SEO Client Red Flags to Beware of

After freelancing for a few years I finally realized that not all clients are good for me.

When it comes to SEO this can be even more difficult. Why?

SEO requires a lot of trust and a streamlined workflow for it to succeed.

Here are some red flags to beware of when considering to start a new client relationship.

What are the signs that a SEO-client relationship might be doomed from the start?

How to navigate a client work in a way to sort out common issues upfront?

Red flags of difficult clients

Do you offer SEO for clients like I do?

Then after some years you recognize several kinds of patterns.

My nerves get sometimes a little strained with some and I guess I am not the only one.

Other than that it would be very funny in some cases.

Especially the potential clients I refused to work for are a strange folk.

So here I present to you the client issues that you will surely encounter sooner or later.

Treat those as warning signs that the work may end up more challenging than needed.

Of course one or several issues can apply to a single client.

The clandestine client

Such clients often assume SEO is a (dirty) secret.

They don’t realize that there are many tools to x-ray the SEO of any site.

This type of client sends a bunch of NDAs (Non-Disclosure-Agreements) upfront before they even tell who they are.

Expect communications to be bumpy down the read.

Even when it works you will have to be so cautious when talking about the work you do that you won’t have a case study of it.

You have to clarify as early as possible what you are able to disclose publicly and who you will be talking to.

NDAs are usually endemic in large corporate structures.

You may end up in a labyrinth of stakeholders down the road where the left hand fight the right one.

And each finger is competing against the others.

Thus I prefer relatively small companies where I can talk to one individual.

Ask for a dedicated contact in the company that is responsible for you.

Ideally that individuals also pushes through the changes you require.

In a structure of stakeholders fighting each other for influence may end up at the lower end of the priority list.

The quick one

Wants you to start right away, assuming he is the only client you have.

Sadly in most cases they are very slow to pay in contrast.

This type of disrespect is based on the assumption apparently that the one who has the money is somehow on top.

It usually stems from the typical hierarchy of employer and employee.

Yet freelancers or independent consultants do not have a boss.

We work on equal terms.

In essence we’re even higher in the hierarchy because millions of people have money but only a few the know-how you have.

Ideally get at least half of the money upfront.

Plus you suggest an ETA or (Estimated Time of Arrival) for your deliverables.

Make them realistic. Do not try to please such clients by over-promising.

When shit hits the fan deliver when you are ready, not when a random deadline approaches.

Half-baked SEO advice and worse changes can do more harm than good.

The busy one

Once you are done with a step and need info for the next step you have to wait.

Why? The busy client may be a CEO or startup founder.

They work 24/7 already or have a multitude of tasks they juggle.

Thus you will need weeks over weeks to get a reply.

Ideally you ask for a project manager you can talk to then.

Or you agree on a long term plan you can implement on your own for a while before you need feedback.

The PPC client

Prospective clients who buy a lot of PPC ads, especially Google Ads are often second-guessing SEO in contrast.

They are not ashamed to tell you how many thousands Euro or Dollars they spent for completely automated ads.

They are gladly throwing money at Google for “sponsored results” in search.

Yet they doubt whether paying you $500 is worth it for your hard work.

After all you know what you get when you let automated Google systems spend your money on ads.

Yet humans are unpredictable.

This type of client can be a true a liability as they will probably question the value of SEO at every step in the worst case.

This can be quite belittling and such feedback can frustrate you a lot over time.

Ask upfront whether the client is truly willing to invest time, effort and funds for a campaign of at least 6 months.

SEO does not work miraculously over might unless your site is a desolate state you can fix immediately.

The intrusive prospect

This one may call you during the evening, while you are busy like hell or when you’re at lunch.

You can’t explain them that you’re not in front of your screen and basically can’t say much right at that moment.

When you attempt to explain the SEO intricacies anyway you can be sure that they won’t call you ever again.

I had prospective clients call me on the go so that I had nothing to write down their website address etc.

So I asked them to send me a message with it. That was too much already.

So it’s important to clarify that you can’t talk at the moment and that you will call them back.

Also in later years I stopped publishing my number that would be rerouted to my mobile phone.

Clients who were serious and did not just expect free consultation would write a message with their website address instead.

A client who distracts you from family life, ongoing work or simply eating and can’t send a mail instead will require special attention.

Thus it’s important to maintain boundaries or you’ll end talking on the phone on Sunday morning.

The diligent one

You negotiate with them for weeks or or longer even before you can start.

You show your portfolio. You send lists of on the exact steps you plan to take. You talk to their programmers.

You meet them and the team personally but you won’t get the job.

Somewhere along the bumpy road to the contrast you made a tiny mistake and you’re out.

Such high maintenance clients that require you to invest a lot of time before money is even on the table turn toxic quickly.

It’s sometimes better to drop them early and focus on those who are sure that they want to invest in SEO and choose you.

The experienced one

“We have hired three SEO freelancers already and we’re still not on top”.

You may also discover doorway pages from years ago hidden somewhere in their code.

The most respectable companies are like that.

It’s important to know upfront what SEO measures were implemented before.

I literally was traveling on vacation once and had to use a library computer to look up a penalized client.

Turned out they still had SPAM on their site I overlooked from a former SEO vendor.

The big or multi-client

They either own many websites they want you to optimize at once.

Or they offer you a connection with Sony or more work after you optimize the first site (for cheap ideally).

Yet they of course assume that optimizing many websites does not cost more.

Thus you will struggle to charge the actual rate you meant to later on with the potential next project.

Make sure to charge the proper amount of money you need.

Do not assume the hypothetical additional project that will truly pay you arrives one day.

At first they want to pay you less for the first website of course.

They want to see how you perform before they connect you with Sony or hand over the other projects.

That only sounds like a trick to push down the cost of your work.

Do not allow the client to lure you with projects that are not part of the deal yet.

Charge the accurate amount from the start.

The discontent

They receive the same treatment as all the other clients, pay the same amount or even less, see the same results as the others…

Yet they are discontent all the time.

This one is astonishing because other clients in their shoes are really satisfied.

What to do then?

Refer them to the regular reports they receive monthly.

Do not give the loudest and most dissatisfied client preferential treatment.

Usually the clients who are satisfied also pay on time and do not need to micromanage you.

When a client is dissatisfied before the project even truly starts you may have to cancel it.

Otherwise you actually hurt the clients who are content already.

Your performance suffers and thus the projects that work well.

The friend

They treat you like a friend and do you a favor when paying.

Yet they treat you like an employer or boss when you do the work.

They want to pay less than the others because you’re friends.

And they call you after hours to ask you if you’re done.

Clarify early that the client relationship is not just “being friends”. It’s about business. Thus you also have business hours.

When there are too many warnings

Wow. So many potential l red flags.

When there are so many red flags, does SEO freelancing work at all?

You might also wonder now: Are there clients who are OK at all?

Yes, they exist! I had the opportunity to work with some great clients.

Usually I worked for them for several years and they even got me other clients.

There are basically several kinds of clients who I adore and really am highly motivated to work for:

Those telling me that they heard about me or where referred to me or that they read my website and feel comfortable with what I write and like my style.
Those sending a payment upfront to show a commitment. Some people pay even 100% in advance!
Those who do not expect me to have just one client (them) and start right away without even asking for it. Imagine a barber where you enter while people are waiting or having their hair cut and you expect them to to start immediately.

If you consider to ask a SEO freelancer for a quote for SEO services: