We connect your website to Google Analytics and Google Search Console to keep track of all your site traffic and key metrics in real-time.
A lot of SEO agencies where Simply IT is based in Tanzania and East Africa, especially those that are just starting out, make the mistake of focusing solely on search engine rankings as the main metric when reporting progress to clients. At Simply IT we realise that with the growing influence of AI and as the SEO industry sharpens and grows more competitive, it is important to provide more than just stats — you need to give your clients actual value.
We care about how clients perceive the value of the services we offer? This is something we have come to understand by experience; we often show clients how both organic and paid search marketing campaigns compare to increased leads (and then go further by illustrating the value of those sales and leads). Clients recognise the value of SEO more with this approach.
On a superficial level, it sounds easier to keep current clients around rather than go out and search for new ones. However, it’s not just common sense — there’s sufficient data to back up the assumption that client retention is far more cost-effective for businesses, including providers of SEO services.
Figures show that it costs 5% more to bring in new clients than it does to retain current ones. It also costs 16x more to lead new clients to the same level as existing ones – which wastes both time and money on your part. Other statistics reveal that increasing client retention rates by a mere 2% can lower overall business costs by up to 10%.
It’s no surprise that client retention brings in more money, as the average customer spends 67% more during months 31 to 36 of their partnership with a company compared to the first 6 months of working together. This is primarily because trust has been established and they are no longer worried about investing in the quality of the SEO services that are provided. With all the figures and statistics mentioned, there’s certainly an incentive to focusing on client retention in the realm of SEO.
As a leading SEO services provider in Zanzibar, we understand first-hand the importance of retaining SEO clients. We always take a closer look at the ways we can improve and increase client retention rates. Here are a few areas we focus on when it comes to good SEO service.
SEO is incredibly complicated for beginners, especially those who aren’t part of the industry. As such, many of our clients probably don’t understand it the way we do. Good client service is our goal, so we try to demystify SEO by providing them with a primer. While they might not know the finer and more complex details, we at least are able to communicate with them more effectively and clearly about keyword selection, link-building, back-end optimisations, and more.
We also increase the the quality of our SEO service by setting clear expectations upfront. In many cases, that includes talking to our clients about what they can expect from a successful campaign. For instance, most good SEO firms will tell clients that it takes an average of 3-6 months to start seeing results. If we don’t inform our SEO clients about this standard, they might think we aren’t doing our job properly because they aren’t seeing results in just a few weeks. By managing the expectations of SEO clients at the start, we avoid misunderstandings and potential fallout later on.
One of our biggest goals as an SEO provider is to report all efforts properly and efficiently. It is so much more than simply sending them automated ranking reports without any sort of insight on how it affects lead generation or conversion.
That is not proper value.
We provide our clients with information that impacts their business. We do not let them laboriously go through traffic analysis or search engine rankings. We give them a shorter custom report with lots of clear info-graphics that detail progress towards their business goals; one that curates exactly what they need to know in a precise and succinct manner.
If we only reporting traffic data to our clients, we could potentially be providing them a disservice by not truthfully disclosing what the numbers actually mean. If our client’s website gets hit with spam-bot traffic that skews traffic data, we will tell them.
Are we providing them real value if all we’re going to report to them is traffic? We try to be liberal in the ways we disclose important numbers. Providing them with accurate numbers hopefully creates a sense of trust and a stronger bond between us and our client.
If we’ve done our job properly, we already have an idea of who our target customers are. Part of knowing them is learning what motivates them to run their business, what their goals and KPIs are. Aligning with their objectives by designing a campaign that’s tailor-fit to them will help instill more trust in our services and deepen our business relationship. We want to give them the ideal strategy that’s perfect for their business.
Most of our clients are already familiar with the benefits of SEO but their expertise is in running their business – ours is improving their traffic. So, we spend time educating our clients about our approaches and methods in SEO, preferably step by step, so that they clearly understand the effort that goes into our campaign. We discuss our current approach and demonstrate the entire range of SEO services we offer. We seek to impress our clients once they know what does on behind the scenes and earn their respect and good testimonials and recommendations from them.
We are honest about the status of our client’s campaigns. We always seek to be transparent with them. Of course, we want to highlight the positive results of their campaign but we also need to be accountable and explain the areas that need improvement for next time. As long as we have a plan in place and we can communicate those next steps to the client, they’ll respect our ability to solve issues and appreciate our transparency. If they seek to not take advice that is their prerogative.
Additionally, we try to be available as needed. Cancelling or dodging calls never works out. Even if we’re overwhelmed with work or a campaign isn’t going as well expected, customer service is still a priority. That may mean doubling down on efforts to get things back on track but even if we’ve got a full plate, we don’t decrease communication or interactions with clients during a difficult time.
Once we’ve learned enough about our SEO clients, we gain a strong sense of their business and their goals. Now’s the perfect time to build trust by showing them innovative solutions to their issues or even investing more in their current SEO campaign, provided we can justify their need for it. This shows them that we’re not just interested in providing SEO services, but we’ve thoroughly studied their brand and we’re willing to take their campaign to the next level. Their business is our passion.
For instance, after running an SEO audit, if we saw that their website isn’t as responsive on mobile devices compared to the desktop version, we would normally make recommendations. However, if the client only requested for reputation management or content marketing services, we might do what’s best for our client and speak about it to them. Explain thoroughly about how website responsiveness can positively affect their rankings and then offer them our web design services as a solution.
SEO is still expanding, and the variety of clients we are going to meet will expand, too. We are going to have clients who will be fine with periodic emails and we’re going to have some who want constant phone calls and face-to-face-meetings.
Aside from constant communication, we need to zero in on what our client truly cares about and communicate those values in our reports and calls. We don’t focus on data that means nothing to the client. If we do, we run the risk of just wasting their time. We try to know what each client values and connect data to those goals and priorities. Once they see how those pieces of information provide value and help them advance in their goals, they’ll become more interested in them and we will strengthen a healthy client retention rate.
Additionally, we seek to eliminate jargon. We may have ample experience with SEO, but most of our clients don’t. In order to communicate effectively, we recognise their level of understanding and adapt to it. If we use metrics in reports that they don’t understand, we break it down for them or refrain from using jargon altogether. If they’re confused, they’ll end up feeling overwhelmed or alienated.
Despite having a great client-agency relationship, sometimes it’s hard to convince clients who think our job is over. Much of the value of an SEO campaign is up-front: we optimise their content, build good links, fix website problems, and so on. After dealing with the major issues, it’s crucial to show them that our services will remain a valuable asset to their business.
Following the tips above is a good way to help SEO clients realise that once SEO stagnates they may lose customer traffic. It’s just about being a good business partner, but also about being our SEO clients’ most trusted advisor. As SEO will continue existing as long as search engines are around, it’s all about letting them know our services and advice are necessary in the years to come.
At Simply IT, we know how to deliver great value so you retain all the SEO customers you gain. As your leading provider of SEO services in Tanzania, we know how valuable it is to build stronger relationships using the practices mentioned above. Contact us today and discover how we offer greater value to your business and efforts to increase your customer base.
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