Lost a client to a spammer

[webwoman]

I have just lost an seo client who has been with me for 3 years. 6 weeks ago, they lost position one at Google for their main keyword for the first time in 3 years. (They are on page 3 now for that keyword but still maintain page one for many other words)

I got an email asking me to co-ordinate with the new seo company to be sure that the new 100 pages of 'invisible text' remained attached to their home page since they had just bought a service from a company that claims they will get them back on page one right away.

I asked my client what the reasoning is for hiring another seo and she said "This just seems so quick and easy - and you are always telling us we should be adding content, and this 100 pages of invisible text went up overnite!"

I have had numerous problems with getting this client to understand basics of website maintenance, and they tend to penny pinch, so I just wished her good luck and closed the conversation on friendly terms.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrarrghhhhgghhghghhghhh!

[bcolflesh]

asking me to co-ordinate

Make sure to totally distance yourself from this strategy, so the client can't implicate you in the probable outcome.

[webwoman]

Oh you betcha! I would not touch any part of it with a ten foot pole. I told her that there was nothing for me to do - that the new company had uploaded the 100 pages and from that I assume you've given them ftp access - so I'll not be doing anything further with the site.

[bcolflesh]

It's worth your time to draft up some document that relieves you of all site responsibility and have them sign it - can't be too careful!

[Symbios]

Might be worth warning some of the sites linking to them that they could be linking to something that could do them harm, especially if some of these sites link to your other clients.

I don't intend the above to be a form of reprisal its just a shame when innocent parties suffer.

[webwoman]

Thanks to all for the kind words. As far as sites linked to them, I have removed links to this site from any of my other clients sites. The real shame about this is that this client is a designer and his url is his name. I did tell his assistant that if they get caught, they could get banned, and he would lose value on a domain name that is important to him. I suggested that they experiment with "invisible pages" - (called "advertising pages" by the seo company) with a throwaway domain, but as usual, the point was missed.

[decaff]

I just went through this with one of my clients (who fortunately I was able to retain)...she was cold called by one of the "cold calling, high-pressure, seo telemarketing firms"...and promised the world...

Fortunately, I was able to dissuade her from taking the plunge...thing of it is...the people calling her haven't a clue about her actual market and what the subtle dynamics are the make for sales...they were just pushing the "top ten Google...increase your business by 50%" crap...

Also, to my fortune, she is one sharp business woman so we had a good laugh about things and have moved along with our process and she is seeing some nice activity (for me that means actual sales...forget the promise of large traffic...I want high conversion rates...best strategy..)..

Sorry to hear of your situation and the lose of a long term client...and some of the suggestions here are very sound..draw up a document totally severing ties and wishing well...and move on...

best regards...

[edit_g]

Give it 6 months, they'll come running back. By that time your charges will have increased dramatically.

[D_Blackwell]

I would make a clear show of documentng my exit now, so that down the road my clean hands and solid character really stand out.

Give it 6 months, they'll come running back. By that time your charges will have increased dramatically.

They may soon need someone that they KNOW they can trust.

[PCInk]

I get the unwanted calls too. High pressure.

Always puts them under pressure if you state one of two things:

1) What is your domain name? <They tell you>. Now search Google for Search Engine Optimisation and ask why they are not in the top ten. How can they do the service for me, but can't do it for themselves?

2) Point them to google.com/contactus/spamreport.html and point out doorway pages, invisible text etc...

But teaching clients to do this is another thing...

And the request to co-ordinate? No way. Write a letter stating that you can not be held responsible for loss of service due to the actions of a third-party company.

[webwoman]

Give it 6 months, they'll come running back. By that time your charges will have increased dramatically.

And there you have it. The sad thing is - this happened once already. When I had only been with them for 3 months, they decided to go with one of those services that submits your site to 30,000 search engines per month for only $19.99!

At that time, I told them what they could expect from this, and wished them well...they called me a few months later (when my prices actually had gone up) and have enjoyed position one on Google for the past 3 years.

I think this client got spoiled with their top position (the main keyword is not all that competitive); if I failed them anywhere it was in not getting them to understand website ownership, maintenance and upgrade. This is not an e-commerce site - they are selling a service and rely on the website to provide qualified leads.

I think an e-commerce site owner tends to be a bit more invested in their website since it directly produces income. They would probably be less impulsive in throwing away a 3 year seo relationship that provided a top position for the entire time - but then again, maintaining that top position for a more competitive set of keywords is much tougher to do as an seo ;)

The truth of the matter is that even if this client did come back in 6 months, I would not start a new relationship with them. They were penny pinching, often late in paying their bills, and very hesitant to add new pages to the site.

-webwoman

[PCInk]

> The truth of the matter is that even if this client did come back in 6 months, I would not start a new relationship with them. They were penny pinching, often late in paying their bills, and very hesitant to add new pages to the site.

Hence, if they come back it would be wise to simply quote them a much higher price!

If they value what you have done for them in the past, then they may be willing to spend more. Especially as the Devil they know is better than the Devil they don't and their site could end up being burned up with these hidden text pages.

[le_gber]

webwoman, I know how you feel, I lost a customer that way a couple of weeks ago.

The company MD decided to go with a 'friend' for SEO and when I checked how they SEO websites I saw multiple domain names with hundreds of links pointing to the main site using js redirect to cloak the page etc... the basic deceptive pages

I warned them, showed them the Google webmaster/seo page and told them the risk and penalties that they could encounter - but nothing did.

At the end I released the site completely, the hosting (to make sure I don't have a banned domain on my IP), the design (from my portfolio - I don't want to link to a banned site) - everything that linked them to me or linked me to them.

At the end of the day, if something wrong happens, you are not only losing your credibility but it may potentially harm your remaining customers.

The idea of the contract to wash your hands completely is a good one, because if they have been fooled that way to try this technique, the new company can fool them and blame you if anything goes wrong.

Leo

[martinibuster]

edit_g made the best point.

Some people get it and some don't. I'm fortunate in that I'm in the position that I can turn people away. Good luck.

[webwoman]

I'm fortunate in that I'm in the position that I can turn people away

Martini, I think this is an important frame of mind to achieve - whether it is true or not in a financial sense. (And I'm certain it is true in your case) The fact is that you have to be *able* to turn people away if you don't think you can do something for them. I had long ago reached a point with this particular client where I could not get them to understand what it takes to grow a website. They treated it like a brochure that you print once, then mail it out and then you're done, right? No concept of maintenance, upgrade, expansion.

This is why I was able to wish them luck and say adios! Perhaps I will miss the monthly income but I'd rather take the viewpoint that it opens up a spot in my schedule for another project I will enjoy doing. There is no dearth of work in this business!