Managing SEO Expectations
I have been involved in major engineering projects on a number of occasions. Regardless of the project and customer, expectation management is key!
There are expectations on both sides; customer and vendor. The vendor needs to understand his/her customers’ needs and wants; expectations. The vendor must probe by asking open-ended questions that help customers articulate exactly what they think they want/need. Customers are typically vague because they do not completely understand the technology and the minutia. They seek the expert counsel of a vendor. Said vendor must work with the customer to produce and deliver something that is valuable to the customer and helps him/her achieve or surpass his/her original goal. There are a number of ways to achieve this that I will not go into here but suffice it to say that communication is the cornerstone.
The SEO industry is no different than any other in the managing expectations respect. Take steps to properly communicate with your client from the start. Use your webpages, contact forms, proposals, progress reports, email, phone, video or face-to-face. It may not always be pleasant but focus on the goal and producing/providing a quality product/service. Custom-Fit SEO call themselves THE Ottawa SEO and they make use of webpage and contact form content to manage expectations.
Yes, managing expectations keeps everyone on the same page and in the loop. That supports a good working relationship and smooth progress; other external factors notwithstanding. So service/product providers, understand your customers situation, the mission (what is to be done), how the mission will be achieved and when, and the points of contact and project control and then communicate every step of the way with your customers and you’d be surprised at the results. Work as partners whose success is mutually beneficial and tailor your services. As such, when things go right communicate. When things go wrong, communicate the issue and your intentions. You will eliminate some of the headaches.
For your consideration…