[claps] Let’s play a game! I want you to tell me what the most important part of the SEO process is. Ready? I’ll even give you three options.
The most important part of your SEO process is:
- The SEO firm that you hire.
- The links that you get.
- The amount of keyword-rich content that you have on the page.
Please record your answer. Then click the More link. See it? It’s right there below. Okay, click it.
FAIL!
Regardless of your answer, you were wrong. The real answer is that it’s the client who is the most important part of any SEO project. The client is who determines whether a project fails, flourishes or if it ever even gets off the ground. They are the superheroes. We just supply the cape (yeah, yeah, I know. No capes).
We’re lucky in that we have very good clients. And so they “get” that. However, I think many don’t, which is why it often takes a village to raise an effective SEO campaign.
It kills me that the average client doesn’t understand the power that they hold in any given project or how important they are. It kills me because if I had that much power…I’d want to know! That kind of power is meant to be reveled in. And enjoyed. And definitely taken advantage of.
SEO is not like ordering office supplies. You can’t simply tell your SEO that you’d like one social media campaign, a handful of link strategies and a content piece or two and then sit back and expect your vendor to MacGyver you some search rankings. SEO isn’t Staples. As Rae Twitter ranted earlier, it’s actually a lot more like a sports team.
As your SEO firm, we are your coach. Your hot, willing-to-go-the-distance, ready-to-fight-for-you, coach. However, you own the team. You know it best and we rely on you for some pretty important information. You’re smarter than we are.
- You know how many pages players you have, their strengths and weaknesses.
- You know if players are using paid links illegal substances to “enhance” their performance.
- You know what plays you’ve run in the past and whether they’ve failed or succeeded.
- You know how far your team deserves to go.
- You know your competition.
- You know the game.
- You’re invested in your team more than anyone else.
When we’re first getting acquainted with your site and we ask you specific questions, do be forthcoming. We’re on your side. Be honest about where you are, what you can realistically do, what hoops we’re going to have to jump through *together*, and where you want your site to end up. The more you tell us, the more we can help. The information we need to make you great is already in your head. So give it to us, the good and the bad.
As your coach, we want you to make the championships and we’re going to do everything in our power to get you there. However, all we can do is arrange the roster, script the plays and craft you a road map to the finals. It’s up to you to trust us enough to implement it and follow through. The power to be great is with you. Because that’s where winners and great rankings are made – in the follow through and the implementation. You either trust your coach or you don’t. If you don’t…then you need to find your Terry Francona. Otherwise, you’ll never make it to the big game.
