Assuming you aren’t working with an expert client, there’s a good chance your clients don’t fully understand what you do. Some may argue that works to your advantage (i.e. you can charge more), but I think it causes many more problems then it is worth.
I’ve run into this issue twice in my career. The first time was at a Search Engine Strategies conference, where Bruce Clay informed us that at his company, they require all of their clients to attend a training session to get a better understanding of SEO (so they will work with you, instead of against you.) I thought that was a great idea, but I (unfortunately) didn’t listen to his advice.
About two months later I received a long, angry email from a new client accusing me of sabotaging their website (a.k.a. Robert Ford). I wasn’t sure how to respond. Why in the world would I be trying to sabotage his website? Then it occurred to me: he knows he needs my services, but he doesn’t have any idea how it works.
I responded calmly (never attack back), and explained to him why I made the suggested changes to his site (I hadn’t actually changed anything yet). He responded again, and I could still tell he was confused by the context of his email. I decided the best thing I could do was to schedule a training session with him. I asked him if I could have 1-2 hours of his time where I could go over the very basics of SEO and Search Engines so that we can get on the same page. He agreed.
At the meeting I could see relief in his eyes once he finally understood what I was talking about. It was as if I had been speaking Chinese to him before, and now I was finally communicating in English. After the meeting he sent me the a very kind thank you note, expressing how much better he felt about our relationship now that he has a basic understanding of SEO.
Now that he has that foundation, our relationship has greatly improved. He turns things around faster, he is able to add more value, and most importantly, he trusts me. Trust is such an important aspect in any relationship.
I’d recommend covering the following topics in your training sessions:
- What is SEO and why can’t I rank high without it?
- The basics on how search engines operate (crawling, indexing, and ranking).
- What the search engines can and can’t see.
The major steps in the SEO Process:
- Keyword research
- Meta tags & content optimization
- Links
- Basic architecture information (i.e. redirects)
Make sure you really “dumb it down” for them. Explain exactly what a Title Tag is. Use screen shots, or open up a browser and show them.
It may take time out of your day to do this, but having a client who can work with you will greatly improve your success with their website. I’d even recommend building it into their contract so you can get paid for that time.
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