How can SEO consultants improve client communication?

To improve client communication as an SEO consultant, I: Align with Business Objectives: I always take the time to understand their goals and KPIs, shaping my strategies to fit their needs. Keep It Simple: I make sure to explain SEO in normal English, avoiding tech jargons so they'd grasp better. Be Honest About Time: I'm upfront with clients, letting them know that achieving SEO results isn't instant. Offer Tailored Advice: I don't always push for SEO; I advise what marketing efforts would fit them based on what's genuinely best for their situation. Always Prioritize Clients: I'm dedicated to offering genuine advice, putting their needs first, and not just focusing on profit.

You need to come to every call with a presentation on what you've done, the plan and expected results. You also need to show mini case studies consistently.

Here are some strategies SEO consultants can employ to improve client communication: Set Expectations: Define deliverables and timelines. Update Regularly: Keep clients informed with check-ins. Educate: Break down complex SEO concepts. Use Visuals: Simplify data with graphs. Be Proactive: Address issues early. Listen Actively: Address client concerns promptly. Provide Reports: Highlight key metrics briefly. Use Tools: Organize communication with apps like Slack. Stay Transparent: Admit and rectify mistakes. Avoid Jargon: Use simple language. Document Decisions: Keep records for clarity. Celebrate Successes: Share and acknowledge wins

- Understand the business & SEO Goals. - Define Clear Expectation in terms of traffic, time, & resources. -keep the track of all the deliverables & data insights. -sometimes client don't understand SEO metrics but they do understand the business. Keep it things very simple & clear.

Have an onboarding questionnaire handy where you detail down these questions to ask the client during the kick-off meeting. Important to be a cookie cutter and tailor the questions based on the client's niche. What I found most people do well is ask for the main KPIs but fail to solidify the timeline in which those KPIs need to be met. This is very important to establish as it would dictate the pace and the ongoing rodmap.

You need to go through your methodology about what it is you're doing to do for the client and ensure that they understand each point and can provide feedback to match their expectations vs reality.

Keep it simple. Create a step-by-step plan for your SEO strategy. Regularly update your clients on what's happening and what's next. Share easy-to-understand reports with key data like keyword rankings and website traffic.

My SEO process involves thorough research, on-page optimization, off-page strategies, and continuous monitoring. We begin by auditing the website, identifying keywords, optimizing content, and ensuring technical SEO. Off-page efforts include backlink building and social signals. Regular monitoring, analysis, and adjustments ensure long-term success.

Step 1: SEO Audit Step 2: Keyword Research Step 3: On-Page Optimization Step 4: Link Building Step 5: Reporting and Analysis Tools and Timeline The specific tools and timeline that you use will vary depending on the size and scope of the SEO project. However, some common tools that SEO consultants use include: Google Search Console Google Analytics Ahrefs SEMrush

Post understanding everything about your client: 1. Correlate how content & SEO can help the business 2. Use examples of clients from the same niche to explain achievements 3. Use specifics about the client's business when explaining what kind of content will be developed 4. Keep the process short and crisp 5. Use as extremely simple, lay man and dummy-proof terms as possible to hold their attention Do not use SEO technical jargons while explaining the process

If you come at clients with big words and SEO jargon, they'll generally switch off and stop engaging. Putting things in simple terms, explaining acronyms and breaking things down makes the client feel better and builds a better relationship. Most clients won't be impressed by your technical knowledge. They hired you, they know you know what you're talking about, they just don't know what you're talking about. Keep it simple, use visual aids and lists to make things easy to digest and if you don't know how to do that, curate a list of resources that you can send them to help them better understand what you're saying.

Speak plain English. Avoid tech jargon. Use everyday examples or visuals to explain tricky concepts. Think of SEO like building a strong foundation for a house or organizing a library. Make it visually appealing with charts and diagrams.

The way that manage the hard language of SEO, is I explain everything like talking to a friend who doesn't know anything about the topic in other words I explain everything in small words and straight to the point, and if they want to know something else a go point to point like storytelling.

I've found success by taking SEO out of my conversation. Removing technical jargon and bringing more CX and go-to-market conversations to the table.

Make sure you communicate how your plans and recommendations relate back to the client’s goals. Many SEOs assume that the client understands the relationships between the strategy and the results but it’s often unclear to the client. Clients really appreciate this type of communication because it helps gain trust as well.

While it's important to do this, it's also crucial to remember that not all roles need to know in-depth SEO principles, best practices, or jargon. Instead, consider how SEO fits into the bigger picture of the organisation, then align the language you use and best practices you share with your peers with those broader KPIs. For example, for a startup SaaS one of the key KPIs will be user acquisition and revenue. Positioning the lack of select best practices from the areas of better web design, web accessibility, technical or content SEO as potential hindrances to the fulfillment of those goals can help you better engage your colleagues.

Do away with the term 'best practices' - Google updates their algorithm 1,000s of times every year. What was a 'best practice' 6 months ago may have changed dramatically after a Core Algo Update or two. 'Best practices' means you haven't learned anything new in awhile. Instead, focus on communicating how your SEO methodology helps humans: finding the best information on an in-depth topic, getting the right answer to a quick question, getting the ideal product or service when they need it most. Your SEO practice - the intricate templates and deliverables - is really bent around the goal of making any client site the go-to stop on the web for their content/product/service. No podcast or article you send a client will do that job for you.

Your client should at least know the basics. When sharing the importance of different tactics it’s good to back up your claims with reputable sources. This is a good way to share quality resources with clients as well. It’s not uncommon for clients to get hung up on a small element of SEO that has little to no impact or read questionable material that leads to them taking strategy into their own hands.

Offer resources like guides or webinars so they can learn the basics. Give personalized training sessions to help them understand key metrics. Share success stories to show the impact of good SEO practices.

I prefer to educate clients on what not to do instead of SEO best practices. Not following best practices may have an impact; getting sites penalized or blocked creates a negative financial impact.

After every phase with clients, we hold a wash-up. what went well, what didn't, why, and what could we change or improve for the future. It doesn't have to be big, grand changes either, small tweaks and subtle changes and still transform a team, a client relationship, the outcome of a project etc. It's never about pointing fingers. Think about the red arrows and an F1 pit crew. They are some of the most highly efficient tight nit teams because they have to be. For life/death moments, or the podium finish. and both of these teams give and take feedback, openly and honestly. Try it.

Communication must be 2-way and respectful. In fact: 1. Always ask your client for regular feedback 2. Keep regular calls to know business growth levers and how can content assist them 3. Monthly/Quarterly reviews to highlight what's working via SEO/content and how can it be improved further through feedback This not only helps you know what is working and what's not, it helps build trust and respect with the client.

Always welcome feedback. Make them feel comfortable sharing thoughts and questions. Be quick to respond to messages or calls. If the feedback is reasonable and can help, implement it.

One of the best skills that I know in Communication is that you can transmit your feedback loud and clear because the stakeholders sometimes say what they think without limit and that could hurt an associate, which can slow down the process or even significantly damage the relationship between them.

Listen to client feedback to understand their concerns, questions, and suggestions. Address feedback accordingly, and use it to improve work, learn from mistakes, and celebrate successes. Show clients you value their input and respect their views. Here are some specific tips for listening to client feedback: Be open to feedback, both positive and negative. Ask clarifying questions to understand the feedback better. Thank the client for their feedback, even if it's negative. Take the feedback seriously and consider how you can implement it. Follow up with the client to let them know how you're implementing their feedback. By listening to client feedback, you can build trust, improve your work, and achieve better results.

Lastly, focus on building trust and a strong relationship. Show your commitment and expertise to win your client's confidence. Adapt your communication style to their preferences and always be there to support them.

The best way to be a good consultant is to ask all the questions you have even if they are not directly related to the goals because what matters is that you understand the case as best as possible so that unwanted situations do not arise.

My biggest priority when it comes to communicating with SEO clients is honesty. Website traffic fluctuates depending on so many factors and algorithm updates can shuffle things around and leave clients in a panic. I typically try and be as honest as possible. Sometimes this means admitting you don't know everything, but that you will investigate and find out. I try to avoid making excuses and rather focus on the facts. Pushing things under the rug doesn't help anyone and eventually, most things will come to light.

Don't assume your clients know what you know - communication of digital marketing results without first checking your and your client's understanding of what you are conveying is aligned can lead to a gap in expectations. An example could be that you are seeing a slow in impressions, but in your report you have talked about the uptake in leads and improved CTR's and not the drop in traffic directly, by not actively telling the client that the change is attributed to a more targeted approach it can look to them like you are hiding something. Explaining your reporting in a way that addresses your client's fears and concerns, answering the questions you would ask if it were your business, is the best way to improve communication and trust.

Don't waste too much time on explaining the technical things we have done to improve clients website visibility and accessibility on search engines. Most business owners don't seem to care about that kind of stuff because most of seo jargon they find kinda hard to understand. Instead, spend more time talking about the "outcome" of our improvements and how they actually benefit clients businesses.