a new client altogether.

How to Write a Kick-ass SEO Proposal - What to Include And Why

Article by John Romaine on 2012-03-18 07:12:33 EST

If ever you’ve been in the position of trying to land a sizeable seo project, you’ll know first hand, that the biggest concern is usually having to prepare a decent seo proposal.

Lets face it, the proposal plays a massive part in the decision making process made by your prospect, and the outcome of that decision will be the contributing factor that sees you either close the deal or blowing it completely.

Put simply, whether you land the job or not, might just come down to a few pieces of paper.

This is why it's essential that your proposal not only looks professional, but also covers every aspect of the project in detail, in a comprehensive manner that doesn’t overwhelm the client.

So how is this possible?

I'm sure if you’ve never written a proposal before, you’ll be asking yourself the following questions…

What do I include in the proposal?
How long should it be?
How detailed should it be?
Should I include the price?
Am I trying to include too much information?
What if I just copy something off the net?

All of these questions and more will probably leave you feeling more confused and frustrated than before you decided to pitch for the job. It might be all well and good knowing what you’ll do once you secure the job, but conveying that message to the prospect within your proposal is something else.

What you need to be mindful of is that an seo proposal means so much more than just an opportunity to land a project. It's more than just a piece of paper. In a sense it’s a direct reflection of yourself, your level of professionalism and your attention detail. In a sense, its your business – on paper. So you have to make it count.

This is where presentation is also key. The best proposal in the world won't mean much if it's a hand scribbled mess. By presenting a highly professional looking proposal, you give yourself a major advantage over the competition.

So let's now look at some of the key areas of the proposal itself, and how it should be structured. Please note that whilst a comprehensive proposal might cover much more than the points mentioned below, I feel the following sections are definitely enough to get you started.

Clear heading or coverpage

This might seem obvious, but Ive seen some pretty bad proposals in my time. Some of the worst didn’t even have a cover page or heading. Be sure to include this and make it prominent.

The introduction – purpose of document

I feel its always best to lead the proposal itself with an introduction, that clearly explains the purpose of the document and what it covers. Its pointless handing your proposal to a prospective client, and having them wonder what its for. By having an introduction, your client knows exactly what the document is, and its purpose.

An overview of the project

The project overview provides a brief explanation of why the project has been initiated, and the intended outcomes. I usually keep this section of the proposal relatively brief, and cover the actual project objectives in the next section.

Project objectives and recommendations

This is where I typically break the project down into actual recommendations, and then of course intended strategies required in order to achieve those objectives. This usually means providing the objectives and recommendations in bullet point format. By doing this, it keeps it simple, straight forward and easy for the prospect to digest but also understand.

You should be mindful here that you’re not speaking to an seo expert, so avoid filling your proposal with too much technical jargon. Infact, I highly advise you not to get too technical at all within your proposal. Prospects in most cases are usually much more interested in the result, not the process required in order to achieve it.

So keep it short, to the point and avoid showing off with fancy acronyms and technical jibberish.

Project benefits

I think its always worthwhile outlining the potential benefits of the project and what that means for the prospect. Rather than just promoting your own business skills and experience – tell the customer what’s in it for them. Your prospect will be much more interested in doing business with you, if you explain to them the potential benefits and how those benefits can help towards improving their business as opposed to simply telling them – “We can get you to first spot”. Which really doesn’t mean anything.

The process

Most often than not, the prospect will want to know what they’re paying for. This is where you need to inform them of what’s being done, and more importantly so – why. Remember not to go down geek street here. They probably won’t know anything about rss feeds, backlinking and article marketing, and more importantly, they don’t need to – that’s why they hired you.

So tell them what’s being done, where their money’s going – but don’t talk in acronyms and seo terms. Talking in technical terms might be misinterpreted by your prospect or confuse them, so try your best to avoid it. Talk to them in terms they might understand.

Of course, there will be some technical elements that may need to be covered within the proposal, but always follow up with them to help answer any questions they may have to clarify.

Desired Results

Theres little point telling your prospect that you can rank them to first place, and that once there, they’ll be capturing an endless flood of leads, enquiries and conversions. Always keep the expectations of your efforts realistic and grounded. Avoid anything that might be considered deceptive or misleading. Be honest and truthful with your prospect and be sure to include acheivable goals.

I usually break this section down into clear sections so that the prospect has a clear understanding of what to expect.

Project phase

One of the most frequent questions I get from prospects is, “How long will this take?” It’s important to address project duration within this section of your proposal and clearly outline each phase of the project.

Right through from the onsite stuff, through to the offsite optimisation, this part of your proposal should not only mention what’s being done, but also timelines and measurable milestones expected to be achieved within that period of time.

This is also a great way to prevent ongoing emails and phone calls from your prospect asking “Whats going on, where are things at this week?” By including this in your proposal, they’ll already know.

Client commitment

I usually always include this within my proposal, but also expand on it further within my seo contract. This is such an important part of any project that I feel it’s worth mentioning within both documents – and that is, client commitment.

Clients need to understand that the project will be a joint effort, and unless they fulfill their part of the deal, that the project may be affected in a negative way.

Put simply, this area of the proposal should highlight the clients obligations briefly whilst also highlighting the fact that additional details of this particular section are covered in more detail within the seo contract..

Considerations

This section of the proposal can outline any general areas of the project or considerations that should be taken into account, should the prospect decide to accept the proposal.

I usually cover basic expectations such as stable hosting environment of the prospects website, change requests, project scope and again, touch on client obligations.

The Price

Without a doubt, the most important part of the proposal, especially from the prospects perspective. Over the years i’ve seen many prospects simply flick straight through to this section of the proposal without reading anything else, so be sure to break it down into detailed sections. It's pointless just having a total price, with no mention of where the individual expenses lie.

I know this might be a little over the top for some, but for myself personally, I like to list individual descriptions of the work, such as keyword research, website audits, onpage optimisation and more. And of course I cover general deliverables such as reference materials and training assistance if required.

By doing this, it will look much more attractive to your prospect, rather than just simply listing a “price”. It’s easy to give a total, but it will mean so much more to your prospect if you give a total, that lists deliverables as well.

Conclusion

Once I’ve listed the price, I typically include my brief noguarantee disclaimer, then finish up with the conclusion. This is a great opportunity to firstly thank the prospect for considering your proposal and cover everything in summary.

I find it’s always good to mention that the proposal is only valid for 28 days and should the prospect wish to proceed, then they can do so, by following the instructions as listed (call or email details provided typically at the very end).

This way, you’re finishing up with a clear call to action which will hopefully have the prospect accepting your offer and you beginning the project.

Of course, if you'd like to save yourself a lot of time and messing around, my SEO Business Startup Kit includes a ready made seo proposal template, that you can have done in just minutes. It's just a matter of filling in the blanks with your business and client details.

Video demonstration of my seo proposal template in action

Commission Based SEO - Why it�s A Terrible Idea to Agree Being Paid Per Conversion

Article by John Romaine on 2012-03-17 01:04:30 EST

One of the most uncommon SEO pricing structures within the industry is what’s known as “commission based SEO”, whereby you, as a consultant get paid commissions rather than an hourly rate or a fixed amount.

Commission based SEO are one of those requests that typically come about every so often from new clients that are trying to squeeze as much out of you as possible before signing the dotted line. In most cases, they’re putting cost ahead of value, which revisits prequalifying your clients.

For those that arent familiar with the term, it basically works like this.

1. You rank the clients website favourably for their target keywords.
2. The client then converts visitors into buyers by closing deals at their end.
3. You, as the SEO consultant are then paid a commisson or an agreed percentage of that transaction.
4. Everyone’s happy and making money.

Sounds great doesn’t it?

Now this might seem like a good idea at first, and to be honest, it can be quite lucrative, when it works, however, once you start looking at this business model closer, it is to say at the very least - ugly.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure plenty of SEO consultants out there have been able to pull this off. So I’m certainly not saying that this method can’t or doesn’t work, but for those that want to run a successful, long term business without any dramas, I myself personally would avoid it.

In all the years I've been providing seo services, Ive been asked a few times by potential clients to agree to this pricing structure and Ive declined every time. Not because I didn’t want the job, but moreso, I just didn’t want the hassles.

So why does commission based SEO suck?

Why is a commission based pricing model so bad? Let’s now take a look at why agreeing to a commission based contract for seo is a bad idea.

Firstly,

The Element of Risk.

Commission based SEO is one of the most riskiest pricing models there are for search engine optimisation. Why? Because paying clients (your clients customers, not yours) might cancel, ask for refunds, or deals might just fall through due to other reasons that are beyond your control. What can you do if your client calls you and says “That deal we did last week fell through, so I’m going to have to ask you to send that payment back to us”. Sounds horrible doesn’t it?

Take on your own business risk, not someone elses.

Which brings me to my next point.

Lack of Control.

How can you possibly agree to being paid to do something that you have no control over? There are literally so many influencing factors that are beyond your control here, that I don’t even know where to start.

Lets say for examples sake that you do actually rank a clients site first page within the major search engines and they begin generating a great amount of traffic, and getting enquiries.

How then, can you possibly know whats going on at the other end?

You cant control the ability of the client to close deals. Some business owners couldn’t sell crack cocaine to Charlie Sheen. This is the biggest problem. Your income is now based upon someone elses ability to sell.

You cant control walk ins and phone calls either. What about walk ins and telephone enquiries? What if a potential customer performs a search, then decides to drive to the actual business and make an enquiry face to face? What if they decide to call instead? Again, you’re at a major disadvantage.

You can't control as to whether or not the buyer is motivated, comparing prices or is just kicking tyres. Not only are you dependant on the clients ability to sell, but also, where the clients customer is in the buying cycle. There's bound to be a percentage of people that are “just looking”, in which case, the client has captured at the very least a lead, and you’ve received nothing.

All of these factors and more can result in you having invested months to rank the clients site and not getting paid. This, along with all of the issues I've raised above, stack the odds against you considerably.

Business Model.

Essentially, the client when asking you to agree to this pricing structure, is doing nothing more than asking you to change your business model to suit themselves. It's almost like walking into a car yard and saying “Listen, I'll buy that car over there, but I’ll only pay for it if it doesn’t break down while I own it”.

Its ridiculous and positions the client favourably, whilst putting you at an immediate disadvantage.

One of the most imporant factors, (and I talk about this specifically in my business kit) is establishing a business model that you’re comfortable with. Myself personally, I follow the following pricing structure, and I stick to it – because it’s proven and it works.

If ever you find yourself with a client that refuses to sign a contract until you agree to their terms by having to change your business model – grab your bag, your laptop, your phone, and run away; as quickly as possible.

Dishonesty and Trust.

You being paid essentially hinges on someone else being honest. There’s a saying “honesty is the best policy” but unfortunately this isn’t always the case - especially in business. So how do you know for certain that your client is being honest with you?

The answer is, unless you have direct access to their books, you wont be able to. And even if you did have access to sales figures, who says they’re truthful anyway? It just goes round and round in a viscous circle of endless possiblities.

In the end, it’s a matter of trust, regardless of your efforts. Do you trust your client enough to invest potentially months of your time with the chance of not being paid?

As I said in another article – trust doesn’t pay the bills.

Uncertainty.

Landing the project might be all well and dandy, but getting paid using this payment method remains uncertain. Lets say you rank the client to number one spot, and they don’t close – then what?

How will this look on paper when you’re seeking finance for your business? You can’t exactly tell the bank manager, “I’ve landed 10 high profile clients, as soon as they start making sales, I’ll start getting paid...”

This isn’t going to do anyone any favours, except your clients.

Also, what if your client goes out of business? You’re a definite goner then. And there wont be a damn thing you can do about it.

You can lead a horse to the dancefloor, but you can't make it dance.

The buying cycle is always dependant on numerous factors, and it's not always price, although this is definitely one of the most common.

Other elements come into play, especially online. Such as the appearance of the clients website, their pricing, their message, functionality, usability and more. All of these elements can indirectly affect the sales process.

Regardless of your efforts, there’s no way you can control the aformentioned areas of a site, unless of course, you're hired especially to take care of those areas also, but the fact remains – even though you’ve successfully directed targeted traffic to the clients site, there are simply too many other factors that may influence the decision made by the customer that could potentially result in a non sale. This of course, then directly affects you.

Competition.

Here’s something else I bet you didn’t take into consideration – competitors. Who'se not to say that the client wont be outdone by a competitor, or continually fighting against competitors over weeks or months? Where does that leave you as an SEO consultant? I'll tell you – wishing you’d never agreed to being paid a commission that’s where!

I couldn’t think of anything worse than pushing a site to first place in Google, then being outdone by competitors just days after reaching that spot. And who’se not to say that a Google algorithm change or update wont see that happen as well?

Again, there are far too many factors beyond your control as an SEO consultant to even consider being paid commissions as a viable payment option.

Final thoughts.

In summary, search engine optimisation shouldn't be measured simply by the number of sales. Instead it should be measured by the increase in exposure of the clients website itself – which is typically done by increasing unique visitors coming to the website via the major search engines.

How To Charge For SEO � Pricing Your Campaigns Accurately and Quote With Absolute Confidence

Article by John Romaine on 2012-02-27 06:24:14 EST

Charging for SEO can seem confusing, cant it?

I mean, unlike something that can be quantified, like web design, or perhaps designing a logo where you can actually sit down ahead of time and map out the hours involved, charging for search engine optimisation seems more difficult.

But why?

I think the reason for this is that SEO, unlike a lot of other services, could be conceived as a non tangible entity. The work is often substantially different between clients, the processes can vary dramatically between projects, and lastly, you’re usually always faced with everchanging markets, trends and fierce competition.

In addition to this, regardless of your qualifications, there’s really no gaurantee that the work performed will yield the desired outcome, therefore the results can become somewhat uncertain.

All of these elements combined can make the whole process of being able to adequately provide your client with an accurate quote an absolute nightmare.

I mean, you sure don’t want to get it wrong and overcharge, as its likely you'll probably lose the client completely, and you certainly don’t want to under quote as you’ll end up stuck, alone, in the office til 2am each night, putting in countless hours at $1.30 an hour. Definitely not an ideal situation.

This is why its important to address this issue of how to charge ahead of time, and invest your efforts towards structuring a pricing strategy that will work with each project, and will see you making profits, enjoying your work, and attracting more clientele.

Okay, so how is this possible?

Without entering into the debate of whether or not you should be charging hourly, per performance, or otherwise, Im going to share with you, the way I handle pricing personally within my own business, and how I go about calculating how much I should be charging for each project.

This system is based upon separating both the onsite element of search engine optimisation and the offsite element.

Breaking it down.

Firstly, I'll address the onsite element.

It's this part of the process, where I intend on implementing my hourly rate pricing structure. At this point, I'll be addressing any issues that require corrective measures, or in any case, improvements on the clients website.

This always involves performing a comprehensive evaluation, or audit of the site that requires optimising. Typically I'll look at things such as the existing meta tag structure, header tags, how the images are optimised, page load times, sitemaps, robots.txt files, url structuring and naming conventions. Furthermore, I'll also be making notes of other marketing strategies that the client may want to consider, but this will only be supplemental to that of the basic requirements.

So in summary, for example sake, let's say that I have performed a complete evaluation of the clients website and determined that in order to fix any onsite issues, and optimise the website effectively, that its going to take roughly 25 hours. As this work is procedural, it can be easily quantified into workable hours, so given my calculations, the onsite element can easily be worked out as follows.

25 hours at say, $120 an hour is $3,000.

So at this point, my quote stands at $3,000. Lets now move onto the next phase of preparing our quote.

Next, I'll consider the easiest part of the process, and that is factoring in the cost for offsite optimisation. Now here’s where I'll shift from an hourly rate structure over to my fixed pricing structure.

I do this for two main reasons. They are:

I follow a systematical offsite optimisation process, that I perform on each project that I work on. I try to always follow this process to prevent scope creep and change requests. It also helps me to expidite and ensure my work is thorough. The main benefit is that this process rarely changes, if at all.
Following a systematical process allows me to accurately determine in advance, the time and costs required in order to perform the work.

This then positions me favourably because I now know my exact costs for :

Onsite optimisation
Offsite optimisation

Having said that, I know that my costs involved to perform the offsite optimisation process is $3,500.

Crunching the numbers.

Therefore, to produce the final estimate, I can go ahead and quote the client a total sum of $6,500 to perform the work. Of course, these figures are presented merely from a hypothetical point of view, but the basic principle applies.

If you can roughly determine how long it will take you to implement changes onsite to make the site search engine friendly, and you have refined a systematical approach to your offsite optimisation process, then preparing an accurate quote for your client shouldn’t be too difficult.

Sure, you may make miscalculations, and mistakes, but take note each time you do. Learn from them, and ammend your pricing structure to suit. Over time, with each project, you'll find yourself quoting more confidentally, and attracting better clients as a result.

Don’t forget lastly, that you can always factor in service level agreements, maintenance and monthly retainers.

Heres Why Using A Dedicated Phone For Your SEO Consultancy Business Can Save Your Sanity

Article by John Romaine on 2011-07-16 06:53:43 EST

For some reason, clients that know that you work from home seem to have this belief that you have no life beyond the computer. I’ve experienced this in the past and it can be a little annoying. These are the types of clients that email you at midnight, or call on a Sunday morning expecting support and an immediate response.

Emails arent so bad, but phone calls, especially at all hours, are just plain rude.

Ever felt like this?

If you’ve begun freelancing as an seo consultant, running your business from home or a small office, make sure you tell your clients that you work “normal business hours” and that they should only contact you during these times. Otherwise, you’ll find your phone ringing off the hook, much like I did when I first started. Be sure to set this straight at the very first meeting – not when it’s too late.

I have to admit though, when I first started out I was quite niave. Taking phone calls at all hours didn’t seem to bother me. It wasn’t something that I gave a second thought. Infact I figured it was a good thing. More calls must mean more business, and being busy is a good thing right?

Wrong.

Being busy during normal hours of operation is fine, but being called at 1am isn’t. Over time, it became a real nuisance. I found myself constantly working, or at the very least – worrying about when my phone was going to ring next. In addition to that, the work I was getting done was constantly being interrupted by non urgent phone calls. So at times, I would fall behind with my work.

One thing I’ve learnt, especially within the SEO industry, is that clients tend to get fidgity. If they’re not checking rankings every 5 minutes, they’re on the phone asking for performance reviews. It can get to the point where you’ll find yourself screening calls just to save your sanity.

What to do about it.

The first thing I decided to do to put a stop to this, was to invest in a separate mobile phone. This might sound obvious now, but at the time I had been using my own personal mobile phone, and simply taking calls on that. I never thought it would be a problem.

Changing to a dedicated phone for business was great. During work time, I would have it on and answer it. Outside of work time, I would switch it off, unless I was expecting an after hours, or important call. This brought upon immediate relief. I could go about my day, and get more work done due to less interruptions. It also meant my head was clearer and I could at least think straight. Both great advantages.

Another advantage was that my phone was now a legitimate business expense so I could claim it back on tax. Beforehand my phone bill was a jumbled mess of both personal and business related calls. Lets just say I kind of avoided looking at my phone statement every month!

However by changing my phone over, another problem soon became apparent. My business cards! Because I now had a new number, I had to go about having all my business cards reprinted. Whilst this wasn’t a big issue, it did cost me a couple of hundred dollars. It just wasn’t something I thought of at the time, and It turned out to be a silly mistake I wish I hadn’t made.

So be sure to take my advice. Get yourself a dedicated mobile phone, that you use specifically for business purposes. Otherwise, prepare yourself for ongoing calls at all hours!

SEO Software - Perfect to Track Billable Hours to Your Client

Article by John Romaine on 2011-07-16 01:11:31 EST

I'll be honest. I'm terrible when it comes to time management. I'm often late, and forget things. Especially when it comes to tracking billable hours to the client. I don't know how many times I've been interrupted while I've been working or lost track of time and then been left guessing how many hours to bill the client. It's definitely not intentional, it just happens.

You know what time it is.

However, since I discovered this application, my invoicing has been spot on!

It's a small application called timeleft.

What is timeleft?

According to their website....

"TimeLeft is a versatile desktop utility - it can be used as a countdown clock, reminder, clock, alarm clock, tray clock, stopwatch, timer, sticker, auction watch, work days/hours countdown clock and time synchronization utility. TimeLeft uses Winamp skins to show digits and text.

The main feature of TimeLeft is a powerful customizable reminder, which can show a message, play music (any formats including mp3) or open a link, document, execute an application, turn off your monitor or shutdown your PC."

It's a great tool and one that I use every day within my business. Mostly I use it to track billable hours to the client, but often, I use it ensure I take regular breaks. It can be easy to sit in front of a computer for hours on end!

I'm not affiliated with this product at all - I just think it's a handy piece of software. It's very easy to use and helps me keep track of when I started and finished work - which in turn makes invoicing a whole lot easier.

To check it out click on TIME LEFT - Easy Desktop Time Management Software

A Quick and Easy Way to Find Paying Clients for Your SEO Business In 15 Minutes

Article by John Romaine on 2011-07-13 08:30:12 EST

What I'm about to show is the exact method I often use to find paying customers that desperately need help, and are literally begging for you to contact them. This method is so easy it's like shooting fish in a barrel. This method is one that you can implement right away, from the comfort of your own desk, without spending any time or money on marketing.

I've never shared this method before, so I hope you enjoy it.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below, or share this video with your friends.

The SEO Process - How to Use my SEO Business Kit - The Documents in Action

Article by John Romaine on 2011-07-12 07:24:31 EST

Having the right documentation and contracts is essential in this business. However this means little if you aren't using them to their full potential. In this article I give a brief overview of how to use each document included in my SEO Business Startup Kit, it's purpose and when it's best to use it. Be aware this isn't this an exhaustive list of all the documents included, just those required during this particular step of the seo process.

For this particular example, I'm going to assume that you have already made contact with the client and have organised the first meeting.

Here are some of the documents necessary for each particular step. I have written each particular section with the following structure to make it easier to follow.

1. Give to the client - Documents you need to give to the client.
2. Get back from the client - Documents and information you need to get back from the client.

1. Before the meeting.

Once you have spoken with the client and scheduled the first meeting, it's always best to send them the following documents. Unlike most of the other documents, it's best to send these in hard copy, as some of them need to be filled out and returned. Either that or have them faxed. Infact, for any documents that need to be signed, I always encourage that they are given in hard copy, or faxed.

GIVE TO THE CLIENT

Meeting Confirmation Letter – Thank the client for choosing to meet with you and confirm the time, date and location if required.

New Client Profile Form – Regardless of whether or not you secure the project, always get the clients details. This allows you to “follow up” with the client at a later stage to see how they are doing, and if you can assist them in any way. This doesn’t mean spamming them to death.

Client Needs Analysis Form – This document allows you to obtain certain details about the client, their business and why they have chosen to implement search engine optimization. The client questionaire included captures vital information that will assist you when holding the first meeting. With this information, the initial meeting should be easier, as the information is already provided to you ahead of time. Basically, you just need to clarify anything that isn't clear during the meeting. This document is a must have. Be sure to have this returned before the first meeting.

GET FROM THE CLIENT

Client Needs Analysis Form – Once this document is completed and returned, go over it, and take notes where necessary. This document will form the framework of your meeting. Any details that aren’t clear can be covered further once the meeting is held. Consider it the basis for your questions.

2. The initial meeting.

GIVE TO THE CLIENT

SEO Process Client Reference Sheet – This document exists to give the client a better insight and understanding into what constitutes an actual SEO campaign, the work involved and the benefits of doing so. It also helps educate them on certain terms and is intended to make them feel a bit more comfortable during the work phase.

Benefits of SEO Client Handout Document – This document exists to give the client an understanding of how SEO can benefit them and their business.

Business Overview – If you have compiled a small information brochure about your business, the people that work there, the services you offer, and perhaps previous work with testimonials and case studies, then give this to your client as well. This will help build credibility.

GET FROM THE CLEINT

New Client Profile Form – The clients information should be processed and their details entered into your system. I usually encourage that both name and email be entered into an email autoreponder for ease of follow up and continual contact. Ensure you always get permission to do so before entering any information into a subscription list. You can pick this up at the actual meeting itself, or have it returned along with the Client Needs Analysis Form prior to the first meeting.

At this point, be sure to cover in detail …

Clarity of the job.
A clear understanding of what the client wants.
An idea of their allocated budget (important)
Their details if they havent yet returned the new client profile form.
Any other details that are of importance.

3. After the meeting - the follow up.

GIVE TO THE CLIENT

Thanks for Meeting With Us Letter – Thank the client for meeting with you, and give instructions on what’s taking place next. This includes informing them about your intended website audit report, and also preparation of the seo proposal and initial quote. It’s important to always keep your client updated with what’s going on.

GET FROM THE CLIENT

Nothing at this point.

NOTE - At this point I normally perform a comprehensive website audit report. I don’t typically spend a great deal of time on this if possible, as there’s no way of knowing whether or not the client will work with me. However the benefits of performing the audit, are as follows :

I can identify any potential areas that require attention, both offsite and onsite – this in itself will help me sell my pitch during the follow up meeting.
The results from the website audit will assist in terms of estimating cost.
The results from the website audit will assist in terms of estimating campaign duration.
Data collected from the website audit will be used to complile the SEO proposal and accompanying contracts, which will be presented to the client upon the follow up meeting.

Whilst I usually tend to avoid doing any work unpaid, I don’t consider spending time on the website audit report to be a disadvantage at this stage of the process. The website audit report can be done relatively quickly, and will play a vital role in potentially securing the project. Clients are typically more responsive when they can see measurable factors that will influence the outcome and success of the project.

4. The follow up meeting.

The documentation you submit at this stage of the process may seem a little overwhelming to your client, but I feel if it’s bundled up and presented nicely, and you make your best efforts to explain the importance of each one, then this should help the client feel a bit more comfortable and quite possibly more receptive to your offer.

Everyone has their own style of selling, so how hard you press during the meeting for closure is entirely up to you. I’ve found most clients have requested additional time to go over the documentation in more detail before giving a final answer. This may require holding a third meeting, which is fine.

GIVE TO THE CLIENT

Website Audit Report Cover Letter – This is just the cover letter outlining the actual website audit itself. Attach this to the website audit report.

Website Audit Report – This document is key in terms of potentially highlighting areas of your clients website that may require immediate attention. This document provides a complete scorecard in a sense, of the site to be optimized. This helps clarify the project and give better direction to the strategies to be implemented. It can also allow you to presell your strategies – in that you can provide a before and after scenario to your client.

SEO Proposal Cover Letter – This is just the cover letter outlining the actual seo proposal. Attach this to the SEO proposal document itself.

SEO Proposal – This document provides a way of ensuring clarity and certainty before the commencement of any SEO or marketing work. It allows both yourself and the client to go over the details of the project and to ensure an agreement on both costings, timeframes and work to be performed. This is one of the key contracts and is a must have.

Initial Quote – This is typically a simple invoice displaying your costings. This can be included within the actual SEO proposal itself if desired.

SEO Contract – When it comes to the seo contract, I prefer to give this to the client along with the proposal and other accompanying documents straight away. This way there’s total transparency. In the past I’ve found that some clients, once having read my terms as setout in the contract have decided against using my services. This is in most cases because we haven't been able to come to an agreement on terms. This happens rarely but when it does, it can be a bit of a nuisance. Remember, never change your business system, or your terms to suit just one client.

SEO No Guarantee Disclaimer – This document could infact be incorporated within the actual seo contract itself, however I like to keep it separate to really emphasise this particular section. Clients must have a clear understanding that there are no guarantees when it comes to search engine optimization. This is definitely an area of the agreement you want total clarity on. Be sure to have it signed and returned.

GET FROM THE CLEINT

Answer any questions the client may have.
Call to action or agreement to proceed.

5. Additonal Meetings

Occasionally you may find clients requesting numerous meetings before coming to a decision. In most cases this is to simply recap on previous questions, and to get a better understanding of the documentation and work involved. This is natural, be prepared for it. Use your own judgement here though when it comes to how much time you want to invest towards meetings. I’ve had clients request ongoing meetings that have ended up taking up a great deal of my time, and then not landing the project. Definietely something to be mindful of.

6. Client says no – next steps.

GIVE TO THE CLIENT

Thanks for Considering Us Thank You Letter – Thank the client for opportunity to work with you and wish them the best of luck. Be sure to enter their details in your system for future follow up. Often, a no now may mean a yes later.

GET FROM THE CLIENT

Feedback – There’s nothing wrong with a client saying no. They can't all be winners. What's important here is that you find out why they said no. Feedback and customer surveys can be very useful in these situations. For this, I would highly recommend using survey monkey to gather feedback as to why the client decided against working with you. Without getting too bogged down in how survey monkey works, put simply, it allows you to create simple custom surveys to which you can request your clients fill out online.

6. Client says yes – next steps.

Fantastic! The client has decided to work with you, that’s great! Now it’s time to get your contracts and documents in order before commencing work.

GIVE TO THE CLIENT

Thanks for Choosing to Work With Us Thank You Letter – Thank the client for choosing to work with you and request settlement of the deposit.

SEO Invoice – Always get a deposit before doing any work. The amount of the deposit will vary between projects. It will also depend upon the way you charge. For monthly campaigns, I request to be paid monthly in advance, and with fixed pricing, I normally request at least 33% up front, with the remainder being paid upon completion. Remember, payment types will vary greatly according to the work being requested. Regardless of this, always get an initial deposit. Never start work unpaid.

Website Access Authorization Form – This form provides you with the approval to perform operational work as external contractors on the clients website as agreed.

Copyright Authorisation Form – This form ensures that any material, and content that the client provides you with is legally theirs, and doesn’t infringe on any copyrights. It also gives permission to use that material in order to complete the requested work. Just a precautionary measure mostly.

Credit Card Authorization Form – This authority provides you with the approval to use the clients credit card account details for services or payments required in order to complete the tasks as outlined within the SEO proposal. This may include content creation, paid directories, link building and so forth.

GET FROM THE CLIENT

Deposit – Don’t do anything until you receive payment! This should be your initial deposit paid in full – no excuses!

SEO Contract – Be sure to have this returned as soon as possible. It's important to have the client initial each page and sign the very last section. Don’t just have them sign the last page.

SEO Proposal – You don’t have to do this, but I normally do, just to ensure I cover all my bases. Just like the seo contract, have them initial each page and return it to you.

SEO No Guarantee Disclaimer – Ensure this is signed and returned.

Website Access Authorization Form – Ensure this is signed and returned.

Copyright Authorisation Form – Ensure this is signed and returned.

Credit Card Authorization Form – Ensure this is signed and returned.

7. Commence the campaign.

Once all the documentation is returned, you can now commence the actual seo campaign itself. Be sure to keep your client up to date throughout the campaign at all times.

I hope this small summary of each section is helpful. Remember, each of these documents are available in my SEO Business Startup Kit – which you can purchase by CLICKING HERE.

SEO Business Payment Strategy � A Few Quick Tips Including How To Get Paid In Advance

Article by John Romaine on 2011-07-10 10:18:05 EST

I spoke with a freelancer the other day on the phone and he was quite distressed. He was telling me how he’d done work for a long term client that had suddenly gone cold on him. Not answering phone calls, emails and in general, being quite evasive. Apparently he had performed some onsite optimization work for this particular person without using a contract or invoice. Bad move.

In questioning this, his response was a bit concerning. He said “I didn’t use a contract or invoice with this person because he’s a long term client. I didn’t think I’d have any trouble.”

Unfortunately he had, and now he was hurting financially. Although the money outstanding was only $2,600, it was enough to make him realise just how wrong it was to simply assume that it was okay to trust a long term client and not use proper invoicing and documentation.

A handshake doesn't constitute a binding contract.

Before I go any further, Id like to make the following points:

Never perform any work based upon “trust”. Regardless of how well you may know the person, trust wont pay the bills.
Never perform any work based upon “friendships”. Often offering work on the side to friends is the worst thing you can do in business.
Never perform work based upon “good will”. Goodwill doesn’t pay the bills, just as trust won't.

Having said that, how can we prevent the likelihood of non payment, and perhaps even get paid in advance, before doing any work?

Im glad you asked.

The solution.

The first answer should be obvious. To avoid non payment, always use a contract which clearly outlines payment terms, deposits, and your refund policies. This is an absolute must, and something I wouldn’t normally mention because it should be a no brainer. However, it's definitely worth repeating!

Secondly, regardless of who it is that you’re helping, whether it be your mother, your brother inlaw or a long term client – always use a contract and correct invoicing. This is business, and these documents may just become your only line of defence if any type of dispute arises.

Remember, each of your clients should be aware well in advance of what to expect with your payment policy. Setting your policy so that clients are expected to pay a certain percentage of the cost upfront before work even commences is a good way to determine potential good clients from bad ones.

In most cases, clients that are okay with making payment upfront are more likely to become legitimate long term customers. They have an immediate appreciation of the value you will be providing and the service you will be delivering. Unlike clients that ask for results first, payment second, clients that happily pay their deposits in advance are the ones you want to keep.

Clients that are either hesitant or reluctant to pay an initial deposit are, in most cases just going to be trouble. These are the types of clients you’d be best of avoiding.

Getting paid in advance.

Okay so how can we get paid before even doing anything?

How great would it be to receive 6 months worth of a project in advance, in full, before even starting? That would be fantastic wouldn’t it? Of course it would! Especially if you're charging 2 or 3 thousand a month! But how?

The answer lies in an early payment discount.

Offering incentives to clients to pay early can be another way to entice them to pay the full amount up front or within a short amount of time. It can also offer huge benefits to your cash flow to have more money coming in regularly rather than having to chase up late payments.

Essentially, you can quote a price for work to be completed, but state on your invoicing that a discount may apply for any fees paid within 7 days, or if the entire amount is paid up front. The amount of discount is completely up to your preferences. However from personal experience, if I can offer a client a 15-20% discount on a $2,500 a month campaign if they pay upfront, they’ll take it every time.

In summary, heres a few pointers that I hope you can apply in your own SEO business to avoid having to chase non paying or late paying clients.

Be sure to have your clients sign off on everything put forward. Without signature, theres no real way of proving that your client actually received the paperwork or agreed to your terms at all.
Be sure to run copies for yourself and your client. Each party should have copies of all documentation and contracts at all times.
Signature and initial all relevant pages. Not just the last one.
Always send both hard copies as well as non editable soft copies to your clients. Believe it or not, I had a client once that tried to backdate his invoice!
Always send 2 invoices for each payment. Payment outstanding and payment received.
Keep all of your emails. These, in conjunction with your contracts can be used in your defence if any legal issues arise.
Always do the right thing by your clients with invoicing and keep them up to date.

4 Clients That You Must Fire Immediately Or You�ll Be Back to Your Day Job In No Time.

Article by John Romaine on 2011-07-09 09:42:36 EST

When it comes to getting clients in your seo business, you’ll no doubt, end up attracting all sorts. Those that pay early (rare), those that pay late, and those that don’t pay at all. Then there’s those that whinge about anything and everything including the most trivial of matters. Then of course there’s those that take off on holidays in the middle of a project and others that will email you 2,916 times a day.

I could go on, but I think you get my point.

Something I learnt quickly from the start was that I had to “prequalify” my clients better during the initial meeting, but I'll touch more on that in just a bit.

For now, the harsh reality is you gotta get smarter about who you choose to work with – or else you’ll be packing your bags and heading back to full time work.

Now don’t get me wrong. Its not all bad. Some clients are fantatsic. They pay on time, they’re more than polite and they always make their best efforts to help out. Others however, are just plain aggrevating. It’s no denying that any type of business can be difficult to run when you’re working with painful clients. Especially those that make your job harder than it needs to be.

That’s why you need to start firing them.

That’s right. Put on your best Donald Trump wig, get on the phone right now, call them and say ....“You’re fired!”

Now it may not seem logical from the outset. Infact it probably doesn’t make much sense to suggest getting rid of clients at all, but let me tell you – more clients doesn’t necessarily always mean more money. It might just mean more frustration. That is of course, if you don’t take my advice.

Building a good client base.

Lets face it. Building a client base is part of any successful business. However when clients become more of a liability than an asset, it's time to get rid of them. Firing a client can in some ways, help to grow your business.

Below, I'm going to take a closer look at 4 types of clients that you must simply avoid at all costs – or, if it's too late and you’ve already begun pulling your hair out - fire them immediately! Your business depends upon it, and so does your sanity.

Here they are, 4 types of clients you gotta fire today!

The Haggler.

This is the all too common client that wants to negotiate the price on a packet of 30 cent chewing gum at the local service station. Typically there’s lots of face scrunching and head scratching when they look over your quote. Followed by “Gee, I dunno…$2,000 a month seems like quite a lot. My brother in law said it should cost about $180”.

These types of clients are the worst. Just thinking about them annoys me. To me, there’s nothing more insulting than someone questioning my rates, my worth, and then asking me to justify my pricing. I find it quite rude. Anyone who starts “haggling” the pricing structure of your quote is definitely someone you want to avoid at all costs And of course, if it’s all too late, and they’re already annoying you with continual “too expensive, got no money...” type emails, then fire them now!

The Egotistical Moron.

I consider myself a professional, and I run my business accordingly. I purposely left my full time job and my nagging boss that enjoyed treating everyone like school children for a reason. I’ve also invested quite a lot into my education and learning so I have complete confidence in what I do. I may not be running a multi million dollar business, but to me, that doesn’t matter. I do my best, and I do it with dignity and pride.

Having said that, there’s always an armchair expert who seems to enjoy belittling you just for kicks. These are typically the clients that imply that your seo business is an insignificant little home business, where nothing is of importance. Whilst their international real estate agency of 4,500 employees stands to lose $180,000 a day if you muck something up.

They often talk down their noses at you, and make comments such as “I’ve read a few books on SEO, and I know how easy the work is, so don’t try and tell us it’s a difficult and complicated process.” Or worse still, they’ll tell you how to do your job! That I cannot stand. If you have so much knowledge, why did you hire me?

Oh boy. Seriously, I’ve experienced these types of clients myself. And in most cases, the comments they’ve made during the first meeting were enough for me to decline the work. Regardless of what they’re paying, clients that speak to you in a condescending tone, fire them.

No questions asked.

The Slacker.

These clients are quite possibly the most common out of them all. They have this “hurry up and wait” mentality that does my head in. Often, they’ll call and start making immediate demands. “John, we need this stuff straight away, can you come in and meet with us?”

Whilst this isn't something I do a lot now, when I first started out, I would drop everything and rush straight over. So after having reorganised my day, my schedule, and sat through a 3 hour meeting, I return to my office only to then realise I’ve pretty much lost a whole day.

Then of course, once I begin the requested work that was of the “utmost importance and priority”, the client becomes strangely evasive. Especially when the invoice is due.

“Oh sorry, Glen’s not in the office at the moment, can I get him to call you back?” or “I’m really busy at the moment John, I’ll have to get back to you later…”

2 months later and I still havent heard back. And whats worse is that I either cant complete the work requested until I receive either more information from the client or I’m left with an unpaid invoice and someone making continual excuses for non payment.

I don’t know how many clients I’ve had like this that have gone seriously hot and cold in the matter of minutes. One minute they need it yesterday, then the next it seems like a distant priority.

When it comes to payment especially, have a zero tolerance policy.

My advice?

Fire them.

The Screamer.

This is a client that seems to enjoy calling you a retarded arsehole in every email. And for some reason in capital letters too. They usually expect you to be a physic medium with brain reading abilities – not just an seo consultant.

“No John, that’s not what I meant, you should’ve known I wanted it this way you f#@king four eyed moron!”

Seriously, I shake my head almost wishing I hadnt experienced this myself. But unfortunately I have. It’s funny how someone you are trying to actually help is calling you an arsehole in every 3rd email. Especially when you know that they’ll undoubtedly follow up months later asking for more help – but this time they have to be “overly nice” to compensate for being so rude.

One thing I don’t tolerate is abuse. I don’t care who it is or what it's over. If I've made a mistake, then let's be professional about it. Ask me to correct it, but do it in a mature way. There's no point in name calling. What, ...are we still in pre school? This is most definitely someone to fire.

You know what to do - go on, fire away!

And lastly, in summary. Remember, firing clients isnt easy, and its not something any of us want to do. But the longer you hold onto these dead weights, the longer you and your business will suffer. Get rid of them and make way for good, decent clients who appreciate you and the value you bring to their business. Whilst the process might be hard, in the end you’ll be much happier for doing so.

Oh and before I forget, "prequalifying" your client for me, typically meant, using my gut instincts during the first meeting and asking myself whether or not I would feel comfortable working with this person. I wasn't so great at this to begin with, but now I almost always get it right.

Best of luck to you.

Top 7 Reasons Why You Shouldn�t Be Offering SEO Guarantees [Free Contract Inside]

Article by John Romaine on 2011-07-08 06:01:25 EST

I find it really surprising. The number of SEO consultants and firms around that continue to offer "guaranteed rankings" when it comes to search engine optimization. Not only do I feel this is somewhat unethical, but it's also against what most search engines advocate.

Before you start thinking about offering guaranteed rankings as an irresistable sales pitch to your clients, perhaps have a good think about the potential consequences.

In this article, I give 7 reasons why you shouldn't be offering guaranteed SEO. Oh, and a free contract too!

1. You don’t control search engine algorithms.

This would seem obvious. What’s the point in telling your clients that you can “guarantee” something that is obviously beyond your control? Would you tell someone that you could guarantee winnings playing poker machines at the casino? Of course not. The same principle applies to search engine optimization. Don’t mislead your clients with unethical sales pitches, or unlrealistic outcomes. Your business will only suffer for it long term.

2. Even the search engines say not to do it!

Google, the worlds largest and most popular search engine frown upon this themselves. Even they say not to do it. Here’s a direct outtake from their webmaster pages. (original source)

"No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.

Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a "special relationship" with Google, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever..."

And yet it seems that almost everywhere I look I see “SEO Guarantee 1st page Google”. As said, search engines control rankings, not you.

3. Competitive activity and site promotion.

A common mistake I see a lot of freelance SEO consultants make is that they don’t take into consideration the possibility of competitor site promotion and marketing activities. By this I mean, what you’re competitors might be doing in terms of SEO themselves. Just because you’re performing SEO on a clients site doesn’t mean they’re not doing the same.

Let me tell you, when this happens it can become extremely frustrating, especially when the outcome of your efforts is a drop in your clients rankings. As with search engine algorithm changes, what your competitors are doing at their end, is completely beyond your control.

4. Rankings are dynamic, and thus typcially unstable.

Okay so you’ve managed to get your clients website to number one. Seems like you may have just pulled it off. But wait. 6 months later the phone rings, and it's your client asking why their site is now back on page 38 and sales have dropped by 99%. What are you going to do now? You guaranteed first place rankings, but does your contract specify the finer details for say, how long or and under what circumstances? SEO is always an ongoing activity. Offering guaranteed rankings becomes complicated over time.

5. Unless you deliver, you might just end up working tirelessly on a campaign.

Unless you have a rock solid contract, you may just end up working tirelessly on a project until you have fulfilled your obligations as agreed upon. I’d hate to think about this actually. Can you imagine being stuck with a highly competitive keyword that you’ve claimed to be able to get to first page just for the sake of landing a job out of sheer desperation?

Clients once they’ve paid, wont be interested in excuses. They’ve paid for a service, and they want results.

6. Are you really that desperate?

Is it really worth making silly claims just to secure a project? I don’t know for sure, but my best guess is that a lot of freelance SEO consultants go about guaranteeing rankings simply because they’re desperate to get new clients. This is probably due to the lack of initial cashflow. Its not worth telling a client what they want to hear, just to make a few bucks.

7. Refund requests

Once you start making claims like guaranteed rankings and search engine placement, you’re better positioning yourself to be subjected to disgruntled clients asking for their money back. With so many external factors beyond your control, the likelihood of refunds are bound to happen. Its just a matter of time.

Okay, with that said, here’s a contract that I am certain is going to save you a great deal of headaches. It’s a very simple SEO No Guarantee Disclaimer. It’s a quick agreement which you can have your cleint sign off upon prior to starting any work.

I’ve put this together quickly using various sources, in the hope that you might find it useful to prevent any sticky situations with your clients. This is by no means an exhaustive contract, but it should at the very least, bring transperancy to the project, and set some realistic expectations and outcomes for your client.

DOWNLOAD SEO NO GUARANTEE DISCLAIMER AGREEMENT

I believe honesty and integrity are always key, and if done right, your clients will thank you for it, and quite possibly reward you with continual business. Even if you don’t manage to get them to first page each and every single time.

4 Quick Tips to Getting Clients In Your Newly Launched SEO Business When You Have No Portfolio [Includes Video]

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-28 22:53:50 EST

It’s a catch 22 situation. Its chicken and the egg stuff. In order to build a portfolio you need clients. In order to land clients and secure projects, you need a portfolio. Seems to be a common problem amongst a lot of freelancers new to the business, and one that certainly needs addressing.

Often I’m sent emails with freelancers asking …

“John, how can I get clients and sell my services when I don’t have a portfolio?”

Firstly, and let's be honest, having a portfolio definitely helps. Not only does it make your client feel more comfortable, but it helps build trust and credibility. These two elements are essential in any business, and in particular, even moreso online. With that credibility comes proof of your abilities and this in itself simply helps to sell your services. Or at the very least, makes the sales process a whole lot easier.

Secondly, new clients are almost always going to ask to see some kind of evidence of your work. 9 times out of 10 I would be asked “Have you got another clients website that I can take a look at?” or, “Could you put me in touch with a previous client so that I can ask a few questions?”

Both valid questions, and I mean, who could blame anyone for asking? They’re about to hand over their hard earned cash so why not?

The issue is, until you’re established this isn't really possible. Especially if you’re just starting out, and have yet to land a client at all. It's not going to look so great, having no portfolio or client base. And no, don't use your uncle or brother inlaw as a fake referral. It's unethical and bad business practice.

So how can we overcome this?

Lets take a quick look at 4 possible options.

1. Volunteer or charity work.

Whilst this might seem a pretty ordinary option due to the fact that you’re not going to make any money, it’s a matter of forgetting about the short term reward and thinking long term. In order to establish yourself in this business youre going to have to make some sacrficies at first, and that, unfortunately might mean working for free.

Now before you start grumbling about having bills to pay, think about some of the charity groups in your local area, the people that work there voluntarily, and most importantly, the people they help. Often these people are less fortunate and are in desperate need of help. You may not make any money, but who cares? You’re going to feel pretty damn good about helping someone out, doing something really positive and building your portfolio at the same time. Infact, this method can be the most powerful of all, because it demonstrates good will, and not just regular paid work.

2. Rank your own site well.

It seems obvious doesn’t it? If your client performs a search for “Search Engine Optimization in Sydney” and your site ranks first, then that in itself should be an excellent selling point and evidence that you know what youre doing. However, if your site is back on page 46 in Google, then its likely that your phone isnt going to ring off the hook. Sometimes, developing your own site to rank highly before going full time, may be benficial in terms of attracting potential clients – even without a portfolio.

3. Offer discounts.

Another great way of building a client base is by offering discounts. Now generally speaking, I advocate against this, particularly in my seo business kit. Its never wise to lower your pricing just to land a client or project, however, when youre first starting out, you have to make a decision. Is $600 a month going to be benefical as opposed to zero? Of course! You may not be pulling in $5,000 a month, but that’s not important right now. What's important is building your client base, raising awareness and establishing credibility.

4. Be honest and simply ask for the work.

Heres a thought. How about actually telling new clients that you’re just starting out and that you would really appreciate it if they would consider taking on your services. There's no point approaching clients in a hawaiian shirt with your hair slicked back, pitching some fancy sales promotion. that’s only going to lead to issues later on. It's about honesty!

When I first started out, I told clients that my business was new, and that I was working hard on finding clients and securing projects. None of them seemed to mind that much, and infact it may have had more of a positive impact than I first thought.

I generated most of my business by simply handing out cards at local businesses. I would go door knocking, from business to business and say "Hi my names John, Ive just started my own SEO business in the area and I'm out today to raise awareness about it. Id just like to leave this card with you – have a great day”

This way there’s no pressure, there’s no hard selling, you leave a card and they know about you. Eventually someone is going to say (just as they did with me on numerous occasions) – “Thank's so much for stopping in, we’ve been wanting to ... (perform task description here) for ages, please come into our office”.

So there you go. 4 quick and simple tips to get more clients in your seo business. Before you start posting on forums asking in desperation or complaining about not having any business, think about implementing the suggestions above.

Before wrapping up, here's a really useful video posted by the guys over at seomoz.org, covering additional strategies for securing clients.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it by clicking on the social media buttons up the top of the page or by leaving a comment below.

One of the Biggest Mistakes Most Consultants Make When Starting Their SEO Business

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-27 09:50:34 EST

Okay so you've just started your own seo business and you're keen to land some clients and start making money. Should be easy enough, right? I mean, you've just organised your first meeting with a brand new client tomorrow! What could possibly go wrong?

Answer - a lot!

Unless of course you learn not to fall into the habit of saying "yes" all the time.

Agreeing to everything, might cost you later on.

I mention this in my seo business startup guide. It’s a common mistake, and one that can put you in an akward situation if you’re not careful. Because I see this issue so often, I thought Id touch on it in this article.

So what’s the big deal about saying yes?

A lot!

Telling your prospect what they want to hear, instead of what they should hear, is a terrible way to secure clients and will only lead to you getting yourself into a serious pickle if you're not careful.

Don't want to assist with technical support but you agreed to it during the meeting?
Don't want to provide staff training once the site goes live but you agreed to it during the meeting?
Don't want to throw in an extra 20 keywords for free but you agreed to it during the meeting?

It won't be until you're heading back to the office where you'll ask yourself...."Why did I agree to that?"

Guess what, it's too late now.

You'll be kicking yourself.

Saying yes a lot during your first meeting with a new client might seem like a good idea at the time. It might mean securing a big project, it might mean landing more clients through referrals and it might even mean making more money – but essentially it could also lead to a lot more regrets and embarrassments later on. Let me explain why.

Let’s say for examples sake you’ve met with a potential client either at your own office, or a local café and they are providing you with documentation and a bit of an insight into their business and what they’d like to achieve by undertaking your services. Now, speaking from experience I can tell you that there’s usually two types of clients; that is, those that arrive in suits and tie, bringing huge bundles of files and folders absolutely jam packed with every conceivable bit of information ever needed, and then there’s those that just rock up empty handed in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt without even a pen to take notes.

Either way, one thing is for certain, at some point you’re going to be expected to answer a lot of questions, concerns and possibly objections on the spot. This is where you need to always remain in control. This is vital to your success.

Always stay in control during your client meetings.

When it comes to freelancing as an SEO consultant, clients like to ask 3 questions; and I can tell you from experience that these 3 questions are always….

• Can you guarantee me first page in Google?
• How much will this cost?
• How long will this take?

These are most definitely moments during the meeting where you need to stop and think before you smile, nod your head and either give misinformation, (even if it is unintentional) or agree to something that you know is likely to be well beyond the scope of the project or your own capabilities.

Now of course I’m not suggesting that you resist answering any questions put forward, or stuttering your way through the meeting, but moreso, take your time with the responses you give and think before you speak. Avoid feeling pressured into having to give estimates on timeframes, costs or anything else that may require further analysis of the project in detail.

Politely tell the client that before making any assumptions or giving inaccurate estimates, that it would be best to at least be given adequate time to go over the project details, along with the information they have provided, and in return, provide them with an indepth seo proposal which will address any, and if not all the concerns they may have.

Ideally, it's always best to hold a secondary meeting, and go over the proposal and project details, and then, once you have a better understanding of the project itself, answer any questions your client has with confidence in knowing exactly what’s involved.

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How to Address Constant SEO Change Requests and Prevent Scope Creep

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-05 10:40:30 EST

You know, I love SEO. I love helping clients, and seeing them achieve results online. I find it very rewarding. As well as that, I love being a freelance consultant and meeting new people and taking on new challenges. This is the very reason why I quit my 9-5 job and decided to start an SEO business.

But as with any business, there’s always a few small niggling issues that seem to be constant, regardless of how great things are. And quite possibly, one of the most annoying issues for me as an SEO consultant are - change requests!

If you’ve never experienced this, prepare yourself, because it’s going to be inevitable. Let me tell you, there’s nothing worse or frustrating than having a client continually call or email you demanding continual (and in most cases) completely unecessary or pointless change requests.

Now don’t get me wrong. Change requests are to be expected, and often they can be a good thing – but there’s a difference. What I’m talking about here are clients that make change requests simply for the sake of it. Or at least that’s how they appear.

“John, instead of those 10 keywords I gave you yesterday, here’s a list of 300 that we think could be good…”

…or

“No I don’t like menu structure being on that side of the page, let’s move it over to the other side and down a little bit, and change the wording….”

Can you see where I’m going with this?

For whatever the reason, it sure is annoying, and it’s definitely something that needs to be addressed, ahead of taking on any project. To an extent, its about educating the client, or at the very least raising awareness about the potential implications of such requests.

Scope creep can eat you up.

Change requests, apart from causing potential delays, can lead to what’s known as scope creep. Scope creep in laymens terms means, that the project has no set boundaries, or they keep changing. This can then mean you end up working for what seems to be forever without actually achieving any set milestones. A project or campaign that was estimated to take 3 weeks, is now blowing out to 5 months!

So how exactly can you address change requests?

Firstly, let me say that unless you’re especially talented, that it’s highly unlikely you’re going to prevent change requests completely – it’s simply the nature of the business.

What then, can you do to prevent clients making ongoing change requests and disrupting any potentially set schedules? The answer lies in your seo contracts, seo proposals and signed agreements.

It is absolutely essential that you address change requests in your seo contract, which the client must sign off on before starting the project. In my SEO Business Startup Kit, I include a comprehensive seo contract template that touches on change requests.

It mentions that the

Project scope will not be modified once agreement contract has been signed
Direction of project will not be affected in any way due to change requests
Additional fees and charges may be incurred upon requesting changes to the signed agreement.

This, at the very least lets the client know that....

a) Timeframes will be affected if they make constant changes, which in turn are likely to cause delays, and also…
b) Additional charges will be implemented should they do so.

So what else can be done in order to formalise change requests a little better? How can we take a "quick 5 minute change" request over the phone and document it, as well as invoice for it properly?

The answer is simple -- have the client sign off on a change request document!

Request change, you will not!

This way, you are formally addressing the change and making the client aware that you have no intention of just "doing it quickly" without being paid for your extra time. They either agree to the change, sign for it and pay for it – or it doesn’t get done. Simple.

Okay….

What I have below is a change request document template. This is quite useful when dealing with annoying clients who cant make up their minds and wish to change things all the time and drive you slowly insane! Trust me, you’ll thank me for having this later!

This document template is yours free, so get started and begin using it straight away, click on the link and select "save target as"

DOWNLOAD THE SEO CHANGE REQUEST TEMPLATE HERE

In summary, I should also point out here that you most certainly don’t want to get into the habit of giving a quick “sure, okay, I can do that quickly for you now” over the phone or via email. Believe me, this is just asking for trouble!

Always use your change request document, unless of course, it the task doesn’t require it.

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Have an SEO Proposal Done in 5 Minutes Flat - Video Demonstration

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-03 07:14:09 EST

Need to document an SEO proposal? Then why waste time messing about trying to figure it out on your own. In this article, I demonstrate just how easy it is to use my document contracts and templates by showing you how I put together an SEO proposal in just a few minutes. This is just one of 80 document and contracts templates provided in my SEO Business Startup Kit.

To check it out, watch the following video, and if you have any questions or comments please post them in the comments box below!

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Keyword Research - Always Be Honest With Your Clients

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-03 00:39:54 EST

Its amazing how often I’m met with resistance when it comes to clients asking me to optimize their websites for a million and one keywords. Im not sure why this is so common, however it seems that clients have this belief that more keywords must simply mean more traffic and more money. This isnt always the case of course. Ive met with a lot of clients that wouldn’t even know what a keyword was, but that’s another story.

When it comes to keyword obsession though, I don’t know how many times Ive seen it. Its typically a scribbled on piece of paper or a 10MB excel spreadsheet on a USB stick that gets handed to me during a client meeting or consultation.

“Here you go John, all the keywords we want you to work on are here...”

Most clients, typically want to rank for every keyword possible.

I get back to the office, then find myself sifting through 1,000,000,000 keywords for 3 days. Needless to say 99% of the keywords that they’ve chosen are completely worthless and are discarded.

Which brings me to raise a few points.

Firstly, dishonest SEO firms. A lot of SEO organisations play on this. You see, I know that many SEO firms understand that clients wouldn’t know a good keyword from a bad one – meaning, one might attract a great deal of search volume, whilst another might not. They play on this, and leverage it to their advantage, with sales pitches that go something like this ….

“Give us 20 keywords and we GUARANTEE you first page for at least 5 of them”.

What they fail to tell you is that the five keywords that rank, might be completely useless – they might only receive a handful of searches a month, which is totoally pointless. Of course the client may not know this, which doesn’t really matter. The SEO firm has fulfilled their obligation, gets paid and leaves the client then wondering where on earth all their “supposed” traffic is.

Secondly, more keywords doesn’t mean more anything. It just means exactly that – more keywords. Does this essentially mean more traffic? Perhaps, but in most cases, probably not. Does this mean more work? Yes, which means more time, more money and more expenses.

You see, the more keywords mentality is a lost cause. Seriously. It’s a complete waste of time. What a client needs to understand, is that its only worth investing time towards relevant keywords that have sufficient search volume which can bring targeted leads, and of course, sales.

Stop worrying about how long your keyword list is.

This is where its about educating your clients. By this I don’t mean giving them an hour and a half lesson on the ins and outs of keyword research, but moreso, giving them the opportunity to see the difference between a good keyword and a bad one. Once they understand the differences, they will appreciate you saving them time and money – and that is powerful. You have gained immense trust, and built immediate credibility. This goes a long way in business, believe me.

So remember, when your client hands you a list of keywords as long as your arm, be honest with them. Show them which keywords are the ones worth targeting and which arent. It will ensure your client is happy and it will make your job a whole lot easier.

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$2,200 a Month, Per Month, Every Month, Per Client.

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-02 10:02:14 EST

Before I got serious about getting into search engine optimization, I really had no idea of the earning potential behind it. Of course I had many clients requesting SEO once I had completed the development of their websites, however as I wanted to focus specifically on design and development, I tended to concentrate my efforts there. Afterall, web design was something that I enjoyed and was quite talented at. SEO really wasn’t my forte.

That was until I met with a good friend of mine at a marketing seminar in Sydney. After a brief discussion about business, I asked, “So Nick, what are you doing nowadays, are you still doing web design?” He replied with “I’m outsourcing most of my development now and focusing on building my SEO business. Im making some excellent money, and really loving it” This came as much of a surpise as Nick was a great developer, programmer and graphic designer.

As the conversation went on, Nick explained to me that he had just secured his 6th client at $2,200 per month and was now making almost $15,000 a month, with much of the work being outsourced to a team of virtual assistants. Needless to say I was quite impressed and certainly wanted to know more.

Nick explained to me that he was charging each client $2,200 per month, for a minimum of a 6 month contract to perform SEO. I was in disbelief and asked “Are you kidding? …$2,200 per client???” He replied “Yes, and guess what? My clients love me!”

Here's one of Nicks happy clients.

I was really amazed. Infact I was astonished. Even though my web design business was doing well, this type of earning potential was something I most definitely had to have a piece of. I then asked Nick, “So what exactly do your clients get for that?”

Nick replied “Most of my clients really know nothing about SEO and their websites arent performing. They’re losing business as a result of it, so they’re keen for help. I meet with them, consult with them, perform an initial website audit, show them how to make improvements, then, if they hire me, I work towards increasing their search placement positioning, and implementing my marketing strategies.”

I asked feeling slightly confused, “So do you actually do anything to their websites?”

Nick continued. “Yes, most often their sites are poorly designed and hold no real SEO attributes. I often replace their entire sites with SEO friendly content management systems, like Wordpress, perform onsite optimization and help them acquire leads through list building, capturing names and emails.”

I said to him “That sounds too easy!”

He said, “Yes of course, you already have the knowledge and skills, you should consider it within your own business.”

Two weeks later, I was offering SEO to my clients as an additional service to that of my web design business. Within my first month I secured 8 clients, each at $2,200 a month for a minimum 6 month contract. I did this by contacting each of my existing clients and asking them if they would be interested in my optimization services. Some scoffed at my pricing, whilst others embraced it. Infact, I landed quite a few clients that I simply Googled online and found their websites back on page 10. Most of these people were in desperate need of help and couldn’t wait to get started!

Clients will happily pay to ensure great search placement rankings.

I knew that the amount of work, knowledge and skill justified my asking price of $2,200 per month and Nick had confirmed it. I also knew that I wanted to attract the right types of clients – ones that appreciated my time, and were willing to pay. I wasn’t about to offer cheap services simply to land projects. Nicks pricing structure gave me a guideline to work with, and I was grateful because it saved me from working long hours for peanuts.

In hindsight, I guess I could’ve started offering SEO sooner, but as with everything, it takes time to acquire the skills, learn the business and implement the strategies. Friends can sometimes be a little secretive too!

Its now been almost 6 years of performing SEO for clients, and Im still loving the great income of which it provides! If you're unsure about getting started, then be sure to check out my SEO Business Startup Kit.

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The Ups and Downs of Google Rankings and Highly Emotional Panicky Clients.

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-02 01:38:52 EST

One thing I've found over the last few years of dealing with clients, especially when it comes to SEO, is that most of them seem to have this irresistible obsession for checking their rankings every 15 minutes.

I’ve had clients calling me the very next day after having only just signed the contract, asking “When do you think my site will move up?”, or “I’ve just checked my site and it’s still on page 6, what’s going on?” As annoying as this is, it's to be expected.

Even though everything, including expected timeframes and results are outlined within the SEO proposal and contract, they still feel compelled to check on things every 5 minutes and annoy you with silly phone calls and lengthy emails.

As you know, SEO takes time, and that time can vary greatly between projects. Whilst one campaign may only take 10 days, another may take 6 months. There really is no definitive timeframe for results, it's just a matter of implementing the tasks and strategies to gain the desired outcome. And that takes time.

Let me give you an example.

Just recently I ranked a clients website first page on Google. The business owner was a personal trainer, and was keen to attract clients via the web. The site was relatively new, and within 2 weeks, I had it position 3 for its primary keyword. Needless to say, my client was ecstatic and very pleased with the work performed, and thanked me dearly. Infact he made a point of referring a number of other clients my way which was greatly appreciated. However, after just 2 months of that site hitting first page, and staying there, it suddenly plummeted from the first page, back to page 38. Within minutes, emails quickly followed and my phone began to ring non stop.

My site has dropped in Google, oh noes!

The client was, to put it mildly, panicking, and wondered what on earth was going on. Thankfully I had seen this many times beforehand and went into immediate damage control over the phone. I reassured the client that this could be simply an update or shuffle of the search results and that the best thing to do was “wait it out”. I was met with some resistance, as the client wanted it, in their own words ....“fixed immediately”.

I must point out here that I always think rationally and remain calm, no matter how heated or emotional a client becomes. This is important. Always remain in control and explain to your client that fluctuations like this are normal. It's only if a site drops for extended periods of time that there is likely to be an issue that requires attention. Running in circles screaming “the sky is falling” isn't exactly being very proactive at all.

After speaking with the client I did some initial research and strangely enough the site had been dropped almost 37 pages. This was a little odd, although I had been aware of a recent algorithm change and wanted to see if the site would “right itself” given some time.

Over the next 3 days the site came back to first page, and this time to 2nd position. With no changes made whatsoever. This then reassured me that the slip in rankings was obviously due to a change within the search engine and nothing related to either on or offsite optimization.

I called my client and informed him that the site had returned to first page and had actually “moved up” a spot to 2nd. Oddly enough, this time his tone had changed significantlly and he was a lot more cheery – funny that! The site was back, the client was happy and I hadn't changed a thing!

Fluctuations are a normal part of the ranking process.

Which brings me to my point…..

Firstly, dealing with panicky clients unfortunately is sometimes unavoidable, and this is where it's important to educate your client as best you can ahead of them signing up with you as a consultant. I usually always indicate potential fluctuations and variences in search placement results, and make them aware that this is completely normal.

Secondly, never start trying to “fix” a sites rankings unless you know they are definitely broken! If you start making changes or altering your optimization efforts, there’s no real way of knowing whether or not you’ve made the situation better or worse. As a rule of thumb, I always wait at least 2-3 weeks before I begin making assumptions about sudden fluctuations in search placements, and whether or not those fluctuations are normal, or if it requires immediate attention.

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SEO Rates - Per Hour or Per Month; Which Is Better?

Article by John Romaine on 2011-06-01 06:26:58 EST

Many SEO practitioners have an ongoing debate in their minds which goes something like this: Which is better…to charge per hour or per month? The reason the question is not a simple one to answer is that there are merits to both methods.

Let’s look at the hourly and the monthly SEO rate models.

Charging hourly.

Hourly SEO rates means that a client pays per hour of work spent on the project. A majority of consultants, especially independent contractors, charge by the hour because it is the simplest way to price a project. Often, in a project, the SEO consultant meets with unexpected problems that need to be handled. Aside from these unforeseen factors, testing and additional tweaking are other time-consuming aspects of a project he needs to contend with.

With the hourly pricing model, SEOs are assured compensation for the time they spend on these knotty issues and are relieved of the necessity to put a halt to the work in order to turn in a new estimate or proposal whenever something unexpected arises. . Although this may sound risky for the client, it actually isn’t because certain specifics such as estimated number of hours required and maximum hours allotted for project completion are determined at the outset.

Many clients prefer an hourly rate because it’s straightforward, accountable, and easy to understand. Small or middle-sized companies, in particular, appreciate rates per hour because the figures they are faced with are not too large. Depending on his budget, the client can determine the amount of work he can afford. Additionally, should he decide to amend or expand the scope of the project, the necessity for the tedious process of asking and waiting for a new proposal is eliminated. All that needs to be done is to figure out the extra hours required for the amendment or expansion. Thus, for both consultant and client, hourly rates offer a good amount of flexibility.

Hourly billing is suitable for new projects, minimal SEO consultations, and short-term projects.

Monthly rates.

Monthly SEO billing is normally used when there is a standard workload that is fairly constant, such as website maintenance work. The tasks to be performed monthly are defined. However, when it comes to addressing upkeep of larger projects, definition of tasks is not even a requisite so long as the overall goal is accomplished. Clients who recognize the importance of protecting their initial SEO investment appreciate monthly SEO rates as it removes the need for constant renegotiating of projects and price. In addition, they have a known, fixed figure they can budget for.

The monthly rate model allows SEOs not just to do maintenance work but also to explore new optimization methods for the client and to improve the website in novel ways. It takes SEOs time to learn all they need to know about a client’s industry in order to get a broader view of all the SEO efforts that can be undertaken. Many times, they get their best ideas when they’re off the clock. Because there’s no piling up of hourly fees, this works out to the client’s advantage.

For SEO consultants, monthly retainers are advantageous because this model builds long-term relationships with clients. Moreover, monthly retainers work towards a relatively steady cash flow from month to month, and invoices are simple to prepare and send out.

However, monthly billing is not a suitable model for new projects as time requirements are rather unsteady at the onset of new SEO projects, with many unforeseen issues apt to arise; the SEO would very likely end up underpaid. Aside from SEO that supplies continued service (such as website maintenance), monthly billing is suitable to longer-term SEO work that aims for sustained growth, such as content development.

So, to the question, “hourly or monthly SEO rates…which are better?”, the answer is, “It depends.” Both models have their advantages. Each model must be weighed according to the type, scope, and goals of the work involved.

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SEO Pricing Guide - Various Fee Structures for Search Engine Optimization

Article by John Romaine on 2011-05-30 09:15:19 EST

There are several different pricing models for SEO. Trying to determine the best or most suitable pricing structure for your business can be challenging, however, there are some basic principles of which you can follow. Below are some of the more commonly used ones.

Hourly rates - What clients think we do when charging hourly.

This is the most straightforward method of charging for SEO work. The SEO consultant charges a flat rate for every hour he puts in. Depending on the level of experience and type of work required, rates may range anywhere from a low of $40 per hour for entry-level consultants to a high of $300-500/per hour, or more, for reputable professionals. Mid-level consultants charge around $100 to $250.

Under this pricing model, both the consultant and client agree on certain matters beforehand: what specific tasks need to be completed, estimated hours for the entire project, maximum hours allowed, and a procedure for approval in the event that additional hours over the agreed limit are required.

Because unforeseen problems, and delays are common amongst most projects, consultants often find themselves spending additional time working on campaigns, and not being compensated for the extra time spent. This is one downside to this pricing structure. However, hourly pricing gives SEO consultants the assurance that they are being paid for the actual time they spend working on a project.

For the client, hourly pricing allows them to know precisely how much to budget since a limit for hours of work has been agreed upon. It also affords a great amount of adaptability. If during the course of the project, the client wants additional work done, he can easily get an estimate of the cost without having to go through the process of a new project proposal.

Project-based.

In this model, there is one flat, inclusive fee for the entire project. The fee is based on an estimate of time required for project completion, personnel and materials, and other expenses required that may be needed. Because the fee cannot be changed if contingencies arise, this model affords little flexibility and requires meticulous attention to the details and definitions set forth in the contract. The advantage for the client is that he has a fixed budget and he knows the results that will be achieved. The disadvantage comes if he wants to add to or amend the scope of the work as this will require, either a completely new proposal or a change request order.

Pay for Performance.

Clients pay only if a predetermined result is achieved, such as a certain search rank for a keyword or a certain number of site visitors for a set period. Both the client and the consultant agree upon the desired results, the method by which to measure results, and a time frame for performance.

This model affords the professional a good way to introduce the benefits of SEO to clients who would otherwise not want to set aside a budget for it; however, for consultants, it is extremely risky and can result in uncompensated hours put into the project, especially as most consultants cannot control all the factors that enter into getting the promised results, such as search engines changing algorithms or competition activity.

When using this model, it is advisable for consultants to get clients to agree to pay for necessary incidental expenses such as directory submissions and press releases. Agreements need to be very specific as to the parameters of the promised results, and these must be made understandable to the clients. Clients benefit from this type of arrangement because they are guaranteed a return on their investment.

Monthly Retainer.

This is the pricing structure that I have adopted and used quite successfully over the years. I feel this works very well for a number of reasons. Firstly, you have guaranteed income for an agreed period of time; ie the duration of the campaign. This in itself is a great asset to have. Especially when you begin accumulating a large number of clients. Secondly, it allows you to forecast the project and get on with the work ahead without having to worry about payment installments. You just bill the client at the beginning of each month, receive payment and perform the work as intended. This can be a very good model for businesses seeking to retain clients over a long period of time, but it can also be abused by those who claim (hopefully falsely) that the site will "lose its rankings" if the customer cancels.

Profit Sharing.

In this model, something like a partnership is created between the consultant and his client. The payment for work comes from a portion of the client’s online profit. When the optimization work done by the consultant results in improved sales for the client, the contractor gets paid a portion of that profit. Conditions as to length of effectivity of the agreement, a cap on the consultants share of the profits, minimum payment for the consultant, etc. are worked into the contract. For such a model to work, it is essential to have very accurate capabilities to track online transactions and even transactions that begin online but end up in offline sales.

The profit sharing model can be very beneficial for both the consultant and the client as they share a common goal: increased profit. The SEO consultant makes money when the client does, and the better his results, the more he gets paid. Since the client pays the consultant based on income, he is assured of being paid. For certain clients, such as start-up companies, the advantage of this type of pricing model is the ability to acquire quality SEO work without having to lay out a big investment.

Because not every pricing model works for every element of a project, many SEO professionals use a combination of pricing methods in the one SEO contract, matching each element of the project to the pricing model that best suits it. This allows for greater flexibility towards the client’s needs and budget. It is not uncommon to see a mix of hourly fees, performance-based fees, and monthly retainers in one SEO package.

Check this out.

Here's an excellent article by Rand Fishkin of seomoz where they performed an extensive survey and got actual pricing figures from seo firms around the globe. Its definitely worth a look.

SEO Pricing: 600+ Agencies Share Costs of Services & Pricing Models

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How to Start An SEO Business - A Few Quick Tips

Article by John Romaine on 2011-05-24 08:29:35 EST

Search engine optimization is a field that has grown considerably with internet commerce, especially in the last decade or so. Because of this huge trend, there are undoubtedly tens of thousands of freelance consultants that are considering starting their own SEO business and taking hold of this massive opportunity.

If you’re one of these, realize that it's essential to gain as much knowledge as you can relating to the SEO profession itself; such as search marketing, seo tips, offsite optimisation strategies and the marketplace in general before anything else. Read, research, take courses, attend seminars, network and learn all you can to familiarize yourself with the field. If possible, its always encouraged to get some type of industry recognised certification to attest to your SEO proficiency.

Where to begin.

Once you’re well acquainted with all the facets of SEO, then it’s time to answer some important questions. One question you need to determine is what type of services you’re going to offer. This in essence will form your overall business model. Will you provide a wide range of services or focus on a speciality such as on-page optimization, social media marketing, or content creation? Will you perform these services yourself or do you plan to outsource some of the work?

Aside from SEO-related tasks, there is work connected to the business itself. For instance, there are customer relations that need to be attended to and administrative tasks such as billing and accounting. Will you perform these duties as well or are you considering hiring additional staff? Once you’ve answered these questions, study your market and construct a marketing strategy. Figure out who your potential clients are, who your competitors are, and how to establish yourself within the marketplace.

Setting up your work space.

Next, set up your work space, whether it is at home or in a commercial work area. Get the necessary equipment and tools obviously to perform the required tasks. Arm yourself with search engine marketing and analytical software tools that will prove indispensable for your SEO campaigns. Additionally, invest in invoicing and billing software to help you with compiling quotations, invoices, and bills for your clients.

Now it’s time to look at your own website. To attract prospective clients, it’s important to have a professional looking website with a clean, uncluttered look and of course - a website that reflects strong SEO elements. Its going to be pretty embarrasing if you’re offering SEO services and your own business site reflects poor optimization methods. Be sure to give your site an impartial once-over and check that you have strong SEO elements in place.

As a smart tip, try and register a domain that represents your geographical location. An example would be to use a domain like "sydney-seo.com" or something of a similiar nature. Use Google and keyword research tools such as WordTracker to choose a name that will spring up in the searches of your target market. In your website, put relevant information regarding your company, such as your SEO background, any certification or awards you may have garnered, and especially the services you offer and your contact information. Include good content in your site, complimented with the appropriate keywords that will rank you high in SEO-related searches.

Being in a new business, your challenge will be attracting clients. Ask for referrals from friends and family who are familiar with your skills. You might want to offer to do some pro bono work for local organizations or charities in exchange for favorable publicity and future recommendations. Meanwhile, engage in SEO forums and chat rooms and offer helpful advice. This will help to establish your reputation and may provide leads to jobs. Join SEO industry organizations to accredit yourself as a certified professional in SEO and to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field.

So now you’re all set up. Apply some diligence and provide quality work, and you will find yourself on the path to success.

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SEO Pricing � Should I Charge My Clients An Hourly Rate for SEO Services?

Article by John Romaine on 2011-05-22 00:34:05 EST

I myself personally believe in setting monthly retainers as part of my SEO pricing and fee structure as I feel it works best, however, as a lot of SEO consultants still prefer the traditional way of charging hourly, I thought Id touch on this method a little more.

Unlike other services, SEO is more involved and less linear as it is compared to say, web or graphic design. The timeline with ranking a website can vary greatly depending upon a large number of contributing factors. Many of which may be beyond the consultants control. Search engine algorithms, changes in the field, competitor’s marketing efforts, and client delays are just a few.

Some charge less than others.

Its due to these factors that I choose not to charge hourly for my work, as I do with web design. There’s no way of knowing how long it will accurately take to rank a site, and I feel clients are certainly much less responsive when you cannot provide them with an idea of both time and cost.

However I do at times, work at an hourly rate, but this is usually for smaller tasks that take a lot less of my time. The key here is “tasks” and not ongoing projects or campaigns. These tasks would normally be if a client has requested a once off website audit, or just keyword research on its own. If the task isnt overly complicated and can be set out as a simple procedure with a definitive completion time, then I'll be more likely to consider working at an hourly rate.

When should you charge hourly?

An example of when to apply hourly charging would be if an organisation or client has requested a ‘once off’ type task such as keyword research, a website audit report or similar. These are typically tasks that can be quantified in terms of a set timeline (ie, task duration can be estimated relatively accurately)

The most important part of charging hourly however is clarity and scope. Both of which should be agreed upon and addressed within what I call a work order, or work request. Typically this is a simple document that outlines the nature of the task, and itemizes everything in detail – including exclusions, or, what work isn’t to be done. Failing to setout a work order, usually always results in miscommunication, delays, scope creep, frustrations and often having to deduct hourly rates due to wasted time.

Be sure to clarify everything ahead of starting any work at an hourly rate. You cant charge a client 15 hours when you spent the first 10 hours working on something that wasn’t part of the request.

When you shouldn’t charge hourly.

Whilst charging hourly can seem quite easy and simplistic, there are areas of consulting that you should most definitely not charge hourly for. For me, that is the campaign itself, service level agreements, and anything else that involves complicated tasks.

Its pointless charging hourly especially for the campaign itself, as ranking a site will involve a process of which is ongoing, typically for weeks or months at a time. If a clients requirements are to perform a complete site audit, enhance both onsite and offsite optimization, and improve search placements, then I know right away that I will be implementing my monthly retainer fee structure, and not applying an hourly charge.

Don't forget, my SEO Business Startup Kit contains all the necessary documentation including work orders, invoice templates, and contracts that you can use when addressing your pricing and fee structures.

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Considerations You Should Make Before Starting An SEO Business

Article by John Romaine on 2011-05-21 00:33:04 EST

It’s fair to say that the global economy is still, for the most part, in shambles. Many companies continue to operate on a tight budget and retail businesses continue to experience downward sales. At the same time, however, internet commerce is doing great, with sales spiralling upward annually. The rise in online business has website owners scrambling for pre-eminence in search engine rankings. But because marketing departments have often been the first ones to take a hit in budgetary cuts, many companies find themselves at a loss on how to attain top rank.

Stepping forward to fill this need are individuals and agencies that specialize in search engine optimization.

Perhaps you’re one of those who’ve been considering starting up your own SEO business. You’ve harboured dreams of being your own boss for a while now and being master of your time. No more 9 to 5 duldrums. This seems like the perfect time to do it. After all, for the tech-savvy, business prospects look pretty rosy.

Starting your own seo business should be a piece of cake, right?

But before making any major moves, take a moment to look at some considerations you should make before starting your own SEO business.

First of all, why SEO? Is this a passion for you? Are you technically proficient enough to deliver what you promise? If you can’t answer a resounding YES to these two questions, then take some time to read and research as much as you can about the SEO process and of course, the industry itself. Hone your skills in SEO by taking courses and excelling at what you do.

The SEO industry is growing fast indeed, and there are loads of opportunities in this field, but the sad truth is that the industry is also beset by many hucksters claiming to be experts but delivering pitiful results to their clients. You don’t want to be numbered as one of these. To do well in this field, you’re going to have to overcome some scepticism and show that you are able to deliver good results.

Next, evaluate the costs you’ll be incurring. Are you going to work from home or will you need to rent space? Are you going to do the work alone, hire a staff, or do you plan to outsource some aspects of the business, such as web design, programming, content creation, and link building?

There are also the administrative tasks to think of. Are you going to do your books or are you using an outside accountant? Will you need to buy equipment, furniture, and office supplies? When you’ve answered these questions, then you’ll know whether you can start your business with your own funds or whether you’ll need financing. Remember, too, that once you start your business, you’ll be incurring tax liabilities.

Often, the basics are enough to get you started.

Aside from costs, there are the risks. If you presently have a job, you most likely have some benefits – vacation time, health insurance, paid sick leave, disability insurance, retirement benefits. You’re not going to have these to rely on once you start your own business. You could set these up yourself, but that would mean added costs.

Remember to factor in the added stress that comes with running your own business now that it’s all up to you to make ends meet. You’ll no longer have your job to count on as a safety net.

If you’re still feeling pretty positive after you’ve weighed these considerations, then grab the opportunity and run with it. If, however, some doubts have risen in your mind, you don’t have to give up your dreams.

There are alternatives.

You could consider keeping your day job or taking a part-time job at night while you’re in the starting phase of your business. Alternatively, you may choose to postpone setting up your own business and working for someone who’s already established in the field. This option will enable you not just to hone your SEO skills but also learn the workings of a business. After all, it takes more than technical skill to run a business; there are the administrative and accounting tasks that you’re going to have to attend to. Working with someone who’s already in the business might teach you valuable lessons. Meanwhile, you can start to build your reputation for first-rate, result-oriented work.

Whatever course you decide to take, here’s wishing you success!

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5 Things To Consider When Submitting An SEO Contract To Your Client

Article by John Romaine on 2011-05-20 23:56:03 EST

A contract is a legally binding agreement. As such, you need to ensure that all your bases are covered before you submit an SEO contract to a client.

Here are 5 things to consider when submitting an SEO contract to your client.

1. Specific deliverables and right expectations

Make sure that your client is aware of what you are promising to do for him and what he is paying for. A major cause for misunderstanding arises when a client erroneously expects you to deliver something that you never promised to provide. One way to avoid this situation is to be very specific in the contract as to what services you will perform. Define your deliverables in as clear a language as possible so that it is understandable to the client.

Since SEO contains a lot of jargon, define any technical terms in the body of the contract; alternatively, you may wish to attach a list of technical terms that your client can refer to, if needed. In this way, you ensure that there is a mutual understanding of the goals and components of the SEO campaign; Incidentally, the SEO business kit contains an SEO process client reference sheet, which is designed specifically for this purpose. It helps the client better understand what's actually involved. Being as clear and specific as possible will be a major advantage if the contract comes into dispute in the future. A word of caution: do not promise what cannot be delivered.

It’s a good idea to make a provision in the contract in case your client has a new idea or a change of direction during the SEO project. In such a case, you need to have a documented and signed change request form submitted. Specify that this is an additional service, outside the scope of the initial agreement, and that it will incur an additional charge.

2. Pricing and payment

Spell out your pricing structure. Are your charges based on hourly rates, monthly retainers, or on performance? If you are charging on an hourly basis, then you need to give an estimate of the number of hours needed to complete each task. Since the estimate is coming from you, consider that if you go beyond the agreed estimated hours, you may have to forego charging anything extra – unless the delay is caused by the client or a third party. If you decide to charge based on performance, define precisely the criteria by which performance can be measured. This is important as different people have different ways for evaluating performance.

Be very explicit when it comes to payment terms such as total project fee, advanced fees, timeline for progressive payments, refunds and discounts and conditions when these apply, currency to be used, and mode of payment. Make it clear in the contract that your client agrees to reimburse you for any incidental costs, such as paid directory submissions, content development, shipping, and postage, etc.

It’s a good idea, if you plan to accept periodical payments that you charge some fees upfront and to then move towards progressional payments. Obtaining a deposit is always encouraged.

3. Disclaimers and exclusions

Since there are a myriad of things beyond your control – such as server outages, changing policies and algorithms of search engines – it’s advisable to list down the circumstances where you cannot be held liable. Also include the list of permissions and rights – e.g. backend access to the website, logos, trademarks - your client needs to assign to you so that you can complete your SEO tasks.

To protect you from copyright infringement, the client needs to state that he is legally authorized to do assign these rights. Then, too, be sure to include a clause that excludes you from liability if any of the changes you’ve made are overwritten or altered in any way by the client or a third party, or if the client fails to implement your suggestions or to respond in a timely manner.

4. End of Contract

The contract normally comes to an end when the goal of the SEO campaign has been achieved or the specified tasks have been completed. But circumstances may arise that cause one or both parties to deem it advisable to prematurely end the contract. Consider what these circumstances would be from your perspective and write them into the contract. Put down details as to the notice period required and what indemnification, if any, should be made to either party.

5. Breach of Contract

At the onset of an endeavor, you naturally have high hopes that all will go well; unfortunately, this is not always the case. In spite of your best efforts, things can go wrong, contracts are sometimes breached.

What then?

You need to address such an eventuality. Consider how much compensation you are willing to pay, if you are the offending party, or how much you want to be paid, if you are the aggrieved. A straightforward way out of the contract is preferable to resorting to litigation. However, if there is a dispute and litigation is the only recourse, then you want to ascertain that governing law and jurisdiction are in your favor. It’s a good idea to consult with a legal specialist on this matter before submitting your SEO contract to your client.

If you're in need of an SEO Contract, then the SEO Business Startup Kit is a perfect solution. It contains a ready made contract, contract cover letter, website authorization form, change requests forms, invoice templates and more. Simply fill in these ready made templates with your client and business information, and you're done. You can literally have a comprehensive SEO contract done in less than 2 minutes.

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How to Write an SEO Contract

Article by John Romaine on 2011-05-20 23:24:08 EST

A contract is written for the protection of its principal parties. Hence, it is of paramount importance that the terms and conditions agreed upon are set forth in as precise a manner as possible.

When writing an SEO contract, the first paragraph should state the name of the parties involved in the agreement. In this case, that would be the client and the search engine optimization consultant being hired to perform SEO services. The general nature of the work the consultant is being hired for – e.g. to improve the client’s ranking in search engines – should be stated explicitly as should the eligibility and willingness of the consultant to perform the required service. The date of the contract’s effectivity as well as duration of the contract should also be specified.

Never enter into an agreement without using a contract.

Because of the nature of the services being contracted, there will be a fair amount of technical jargon. Hence, at the outset of the agreement, a definition of terms should be included in order to provide clarity and to prevent misunderstanding. Terminology such as SEO, keyword research, link building, link bait, social media optimization, conversion, website usability and the like should be explained. Clients are often not as well-versed in technical terms as the experts they hire, and if terms are not explicitly defined or described, a situation of unfulfilled expectations may result.

Next should come a listing of specific services to be performed by the SEO consultant and work to be delivered to the client. This is important so that each party is clear on the scope of work to be done. Typically, work required of the consultant includes - but is not restricted to - a website audit report, an analysis of the competition, keyword research, website optimization, on page optimization, social media optimization, link building, and copy writing. A separate document with a thorough description of each service may be attached to the contract.

Define your payment terms.

Once the nature and scope of work are defined, payment terms need to be specified. First, the total project fee should be stated. Then other terms should be specified, such as advanced fees (if any), mode of payment, currency to be used, how to handle fees for incidental expenses and fees for additional work beyond the scope of the contract, etc. If payment is based on hours worked, then an estimate of how many hours will be needed to accomplish each task should be included. If payment is based on a progressive basis, then a schedule should be delineated. For example, X amount shall be paid by the client upon signing of the contract, X amount upon receiving the website evaluation report, X amount upon receipt of competition analysis report, X amount when website reaches agreed ranking, and so on. If there are contingencies for refunds or discounts, these should also be stated here.

A project timeline should also be made part of the contract, even if it is just an estimate. It should, however, be made clear that the timeline is contingent on the client’s submission of information, permissions, and materials needed by the consultant.

In order for the SEO expert to perform the job required, the client has to assign him certain rights and permissions, such as – but not limited to - administrative access to the website and to its traffic statistics, use of the client’s pertinent logos, trademarks, graphics, content, keywords, and phrases. Such authorization and assignments should be written into the SEO contract. At the same time, the client must stipulate that he is the rightful owner or is otherwise authorized to assign these rights and permissions and that he will defend the consultant and his subcontractors if any liability or suit should arise from the use of the things the client has given access to.

Confidentiality is usually always necessary.

A confidentiality and non-disclosure clause is often written into SEO contracts. Fees, services, reports, recommendations, and communication between client and consultant are some matters covered by this clause. In any case, whatever is covered by the clause should be stated explicitly.

Also, when any such information is transmitted by consultant to client or vice-versa, it must be identified as confidential during time of transmission. Stipulations as to when an item cannot be considered confidential – e.g. when the information is part of the public domain or already known by the party to whom it is being transmitted – should also be made.

On the other hand, client and consultant may agree to disclosure of certain information regarding the work. If such is the case, a requirement for written approval from either consultant or client to disclose specific information should be made part of the confidentiality and non-disclosure clause. Penalties in the case of infringement should also be set down.

A disclaimer clause is essential to a good SEO contract. It serves to set the boundaries of responsibility for the consultant. For instance, it may be stated that the consultant has no control over the policies of search engines and directories regarding type of sites they accept or exclude, or that the ranking of the website may fluctuate to a certain degree due to changes in the search engines’ algorithms or competitors’ efforts. There is a lot of material that can be included in the disclaimer. The more detailed the clause is, the more protection it affords the consultant.

You're terminated.

A termination clause is necessary towards the end of the contract. It defines the conditions that are warranted for the contract to come to an end. Ideally, this would be when the services contracted for have been fulfilled. However, in certain situations, both parties may mutually agree to end the contract even when the job hasn’t been completed. A contract may also end when there is a breach of contract. To avoid having to go to court, the consequent penalties for a breach of contract by either party must be indicated.

At tail’s end, it’s important to specify the governing law and place of jurisdiction in the event of any dispute that arises relating to the contract.

And finally, there is usually a statement that affirms that the signatories understand and agree to the terms of the contract. After this statement, the authorized parties affix their signatures.

I hope this article proves helpful towards you writing your own SEO contract or agreement.

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Why It's Imperative To Use An SEO Contract

Article by John Romaine on 2011-05-17 12:08:41 EST

Because of the massive popularity of the internet as a venue for commerce, the SEO industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Search engine optimizers perform the same function as public relations firms and ad agencies, except that their expertise is the wide world of the web. Website owners have come to learn that if they want their site to appear above their competitors, then search engine optimization is crucial. To many however, it's obvious that SEO is a skill best left to experts. The technical issues involved in getting one’s website to rank high within search engines are numerable and certainly not a skill for the inexperienced.

In many instances, website owners and SEO consultants hired to boost website rankings are able to come to an agreement verbally or via an exchange of emails. This is well and good if everything proceeds without a hitch. But what happens if there is a hitch, as there most likely always is, given the general nature and complexities of the job.

This is where an SEO contract comes into play. In most industries, the client is familiar with the product he is buying or the service he is contracting for. Not so much in the case of SEO. Here the service is almost seen as intangible, and the process by which it is attained, quite mysterious to those not experienced. How then does a client ensure that he is getting what he paid for?

Not all SEO firms and consultants are equal.

Like any other industry, the search engine optimization industry has its share of hacks as well as honest, proficient techies. For every skilled SEO who will apply white hat strategies and use creative tactics to improve a site’s search engine ranking, one can often find a less than desirable counterpart who keyword-stuffs deplorable articles and uses deceptive tricks, such as spamming and paid links in order to position a site higher in search engines.

These tricks may work in the short-term, fooling the client into believing their goals have been achieved; in the long-run however, its likely that the client may find that no value has been added to the so called opttimized site, the rankings plummet, and the website is in danger of being penalized or, worse, completely deindexed altogether. Without a well drawn out SEO contract that explicitly states, in a language that can be understood, the criteria by which success can be measured and in what time frame this may be expected, the client may find themselves at the mercy of a dodgy SEO consultant who knows how to manipulate search engines for a brief period.

This is why, for the client, it is imperative to use an SEO contract.

From the consultant's perspective, a contract or written agreement is an absolute must. Since most clients don't understand the convoluted workings of search engines, and complicated search engine algorithms, they may have expectations from the consultant that are actually impossible to fulfil. A good SEO contract delineates the responsibilities of the consultant, specifying exactly what services he will provide and what is not within the scope of the contract. Scope creep is a common cause of much frustrations and delays to many search engine optimizers. A contract that spells out what exactly the client is paying for and what results they can expect does much to prevent any potential disputes or misunderstandings.

A solid seo contract should prevent customer disputes from arising.

An SEO contract should state, in clear and precise terms, what the client has to provide so that the SEO consultant can perform the services required of him, how and when payments are to be made, criteria by which to determine whether compliance has been achieved, when the agreement comes to an end, and other key matters.

The best contract is the one that never has to be invoked. However, if a dispute arises between client and consultant, this is when the contract really shows its merit over more informal forms of agreement. A well-written contract will equip a judge or arbiter to objectively determine the right thing to do in the circumstance and to plainly present the justification for his decision.

In summary, in order for both client and SEO consultant to avoid being placed in a vulnerable position, it is imperative to use an SEO contract when embarking on a project.

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