Why Don’t SEO Companies Want to Make Money?
I had a pretty unusual conversation with an SEO prospect a few weeks ago and it was too interesting not to share. Let’s just say from the get-go my warning bells for a bad SEO lead were ringing loud and clear.
To kick things off, this prospect called my company and the first thing he wanted to know what was wrong with the SEO industry. He claimed to have called over 40 SEO firms in the past two days and only 8 businesses had picked up the phone. “Is your industry stagnant or something?” I told him I couldn’t speak on behalf of the other companies he reached out to, but I understand how frustrating it can be when you’re trying to get someone on the phone. Meanwhile I’m thinking to myself, “Well you’ve got me on the phone…doesn’t that count for something?”
About five minutes into the call he asked me for client references, so I directed him to the page on the Brick Marketing site where I post all of our client testimonials. He opened one up and random, spent a minute or so clicking around and then hit me with a “so did you actually do anything for this site?” Apparently some free online tool (I never found out which one) grades a website’s SEO campaign, mostly by counting back links. I explained that the client site he was looking at was an older client of ours, and yes, we did optimize the site and execute a full link building campaign. However, once the site is no longer a client (and this one had not been for several years) we have no control over what happens to their SEO. Since SEO is an ongoing process, it’s possible that once our relationship ended with this client than their SEO campaign slowly came to an end. I also pointed out that the client has created a new site with a new URL (the website redirected to their new site) and we didn’t have any part in their new website. 
He then asked to see analytics data from previous clients to see what kind of work we do and how effective the SEO campaigns we’ve built have been. I explained to him that that information is confidential, so even if I still had access to a former client’s analytics I wouldn’t pull any data. Cue the ten minute tirade about how no company can afford to do SEO, and how is a company supposed to maintain their SEO once their provider is done executing the campaign, SEO companies are a bunch of rip-offs, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
This phone call was going nowhere, but it was taking its sweet time getting there. After a half hour on the phone the caller drops one of the biggest bombs I’ve ever gotten from a lead on me, “Why doesn’t your SEO company want to make money?” I didn’t understand. “Why don’t SEO companies make in-house sites and then use their SEO skills to make money? How can you understand how to help sites make money if you aren’t making any?” He harped on this idea about “in-house sites” for a few minutes, but I didn’t understand what he was talking about. He finally explained; why didn’t I create a dozen e-commerce sites of some kind and sell some product (any product that has nothing to do with SEO) to make revenue for the company. Surely, with my SEO skills and in-house team we could create all kinds of sites and make tons of money selling…something. “Why don’t SEO companies do that? How come none of you want to make money?”
To say I was a little frustrated is an understatement, but what can you do? I calmly explained that I do in fact use my SEO skills to help my company make money, by optimizing the company website, by writing great content in two blogs and for dozens of other sites, and by executing a strong link building campaign to help the Brick Marketing brand do well online. Yes, theoretically I could create a dozen microsites and sell various products, but that takes times away from my real business. I want to use my SEO expertise to help my own website perform, as well as dedicate my time to my client’s sites and not a dozen side projects.
I’m still not sure if he understood why I wouldn’t rather spend my time optimizing microsites….
14 Responses to “Why Don’t SEO Companies Want to Make Money?”
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Hey Nick,
If I ever come across such a finicky prospect I simply prefer to tell him NO. Over the years, I have realized that it’s better to work with a few good clients rather than a lot of bad ones..
Cheers,
Anant
Wow, sounds like an absolute nightmare of a prospect…. I wonder what he was actually hoping to get out of the call. It doesn’t sound like he was genuinely interested in your services so he must’ve had some sort of ulterior motive….
Hi Anant,
Thanks for reading and for your comment…
I agree 100% with you! I have learned this over the years as well! Fewer, better (and happier) clients are better for everyone long term!
Take Care,
Nick
Hi Nick,
A call like this can really take a chunk out of your day.
One of the challenges of being in business is you never know who’s on the other end of the line when you answer the phone.
I’m comforted to hear that it’s not just me who gets some weird ones. I think yours takes the case though.
Thank you for sharing this one, it’s nice to know that these things do happen to others too.
Cheers,
Ken
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your comment and for reading!
I guess dealing with time waster SEO prospects like this one is part of being in the SEO business.
Thanks again & Take care,
Nick
So why DON”T you do what he asked Nick?
I do.
I got frustrated with the client’s pulling in the rewards of having top positions and setup a few joint ventures where I do the SEO for a percentage of sales.
These JV’s bring in a steady, monthly income.
The hardest part is finding the products that are not affiliate based.
Reg
Hi Reg,
Thanks for reading and your comment.
As the owner of a small SEO firm that has employees, many clients and a TON of work to do every day (12 hours a day), I do not have the time to even consider any side project that might take away my focus, budget or energy from my main goal of building my SEO firm, Brick Marketing.
Take Care,
Nick
That is amazing. I can not say Im surprised though. I once had a client that insisted his site was doing amazingly. despite the 89% bounce rate. In the end I gave up trying to explain the connection between bounce rate and sales conversions.
Least this article put a smile on my face.
Hi Tom,
Thanks so much for reading! I am glad I was able to put a smile on your face!
Take Care,
Nick
I bet this is one of those clients who still believes the Yellow Pages are a sound marketing investment….
This caller answers the question, “Why don’t some SEO companies spend more time and effort doing inhouse SEO to promote their services?” Because many get work from word of mouth through satisfied clients. It takes a lot of time to field these types of calls and after doing enough of them, they become a turnoff and time suck. If you’re good at what you do and provide value to your clients, others will follow.
Nick, as another agency that answers our phone, we, too, have had a few calls over the years from prospects who unfortunately got burned in a previous SEO experience elsewhere and are looking for massive reassurance.
Why don’t we all open e-commerce sites? Because we are not merchants! Success in selling product relies largely on the merchandising talents of a brand’s team. We’ve worked with enough top direct marketers to be in awe of this specialized talent.
While SEM/SEO/digital is a critical component of online success, it is only one piece of it – and keeping current with all best practices, technologies and opportunities for our clients precludes our opening up an e-commerce store of our own any time soon.
Hi Susan,
Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts…I agree I am not a merchant
Take Care,
Nick
I think you were talking to my ex-husband! LOL!
Seriously though, when I first started out, I would take all comers and realized I was wasting time and losing money. I refocused my efforts on quality, not quantity and now I have clients that pay well, are easy to work with and gladly refer me to their business associates.
Life is good!