SEO – why not to offer work based on payment for results

As a Silence company, we’ve been operating in SEO since 2005. Since then, the SEO industry has undergone many transformations. Optimization methods, links acquisition have changed, and most importantly competition has increased, both in the search results and in the market. Unfortunately, one thing has not changed.

SEO based on payment for the effect

We often meet clients who want to pay for the effect in the form of page position on selected keywords. That is: if we get the top positions in web search engine, then we will get money for the achieved effects. What’s worse, unfortunately, there are a lot of agencies where such a billing model still applies and is based on customers’ ignorance. Because there is a lot of room for abuse in this model:

• Customizing Google results for a specific user. So different results are seen by the agency, different by the client.
• The selection of keywords by the agency can be done so as to earn as much as possible, but not necessarily get traffic to the site. A very common situation is where the agency responsible for the effect offers a packet of keywords, where some phrases are often searched, at a relatively low price, and a packet of not searched phrases at all (like “eyeglass frames for children on X street in Zabrze”), which are even cheaper than the previous ones. This makes it easy to achieve results for phrases from the latter group, which translates into earnings for the agency. This first group of phrases, which is more useful to the customer most of the time does not reach any positions unfortunately which usually ends with customer dissatisfaction.
• Contract for a year, maybe even longer, i.e. despite the lack of effects, the client is attached to the agency for a long time.  Customer does not pay anything, but – time is money, waiting for results also costs. And at this time you can not cooperate with another agency, because for its effects you will also have to pay the agency settling “for the effect”.

From our perspective, it looks like this: “Let’s sign a contract, and what we stick to, we will invoice.”

How much does website positioning cost?

On the other hand, we are surprised that there are people (clients) who expect work for free. For positioning activities you need: knowledge, experience and work of people, tools (very often paid). Position monitoring tools alone cost money, and it can take several hours for a SEO specialist to accurately select key phrases. To this: in-depth audit, analysis of competition and current visibility, analysis of results, specific proposals for changes. In addition, if a company carries out an SEO audit and the changes are implemented – even if the expected positions are not achieved and the client terminates cooperation with the agency – the results of this audit will remain with the website. And such audits and implementing changes cost money.

So if the agency offers payment only for the effect – you are not sure if the positioning is carried out properly, whether your money is an investment – or a loss. The agency can only do the minimum by showing “effects” and invoicing, but not actually increasing traffic or sales. Add to this a long-term contract and the client becomes a hostage.

That is why we encourage you to cooperate with the agency. Which turns into benefits for both parties. Fortunately, those that duly apply to work also exist.

And below what can be gained when choosing an agency with which to establish cooperation on a partnership basis:

• audit of keywords that give a strategy for future activities on the site – the choice of phrases that will actually attract traffic;
• site audit that will adapt the site to the current requirements of Google, and this will give it the opportunity to rank on tens, hundreds or even thousands of key phrases;
• taking care of the agency over the site, which will analyze the situation on a regular basis and give further guidance to the site;
• getting links and advice on getting links in an unconventional way to stay ahead of the competition;
• reporting, thanks to which you will be able to settle your agency as your employee;
• a contract with a short notice – if you can’t keep up with your agency, you simply give it up!