Building strong rapport with your primary contacts can ultimately lead to a more successful search engine optimization (SEO) program and a longer-lasting professional relationship between clients and agencies. We’ve identified 10 ways that you can strengthen your current professional relationships to improve your chances of a long and healthy SEO program.
1. Learn Their Business
Managing an SEO account is a lot easier when you’re familiar with the ins and outs of the business. Sure, it’s important to familiarize yourself with sales and site performance, but taking the time to really learn about the products and services can be invaluable. By absorbing as much information as you can about the industry and your client’s role within it, you’ll be able to demonstrate to your client that you’re dedicated to the success of the SEO program as a whole.
Do some preliminary research about your client’s industry and ask plenty of questions during the introductory stage of the partnership. Keep in mind that industry knowledge is also essential for creating high-quality, relevant, and helpful content that resonates with the target audience. By understanding the client’s industry, an SEO professional can better identify relevant keywords and themes to reach the right audience.
2. Communicate Effectively
At the core of every functioning relationship is the ability to communicate effectively, and a professional relationship is no different. Effective communication with your client allows you to understand each other’s needs, goals, and expectations. Ensuring that both parties are aligned on SEO strategies and deliverables will reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings or conflicts and build more trust between the client and the agency. You’ll find that communicating with your client is often the first step in solving many of your SEO problems.
Effective communication methods will vary from client to client, but try to schedule a meeting (see below) every couple of weeks to connect about ongoing projects and changes in the SEO program. For smaller updates, shoot out a quick email to make sure everyone is on the same page. Making yourself available for phone calls can demonstrate that your client’s success is important to you, but be sure to set boundaries with your availability.
3. Schedule Regular Meetings
The best way for an account manager to stay connected with their client is to schedule meetings with a regular cadence. Meeting virtually with your contact on a regular schedule will allow you to set expectations for the following time period without flooding your client with emails. What will the SEO team deliver next? How’s performance? Are there any pending changes to the website? Have there been any major changes to the Google searchscape? Questions like these should be addressed every time you meet.
When starting an SEO program with a new client, try to scope out everyone’s availability so that you can easily schedule weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings. Setting up a recurring meeting time will reduce the frequency of “one-off” emails and give both parties an opportunity to talk without any distractions.
4. Focus on the Client’s Goals
The needs of a client are usually rather predictable in any given SEO program. For the most part, boosting organic traffic and ranking for more keywords will be your client’s primary goals.
However, in some cases, a client may have a short-term benchmark that they want to reach. Maybe they have a product promotion or a landing page that they want to focus on for a couple of months. Maybe they have an online form on their website that they want more responses to. Listening to the client in these situations and considering their perspective before providing recommendations will help build trust and encourage open communication in the future.
5. Stay up to Date on SEO News & Trends
The world of SEO is constantly evolving, and we professionals need to adapt our strategies accordingly. Keeping up with the latest SEO news is a must for SEO leaders and account managers. Most clients expect their SEO professionals to be knowledgeable and up-to-date on the latest industry trends and developments — not to mention algorithm updates — and will rely on them for advice. Subscribing to several SEO newsletters and monitoring social feeds is a great way to keep up with these changes and other SEO-related topics. By staying informed, you’ll be able to provide more valuable insights and recommendations to your clients.
6. Under-Promise, Over-Deliver
Going above and beyond your client’s expectations is a great way to show that you’re dedicated to their success. You can take a proactive approach in this regard by ensuring that all of your due dates are reasonable for you and your team. Sending promised work after the due date can hinder your relationship and trust with a client, so make sure to be upfront when you’re unsure how soon you’ll be able to complete something.
It’s impossible to predict what may come up over the course of a week, so try to avoid making promises you can’t keep. There’s no shame in telling a client that you can’t have something rushed for them on short notice if your week is just too packed. And best-case scenario, if your time frees up, sending something earlier than promised will make a client feel like they’re a top priority.
7. Maintain Accountability for Both Parties
It can be frustrating when either the client or the agency consistently fails to meet deadlines (see above). Nevertheless, it’s important to admit fault when you make a mistake. Whenever you aren’t able to meet expectations, the client will prefer honesty and clarity rather than an account manager who deflects and avoids the issue.
On the other hand, if your client ever has issues with implementing recommendations or remembering to attend meetings, it’s important to hold them accountable as well. Reiterate that you want what’s best for the client and that implementation is critical to seeing improved organic search performance.
One way to help both parties stay on track is to send an email after every meeting that highlights what your team will be working on for the coming weeks as well as what the client needs to do on their end. This is a great way to realign everyone’s focus regularly.
8. Honesty
It can be frustrating when you have an off month in your SEO program. While the desire to focus on the positives is understandable, it’s best to be honest with your clients about the state of their organic search performance. While it may be uncomfortable being the bearer of bad news on occasion, over time, your clientele will likely appreciate that you’re consistently upfront about issues that arise. Remember to come with a solution, as well, to remedy the situation.
Remind yourself that if you were in your client’s position, you would prefer an SEO agency that was upfront about these issues rather than trying to misdirect you.
9. Confidence & a Positive Attitude
Not every SEO program will be an instant success, but it’s your job to remain steadfast and keep doing the right things right. Some web changes will take months before they have a real impact on Google rankings, and it’s important to reiterate that to the client. By exuding an aura of confidence when discussing your recommendations, most clients will trust your judgment and follow your lead.
Working with someone who’s enthusiastic about their job is a lot more enjoyable than working with someone who’s always pessimistic. Even if you encounter some hiccups in an account’s performance, try to focus on opportunities and bring solutions rather than just short-term losses.
10. Be Yourself
In general, people like working with someone with whom they can easily connect with. Instead of jumping straight into the nitty gritty, try to start your SEO calls with some light small talk. Chatting about your weekends and the weather is an easy way to get to know your client without prying too deeply. While maintaining the appropriate level of professionalism, try to be fun and open on your client calls while getting through the main points on your agenda.
As you become more familiar with a client over the first few months of their SEO program, try to gauge what kind of tone and relationship you should aim for. Does your contact seem playful and easy to connect with? Does your client like to get down to business without small talk? Matching their energy will make your clients feel more comfortable around you, which can result in a longer and healthier relationship.
Maintaining steady client relationships is essential for the growth and success of your SEO team. Try to apply these 10 tips and see how they can strengthen your client/agency relationships. Over time, you and your client will be able to build trust and mutual respect while fostering long-term loyalty to your program.
