8 replies to this topic

[mels]

Hello,

I have been working on SO for almost a year now, and I very often use word combinations (usually two or three keywords depending on the area the client is working in and the specificity of the keywords).
Let's say, for example that when I define a keyword for a client, three keywords I could use for their site would be :

- old books
- old magazines
- old postcards

My client told me today that he didn't want me to use this kind of combination anymore but that I'd rather optimize his site for these keywords :

- old
- books
- magazines
- postcards

He says that his site used to be optimized this way (by an amateur) and that his rankings were much better. I am very skeptic because I've always experienced the following thing : the more specific your keywords are, the better chances you have to have a good ranking. But he keeps insisting, which started to make me doubt... Is there ANY chance that the engines will work on the combinations by themselves and provide a good ranking for my client's site under the keyword "old books" if the site has been optimized for "old" and for "books" instead of "old books" ?

His ranking in keywords such as "old books" and all has seriously dropped but I told him it was mostly because there are twice more sites answering to the keywords than back then... He keeps saying that it's my work that made his site drop the rankings... Honestly I have never had any problems with my other clients, and this is the first time in my whole life that I hear that optimizing for single keywords works better than combinations... so now I have huge doubts... what have I done wrong...?

So, in a nutshell, here are my questions :

1/ Does this thing really work ? I mean will his rankings improve if I work on single keywords meant to form a whole combination or if I keep working on already made word combinations like I usually do ?
2/ If this thing doesn't work now, did it really use to work ? (client says it worked at the beginning of the year, at least on Google), and do you have any possible explanation for the fact that it doesn't work anymore ?

THanks in advance

Mélanie.

[compar]

We are having exactly this same discussion in another thread. Why don't you have a look at http://www.highranki...owtopic=646&hl= I think all your questions may be answered there.

[mels]

Bob, thank you very much for the link... I'm sorry I didn't run a search before asking, that was kind of stupid... I'm going to read your whole discussion right now. Thanks again for giving me the link !

Mélanie.

[Jill]

You should never try to optimize for one-word keywords.

Jill

[mels]

Jill,

Thank you very much for your answer, this really helped a lot ! I was really starting to have doubts You know how clients can be when they decide that what you do is wrong... Usually when I know what I'm doing I don't doubt but he insisted SO much that I was starting to feel bad...

Now my self confidence is back thanks to you ! I'm going to confirm him again what I said before then... Wish me luck...

Thanks again !!!


Mélanie

[Jill]

Hey Mels...the client is supposed to listen to YOUR advice. Not the other way around. They hired you for a job, and now it's up to them to let you do what you're supposed to do. If they believe that they are really the experts, then they should simply go do whatever crazy SEO stuff that they want and leave you out of it!



Jill

[mels]

You are SO right Jill... This really made me loose my focus... I have to send him a couple of positionning reports today, I ran a couple of searches on articles and such that clearly specify what you confirmed regarding keywords, which should show him that I know my stuff and that he's the only one contradicting the info... I'll try to find obvious examples as well to show him how wrong this idea is... I just need to find them...

Thanks again, this really means a lot... I lost self confidence a few years ago for personal reasons, and lost it for everything, it took me a long time to regain it on a professionnal level so it's still very much fragile... But knowing that I did nothing wrong really makes me feel better about this all... and about myself...

Here's to you Jill

Mélanie

[BrianR]

Melanie

I may be guilty of trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs, (do they use that expression in France??) and forgive me if I am.

But sometimes when a clients start to work against you rather than with you on a project, it's time to take a deep breath and just walk away, because it'll only end in tears later.

You know you're offering the right advice, so more fool him for not listening to you. Sounds like one of these people who buys a dog and then barks himself!

It's a lesson I learned the hard way in my early consulting days.

BrianR

[compar]

Melanie

I may be guilty of trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs, (do they use that expression in France??) and forgive me if I am.

But sometimes when a clients start to work against you rather than with you on a project, it's time to take a deep breath and just walk away,

Brian they don't use that expression anywhere

But you are completely right about walking away. Sometimes the client will let you walk and sometimes they will beg you to stay and get off your back.

In sales parlance this is known as the negative close. If all else fails you look the customer straight in the eye and say "I wouldn't sell this to you anyway. I don't think you can afford it, or, I don't think you have the intelligence to use it properly". This is a very risky approach but if you've already lost the sale what have you got to lose, and human nature being what it is sometimes it works. I told this to a customer one time and started for the door. They almost tackled me and wrote me the check in full just to prove that I was wrong and they really could afford it. I laughed all the way to the bank.

So I'd be inclined to tell the guy that if he doesn't want to accept your best advice that you recommend he find someone else. If he gave you a deposit offer it back to him. If he asks you to continue ask him for a larger deposit. Don't take that crap!