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SEO For Clients On A Budget

by chaotic squid
13 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hey everyone! Was just wondering what those of you recommend to clients who have a limited budget.

I have a client who would like to do more with SEO and rankings but can really only afford $500 per month.

Since it's a local business I was thinking of better managing the directory listings (business citations), setting up Google Analytics/Webmaster, using a monitor tool such as Moz, blog/content creation with manual social bookmarking.

Since there's not much of a budget it's kinda limiting and any link building would be minimal. Just wondering what kind of services you offer to budget minded clients and how you frame their expectations with a smaller budget.
#budget #clients #seo
  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    Here is the question. Can you get them enough traffic for them to make more than $500, while you still make a profit that is worth your time and effort?

    If not, I would tell them to move on. They would be better off spending the money on AdWords.

    That is the problem with most low budget clients. You need to be able to do enough work to generate them worthwhile traffic while still making money on the deal. You will find that in most cases, you do almost the same amount of work for a $500/month client as you do for an $850 or $1,000/month client.

    Generally, it is just not a good fit.
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    • Profile picture of the author Webkingseo
      great answer ... i am a big fan of mike and he always have good answers.

      Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

      Here is the question. Can you get them enough traffic for them to make more than $500, while you still make a profit that is worth your time and effort?

      If not, I would tell them to move on. They would be better off spending the money on AdWords.

      That is the problem with most low budget clients. You need to be able to do enough work to generate them worthwhile traffic while still making money on the deal. You will find that in most cases, you do almost the same amount of work for a $500/month client as you do for an $850 or $1,000/month client.

      Generally, it is just not a good fit.
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  • Profile picture of the author AndresNWD
    +1 to Mike's answer
    I think they are better off doing local stuff (sponsoring events, doing newsworthy things) that will get them links on online media.
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
    To add to what I was saying, I think too often an SEO takes whatever the client can afford, but cannot deliver results at that price. So really, in the end, the client ends up screwed because the SEO didn't have the balls to say no or was too desperate for business. It's better to tell the client to forget about any serious SEO in those cases. PPC or social promotion might be alternatives.
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  • Profile picture of the author Affiliatebuddy
    You should certainly give him service and make sure his expectations are as per his budget.
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeFriedman
      Originally Posted by Affiliatebuddy View Post

      You should certainly give him service and make sure his expectations are as per his budget.
      No. That's the thing. You should not give him service just because that is his budget.

      If you needed open heart surgery that cost $10,000 but you could only afford $5,000, would you want the surgeon to say, "Well, since that is all you can afford we will do $5,000 worth of work and stop there."????
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      • Profile picture of the author Blaine Smitley
        Originally Posted by MikeFriedman View Post

        No. That's the thing. You should not give him service just because that is his budget.

        If you needed open heart surgery that cost $10,000 but you could only afford $5,000, would you want the surgeon to say, "Well, since that is all you can afford we will do $5,000 worth of work and stop there."????
        I agree wholeheartedly with this.

        I tell clients that the money is on the first page in the top 3 spots. If they aren't willing to spend what it will take to get them there for their keyphrases then I tell them not to spend anything, because anything they do spend is likely to be wasted.

        In my eyes there's no such thing as a little SEO for a company that wants new customers and leads to be coming in from online.

        Play to win or get the F out of the game.

        The sad fact is that a lot of business owners just can't get their mind around what proper rankings cost. Yet they still spend 1200.00 per month on a full page ad in the yellow pages phone book that gets them 10 calls per month.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Let me give you an example from another endeavor.

      You have $3 bucks to make a dinner.
      You want to make your basic pasta with beef and marinara sauce.

      Cheapest meat you can find is $2. The past is $1. The sauce is $1.

      Your date says, I know a place where you can find meat for $1. The only thing is, nobody knows where it's coming from and it kind of smells bad but I feel adventurous.

      You say, okay.

      You make the meal, feed it to your date. Your date gets food poisoning and dies.

      Are you happy? Is your date happy? Yet you did what the date asked you to and you did use the best ingredients you could get with the money you had.

      It's the same with SEO and clients.


      You

      Originally Posted by Affiliatebuddy View Post

      You should certainly give him service and make sure his expectations are as per his budget.
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  • Profile picture of the author Insano
    I usually have a module while working with low budget clients / startups with potential. I offer them lower prices for linkbuilding / SEO services in return I ask for a share of future profits (note, not revenue but profit). I have currently one of those deals which is pretty much starting to pay off
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  • Profile picture of the author Btvbill
    I am often faced with the same dilemma. Many of my clients want (and need) SEO but they either don't want to pay much for it or expect it for free. Many still have the illusion that it's the 1990's where 10 minutes of time adding keywords will get them to the top of Google.
    I recently started offering an SEO "module package" where they can pick and choose what they like, starting at $99 per month, with the option to add other modules, as they start getting a ROI. Still like herding cats though as they think it should all be quick and free.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Sounds like you need to qualify your prospects better.

      Originally Posted by Btvbill View Post

      I am often faced with the same dilemma. Many of my clients want (and need) SEO but they either don't want to pay much for it or expect it for free. Many still have the illusion that it's the 1990's where 10 minutes of time adding keywords will get them to the top of Google.
      I recently started offering an SEO "module package" where they can pick and choose what they like, starting at $99 per month, with the option to add other modules, as they start getting a ROI. Still like herding cats though as they think it should all be quick and free.
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  • Profile picture of the author deepak_kanojia
    I have services ready for those clients who have low budget.
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  • Profile picture of the author User-Name
    I would break even on the first month so the client could see some kind of progress for their investment
    Then as they generate more traffic, leads and sales they would see how valuable you are.
    Not only do you now establish a great relationship your client will recommend you to his friends (think of what a great advertising opportunity this is with the added benefit of being able to put his website on your porffolio)

    In Summary
    Don`t try and get all your bling in the first month
    Sometimes you have to give before you get
    Andrew
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