Smart as they think they are, not all clients are good (and deserving) for a SEO service. Communications play a role in relaying what a client’s website needs in terms of SEO compliance, and how you can help them. But even if your offer comprise of sound, industry-tested techniques in optimization, you might want to check first if the client is open for change – and ready for online marketing.
Most search engine specialists often encounter highly protective IT personnel whose level of “protectiveness” can be beyond necessary. Of course in any website re-alignment, security can be compromised. But almost always, security is a secondary issue. Some companies have an IT department who are just too arrogant (or ignorant, I guess) to open up to change. It’s a wonder why they wear that Information Technology cap yet refuse the benefits of web presence.
Claiming to be “SMART” is a baseless selling proposition if you’re not willing to learn and make this learning work for you.
Just to give a few clues to determine whether you have a good SEO client, or you’re simply wasting your time and skills, watch out for these signs:
• The client would not listen to your SEO presentation no matter how well you have mellowed down the technical stuff to make it understandable to them.
• The client insists that their pages will take a longer page loading time when SEO is applied – how dumb can they be, huh?
• The client would not let you insert your traffic tracking scripts because they opt not to understand browser-side tracking (at the very least)
• Your client’s IT department relies on only one person whom they “believe” to be knowledgeable – 1 Tip: little knowledge/ignorance is dangerous!
• Their IT department does not see anything wrong with their website – too proud to admit anything.
• They just wouldn’t upload the robots.txt and sitemap.xml files in the root folder!
• There is no smooth relationship between the marketing and IT departments of their company – internal politics affect business big time.
Instead of seeing it as a challenge, it can be an insult to your skills and knowledge when you waste your time to such clients. Company departments with employees without technical knowledge are tolerable and actually easier to work with. Those who are proud, arrogant, and best of all, close-minded will just make your brain work futile. You begin to wonder why they claim to be smart and simply amazing!

2 Comments
April 23, 2008 at 12:51 pm
haha! commenting via my mobile fone internet
June 24, 2008 at 6:18 am
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