Funny SEO Company Observation

[newguy28]

It is ridiculously hard to get SEO clients, because SO many people lie about their abilities, so many clients we meet have been burned completely. I feel is the easiest Tech field to lie about. It takes a while to see results and those results are VERY hard to quantify.

We do SEO for our clients but do not advertise it.

SEO, to me, is a very shady industry and I hate being called an SEO guy.

For Example: Once i was stuck in traffic and happened to glance to the side of the road, I saw a sign, with one saying "DO YOU NEED SEO? CALL 555-9569".

Anyone who knows SEO will know 1) If you are sooo good at SEO why do you not get clients that way? and 2) Roadside signs have the be the worst type of possible advertising known to man.

Just my 2 cents today.

 

[the_demon]

Umm, your wrong. The notion that you have to rank for SEO terms to get SEO clients is bullshit. Sure it's a great traffic source, but it's not the end all be all. In fact, our firm and many of our partner firms get most or at least a good percentage of our clients from mediums other than search.

Our firm does more than just SEO, things like Media Buying, PPC, etc. We pull in clients from every direction not just SEO. We've worked with partners who've got law firm clients off email spam... yeah, seriously, no joke and you know how hard lawyers are to sell? Let's just say it's a tough sell. But doable.

In other words, it's how you market yourself and how good at it you are. The road-side idea is great. It's attention getting and creative. Maybe you just need to think outside the box.

... Ridiculously hard, or ridiculously easy? ... SEO is a service EVERY business needs. The demand is higher than supply of SEO Experts in the market. What market do you know that has the tables turned in favor of the business.




1) If you are sooo good at SEO why do you not get clients that way? --> Because if you're a professional marketer you know there's more than one way to get a lead.

2) Roadside signs have the be the worst type of possible advertising known to man. --> What are you smoking? Do you know how many businesses LIVE OFF ROAD SIDE SIGNS. Furniture sales, Tax Solution firms, and more. What is it that EVERY NEW BUSINESS USES TO GET ATTENTION.... OH, ROAD SIDE SIGNS? WOW, maybe they aren't worthless after all.

---

How many clicks does $15 get you for SEO traffic on AdWords... about 1-2 if that. How many impressions/leads does a road side sign get you on a high traffic road paying some college kid to stand there for $15/hour? ... A hell of a lot more bang for your buck most likely.

 

[SkyrocketSEO]

He is ranked first on that sign, in front of Google ads

 

[netmoney1]

It is ridiculously hard to get SEO clients, because SO many people lie about their abilities, so many clients we meet have been burned completely. I feel is the easiest Tech field to lie about. It takes a while to see results and those results are VERY hard to quantify.

We do SEO for our clients but do not advertise it.

SEO, to me, is a very shady industry and I hate being called an SEO guy.

For Example: Once i was stuck in traffic and happened to glance to the side of the road, I saw a sign, with one saying "DO YOU NEED SEO? CALL 555-9569".

Anyone who knows SEO will know 1) If you are sooo good at SEO why do you not get clients that way? and 2) Roadside signs have the be the worst type of possible advertising known to man.

Just my 2 cents today.

I would say "Doing SEO to get SEO clients" is pretty low on the list of ways to get SEO clients.

 

[newguy28]

How can you morally tell a client that SEO will transform their business....oh but not me, I have to get leads other ways.

SEO will work for you, but not me.

There are ways to get SEO other than SEO, because you simply cannot compete with those who get it that way.

Anyone that does not agree with that logic is not as good in SEO as they say they are.

 

[SkyrocketSEO]

low key mate, low key...one day you'll figure out, for now, you're just a newguy28

 

[the_demon]

It does change their business. My clients literally say "I LOVE YOU BRO". In fact, quite often our clients send us Thank You emails for them paying us (yeah, try to wrap that around your head for a second)... They are just that stoked off the traffic.

We've brought in so much traffic for some law firms they nearly had to open a new office! We have other clients that live solely off our SEO traffic we deliver them and do no other forms of advertising.

It's easy to tell them "morally", SEOing against SEO firms is a hyper competitive market so the cost to rank isn't always profitable. Like any business should you need to evaluate the ROI. Looking at cost to rank vs. traffic and value derived.

Also, I've actually ranked our partners for national SEO & IM terms. So I can morally tell them I can do it, our firm just has a different business strategy.

 

[netmoney1]

GUARANTEE you I can get more SEO clients out networking at happy hour than you can get doing SEO. Comes down to what works better. Simple as that. Can Mr X, the local plumber get clients going out to happy hour? Probably not. The wasted smoking hot Attorney isn't going to talk to the plumber about the big shit she took and clogged her toilet with. But she is going to talk to me about how SEO can help her firm. Done. Closed deal. You do what works.

How can you morally tell a client that SEO will transform their business....oh but not me, I have to get leads other ways.

SEO will work for you, but not me.

There are ways to get SEO other than SEO, because you simply cannot compete with those who get it that way.

Anyone that does not agree with that logic is not as good in SEO as they say they are.

 

[buckyaustin]

SEO is in the background, it's hidden to users who know nothing to little about SEO. So to sell to these guys SEO marketers have to use traditional methods of advertisment. Obviously they will do SEO for themselves but that will not bring them clients because many of their clients don't even know what the acronym stands for. Road sign advertisements have been proven to be a good form of advertisements, twice in fact with the last couple of years in Ireland. 1. A person tha was on social welfare posted a road sign asking for a job because he really needed one, he got a job from that. 2. Advertising your car at the road-side has been made Illegal in Ireland because of the ability it has to make people look. There are loop holes if you own the land that the car is on. So on both statements you are wrong. Well not wrong but just not correct.

 

[LaLore]

It is ridiculously hard to get SEO clients

So then, this is the REAL problem. Are you looking for creative ideas, OP? Wanna know how other successful SEO-folk nab clients? All those deceitful seo mofos getting the damn clients and it's just ridiculously hard for you.

 

[newguy28]

I do not and do not want to sell SEO services. We are a web development firm. Like it or not, the vast majority of SEOers are Frauds. The top 10% are the best ones. I have seen in time and time before.

Let's face it. Most SEO is scam. Is it fair to say that 80% of the people selling Search Engine Optimization services have neither the knowledge nor ability to deliver good value to their customers.

They learned a week, or bought a book and now market themselves as SEOer

 

[UrsuAke]

I do not and do not want to sell SEO services. We are a web development firm. Like it or not, the vast majority of SEOers are Frauds. The top 10% are the best ones. I have seen in time and time before.

Let?s face it. Most SEO is scam. Is it fair to say that 80% of the people selling Search Engine Optimization services have neither the knowledge nor ability to deliver good value to their customers.

They learned a week, or bought a book and now market themselves as SEOer

So what's that to you if you only sell Web development? Where is this anger coming from? Are you discrediting SEO providers on a IM forum for what gains exactly?

What netmoney, skyrocket and demon said is true. Most of the times doing SEO for your SEO business is not ROI smart. Why? You said it yourself, most of the SEOers won't bring you results. So, seeing a site in the search engine, in a niche full of suspicion won't make you THE CLIENT have faith and sign with those guys.

80% of my SEO clients come from recommendations, either from my existing clients or from business partners. 5% I get from local conferences and workshops. The rest of 15% I get via online channels, and for the online channels I don't spend many resources. Why? Because of all the pre-sales opportunities those channels bring me, I lock in around 10%. Not profitable to invest in that.

I have the suspicion that the other SEOers here have seen similar situations.

 

[saber210]

For Example: Once i was stuck in traffic and happened to glance to the side of the road, I saw a sign, with one saying "DO YOU NEED SEO? CALL 555-9569".

They win, you read their ads and now it stuck on your head.

 

[ritesh]

Why should a farmer sell his produce when he can just grow stuff and consume himself!
I hope you got your answer.

 

[harshareddy]

I must agree Being an SEO is some times sounds shady, as loads of people like you dont know reality, Google is like mad dog lately its give penalties even to to large corporates as well as small adsense sites no matter whats your strategy (whitehat,blackhat or any other color hat), so it looks so scamy to you when your ranking drop all of sudden.

anyway your statement is very funny, if every SEO must get clients only via search only 10 companies on globe who rank will get all the client. Im still proud to be SEO

 

[netmoney1]

The key is to be 100% honest with your clients. When you take the extra time to educate them about how it works then they will not think its scammy if their rankings drop. It is the companies that pump their clients with bullshit and guaranteed top rankings that look shady when they do not perform and ranks drop. Being upfront about how the SEO world works is the best way to go but so many companies try to keep it a secret and don't take time to actually explain it to their clients.

I also find it comical that the OP says it is ridiculously hard to get SEO clients in the first post....then says he does not want to sell SEO service.

Ahhh, BHW...thank you for the daily comedy and free entertainment

I must agree Being an SEO is some times sounds shady, as loads of people like you dont know reality, Google is like mad dog lately its give penalties even to to large corporates as well as small adsense sites no matter whats your strategy (whitehat,blackhat or any other color hat), so it looks so scamy to you when your ranking drop all of sudden.

anyway your statement is very funny, if every SEO must get clients only via search only 10 companies on globe who rank will get all the client. Im still proud to be SEO

 

[oxonbeef]

SEO is usually the last service I sell clients. I sell quantifiable solutions to them first.
Once i have built up a relationship with them they are usually so impressed with what
I have provided so far I could sell them a rotten apple.

 

[shakeitout]

It is ridiculously hard to get SEO clients, because SO many people lie about their abilities, so many clients we meet have been burned completely. I feel is the easiest Tech field to lie about. It takes a while to see results and those results are VERY hard to quantify.

We do SEO for our clients but do not advertise it.

SEO, to me, is a very shady industry and I hate being called an SEO guy.

For Example: Once i was stuck in traffic and happened to glance to the side of the road, I saw a sign, with one saying "DO YOU NEED SEO? CALL 555-9569".

Anyone who knows SEO will know 1) If you are sooo good at SEO why do you not get clients that way? and 2) Roadside signs have the be the worst type of possible advertising known to man.

Just my 2 cents today.

My experience from owning and operating a digital marketing/SEO company makes me think like this...

If you are a SEO than you've been looked at by those who have been burned as a fraud and a crook. Others change their name to "Inbound marketing SEO Guru Ninja Warlock 500"

More than likely 50% of your prospective leads have dealt with another SEO agency or individual... Yes they could have been burned, but also they could have been in the golden ages of link spam and have ridiculous expectations for you and your company, no matter what industry they might be in. "4 years ago my business ranked #1 for x-keyword and my business made $30,000/month and only paid $300" Is something I have started running into and when I check the website it looks like the dirtiest scrapebox & GSA blast you have ever seen, but it worked in the past and was so easy to do.

My 2 Cents is to not expect your client to understand what you do and NEVER criticize a marketing strategy of another business if they are not a client of yours. Obviously you saw the sign and I guarantee you so did others who actually picked up their phones and called. Also saying the "If you are sooo good why don't you outrank other SEO's and get clients that way?" Depending on where you live the SEO climate and culture could be relatively weak and then it's very easy to rank there. However, if you go to NYC, Austin, TX, LA,SF, and other large techy cities you are competing against agencies that will not only negative SEO you, but they will be doing churn and burns on multiple sites for multiple keywords and will always have a site sitting on the top of the SERPS.

I'm lucky enough to be in a very large city where the competition is not blowing me up regularly and I rank where I need to do get clients.

Also some companies it won't make a difference if they are ranked #1 diversifying a marketing plan to drive business is the only way to go unless the only thing your client expects is to be ranking on the first page.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

[shakeitout]

SEO is usually the last service I sell clients. I sell quantifiable solutions to them first.
Once i have built up a relationship with them they are usually so impressed with what
I have provided so far I could sell them a rotten apple.

Beautifully worded OX,

Nobody buys your service unless you can show them that it is a solution to their problem. One of my favorite questions to potential clients is, "What about your business keeps you awake at night?"
From there explain how your service scratches that itch and solves that problem.

^^^ Don't sell a service sell a solution. 7878's methods of getting inside the head of your potential buyers by targeting their problems is something I've enjoyed experimenting with over the years.

Thanks OX

 

[newguy28]

Well put ShakeitOut. Thankfully we are moving into an age where all the SEO frauds and scams are much easier to spot. But there are many there. I had a client call me yesterday and asked us if we could match the price of $150 a month that another company quoted. I looked at the proposal, and what they provided....It was nothing more than directory postings and SEO reports every month after that.

It still is an industry that attracts frauds and lazy people I feel, but this is slowly being phased out.