SEO employee, do I have rights?

I did some SEO for a local web designer. Great designer, can build build beautiful custom very complex sites. He has a huge list of clientele and he does very well for himself. He's an experienced programmer and yada yada yada.

Occasionally he will ask me to help with a client who wants some SEO done. He always starts it with: I have a potential client for you, just wondering what you would do to help their website rank for such and such keyword.

To this day, I've only ever gotten 1 client out of him. But he hasn't ever gotten any solid information out of me. I usually say, I've got some good ideas that would work great! Let me know if they are interested.

I think if you spend some good time writing out a good but vague plan you could do well with it. Like I said, you can tell someone what you're going to do but not how you're going to do it.

This isn't a new thing. The way the economy is a lot of businesses are doing whatever they can to keep costs down. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us ) this isn't the way you should operate. They aren't buying a plan, they are buying your expertise and services and once you give them a proposal outlining what your capabilities are and how they align with their needs you should be able to pull in the gig! Even without step by step instructions. The only time you need to write intricate details like that is when you are making your own personal to-do lists.



That will help too!

That's all they were after. They only wanted to pick your brain. It's better that you didn't "help" them too much.

You have my sympathies. I've been there--it sucks

Yes, getting shafted in an email was unusual. He's the business owner so I guess he gets to do what he wants. Oh well. It was a good 3 weeks of getting paid. Now back to unemployment till I find something else to commit to.

The are no real SEO secrets. That is, what we all do the same.
To the normal SEO, that is.

But this guy obviously wanted details for the specific purpose of
giving it to someone else to do. You would not hire a plumber,
ask for a very detailed item per item line of his steps, procedures,
parts, etc. He says he'll do the job for x amount of money.

If you called a plumber in to have him explain how to fix what needs
to be fixed, give a list of parts, a detailed explanation on how to do
it, he'd hitch up the crack exposed jeans, hand you a $100 invoice for
showing up, and shuffle off with his finger raised.

There are no plumbing secrets, really.

But you are paying for the expertise of what an SEO person is going to
do.

Just like plumbing, there are no real secrets. BUT...there are tricks,
inside info, experience, pet suppliers, parts connections, etc. that one
has in one's arsenal. Just like an SEO person. I know good contractors
do not give secrets out about where they get deals on materials and
subcontractors. And you don't ask for details on that.

You are either hired to do SEO or you are hired to teach someone.

Depending on which one, that would dictate as to how much detail you
give.

The advice has been decent considering the circumstances.

Give a round about, normal, every day SEO list, but make it clear
that implementing it takes a tad more than just following some list.

This forum is full of nonsense where some clown fails and boo-hoos because
they followed THE list and still failed.

No SEO person here is going to tell me they don't have some unique things
that they just STFU about. And that, is why you hire someone. If not, then
just grab some list off the internet and have a go!

Paul