SEO Copywriters: How to Respond to (& Land) Clients Who Don’t Understand Search Engine Optimization
As an SEO copywriter, sometimes you’ll receive requests from clients that immediately clue you in that they don’t know a lot about search engine optimization (SEO). This presents an excellent opportunity to land long-term clients by the way, which is explained at the end of this post.
Yesterday, I received an email like this. It read:
Subject Line: Quotation Needed for SEO
From: POTENTIAL CLIENT (XXX@gmail.com)
Sent: Mon 2/08/10 9:36 AM
To: info[at]NewMediaWords.biz
Hi,
I would like to rank in top 10 in Google for the keywords ‘ABC hosting’ and ‘ABC hosting US’, kindly provide the best quote for the job.
###
Note: Keywords have been disguised to protect prospect identity.
At this point you may be wondering how I knew that this prospect didn’t know a lot about SEO. Well, there were three things that stood out prominently.
1. No Website Listed: This prospect didn’t send me any information about their website. Hence, it was impossible for me to even begin to grasp where they needed to start. While SEO content is big part of ranking high in search engines, it’s only part of the equation.
2. Services Wanted: This prospect also didn’t spell out exactly what they wanted so it was impossible for me to provide a quote. What would I be quoting on – blog posts, SEO articles, SEO press releases, etc.
3. Marketing Strategy: The final thing that this prospect failed to reveal is their overall marketing strategy. To explain by way of example . . . yesterday I received a call from an old client about moving ahead with some weekly blogging.
Last year, they contracted with us to do some article marketing. That worked well and now they’ve added a blog to their main website and they want to update that weekly. In essence, this firm has a web marketing strategy. SEO content is part of that and we’ve discussed how to best go about it (eg, what type of content to provide, how often, where it gets distributed, etc.).
As an SEO content provider, knowing this information would have helped me to begin to see the bigger picture for this firm – and hence put together an SEO content package to help them achieve their goals.
FYI, following is the response I sent:
Dear Prospective Client:
Thank you for contacting New Media Words for your SEO content needs.
In answer to your question, it’s difficult to give a quote simply because there is not enough information. Ranking high in search engines depends on a lot of factors, eg, your SEO content needs and distribution, meta url & site structure, internal linking, keyword density, site maps, keyword selection, etc.
As this illustrates, without a well thought out search engine marketing plan, it’s impossible to “rank high.”
It sounds like you need to consult with a search engine marketing firm. We are an SEO writing and distribution firm. Search engine marketing firms provide in-depth website analysis — on everything from SEO content needs to possible changes in web design and navigation. They then contract with firms like New Media Words to develop the SEO content needed for a website to increase its SERP ranking.
One search marketing firm I can highly recommend is XXX. If you decide to go this route, they can provide everything you need to get you the best ROI (return on investment).
And if you need SEO content, don’t hesitate to contact us. Simply provide us with the keywords you want us to write on, and we can turn most projects around in a few days.
Good luck!
###
I haven’t heard back from them. Of course, I hope we do, but what I really hope is that they took the advice I gave and look into exactly what it takes to rank well in search engines.
Why You’re Much More than an SEO Copywriting Services Provider
As I wrote in the popular post on Copyblogger.com, SEO Copywriters: How to Make an Extra $61,880 This Year:
[When I first began writing SEO content] . . . I knew nothing about the foundation of SEO – internet marketing itself. And to my great surprise, neither did a lot of my clients. (emphasis added) . . The reality of internet marketing that’s pertinent here is twofold: (i) it is a rapidly developing medium that very few online marketers really understand; and (ii) you will have to educate your clients to sell more.
I concluded the post by explaining how “teaching sells,” writing:
. . . teaching gets you – and the client – invested in the process. It’s a give and take that there’s no substitute for. . . Once clients understand the process, they’re much more likely to invest in it. And, if you’re the one doing the teaching, the SEO copywriter they’re most likely to invest in is you.
Hope you’re having a great week!
SEO CopywriterTraining: FYI, the next SEO writing ecourse is scheduled for April 26th. There are 17 spots left. Get full details on what this SEO copywriting training ecourse offers.
Best,
Yuwanda
http://InkwellEditorial.com
http://SEOWritingJobs.com
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Thank you for writing this post! I can’t tell you how helpful and validating it is! One of the main problems I have with “educating” clients is that once I tell them it’s an ongoing process and requires a marketing plan and goals, they’re disappointed that SEO isn’t something you can just do and then it’s done. I’ve noticed that they want immediate gratification: “My site’s done, it’s seo-ed.” When I tell them consistency of articles/blogs/content is key, they are off-put.
I’ve come across this a lot too: I write metadata and they expect me to incorporate it into their sites. I let them know ahead of time that their web designer can do this easily, but they’re then confused about what I do.
When you talk to clients about metadata, how do you explain it?
Thanks so much for your articles! They have helped me and continue to help me in my writing career!
Meggin:
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Trust me, I feel your pain; explaining/teaching is an on-going thing. But I’ve found that it also lands the most long-term clients.
As for how I explain meta data, it’s a service I started offering separately b/c I got so many requests for it from clients and it was easier than having them go back to their web designer. I answer this question in detail in next week’s post, b/c it requires some detail and is good one to expand on in a weekly post.
Sorry to make you wait, but you’ll find it useful, I promise.
Best,
Yuwanda
Re: SEO Education:
I came across an interesting example when a copywriting prospect shared their site.
The meta data listed the web designers keywords and website - nothing about their client
Most likely the designer forgot about it in the handover to the client, especially if they were busy at the time.
Yolanda, educational marketing does take time, patience and the energy to think about things from the client’s prospective - and not just the quick buck.
I’ve followed your work for a while and can see how sharing information has worked (I bought one of your ebooks a while back on the value I saw in the info freely given via your blog.)
You’re so right about education taking time Mark. But, it is so worth it because it allows you as an SEO copywriter to prove your worth to clients. Once they realize you have their best interests at heart (and not a quick buck as you say), then not only are they forever grateful, they refer you over and over again. This is an added bonus. I think this is one of the reasons I tend to cultivate long-term clients b/c it’s always been the way I’ve operated.
FYI, I’m glad you found my blog and the info dispensed in ebooks on IW helpful. There’s so much garbage on the web. I put my heart and soul into these products b/c I know that people aer spending their hard earned money.
BTW, I totally agree with this sentiment on your blog, “All that exists in the world of marketing are perceptions in the minds of the customer or prospect.” How true, how true.
Best, and thanks for writing in.
Yuwanda