4 Ways SEO Professionals Can Maximize Their Value to Clients
In the world of SEO, we as business owners rely on professionals to understand everything that's going on and so be able to keep us informed and up to date on all the issues that might affect us. It's a little like the responsibility financial professionals have towards their clients, although ours hasn't been taken to the levels they do.
It would be a great thing for SEO experts to take up this responsibility with a bit more seriousness, as it will create an atmosphere of greater trust and a more thriving, exciting industry in general.
Here are a few things we can all do to help us get there:
Avoid Unnecessary Risk Exposure
The art of marketing is a constant battle between risk and reward. Due to the fact that the SEO environment is constantly changing, there is a new risk to look out for every other day.
Changing search algorithms (how search engines classify websites), doesn't represent the only risk area out there.
Even in cases where we feel that a somewhat risky SEO technique is called for, we should always be willing to take heed of any warnings our SEO guys might inform us of. The last thing we want to go through is a penalizing blacklisting or ban of our website.
We should avoid sacrificing long-term security for the sake of short-term benefits.
Demand Clarity And Honesty From The Professionals
Every truly experienced SEO professional knows that the days of 'ninja' tactics and tricks in the world of SEO are gone. To succeed in modern times you need three things; good on-site SEO; quality content; and authoritative linkages. Only con artists will try and convince people that they have a 'secret formula'.
As a business owner, you know that what you need from your SEO expert goes a bit further than the techniques they are using. You could probably do those yourself if need be. What you're really paying for is the understanding and perception they have, being able to see, analyze, and evaluate the things you either can't see or don't have the time to focus on.
Tasks like link building and content development are difficult to perform well, especially if you're also running a business, and that's why we need them. Insist that they share what they're doing with you because, at the end of the day, that's what you're paying for.
Make Sure That Your Content, Data, And Properties Belong To You
One of the biggest risks digital agencies place us in is brought about while setting up digital assets such as domain registrations, google analytics, hosting accounts, social media profiles, webmaster tools, and PPC accounts. The problem comes about when professionals set up these assets in their own names instead of our name.
In case the agency should close up, as happens all too often, you would be forced to start developing your digital brand over from scratch, and in some cases, even be forced to shut down entirely.
Keep yourself safe from potential loss by ensuring all set-up and registration is in your name, as well as insisting on full access to your intellectual and de facto property in order to guarantee their safety should youe service provider's circumstances change in the future. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Don't Hesitate To Seek A Second Opinion
The mark of a true professional is knowing when to leave a job to someone else. Nobody can be the best at everything, and should we come across a task that we feel can be better handled by a particular specialist, we shouldn't be too timid to hand it over to them.
This is one of the ways we can ensure that we are always getting the best service for our business. A properly conscientious SEO professional will not hesitate to say when a particular job is out of their reach, and we should be grateful when they have the integrity to do so.
Remember that we are in pursuit of a goal here, so anything that will help us is a plus. That's what we're paying for, and it will always be within our rights to have it.
