Your clients don't understand SEO, but you need them to buy in. How can you make them see the light?

What we have found that works the best is to create the "Business Case" where we basically have an SEO ROI calculator. Excel sheet with estimates of how much traffic they can get. Then make an estimate of how many leads will this produce, how many clients and how much additional $$$ can they get from this.

Good SEO is like a great shopping assistant. It knows what problems people face and can prepare the best answers based on data. The answer work for you 24/7. These answers are the cheapest channel in terms of costs/benefit, too. Also, the effects last even if you stopped all the paid channels. AND you can of course target the SEO oriented content with paid ads having the benefits of lower price and higher relevancy scores. It is a non brainer for the brands that can think long term.

Ditch the detail. Break it down in a format they can understand. I’ve always explained SEO like this. SEO is all about proving your credibility to Google or whichever search engine you’re focused on. Saying you’re great doesn’t make you credible, publishing lots of words doesn’t make you credible, posting a lot on social media doesn’t make you credible. What makes you credible is other people and other sites sharing and engaging with your content. If they quote your blog in their article, credit your website as the source for a quote, share a link to page as the answer to someone’s question on Reddit, then that’s what proves your credibility. SEO provides a framework to earn credibility. You can’t cheat it, you’ll be found out.

To help clients understand and buy into SEO: Define SEO simply: It's about improving website visibility on search engines. Emphasize benefits: More traffic, relevant audience, higher conversions. Show ROI: Long-term investment with lasting benefits. Highlight competition: SEO keeps you competitive in your industry. Focus on user experience: SEO improves website usability. Clarify misconceptions: SEO takes time but benefits all businesses. Stress long-term strategy: It's an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. Measure and track progress: Use KPIs like organic traffic and conversions. Offer guidance: Provide resources and support throughout the process. Share success stories: Show real-life examples of SEO success.

Explain SEO as making their website more attractive and easy to find for people who are looking for what they offer. Just like a well-located and inviting store attracts more customers, a well-optimized website will appear higher in search engine results, bringing in more visitors. This means more potential customers discovering their services or products, leading to increased sales and growth for their business. It's an investment in making sure their company stands out in the digital crowd.

Clients often worry about the ROI of SEO due to its complexity and time requirements. To demystify this, use real-world analogies like gardening; just as plants need time to grow, SEO efforts take time to bloom. Show them tangible metrics from similar businesses that improved over time with SEO. Highlight the cost of inaction, such as lost visibility and opportunities, making it clear that SEO is an investment in their business's digital future.

Involving clients in the SEO process not only demystifies the methodology but also fosters a sense of ownership and commitment toward the shared goal of improving their digital presence. Educating them on SEO best practices and the impact of their decisions empowers them to contribute positively, making the journey towards achieving top search engine rankings a collaborative effort. Ive seen firsthand how informed clients become proactive participants, leading to more effective content strategies and website optimizations that align with SEO objectives.

Educating clients on SEO's intricacies turns them from spectators into participants. When they understand the basics of keyword research or the importance of mobile optimization, they become empowered to contribute content ideas and website improvements. This collaborative approach not only enriches the SEO strategy with their intimate knowledge of their business but also fosters a deeper commitment to the project's success, as they can see their input in action.

Case Studies and Success Stories: Share case studies and success stories from similar businesses or industries that have achieved significant results with SEO. Highlight specific examples of how SEO strategies have helped companies increase their online presence, attract more customers, and generate more revenue.

It is impossible to show them results before you have their buy-in or actually do their SEO. BUT, is it possible to show your previous SEO work with real examples? Google analytics Landing Page report is a wonderful report that shows how many people came from Google directly to your SEOed pages. You can assign then an average conversion % of the website visitors to captured leads. I have seen an average of 2-3% of visitors to captured leads conversions. Then, if you know what the conversion % of leads to buyers is, you can show the number of potential customers from that SEOed page. If you gain 100 leads, and you typically convert 20% to buyers, then you have 20 new customers from your SEO page. Each spends an average $100 etc ...

Visual storytelling can be a powerful tool to demonstrate SEO success. Use before-and-after snapshots of website rankings, annotated analytics graphs showing traffic growth, or case studies highlighting the journey of similar businesses. This not only conveys the direct impact of your SEO efforts but also contextualizes the data, making it more relatable and understandable for clients, thereby reinforcing the value and effectiveness of your SEO strategies.

Incorporating client feedback is crucial for refining SEO strategies. By using surveys, one-on-one meetings, or even informal chats to gather their impressions and experiences, you can tailor your approach more effectively. This process not only enhances the SEO plan but also strengthens client relationships, as they feel heard and valued. Their firsthand insights into their audience can reveal opportunities for further optimization or new areas to target.

Selling SEO to clients who have little or no knowledge and no or very bad experiences with agencies is the hardest sales process I've ever done. The essence of the whole sales process is for the client to feel the expertise and to gain the client's trust. The last client came with the assumption: "No, we've already invested the last 10 years in SEO and we haven't achieved any results". However, by simply showing their situation and the situation of the most successful online competitor, the client started to think about what I was talking about. The whole sales process lasted about 6 months, but we closed deal. Be honest with client and it will make process easy.