Client Content Strategy (or lack of)
-
Hey everyone,
I just finished pitching a client for some SEO work. He said he does not want to write any type of content. He also said his industry is so unique that he does not want anyone else writing content for him either. His site has about 25 pages of total content now.
I am going to get all of his onpage seo good to go but what would you do? Just build links?
I really prefer to have some sort of content strategy in place but find it can be challenging with clients.
-
If he answers those questions once on his website via an FAQ, then he doesn't have to go back and answer them time and time again in email and phone!
-
I would do some analytics (after your new SEO matures) and show him how each page of the site is pulling in visitors. Then explain if he gets pages up for new content each of them will pull in more visitors. That should make "chaching" in his brain and might motivate him into new content. Maybe you can suggest some topics in his industry where he does not have search presence?
I really enjoy hearing about people who don't want to write content. It allows me to take their money!
-
If it's a matter of not wanting to "write" any type of content, is he interested in any sort of content? The fact is that SEO and search is concerned with delivering content to searchers looking for it, so without content you won't have much to go on (25 pages can still work, though, it all depends on the quality of that content and the depth of the searcher's intent: do those 25 pages answer their query and satisfy their search, or will they bounce to a competitor's site?)...
I look at your question this way:
If your client is simply averse to writing, what sort of content is he more comfortable in delivering?
If your client is satisfied with his 25 pages, can you find keywords and examples where competitors are eating his lunch? Showing lost opportunity can help change his mind.
But at the end of the day, you need to ask your client what his goals are, and if this roadblock in content opinion is going to hinder your progress in helping meet the goals...if content is going to remain at 25 pages, you have to weigh that against the stated goal and deliver the reality check.
Other than that, it's hard to say what I'd do in your shoes apart from seeing the site and knowing the niche: knowing the opportunities at hand and knowing how deep you want to on this project is really up to you to determine. (That is, you have to know if you're actually able to even do your job given these limitations, and if not then you need to tell your client you can only deliver so much in terms of ROI and move accordingly.)
Another way to look at it is that you've just been given a defined boundary: making your job potentially much easier than it would be otherwise had there been more content to rank.
[I see a bit too late that there were 2 other responses above mine - whoops! I'm too lazy to edit other than making the observation.]
-
Good idea! This is actually what I have done in the past. The client was reluctant but is now writing his weekly content.
-
Thanks for the response! Yes, that does make sense. He said he does not want to spend time on things that do not directly make him money. He said he doesn't want to answer questions, be involved, etc. He just wants to do his craft. He said he tried it in the past and he was spending more time answering questions than actually making money.
-
Always tricky....
I'd set the client expectations first - let them know that in your professional opinion there needs to be a content strategy and without one they won't reach their desired goals - and then just let it be (for now). Move on to implementing the rest of your SEO strategy. During reporting time where rankings are slow or making no improvements you can just mention that it's due to lack of content and suggest a content strategy again but this time just trial one or two pages and track progress (rankings, conversions, bounce-rates perhaps....etc). After 2-3 months of the content (working alongside your link build and on-page optimization) the results should speak for themselves.
Good luck!
-
Perhaps one way to re-open the content discussion is to show him that content, aka "conversations" are taking place online about his topics/products. Those conversations are going to take place whether he writes content or not. Does he want those conversations to be able to define his business, without his participation? Or would he prefer to be part of the conversation? I think it might just be a matter of showing him that conversations are going to take place regardless of what he does or doesn't do, and that ultimately it would be much better for him to participate. Hope that makes sense!
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Duplicate content
Hi everyone, I have a wedding blog I submit posts to on a monthly basis for a link back. One of the staff said to change the first 200 character and I can post it on my own blog with no duplicate content penalty. Any thoughts? Best wishes. David.
Link Building | | WallerD0 -
Content Marketing: What to say when calling prospects
Hello, We have a useful article on a topic that there isn't much information on in our niche. Some of these organizations which we're outreaching to have general phone contact numbers. Would it be a good idea to call them? If so, can you give me some pointers as what to say? Thanks
Link Building | | BobGW0 -
Is my SEO Strategy is good to rank ?
I just planned my SEO Strategy for low competition keywords 1. Submit articles to top 30+ web 2.0 sites 2. Submit bookmark to top 50 sites 3. Submit Article directories to top 10 sites 4. Link them all with Wiki and blog comments Kindly let me know your suggestions
Link Building | | chandubaba0 -
Strategy When Building Links
When you build links do you keep track of every single link that you put out there? Or do you start and what to see what shows up in OSE? Some of these links take time so you would have to go back and check to see if it stuck. Im just trying to put together a procedure to follow. Also spread they out correctly, org, .net ,. com blogs, blog posts. etc Just curious how everyone else does it, so its easier to manage & track. Thanks !!
Link Building | | TP_Marketing0 -
Value no follow links from Google Content Network
Is there a value of using Google Content Network to add no follow links to the general linkscape of a website? I notice a lot of competion higher than me on SERPs for specific keywords have these links from website with high DA. We have tested the value of having Adsense adds, but they do not convert the traffic. We might consider using them for the purposes of ranking higher on SERPs though, and would appreciate any experinces with this.
Link Building | | inet-design0 -
Link Building strategy between domains I own?
I am in the somewhat unique position of owning and administering around 300 websites that each have their own unique domain names. We have a corporate website and then many individual websites for hospitals and nursing centers that we operate. My question is how would you recommend using these sites to build good incoming links between all the sites? Should I take every opportunity to find as many places to link from each site to all the other sites that are owned? Is there anything I should avoid that Google would penalize me for or discount the links all together? Sorry this is a such as long question... but wasn't sure where to start. Thanks!
Link Building | | KHCreative0 -
Linkbuilding for Clients? Do I create new email account for outreach?
Hey Guys, So in the past when I would build links for a client I would create a new email account or have them create a new email account for their website which I can use for email outreach for building links. Also I would try to use their twitter user accounts to get in contact with other niche bloggers for a potential link back or a social mention. Is this how you guys suggest I should continue going about building links for a client? Or do you suggest using my email (agency email) or a random gmail account for email outreach? Thanks
Link Building | | asimahme0 -
Duplicate Content, Replicated Websites, Noindex Type Question.. Need Advice Please
So I am working for a Multi-Level Marketing Company. The members each get their own website which is a wilcard subdomain. So we have example.com (Main site) mysite.example.com (Replicated) They both are literally the same content and I have chosen to noindex, nofollow the subdomains, but as a SEO that presents a problem with linkbuilding. However, the member only gets credit (think affiliates) if the click comes from their subdomain. I don't want duplicate content penalties and I don't want the members to possibly lose out on a sale that would otherwise just be credited to the company if the link was redirected to the main site instead. Did I make the right decision?
Link Building | | floppy0