Looking for product to help with offline seo business

by ben341
3 replies
Hi all,

There are a number of products available here that describe the technicalities of providing such services as Google Places optimisation, mobile sites and social media services, and I have bought a number to my satisfaction and become well acquainted with this material.

What I would like to know are the specifics of running such a service in so far as guidelines relating to pricing and promises.

As we know, it can take a short while for results to begin to appear, how do those experienced offliners reassure clients that results will show. What promises should be made and what shouldn't be made? Various pricing strategies, do offliners only charge when results are visible for example or are prices ratcheted up when more success is achieved.

If anyone could point me in the right direction of a WSO that may cover such details of this business, to help avoid common pitfalls and help with becoming successful. I am happy with my technical abilities to achieve the results required, over a period of time, and I am able to obtain business, but such guidelines would be appreciated so I can better structure my business plan and help reassure myself that I have a robust structure to begin with.

Kind Regards,
Ben
#business #offline #product #seo
  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    Go to the offline section and find John Durham. He is the man when it comes to offline marketing so ask him where to start as far as guides.
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  • Profile picture of the author rooze
    Hello Ben,

    I've run an SEO company for 13 years and I've seen just about every variation of price, promise, guarantee and approach to winning a new prospects order.

    There really isn't an answer to your question, you could pitch yourself in any way you see fit.

    For example, you could go for higher-end pricing, offering a hands-on service for $1000 mth or upwards. Or you could go for a more affordable service where you spend less time and perhaps use more automation, and charge maybe $100/mth.

    But it's generally hard to mix the two, you'd be safer doing one or the other. If you advertise a cheap service and an expensive service, one tends to undermine the other.

    Personally, I used to go after the quick-fix market, a sweep through a clients website with a big SEO brush, a few backlinks, some advice, a few submissions, some links on my own network, and charge $200 or so.
    But what happened is that people started to expect the world for $200. They'd get real pissy when their site wasn't #1 on Google.
    So I started to move into the higher-end. The difference is that with a higher ticket price comes a more knowledgeable client. They understand what it takes to get ranked well and more importantly, to stay ranked well. So they're willing to spend more and they're really interested in good communication and reports showing the work that you're doing. You can build good long term relationships with this type of client, and as long as you know your stuff, they'll keep coming back.

    So I'd pitch high (if you really do know SEO) and avoid the folks who don't have a clue what they're doing or what you're going to be doing.

    Another vital factor is to always make sure they fully understand what they're getting for you and that it's all supported by a written contract. The worst situation is to have a client say they were expecting something that was never discussed or agreed.

    In this day and age I NEVER guarantee results. I guarantee my 'best endeavors' and to support my activity with full reports. I might speculate to try and give the client an appreciation of what might be achieved, but I always tend towards conservative so there isn't a false expectation.

    Good luck
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    • Profile picture of the author ben341
      Hi Rooze,

      I'm terribly sorry I did not respond sooner, but thank you for your detailed response. I have been waiting to respond until I had decided how to act on your advice. I am confident enough in the skills I have achieved, and the level of clientele I have won over the past few years to aim for the higher end client.

      I have experienced the level of unreasonable demands that a low paying client can make upon your time, and I have learned that a client who is penny pinching is not really worth having. While I have always pleased such clients, it has been a time consuming, frustrating and a not so profitable endeavour. I also read the post made by PPC-Coach about not using your own number system, and it makes a great deal of sense.

      Since becoming self employed I was always worried about the price I charged. I always understood that charging too little would undermine my profitability. However, when I was younger I worked as a problem management consultant for a large US firm who always sought out the "mega deal" and ignored the smaller deals available to them. This created massive problems for that company and I left after it was taken over by HP. It was my aim to ensure that I did not ignore the smaller opportunities that presented themselves and therefore learn from the mistakes of my former employer, but then learned that working for penny-pinchers was little fun and of little value.

      Anyway, my point is, your advice is excellent and I have been acting on it with positive results and wanted to say thanks.

      Kind Regards,
      Ben
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