As I’ve mentioned earlier, there are different definitions for SEO services. Each one of them includes different elements. No matter what they offer to the clients, once the agreement is reached between an SEO service provider and a client, a mechanism should be implemented to measure the SEO work progress (web analytics). This is the client’s right to know where his/her website is at the beginning and where it goes at the end of the SEO services.
By measuring system, I mean any software, application or online service that helps this happen. There are several such systems like Google Analytics, Omniture, WebTrends, etc. In addition, SEO service providers may use lots of other means to discover, measure, evaluate, etc various parameters in your websites/blogs.
Measuring Systems for SEO Services
Even if the clients of SEO services don’t demand it, SEO service providers must introduce, utilize and implement measuring systems into the services they provide. This builds trust and brings more transparency for the client. Clients pay for the services and would expect to see changes and results in their online businesses. Some may ignore the importance of what’s happening in between.
From the beginning of taking over a client’s SEO work, the SEO service provider must make use of a measuring system to provide reports at the very beginning to show what condition the client’s website/blog is in.
Also SEO practitioners should produce reports about the present condition of the website/blog. Such reports could generally include:
- The search engine ranking of the website for the keywords introduced by the client.
- The number of backlinks and their qualities the website has received.
- The number of the backward links in the website.
- The existing or potential weak points or errors within the website that could hinder SEO work progress.
Measuring System Helps Mutual Understanding regarding SEO Services
As the SEO consultant, the SEO service provider should inform the client of the present condition of his/her website before any work is done. Both sides need to understand exactly what the situation, requirements, expectations, etc are and how the work progress is expected to develop and help. Ultimately, the results should be possible to measure and report. It also helps analyzing the SEO work performance too. That’s why a measuring system is required and we call it web analytics as well.
Important Note:
It’s not professional to be paid for service, but not to provide a transparent picture of the overall process and steps that are going to be taken.
There have always been times when certain clients haven’t asked for how the process is being done. However, this isn’t any acceptable excuse for the SEO experts to overlook the need to explain and clarify the steps to be taken. Explanation makes life much easier for both sides.
Measuring System Helps SEO Work to Be Understood
When SEO work is explained before the actual process of services, the client would learn about what will happen to his/her website/blog. On the other hand, the SEO service provider has played his/her part by explaining what will be done for the client. The reports will show where the site/blog requires optimization work.
Then, the process of search engine optimization starts and goes through its stages. Finally, when the work is completed, the SEO service provider will be obliged to show new results achieved as a consequence of applying those steps. By comparing the second condition to the first, both sides could judge how the SEO work has helped.
This will provide a solid ground for clients to know what they allow to be done for their websites, because they will be able to see how SEO work has played a remedial role for the weak points at the end. On the other hand, the providers of SEO services will make sure that their services are understood and agreed upon from the beginning. It’ll be a win-win situation with mutual respect in an ethical and professional work.
