7 Difficult Client Expectations in SEO (And How to Manage Them)

Gain an understanding of how to effectively manage the expectations of your clients by establishing goals, aligning priorities, conducting competitive analysis, being transparent, and other strategies. It's true that we've all been there! Clients may occasionally question whether or not they are getting their money's worth when they pay for quality search engine optimization services. As a search engine optimization (SEO) agency or contractor, it is essential that you approach these situations with a focus on providing excellent customer service.

If you want to set or reset client expectations in SEO, the best way to do so is through proactive education. Your partnership will be fraught with mistrust and dissatisfaction if you fail to set the expectations of your client, or even worse, if you are responsible for setting those expectations incorrectly rather than setting them yourself.

Keep reading to learn about some of the most common misconceptions that SEO clients have about what they should expect from you and how to best address them.

7 difficult client expectations in SEO

Check out the following list to learn about the seven most challenging client expectations in SEO:

1. Expectation of fast results

The client might inquire as to why search engine optimization takes such a long time. How come we haven't seen an increase in the number of leads or traffic yet?

Resetting Expectations: How to Do It

Ask the customer how they are evaluating their level of success. They place the utmost importance on what? Make sure you are not assuming that you are on the same page regarding the metrics that are most important.Establish a benchmark for the current state of the results so that you can have a conversation about what is feasible for the two of you to accomplish together.Together, establish goals that are based on the two points that came before, and evaluate your progress on a regular basis.

2. Expectation of ranking #1 for everything

It's possible that the client will inquire, "Why aren't we ranking?" How Come Our Rival Is Above Us in the Rankings? Why do I not have a ranking for the phrase "garage door repair"?

How to Reset Expectations: 

To begin, it is important to determine your goals. It is not rankings that drive results; rather, it is leads and sales!You should make sure that you are aligned on a keyword list if you are not already doing so before. You should have a conversation with the client about which keywords and themes are most important to them so that you can concentrate your time and energy on what is most important to them.Perform a competitive analysis for the keyword or competitor in question, if it makes sense to do so, in order to identify any gaps that may exist between the pages that are currently ranking highest and the page that your client is responsible for.PPC is an option that can be discussed with your client if they want results sooner. This will allow you to fill in the gap while you build up the value of the site's SEO.

3. Expectation of ranking with minimal content

It's possible that the client will inquire as to why we require such a large amount of content. If our blog is not producing leads or sales, then why should we continue to do it?

How to Reset Expectations:

Perform a competitive analysis if it makes sense to do so in order to gain an understanding of how the authority of competitors and other factors play a role in determining the amount of content that competing domains need to rank for rankings.The role of content in E-E-A-T should be discussed, as should the process of establishing a reputation as a trustworthy source of high-quality information.Have a conversation with your client about pay-per-click advertising (PPC) as a means of "ranking" in the search results without the requirement of having topical authority.

4. Expectation of client involvement

One thing that clients who micromanage your SEO campaign and clients who are completely unreachable have in common is that they both have the same problem. The potential of an SEO campaign is negatively impacted by both of these factors.

It is possible that clients who check their rankings and call you every day to question results are under the impression that they are assisting you in maintaining your desired course of action. Instead, they are diverting your attention away from the activities that are responsible for driving results, such as pulling reports and reassuring yourself that everything is going well.

How to Reset Expectations: It is important to be open and honest about your procedure and the outcomes you anticipate, so that they do not have to speculate.

When a client takes a significant amount of time to respond to an email or cancel a monthly meeting, they might believe that they are attempting to avoid being in the way. There is also the possibility that they are proprietors of busy businesses who simply do not have the time to devote to the project. Collaboration is the source of some of the most successful search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns, despite the fact that there are certainly situations in which this is acceptable and even encouraged.

Resetting Expectations: How to Do It In order to get them to open up about sales activities and prospects, you should practice active listening and call them at random to inquire about how things are going. Practice active listening.

5. Optimization based on the expectation of a single solution

Can't we just add those keywords to the page? That's a question that the client might ask. Why is it necessary for us to have ongoing SEO?

Explain the value of ongoing search engine optimization in light of the ever-changing algorithm and the competitive landscape. Methods for Setting Expectations

Have a conversation about your strategy for continuous optimization and the results you anticipate.

Discuss the ways in which you believe the digital marketing campaign will develop [possibly going beyond SEO] as the amount of traffic begins to increase.

6. A score of one hundred on the SEO audit is anticipated.

It is possible that the client will inquire as to why they are receiving an SEO audit from a different company that has a score of _. I received a free report on SEO; in what way is our score so low?

In order to reset expectations, it is necessary to discuss the current priorities of the SEO campaign and the reasons why the lower scores might not be a priority at this time.Have a detailed conversation about the SEO audit, and go over what each of the scores means for the website with each other.If the client places a high priority on achieving a higher score, you should devise a 3–6 month action plan to address all of the issues that have been identified.

7. The anticipation of quality search engine optimization for a lower cost

Customers may inquire, "Why is search engine optimization (SEO) so expensive? Why am I paying you so much?"

Resetting Expectations: How to Do It

Let's talk about the components that are included in your fees.It is important to discuss the outcomes that you have been experiencing (or anticipate experiencing) as a result of the investment.Consider the reasons why they are questioning the value of something.Tips for managing the expectations of your customersIf you’re just getting started with SEO clients, here are 10 tips for creating a fruitful SEO partnership.

Have compassion for the customer and try to understand where they are coming from

Be patient – it’s not the client’s job to be an SEO expertBe transparent and over-communicate about your own expectationsUse timeframes to establish expectations, clarity, and trustContinually ask questions with the goal of understandingWhen in doubt, call the client directly to talk it outAvoid jargon and use analogies to explain complex SEO topicsAlways bring it back to the client’s business goalsOperate with the client’s business top-of-mind

Under promise, overdeliver

Keep in mind that sometimes client’s questions and expectations are coming from a place of misunderstanding, not apprehension. By keeping an open dialogue with the client and working with their goals in mind, you’ll be able to answer any questions coming your way.