The SEO field is one that keeps on changing on a daily basis which is making it a difficult job trying to keep up with the search engines. It is a job that requires consistent management as well as upkeep. The role of SEO is becoming increasingly important in today’s business world. It is becoming clearer to people that SEO is not just about getting the top spot on the search engines. The clients who seek SEO services are now looking to make more sales, and that does not necessarily mean that the top spot guarantees that in the long run. As such, understanding clients and their needs can be a difficult task for most SEO service providers. There can be some factors that can help in creating a robust and long-lasting relationship with these clients.
Go Multi-Channel
Some SEO service providers rely mostly on organic and paid search traffic as a way of generating leads and getting customers for their customers. The truth is, by just relying on these channels alone is not effective as a long-term business strategy. The most successful marketing agencies have been built on proper multi-channel processes as a way of providing a complete marketing strategy for their clients. To most SEO clients who are looking to get ahead in their field, any SEO service provider that just focuses on the organic search traffic is not worth it. The clients are looking for agencies that can convert the traffic in as many different ways as possible.
Honesty about the Numbers
It is crucial to creating trust with the clients where the numbers are involved. If an agency reports traffic data to clients on their ongoing performance based solely on traffic data, this might be more of a disservice to customers if the company does not explain to the client what the numbers mean. There are times that a customer’s site may be hit with spam bot traffic which skews theirs traffic data. If an agency principal aim is just to report traffic they are providing real value to the business. The traffic spike should be reported to the client so they may know exactly where it is coming from. When an agency says everything even the adverse to their clients, it will create some sense of trust and bond between the pair. Therefore, it is very important to focus on explaining the numbers in each and every report the client is sent.
Understand the Business Goals of the Clients
Most SEO service providers can sometimes focus solely on search engine rankings. This is where most of them fail because they have not taken their time to understand the client’s business goal from the beginning. As stated before with the search engine marketing evolving, most clients’ bottom line in seeking an SEO agency is not about getting the top stop alone as it was in the past. An agency needs to understand any given business and how they operate first before anything else. How much leads and customers are worth to the client should always be considered, or the agency will lose the client if the client sees that the services they are paying for aren’t what they want.
Provide Curated, Custom Reporting
Downloading a search engine analytics report and sending it to the client with any explanation as to what exactly is going on is not providing excellent customer service. Neither is just sending an automated ranking report without any insight as to how it may have affected lead generation. The most important part of the client seeking an SEO agency was to get broken down information that may impact their business. Most client no matter how big or small their business is are looking to know how many leads and customers can be brought to them every month. Clients will not look to dig deep into the data provided to them regarding traffic analysis or search engine ranking. An agency may look to create and curate a custom report that can quickly show them how the marketing campaign is performing and contributing to the success of their business.
Communication
The agency needs to find a way of communicating with each of their clients. This can be a defining factor in any organisation’s success. There are clients that are very comfortable with periodic emails, but there are others that need to have a face-to-face meeting. There are also some that need constant phone calls, but all in all what they are looking at is, to correctly understand where their money is going. What one needs to do is first to know what means of communication the client is most comfortable with or risk learning that the hard way. Also the need to understand what reports to give them can be very crucial and how to present it to them. That is also trying to find out the level of expertise the client has on SEO. Some will want to know very specific data points while others treat SEO as a spell the agencies cast so as long they get leads and customers, the agency is doing the job they are paid for. It is very crucial to know how to communicate with each on their level so as to not be talking below or above them.
Conclusion
Understanding clients’ needs as well as how to properly service their needs is vital for any digital marketing agency success. The clients are not just paying the agency to drive traffic, drive leads or simply just improve search engine rankings. The clients are looking for agencies that can manage all the aspects efficiently as well as efficiently as possible. They are also looking for agencies that will communicate with them consistently and explain all that is going on with the campaign that they are paying for. In putting all these to practice, an agency is sure to keep the clients happy and make them paying customers for a lifetime.