Of course the SEO agency is responsible for making a campaign successful, but the client plays an important role as well. If the client steps up its game even slightly, that seemingly small margin of improvement makes a big difference in sales leads or online revenue. Here are attributes of great clients we’ve noticed over our many years of managing SEO campaigns.
- Great clients ask questions. Our approach to SEO and Internet marketing in general is collaborative. We love when clients are interested in learning more about SEO. The more knowledge you have, the better questions you ask, and the more you help us identify creative strategies and tactics.
- Great clients provide honest feedback, early and often. We think we’re doing a great job … but are we? Clients should never be reluctant to share their impressions of how the campaign is going. If there are problems, solving them early on is easier than waiting until they mushroom into bigger ones.
- Great clients approve work quickly. The bulk of SEO work involves the creation of high-quality content, both on-site and off-site. To keep campaigns moving at the fastest possible pace, fast approvals are crucial. Without fast approvals, getting content published — essential for earning links and building domain authority — can be pushed back weeks or even months. In the meantime, rankings could remain in a holding pattern.
- Great clients are great at turning organic traffic into revenue. An extremely important SEO success factor is what happens to organic traffic once it hits the client website, and this is where an SEO agency has limited influence.
- If it’s a lead generation campaign, does the website make it easy for visitors to inquire by form or phone — and, once a lead is captured, does the client have a fast and effective handoff to the sales team?
- If it’s an e-commerce campaign, does the website make the online shopping experience safe and easy?
- Great clients are patient. Clients are 100% correct to want results from an SEO campaign as quickly as possible. However, difficulties arise when there are different perceptions of what constitutes “quickly.” Sometimes those different perceptions exist between the client and the agency, and sometimes they are internal within the client’s leadership team. Either way, recognizing that all companies have a unique starting point for an SEO campaign and that this affects how quickly a campaign gains traction is important. Giving up or changing course too early can easily short-circuit what could become a highly successful campaign. In SEO, patience pays off.
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If you’d like to discuss an SEO campaign, please contact us. We’re eager to learn more about your marketing objectives.