Overcoming SEO skepticism
I spoke yesterday with Phil, the owner of an established web design and hosting firm. He told me bluntly “I don’t pay much attention to this SEO stuff.” Chuckling dismissively, he went on to recount stories of two clients he works with — mid-size firms — who have forked over thousands of dollars to SEO firms and seen very little change in traffic, click-throughs, and business.
Because I’m used to seeing significant improvements in these areas for our own SEO clients — small and mid-size — I opened my mouth to argue. But all I said was “OK…tell me more.” And after listening, I came away with two conclusions:
1. OK, not every business website needs SEO. There are companies, particularly those that make their living from half-a-dozen major long-term contracts, whose websites function primarily as a static prospectus or annual report. And there are those whose websites are really worksites, places where existing clients log on to look up information, file reports, or request and purchase publications.
2. There are a lot of overly enthusiastic SEO practitioners out there. And that’s putting it kindly. When clients are purchasing a product they don’t understand, it’s tempting for an SEO marketing advisor to sell them inflated high-end package rather than one or two services tailored specifically to their site’s SEO needs.
It’s somewhat natural as a practitioner to see SEO as the solution to every company’s marketing needs (if you have a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail). In addition, many practitioners are trying to sell more services than clients really need. As a result we’re starting to see a backlash against SEO that over promises and under provides, and it’s coming from industry authorities like Phil. He has an extensive portfolio of online businesses as clients, and instead of calling us in to assist them, he’s telling clients that our services are a lot of hocus-pocus they don’t need.
The solution? First, SEO practitioners need to assess each prospective client individually. While the techniques we use may be somewhat standardized, the appropriate mix and nuances of their application differ from client to client. Second, we need to communicate the realistic costs and expectations to seasoned industry veterans who can influence the perception of SEO. If I succeed in demonstrating to Phil how we develop client-specific SEO solutions that increase traffic and business, he’ll be happy to sell our services to his established clients.
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