Debunking 5 Myths About SEO Offerings

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the hardest services to pitch to a prospective client. A lot of "old school" and traditional brand or marketing practitioners don't believe in this so-called "non-sense". Afraid to come out of their comfort zones, they think that SEO professionals are much like vodoo shamans who promise the impossible.

Here are 5 myths for the Digital Marketing, Social Media and SEO professional. Armed with this, the goal is to come through (nicely) on the client and get the deal closed and signed.

1. SEO IS EXPENSIVE - And so is doing nothing about your page rankings while your competition comes out in Google Search on page 1, so is just relying on traditional marketing and media to communicate your brand. If you think about the "Return On Investment", wouldn't it be great to have regular inquiries on your brand? Visits to your page? To your sales site? To close more sales and matter to the bottomline? If you think SEO is expensive, think about what the competition is spending to get their company (and their brand) on the number one search spot
2. SEO SUCCESS WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW - Sigh. Sadly, they (clients) will think that a few tweaks on code, optimizing key words, research and monitoring will land them page 1 on search overnight. You have to really communicate to your client that SEO is ALWAYS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS and sometimes, will take time. 
3. MY COMPANY IS DOING OKAY, WHY DO I NEED SEARCH? - Because the entire world is going through the digital age, that's why! Almost everyone has a mobile phone with data. Want to eat out today? Check your smartphone. Lost? Check your GPS and map? Your boss wants you to send roses to his wife? Google it. If you or your brand doesn't make noise online, surely the others will take advantage of that
4. SEO IS A SHORT TERM PROJECT - "How about just a 2 month deal so we can save on money?" is a phrase you will often hear from your prospective clients. To which I would have wanted to reply "How about let's not do it at all". The reality is - short term SEO is just a waste of money. See # 2 above.
5. OUR OFFICE ALREADY HAS AN ICT GUY AND USES SEO PLUGINS - Yeah alrighty, fine! But if your ICT guy is an SEO professional, you would have been paying him a truckload of money and not the crappy compensation he gets now. That's the reason one needs real pros to analyze, plan, test, and refine your SEO and brand/business strategies in order to reach common business goals.

Hopefully, you'll find a way to convince your client that she's getting a good deal, results will not happen overnight and you will be working together to reach a common goal.

It's tough.

But someone's gotta do it.

Best of luck in your pitches

M