I have just been accused of being "dishonest" because I worked for someone doing optimization and he decided he wasn't getting the desired results fast enough, so they "investigated" me online and "found out" that --

"you didn't had a clue on optimizing sites so you where going on forums to learn about it. Isn't it right, Mrs "comeoutontop."

Ugh. I am so discouraged! I am posting this, not because I am thrilled to be admintting that I have an unhappy client, but because I hope that there are other out there, who can commiserate. I sincerely do my best; I research and study this and other technologies for up to 4 hours a day in order to stay somewhat on top of things and to eek a living!--and still--this. Believe me, I'm not earning "big money," but for the record, here's the rest of it -

"In other words, you charged me to go on forums and get most of the
time, amateurs advices on how to optimize my site. No wonder it's no showing
anywhere.

But the worse part is when I saw that you had posted links to the pages that
I was working on on the forum without my concent to get other people's
advices and you would relay they toughts back to me via Email as your
personal judjment.

In other words, your expertise is not realy yours but some stranger on a
forum and you charged me big money for these "free advises".

Some of this I have no idea where he has come up with, but whatever...I am not going to argue. I'm just not going to collect my last invoice (for an entire month's salary!), which really stinks.

Has this happened to any of you? Does it make anyone else just want to quit??

Signed,

Really discouraged SEO

I understand what your saying, though I dont do SEO as a service to anyone. But you need to tell him that if he looked at it in a different way he should actually be worried if he didn't see you on the forums getting advice and opinions from other SEO professionals. Because without that how are you supposed to keep up on whats working and whats not to everyone else? What your doing is for the best intrest of the client and he has to realize that hes paying you for your time as well. Not just what you know. If he were to go out and do his own SEO is would take him twice as long because he probably knows nothing about it.

Any true SEO needs to stay active in the SEO community to be successful in my opinion.

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Join the GreenStalk Quality Web Directory

When I was a computer tech, I read microsoft books to keep up to date. SEO is not found in books published by microsoft and all. So you have to find your knowledge on forums or other sites. I saw big seo dudes ask questions to other members, it does not make them idiots. The guy is unhappy because he does not rank, normal. You will always have an unhappy customer somewhere no mather what. Get used to it, it's like that. The thing is, that guy will have to find an other dude to get his site ranked now. It takes a lot of time, reading, testing... to get the knowledge to perform in seo. Let him find a dude that does not need to ask questions to perform, like seo guy for example, he'll get the quotation of his life.

Just explain that you maintain active within the SEO community because the business is always changing and you like to keep a pulse on things...

I'm sorry to say this, but your client is an idiot. Accomplished salespeople tend to go to more sales seminars than newbies; the same goes with ANY industry...the experts tend to keep in contact with one another.

Oh well. If you really want to have some fun and it doesn't violate any contracts, start an affiliate site through his main competitor and outrank him -- okay, I'm a jerk, but I am a loanshark after all.

Cygnus

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Two projects I'm working on: Car Insurance (spidering test) and Auto Insurance

I agree with wlh.
this is a very dynamic field that requires constant research and gain of knowledge, you cannot find new insights if you don't follow the latest progression...

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סיט| Israel Web Solutions

Are you freakin kidding me! What an ASS! Comeoutontop, what I know today, doesnt work tomorrow, what I know tomorrow I shouldnt have done today. The fact is I get just as much out of this forum as I put in as does everyone else, we are here to learn and stay current because guess what, SE's are moving targets.

Anyone who says they have never failed is honestly kidding themselves, I had a client once about a year back that was a spice rack guy, I got him #1 for spice rack and spice racks and then BAM almost the next week we get hit by florida. You know what? I felt soooo bad, luckily he understood. But then I had another client (A complete ass like your guy) who I got to the first page for atlanta real estate, atlanta real estate agent etc, and you know what, all he did was ***** about his rankigns STILL! And then he didnt pay his bill, so I cut off all his links and removed the SEO and he dropped like a stone, and so the bastard went to every forum trying to discredit me because of it, it was a nightmare!

The fact of the matter is we all have clients that are not performing as well as we like, some understand and soem are complete jerks, but dont let this ******* make you think that you are in the wrong for trying to stay on top of your game by visiting here or anywhere else. I visit seochat, webmasterworld. Jimworld, highrankings, webproworld and tons of others at least once a week why? Not because I dont know what Im doing, but because I do! That is what your client doesnt understand.

I will even give you a real world example. We worked a site for logo design software, logo design company, logo design service and logo design now the first ones we had no trouble at all with but "logo design" is taking forever! The client is frusterated and so am I, but he is pretty cool about it. The point im trying to make, is everyone here struggles with rankings, and for the most part we apply the same knowlege, dont sweat it, and if worst comes to worst you can always come work for SEO Guy

(Insert sincere flower emoticon here)

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Vote for your favorite SEO site and tell your visitors about this great place, please link to us http://www.seo-guy.com with the anchor text SEO and let them know how you feel

Good day to all you guys out there! Just a big thanks to you seo guy for your posting. It really is as you say..
I am also spending almost all of my time in the internet and in boards. It is just great to get opinions,news and ideas, because I am almost always forgetting something.
I have the luck that now my very first seo job is pretty easy and I got some little experience with my sites. One thing that I still lack is patience..
Try to convince this guy, asking him real world examples.
He may own a business, so he is also informing himself..
Greetings
David

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SEO Directory SEO Wiki

THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who responded. I took a day or so off to lick my wounds, but I'm back now and it really helped to return to the support of colleagues.

What good insight you have! Yes, he's a jerk. No, I don't have any contracts, but am going to try to remain professional and not get too pissy.

I am also not going to push this all onto him. Although i am always careful not to make promises or to create unrealistic expecations, somewhere along the line I must have done a poor job managing my clients expecations for him to be so bitter. I'm going to work on that.

SEO-guy, I especially agree with your statement that you do it not because you don't know what to do, but to keep on knowing what to do. I like that. I visit this and other seo websites because I know of no other way to keep on top of the rapid and often confusing changes that are being made in this industry. The information here is far more relevant and ultimately useful to that which I could find in a book or in a university or for that matter, probably anywhere! Of course, I know that, but I appreciate the reminder.

I do all the research so that I am educated and CAN do good work--work that hopefully helps folks move toward success, which I guess is why this stings so much. So, ok...on to the next client.

Again, thanks everyone for the support. And special thanks to SEO-Guy. Your real-life examples really make me feel less alone! It is good to hear that even YOU struggle with these situations. For a short guy, you're pretty smart. :-)

And yes...I may be requesting a job application soon :-) LOL

--Kimberly