Contracts can be offered to you (click on image to see), but you don't have to sign them. This is what Jill Whalen implied in her recent article entitled "SEO Contracts" when she said: "Sometimes I would allow the client to provide me with their standard contract, but that wasn't very smart because then I (or my husband) had to carefully read each one to make sure it was fair and accurate." Jill was advising someone who had asked her what sort of information should be in an SEO contract. I respect Jill's SEO knowledge, and I'm hoping that Jill realizes that Clients have to "read carefully" each contract, along with the major tasks of educating themselves to SEO, and trying to figure out who's trustworthy, and will give the best overall value for the price. Contracts are just one aspect of "Considerations Of Buyers Of Search Marketing".
Jill warns other SEO's that "...many corporate contracts are extremely one-sided." I'm sure Jill is right when it comes to "generalized" vs. "specific" vendor contracts. The key is to have customized contracts from either the SEO Consultant or from the SEO Client, or, better yet, one contract from the SEO that has everything in it to protect both the buyer and the seller of SEO services. What Jill advises next is very interesting to me.
She advises: "If the contract sounds really scary or you're just not sure, do NOT sign it." It's interesting to me, because I wonder how many SEO clients have looked at SEO seller generated "Contract-Proposals" that sounded really scary, or the client was "just not sure"? Jill goes on to say: "One thing I've learned to look for and cross out is any wording that has me INDEMNIFYING the client in any way, shape, or form. For me, that's generally a deal-breaker."
Now, I understand that "..the search engines are not under my (the SEO's) control,..". But, I find it very interesting that Google's own "Information For Webmasters" SEO page says: "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." on one hand, then on the other says: "For your own safety, you should insist on a full and unconditional money-back guarantee. Don't be afraid to REQUEST A REFUND IF YOU'RE UNSATISFIED FOR ANY REASON, or if your SEO's actions cause your domain to be removed from a search engine's index." Google is telling potential buyer-clients of SEO that they should ask to be "Indemnified". Jill Whalen called this a "deal breaker"!
Believe it or not, as an intermediary-advocate for both SEO buyer's and sellers, I don't think that a buyer will get TRUE VALUE from most "SEO Guarantees". Because, Danny Sullivan believes, as I do, that Guarantees can be "twisted to be meaningless". He gives a specific example in this still appropriate July, 2004 post of his in "Search Engine Watch Forum". Clients need to remember that you are playing the SEO Seller's Game, and they know better how to play it than you do, no matter how careful you think you are being (CAVEAT EMPTOR)! So, I don't believe most "guarantees" are the right kind of realistic indemnification for most SEO prospect-buyers, and if done without "twisting", have the potential to be unfair to the SEO seller!
SO WHAT IS AN SEO PROSPECT-CLIENT TO DO? Well, so SEO Prospect-Clients don't just "PUT OFF" making any kind of a decision (which I believe many are), or just dive in and take your chances, I will give some options that potential SEO buyers can chose from, depending on their unique circumstances and their personality's "buying style" in upcoming posts.
Animated image courtesy of www.artie.com.
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