Bad SEOs are a common topic. Bad SEOs offer useless services, fail to deliver on internet marketing promises, and pollute search engine results. Bad SEOs’ spiritual counterparts, bad SEO clients, are rarely mentioned.

An SEO can see the other side of things skypbn. Even though I try to be a smarter, ethical, more focused, white-hat SEO, and have received countless inquiries from potential clients who are not qualified, I still get a lot of questions. While no one is entirely responsible for being cheated, some businesses that get cheated are not entirely to blame. Bad SEOs wouldn’t have enough clients to keep them in business.

Shades for Bad SEO Clients

Let me first clarify what I mean when I say “bad” SEOs. Bad SEOs can be either unethical in order to obtain e-marketing results or they fail to deliver results consistently. Good SEOs deliver results without trespassing on the rights of others (e.g., submitting automated comments to websites or trying to de-index good sites).

Bad SEO clients are people who only want to be satisfied with bad SEO, even if it is temporary. They are opening up markets to e-marketing charlatans, black-hats and others by refusing to take into consideration ethical web consultants or better marketing strategies. There are two basic types of bad SEO clients: crooks and fool–oops, I mean, ethically challenged and judgmentally-challenged.

Ethically-Challenged SEO Customers

I haven’t received so many questions asking about unethical services. I have been asked a few times about blogging software, and other questionable internet marketing strategies. I was told this gem by a colleague: “Have your considered scanning a book from the library to use it for web content?” Is that too risky? (Seriously, someone asked this.)

Evidently, this stuff is in high demand, as evident by the number of comments sp@m and the SEO-motivated hacking that can be found on the internet.

Judgmentally-Challenged SEO Clients

Bad SEO clients make up a much greater percentage of the bad SEO clients. Yes, I am blaming my victim. A person who is looking for a $5-gold watch should not be too upset if it turns out to have been faked or stolen. SEO has a few more nuances, but the core idea is the same.

These judgmentally challenged souls make up the majority of those who are not entrepreneurs but have a business in-a-kit. They are sometimes also representatives of successful businesses. Real businesspeople are more likely to forget their misinformation (after all they can afford the best SEO alternatives), but this is not always true. Let’s take a look at some examples of this group straight from my inbox. These are not inquiries from actual clients, but prospects.

1. 1. Something-for-(Little More than)-Nothing Clients

I think they should be considered ethically challenged, but that may just be my remnant of work ethics making me mean. There are two types of these clients.

• Client: Ambitious but not very rich: “I would like to be at the top of Google for the keyword’mortgage. So I can make $100,000/month in revenues. I can spend as much as $1,000.”
• The Adsense-is-my-business-plan client: you wouldn’t believe the numbers of inquiries I get from people who only plan to make money off AdSense or other on-site advertising–they don’t even have a plan for getting repeat traffic, nor do they have content to synergize with the SEO effort. They would be purchasing promotional services in order to make advertising money. Can you see how that could cause problems?

Another way to look at it is: Why wouldn’t you just create your own site and make all the profits? Many SEOs have their own projects sites that are often monetized with Adsense. We can get AdSense money, but that is a very low base for pricing our services. Most legitimate SEO clients sell goods and services at a profit rate of ten to more than what AdSense can provide.

Finding the right SEO company is similar to hiring a mechanic to fix your car. It all comes down to understanding the cost of hiring an SEO company. SEO is not an expensive investment. It should have a positive return on your business’s investment and should therefore be free of charge. It is similar to asking an auto dealer how much it costs to do SEO. The natural answer is “It depends upon what your requirements are.” To help you choose the right car, he will ask you questions such as how often you plan to drive it, what your driving habits are and other similar questions. The price of your SEO packages will also be affected by a variety factors.

A one-time investment or a continuing relationship

It is important to first determine whether your SEO needs are for a single project or an ongoing relationship. If you have temporary needs, then the question should not be “How much SEO costs?” Instead, you should ask the question “How much does SEO cost for my project?”

If you are in an ongoing relationship, you will most likely be charged a monthly retainer that will cover all of your needs and demands.

Dimension of the firm

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes choosing SEO packages. Both large and small SEO agencies have their place and you need to choose which one will work best for your company. Many large SEO agencies offer one-size-fits all services for local and small businesses. If you have a small budget and only limited SEO requirements, this can be a great way to invest in your business. Small SEO agencies, on the other hand, offer customized, high-end services that can be matched with your marketing strategies.

Target market

An SEO company can’t tell what it will cost you. It is important for them to understand your target market. How much you pay for SEO depends on the audience you are trying to reach. Your SEO will cost you more if your market is large and competitive. You can also expect to pay more if your business is done online than if it were to be done locally.