As I worked in the SEO-company

More recently, I worked at seo-company, and now wants to tell the world a little bit about how the process works on projects in the seo-company. I am sure that many will be interesting as those looking for a contractor to seo, and those who are already progressing through the company. I worked in two companies, seo-in management positions, they all have their little peculiarities, but I'll try to paint something in between, but that was coherent and consistent.

The ideal business process

1. Prospective client is invited to progress in the search engines to increase their sales.
2. Studied business and target audience of the client. Based on this semantic kernel is compiled (the list of queries that need to move).
3. Herewith. core is composed not of noodle, and not simply at the request of "conditioning" (an example of a stupid request) - the client needs to explain that progress on such requests will not work, it is necessary to aim already, because progress will be cheaper, and the conversion of compartmentalized more requests. That is, not just a "conditioning" and "installation of air moscow."
4. Calculating the final query, the conclusion of the contract, the start of work.
5. Working on client site. Optimization for queries and audit to improve the usability of conversion.
6. Purchase of external links.
7. Clarification of the client special search engine promotion.
8. Monitoring statistics and analysis. Proposals for the development of the site, improve sales.

Here it is, the ideal scheme. Maybe some details I missed, but it is not as crucial for further considerations.

What's really going on

About seylz

Items 1-4 of our list are carried out salespeople. Sales managers are sitting on a small salary and a large percentage, it should motivate them to make the sale. And it really works: they end up on the Fig, what to sell and how, if only to sell, because they will get it for your interest. And they start to get it at the moment when, after the conclusion of the contract to the company will receive the first money from the client.

Perhaps someone will ask, "It's like a fig for what and how to sell? But what about the reputation of the company? Do, if it is bad to sell, a customer because of that will not go away, and the manager is no longer receive a percentage? Is it a benefit? And how simple decency, in the end? "It's just possible that someone will ask, well, everyone else already know.

a) Reputation seo-companies is not particularly valued (there are exceptions), the main thing on the current account figures were running up.

b) Sales or receives a percentage of monthly per customer or up to 3 months in advance, but everything is so arranged that any company, regardless of the safeguards that it provides the client with the outcome, one way or another sderet with the client a fixed amount of money for the first 3 of the month. That is, Sales will receive a percentage at least 3 months. He could get more if the customer then do not leave, but seylz knows that regardless of how well it will sell to the client progress, he (the client) can still go for the following reasons.

Bad SEOs will work project.

Ill be working account manager of the project.

Oh, those damn "changing search engine algorithms."

The client has run out of money.

Sooner or later the sales manager just scored to even try to sell something normal. Only to sell.

By the way: of all the workers seo-company sales manager is usually the worst versed in the subject, to the point that may confuse the context of the content, but liberally sprinkle those words into the phone.

So he sells. Signs a contract with the client, transferred the money. The contract brings to the department on work with clients and demonstrate his account manager.

Pro accounts and SEOs

We account manager, usually from 20 to 50 projects - depending on the company, in which he works. That is, him to say the least did not before, to understand in detail what is happening. But, nevertheless, these proceedings take place sooner or later - and the account knows that the client promised seylz. Account looks into the contract - there is no hearing of any spirit about it. But in words the client has already been promised a lot, we must somehow get out of position.

SEOs receive a list of queries that need to promote the site. What can be wrong with this list?

a) Many queries have zero (or very little) frequency (ie, no one really does not ask.)
b) Requests from a marketing standpoint to get very bad, ie will have a small conversion.
c) Requests for highly competitive, and to move on them to get out of the top must be at least 6 months or even years. But under the contract, it is clear that after 3 months we will pay for the result, ie nothing will be paid, and therefore the client is likely to go away. Hands move down to work on.

Often SEOs or account manager for the parish project work should immediately propose to change the list of requests for a more sane. But it might confuse the customer, "You just sold us, and now propose to change immediately? In a strange way, you're one of the company. " Hmm, well, the hell with it then, we promote, that is.

The client leaves after 3 months, or, if the account is good, or SEOs nashamanit may remain, but the probability is low.

Not all accounts are trying to explain to the client how everything works, they just forward client requests SEOs and programmers, and vice versa. And this can happen, not because they are so bad, but because they simply do not have time to do it. They have to fool customers, and there are always those who are now an urgent matter that must be urgently addressed. They are constantly in the mode of Abraham.

SEOs could fall, such that the quality of the work (there are many), or those that just want to disrupt the bubble (these take on a lot of customers, each of whom work in koekakerski). In the second case, account should make SEOs work fine, otherwise nothing good will come of it.

By the way, some workers to move are pretty fatalistic. Not grown together, so do not grow together - and try to work on the client will not. It could be accounts and SEOs. In these cases of wine dumped on the client, because he is such a bad, bad, and not like all the other "normal" customers. Well, or alternatively to blame "Yandex algorithms."

About clients and all-all-all

1. A customer who knows everything

The client may be such that he will tell you how to do, and generally has an opinion on how to promote the site. The question arises: why the hell we need then? Apparently, to do everything at the bidding of the client.

I once read a book Ogilvy "On advertising" about how a potential client told him how to conduct an advertising campaign. Ogilvy attentively listened to, and then held the door. This cautionary tale is not about seo-company. No one will be one pack off the door, if he is willing to pay money. He will sit on the head of your staff? It's okay, because that is what they are paid the money, not so?

If the account manager is not enough courage and responsibility to go in an authoritative view of the client and clearly communicate without any hint that he knows everything and will do what is necessary, then the customer sits down on his head, so it can just destroy the whole business process for this project. After telling the account, what to do, he says, and this most SEOs (and others), what to do. And SEOs abyss starts to spend time on the answers to simple questions and justify their actions reasonable.

Yes, it can happen that has got a situation where a weak account and weak SEOs have got on one project, but there still was such "that he knows everything" and then the truth is on the client side. But if the bosses at seo-company anything but sees money, then this situation would never allow it.

2. A customer who knows nothing

The opposite case - the site owners, who generally do not understand the design, tech support and promotion of sites. That is all. And even you wonder where they already have the site ready, which they did quite successfully.

In these cases, SEOs hearty says what to do with the site, it all goes to the programmers (because on the customer side they are very often not), give access to programmers, and then the following happens.

a) Access incorrect. Getting search right from the former owners of the business, the former company, which dealt with tech support, the former admins, etc.

b) Access to suitable, but the engine closed and proprietary - that is, almost nothing can not be changed. Then the whole site should be rearranged for another engine, and it often takes months and even it is not two.

c) access approach, the engine will open, but "on the server from the client script is not running" - and we learn about it only when the new site is transferred to the hosting customer, ie full kaput.

g) All good, but clearly put the TOR.

e) All clear, but the programmers got past experience, and they ask for much more than before, because hemorrhoids are large, and then the customer is not satisfied with the price.

After 2 years of this work, we concluded that in addition to the programmers need another tester, and the one who wrote separately TK - and all this is put into the cost of works on site. And this is half the cost, but customers can not talk about it, otherwise he would say, "I'll draw up a protest and himself TK." And there is nothing normal he does not do this. Therefore, there may be questions: 'Why are you so expensive site (or the work on site), my nephew / friend / admin is worth 5 cents! "

3. A customer who is ready for anything

And the customer can be very flexible, he says, "You guys are pros, I'll do as you tell me, that's really all." It would seem that cool? Here it is finally going great job! But be careful hands.

1. Account Manager itself is not a pro, he relies on SEOs, which the pros.

2. SEOs who can, and the pros in the promotion, in fact, not a professional in marketing and very, very amateur in usability. It gives a lot of advice, relying on what the customer is still not all take, and carry out only partially, so the blame is always the result can be blamed on him: He's not fulfilled all of our recommendations, but it's in the contract, by the way, is written . If anything, there are still developers who embody the recommendations of SEOs. You can shift the responsibility on them.

3. Programmers - the guys are simple. They are not marketing, not yuzabilisty - they just do what they say. And since everything in the same office do not sit and work in different regions (as they must pay less profitability increases), it often happens damaged phones, which then require clarification, as this time. And sometimes I get that out to solve a simple puzzle - takes a week. In general, the programmer can put the blame, but the programmer will say that he did everything in TK. As formulated, so did he. So who's to blame? Whoever put the TOR. And this is often the account because it - the link between all of them.

4. Go back to the account, which, recall, not pros. After all, IT-specialist manager is expensive, and a simple account can be anyone, anything at all at first did not understand the process. And even when he learns, and learns all the pitfalls, he still might not be enough time for disassembly. The account of stupidly forward a letter to TK (who is not TK, and a brief description of the problem). And then he says: "I have no time to deal with all this, I have 30 clients!"

And the customer is not satisfied with. Then SEOs pulls his trump card. It is believed that if the site is not always online, it is bad for search engine optimization (for example, the robot Yandex at this point can index the site.) So SEOs says, "Yeah, you see, I told you, you poor hosting service, we monitor!" - And recommends to change the host. On the one change? This SEOs anyway. Account itself hosts about knowing nothing, but someone will recommend to the client.

Those who are in the subject, of course, we know that all hosting companies are falling, at least sometimes, but falling. Previously, this was considered a good hosting caravan until it for a day or half fell and dropped with a half-Runet.

And now proposes to change the host account, the client trusts him, change - and still fail. SEOs again for her - replace the host. Account no longer knows what to think, he's already recommended change, and now it turns out, the one he recommended was bullshit. Inconvenient. So often turn a blind eye on accounts such advice not to look like an idiot then. And if not heeded the recommendations of SEOs, you're sure to hear from him Crown, "I told you so!"

In general, even if the client says, "Do whatever you see fit," and something does not work - nothing will help, all in seo-companies will try to shift responsibility.

Analysis of the statistics and proposals for development

100% results guarantee SEO nobody can, and are simply enchanting failures, which also no one can explain. And then seo-analysts are taken to look for, what of the strategy in the wrong. Here we come to the 8th item on our ideal scheme.

We assume that all is well on the project - ie in the top left a good percentage of conversion requests. We will always be SEOs other clients, which are not all good, and that "we have to work harder instead of giving advice that the client will still slay." On this advice on the development site to an end.

SEO - scam?

In general, success stories really are, but much less so than talk seo-company. Naturally the question posed in the subtitle above.

Answer: Yes, if we're talking about market SEO, but not about SEO in a vacuum.

Now a few words in defense of professionals. I met a professional and accounts, and SEOs and programmers, and copywriters, and yuzabilistov, and even seylz! But the focus, perhaps, is to SEOs.

Who works in the market SEO? How can become SEOs?

It is believed that SEOs can be any school. And the worst thing that's true. Anyone who is versed in what a site, and somehow that is the search engines - read a book once Ashmanov - already, damn it, SEOs. And if the site of which is taken as a "schoolboy" simple (well, type of online business card), and the competition for the needs of small, then there are only personal.

1. Write unique text with keywords.

2. Correct meta tags.

3. Buy links (you can blankly at Seopult).

And the result will be. People look at it and do not understand why someone pay money, or why they should pay so much a professional, if this "student" they pay 3,000 rubles. And everything works.

If the site is slightly more complicated or difficult at all - where there is a directory and need to work with templates, which need to work with usability and conversion, where, sometimes, need a savvy, where needed dull experience (this is done, and it does not work, hence the time to spend it is not necessary) - this is where "student" will not help. He will do for simple sites, but something does not fly, and he zacheshet turnip - and begin to slowly gain experience.

In other words, as always, the cadres decide everything. Experienced are mainly on the recommendations. In seo-companies as well. And if you do not care about reputation, and recommendations will not be. Some of the vicious circle.

PS And finally, remember: you can not believe seylz;) SEOs: yes, we know that, I worked in "strange" companies, and yours, of course, is not so. By itself.