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How to deal with SEO clients with existing websites

by HypnoHugh
14 replies
Offline marketers - what is your approach for dealing with new clients who have a already have a website as of course all established clients would have.

If they have Wordpress, you are laughing but this is still quite rare in the offline world.

Trying to deal with a website built on an unfamiliar platform or worse which they do not have access to and trying to work with their web developer are major pains.

I am mainly thinking of local business clients which are easier to rank but of course getting more competitive.

What approach do you use?

1) Offer to completely rebuild their website and make it SEO friendly - my preferred option but not always possible.

2) Build a separate and completely new website - e.g. as a landing page / lead generation website. If you take this approach how easy do you find it to rank as a thinner site and do you make it make their main Google Local website?

3) Try to rank their existing website as is - but how easy is this when you can't control on page optimization?

4) Offer services that are not website dependent such as Google Places, Facebook / social media and video marketing?

Onsite optimization is becoming increasingly important - you can't completely rely on back linking now - or do you?

Or do you have other approaches?
#clients #deal #existing #local #offline marketing #seo #seo clients #websites
  • Profile picture of the author kemdev
    Originally Posted by HypnoHugh View Post

    Offline marketers - what is your approach for dealing with new clients who have a already have a website as of course all established clients would have.

    If they have Wordpress, you are laughing but this is still quite rare in the offline world.

    Trying to deal with a website built on an unfamiliar platform or worse which they do not have access to and trying to work with their web developer are major pains.

    I am mainly thinking of local business clients which are easier to rank but of course getting more competitive.

    What approach do you use?

    1) Offer to completely rebuild their website and make it SEO friendly - my preferred option but not always possible.

    2) Build a separate and completely new website - e.g. as a landing page / lead generation website. If you take this approach how easy do you find it to rank as a thinner site and do you make it make their main Google Local website?

    3) Try to rank their existing website as is - but how easy is this when you can't control on page optimization?

    4) Offer services that are not website dependent such as Google Places, Facebook / social media and video marketing?

    Onsite optimization is becoming increasingly important - you can't completely rely on back linking now - or do you?

    Or do you have other approaches?
    1) My preferred option as well.

    2) The solution? Don't make it a thinner site. If you're trying to rank it, it shouldn't be thinner anyway. Although this isn't necessarily true if you have the right backlinks. Don't make it the website on their Google+ page. You can actually outrank the local results with enough optimization and link building. But Google will only rank a single website once - either in the natural SERPS or the local pack. It can't be both. Having a second website gives you two chances to rank.

    3) Virtually impossible without on-page.

    4) Everything is website dependent. Your Google+ should link to your website should link to your Facebook should link to your LinkedIn, etc etc...

    Believe it or not, buying links works incredibly well. The on-page still has to be there, but if you have the scratch buying backlinks is the way to go. But you didn't hear that from me...
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  • Profile picture of the author OnlineStoreHelp
    Originally Posted by HypnoHugh View Post

    Offline marketers - what is your approach for dealing with new clients who have a already have a website as of course all established clients would have.

    If they have Wordpress, you are laughing but this is still quite rare in the offline world.

    Trying to deal with a website built on an unfamiliar platform or worse which they do not have access to and trying to work with their web developer are major pains.

    I am mainly thinking of local business clients which are easier to rank but of course getting more competitive.

    What approach do you use?

    1) Offer to completely rebuild their website and make it SEO friendly - my preferred option but not always possible.

    2) Build a separate and completely new website - e.g. as a landing page / lead generation website. If you take this approach how easy do you find it to rank as a thinner site and do you make it make their main Google Local website?

    3) Try to rank their existing website as is - but how easy is this when you can't control on page optimization?

    4) Offer services that are not website dependent such as Google Places, Facebook / social media and video marketing?

    Onsite optimization is becoming increasingly important - you can't completely rely on back linking now - or do you?

    Or do you have other approaches?
    1. Ideal in some cases. Is the site old? Needs to be redesigned anyway. Is on Drupal or Joomla? Suck it up and learn the basics. Hard coded site? Run a free SEO analysis and show them everything that is wrong. Hardcoded sites half the time are very pretty but lacking in onsite seo and this is your first area to show credibility. I picked up a client who paid for SEO when her money site was iframing to an old site.
    2. If you are going to do this anyway, better off sucking it up and just redesigning the existing site for them anyway.
    3. as long as it is not horribly wrong, you could have some success. Again, what does your onsite SEO analysis say?
    4. Agree with above. Your website acts as a marketing hub.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    Truth be told it's imperative that you some how get the site optimized before you begin any off site SEO. You must have a firm foundation to build upon or in the long run you are screwed.
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  • Profile picture of the author HypnoHugh
    So it looks like we are all in fairly much agreement - if they won't let you redo their website or start a second website then best find another client!
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  • Profile picture of the author janan1
    Therefore it looks like we all have been within relatively significantly arrangement. whenever they is not going to let you redo their particular website or commence a second website and then finest uncover an additional purchaser!
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Not necessarily. I'm talking about the part where you find another client.

      If you create a second site and it performs, they'd be idiots to let you go. But they have to know the site performs, i.e., you have to have tracking installed and when they get contacted, you call them to say, "Hey, the call with x from Naperville went great."

      What's imperative is that you don't do offsite SEO on a site that's got none or poor onsite SEO. It's possible to rank them, true, but harder. Sometimes much, much harder.

      Originally Posted by janan1 View Post

      Therefore it looks like we all have been within relatively significantly arrangement. whenever they is not going to let you redo their particular website or commence a second website and then finest uncover an additional purchaser!
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      • Profile picture of the author HypnoHugh
        I'm thinking if I create a second website, maybe I should keep ownership but charge them the same monthly fee.

        Then if they ever want to cancel it won't take much effort to offer it to another local company.

        Originally Posted by DABK View Post

        Not necessarily. I'm talking about the part where you find another client.

        If you create a second site and it performs, they'd be idiots to let you go. But they have to know the site performs, i.e., you have to have tracking installed and when they get contacted, you call them to say, "Hey, the call with x from Naperville went great."

        What's imperative is that you don't do offsite SEO on a site that's got none or poor onsite SEO. It's possible to rank them, true, but harder. Sometimes much, much harder.
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        • Profile picture of the author DABK
          It's a good option. If they ever stop paying or become a problem, you find a replacement and you're making money again.

          Originally Posted by HypnoHugh View Post

          I'm thinking if I create a second website, maybe I should keep ownership but charge them the same monthly fee.

          Then if they ever want to cancel it won't take much effort to offer it to another local company.
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        • Profile picture of the author OnlineStoreHelp
          Originally Posted by HypnoHugh View Post

          I'm thinking if I create a second website, maybe I should keep ownership but charge them the same monthly fee.

          Then if they ever want to cancel it won't take much effort to offer it to another local company.
          You can do this but personally I think its shady, underhanded and a great way to get yourself a reputation as a bait and switch artist. It is one thing to build a rental site and offer it out to potential clients, it's another thing to build a site because a client asked you for SEO and then hold them hostage.

          If you do decide to go the shady route ( I hope you don't) make sure you put zero of their branding on it since if that client ever came to me, I would go to the way back machine, show that everything was done for that site and then go to the registrar and claim the site in actuality belongs to them. I would then make sure they told all their small business friends to stay away from you.
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  • Profile picture of the author CageyVet
    If you are selling SEO services, then you should be dealing with clients that WANT SEO services. If they have a website that requires optimization, then that is what needs to be done. If they do not want that, then they do not want your SEO services....

    Pretty simple.

    There are more than enough educated and/or willing business people out their that WANT proper SEO services.

    It is no different than going to a mechanic and saying "I want my car to go faster"..."But, you are not allowed to touch it or modify it." That mechanic will most likely not accept the job...
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    I'm just an opinionated ******* Today!
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    • Profile picture of the author HypnoHugh
      A lot of clients don't think in terms of SEO - they just want more business and leads.

      Doing SEO is one thing, but messing around with their existing website can be opening a can of worms.

      Recently I did some work on a clients site that had been built in Wordpress but the designer had set it up in a very weird way and also customized the dashboard.

      If they are a big company with an established website it might not be possible to SEO optimize it easily. Then you may be better off starting a satellite blog.


      Originally Posted by CageyVet View Post

      If you are selling SEO services, then you should be dealing with clients that WANT SEO services. If they have a website that requires optimization, then that is what needs to be done. If they do not want that, then they do not want your SEO services....

      Pretty simple.

      There are more than enough educated and/or willing business people out their that WANT proper SEO services.

      It is no different than going to a mechanic and saying "I want my car to go faster"..."But, you are not allowed to touch it or modify it." That mechanic will most likely not accept the job...
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  • Profile picture of the author HypnoHugh
    I got Russ Hayes' (aka Rus Sells) product on Google Local. A bit pricey at $67 but he explains very clearly how he ranks businesses on Google Local.

    His approach is to build a new site which it optimized to closely match the Google+ Local listing.

    Onsite optimization and keyword relevancy are key for local sites.
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    • Profile picture of the author MaxxC
      I believe that many or most local business owners have little or no clue as to where to find,
      or what are the log in/access details for the back end of an existing site, to facilitate on page SEO upgrades.

      Also, spiteful or malicious previous/'old'riginal web guys become conveniently forgetful
      of these old details when a "new web guy" needs access.

      Small wonder a growing number of IMers today, favour using their creative / SEO skills, to make,
      promote and expand their own online real estate - aka lead gen sites with trackable local phone #s,
      which the creators own and control 24/7 - to "workaround" these situations,
      or stand completely clear, where applicable ....

      and then sell the resulting leads / calls to business clients ... or their competition.
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  • Profile picture of the author udt89
    are you laughing at wordpress hosted sites? or wordpress based sites.

    i have had great success using wordpress with local clients.
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