Struggling with website rankings? It might be the hidden issue you haven’t thought of yet: redirect chains and loops.
As an SEO professional, you know that optimizing a website’s performance is no easy feat. But while you’re deep into technical audits, keyword research, and link-building strategies, your clients might not fully understand the time and complexity involved. Managing these expectations is key to building long-lasting relationships and ensuring the success of your campaigns.
In this post, we’ll break down five common pain points you might face when working with clients and provide practical solutions for handling them effectively.
Clients often expect fast results. They assume that once you’ve made some on-page SEO changes or published new content, the traffic will pour in. Unfortunately, SEO doesn’t work that way. It takes time to see significant improvements in rankings and traffic, often between 4 to 6 months, depending on factors like website authority, competition, and the domain’s age.
Data Insight:
A study by Ahrefs revealed that 95% of newly published pages don’t make it to Google’s top 10 within the first year. This data underscores the importance of patience when it comes to organic growth.
The best way to manage these expectations is to provide data-driven projections. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track traffic, indexing, and keyword rankings over time. Share monthly progress reports with your clients to keep them informed on improvements, even if those improvements seem gradual.
By building regular reports and educating clients about SEO timelines, you’ll manage their expectations and build trust over time.
Many clients believe that SEO is all about stuffing keywords into content. They might not realize that technical elements—like site speed, crawlability, and mobile-friendliness—play a massive role in rankings.
Data Insight:
According to Backlinko, the average page speed for top-ranking results on Google is just 1.65 seconds. This shows how important technical factors are in SEO, even beyond content.
Help clients understand the full scope of SEO by sharing the results of technical audits. Tools like Screaming Frog can help identify broken links, crawl errors, and missing metadata, while PageSpeed Insights can give a clear picture of how page speed affects rankings.
You can also use Ahrefs to perform backlink audits, showing clients why certain pages may not rank well and highlighting the importance of a strong backlink profile.
Clients often expect steady upward growth, assuming that once you’ve implemented SEO improvements, rankings will continue to rise without fluctuations. However, SEO is dynamic, with frequent algorithm updates, competitor changes, and shifts in search trends.
Data Insight:
Google makes around 600 algorithm updates per year, according to Moz. These updates can lead to unexpected fluctuations in rankings, even for well-optimized sites.
It’s crucial to explain to clients that SEO requires ongoing monitoring and adjustments. Set up recurring reports using tools like Ahrefs Rank Tracker to monitor keyword rankings over time, and use SEMrush to compare their performance to competitors.
By providing clients with a clear roadmap of ongoing SEO tasks, you can highlight the importance of continuous optimization and set realistic expectations for results.
Clients sometimes believe that investing more money guarantees faster or better results in SEO. They may not understand that success depends on factors like keyword competition, domain authority, and the overall industry landscape, rather than just the budget.
Data Insight:
A study by Search Engine Journal found that while low-competition keywords may show results quickly, more competitive industries require significantly more time and effort.
Use tools like Ahrefs and Moz Keyword Explorer to show clients the difficulty of the keywords they want to rank for and provide realistic projections based on their budget.
Create budget estimations based on the resources needed to rank for competitive keywords versus easier wins. This data-driven approach can help clients align their budget with their expectations.
SEO specialists often face pressure from clients to justify their investment. Since SEO results take time, clients may question why they’re paying for a service that doesn’t generate immediate revenue like PPC.
Data Insight:
Despite the delayed results, SEO remains the largest traffic driver for websites. According to BrightEdge, SEO drives 53% of traffic, compared to paid search and social media.
To demonstrate the value of SEO, use client-facing dashboards to track KPIs like organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversions. Tools like SEMrush and Google Data Studio allow you to create custom, visual reports that show how SEO is impacting their business over time.
By providing regular updates and showing incremental progress, you can prove that SEO is delivering value—even when results are not immediate.
Managing client expectations is an essential part of delivering successful SEO services. By using data-driven insights and clear communication, you can bridge the gap between what clients expect and the reality of how SEO works. From understanding the long timelines to appreciating the complexity of technical SEO, education is key to building trust and demonstrating value over time.
Do you face similar challenges with your clients? Let’s talk about the strategies you’ve used to manage expectations and prove SEO success. 😊
