WOOHOO! First SEO Client!

moeatwa

moeatwa

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Guys! I just got my first SEO Client! I'm SO nervous?! What do I do? He owns a local business and wants to promote it. How much should I charge? I haven't given him a figure yet. Here's what I told him I would do:

" List yourself in Google Places, on Google Maps, on 4squared. If you're really serious about promoting your website's rankings, add a blog to your site. Write SEO optimized articles regularly. Submit spun versions of said articles (with your link in them) to Article Directories. Post to High-PR Web 2.0 properties. Maybe do some bookmarking."

How much do you think I should put on the table for negotiations? The guy's probably looking more for targeted traffic than he is for SERPs.

Guys! I think this might be my big break! Help a fella' out! =D
 
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what is his business?

if its a lawyer you can charge 2-5k a month even more

if its a baker than maybe $100 a month

You have to figure out how much each customer is worth to him then try to figure out aprox how many new customers you can send his way a month and then factor is how much your time is worth.

Maybe for now you should see how many hours of work its gonna take you to complete and then add your hourly wage.

10 hours of work x $20 an hour= 200

try to do it like that for now at the begining and remmeber. Under promise and over deliver
 
Check out the competition and see how difficult it is to get results...Ask him what his budget and target is..

Charge accordingly.. Pay 20-40% of that to outsource backlinking.. rinse and repeat!
 
yep it really depends on what type of business that he has.

Also see if he is paying for any PPC ads. If so how much a month. that will help you figure out what he is spending.
 
Congrats on getting your first client. Pricing varies on the business and keyword competition. I would say you should do a fixed monthly price for residual income for getting it to top 10 and maintaining it.
 
Congrats friend, this is an important step.
Although if figures aren't finalized, I don't think you have your first client yet.

It sounds like you are doing more SEM, which I don't do, so I really can't help with a quote.

I will say, the first client is often the most important, so make sure not to shoot for the moon.
I got 3 clients off of my first ever SEO client.
Concentrate on delivering a quality product, and let this man grow your business.

Good luck to you!
 
Thanks guys!

Hrm... Well... He's a local loan shark... (Talk about a challenge right from the beginning!) SEO wise... The keyword he's targeting is piss-poor (only 1000 phrase matches a month)... But he wants me to send him targeted traffic... How about SMM? Would that work for this kind of niche? =D
 
From my short experience, if he need so targeted traffic and specific clients you should try something else except basic seo and backlinks, some more offline oriented stuff like flyers, or for example software like TweetAttacks, module that is targeting keywords on Twitter and sending replies as soon as somebody write matching words.
 
the price depends on different factors.

- value of your time
- how hard is that keyword to rank for
- how much money the buyer has
- can you rank high for the keyword?

always ask money up front, like hookers
 
charge fairly,but not too cheap to trap you, but you want to get referrals as they are the best way to grow!
 
Thanks for all the wonderful advice guys! =D

"always ask money up front, like hookers"

LOL... XD
 
Congrats on your first customer! :)

I turn full time recently and get into the offline SEO business as well.

It is quite a lucrative business to be in as many local businesses are trying to get their presence online.

How much you charge depends on the particular industry your client is in?

Customers from good paying industries like loans, medical and law can afford to pay more and you should ask for more.

Do a survey first before quoting your price.

If possible, you can check out the pricing and packages of your local competitors first and you will have a rough idea of how much you can charge.

As this is your first customer, you may want to lower your price to get some portfolio for your resume.

Always ask for money upfront before start of project.

If possible, go for recurring monthly package instead of a one off price.

If things work out well for you and your customer likes the work done, remember to ask for more referrals.
 
read the offline section => then read the freelancing section => then stop reading and make a list of services here with 3 package he choose from
once you make him think which of 3 choices to choose he forgets he has to choose whether he needs or no a service but he starts to choose among what he sees.
 
congrats my friend!

I charge from € 25 to € 39 per hour for this service! and when they see rising their alexa ranking then your costumers are lucky to pay that because you bring them clients. JV with a usability testing company and get from there also a % commission.

best wishes for the future

kurti from austria
 
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