SEO compensation

Hi guys,

I could use some help please. I am an SEO from Asia, and have been doing web marketing, optimization, PPC, and whatever we call it on an outsourcing basis for almost 3 years now.

For the first 2 years, I have been dealing with small SEO clients, since, I was new, and had to grab a foothold in this industry.

I am not a killer SEO, but I do my job, work hard, and work smart; when required. My real problem is slightly different..

Usually, during the initial phase of my career, I used to charge around $250-300 per month for any amount of SEO. But I utilized this time to learn more of this trade, and at least, I have a wealth of information on my side.

For the past few months, I decided to bid adieu to my small clients, and moved in with a large SEO company. During the first 3 months, my boss used to test me with different clients, and it seemed to me that he was testing my skills. Not that I complained, and I used to receive around $350 per month for my efforts.

However, the last 2 months, I have been doing some extensive SEO work for around 18-20 of our clients, and yes, I have been working nights.. To my satisfaction, I found out that almost all of our clients have started seeing results (these clients were clinching on to the last spots like 200 or so in the SERPs), and my boss was happy too.. No black hat SEO.. But things looked grim when I requested payment.
Browsing through forums, I got a fair idea of the compensation, still, I charged around $200-250 per client, and requested $3600 for the whole work. But on second thoughts I reduced it and asked $2000 for the entire work.

But my boss disagrees, and says that he will only pay $700, and he doesn’t have the budget to accommodate more. Is this true? And is this fair? How much do you get to manage SEO for clients (For seeing results and improving traffic) in the US?

Any help much appreciated!

Thanks!

James Micheal

I always ask SEO's this question; what is your time worth? That is the answer to your question, in my mind it seems your probably doing more work than what your being paid for. My lowest monthly clients is $700.00 a month and I spent easily 30-40 hours between me and my other partners (outsourced stuff). I wouldn't still service them if the person wasn't a good friend who landed me a large $5000+ monthly client. The main point is charge what your time is worth, not what you think will land the client\work and undercut yourself.

It is your job to make as much as possible for the use of your time. It is your boss's job to buy your time as cheaply as possible.

Are you selling time? Or, are you selling expertise?

If your boss says: do this, do that, do this, do that... and you do what he says then you are selling time.

If your boss says: get this site up in the rankings and you do that without instruction you are then selling expertise.

As long as you are selling time you are at the mercy of the boss. But if you are selling expertise then you have the ability to leave and do it on your own.

If you can do it on your own you should be able to build your own site and make far more than whatever your boss pays... because he must make a profit from your work and the client must also make a profit from your work.

So, if I was in that situation, I would start building some websites of my own and find out just how good I really am. You will find out if you have a higher opinion of your work than is merited or if you can make all of the profits for yourself.

Well you're working for someone else so technically you manage at the value they desire "because" they accept the risk of poor results and you accept a guarantee pay [I assume] - if you said to the boss "I don't want any pay unless I achieve"... you may be able to swing the wage you desire.

You could always work for yourself again and make the fees at whatever you desire... but that is extremely risky if you have no clients or you can't perform to expectation, or get ill, or a million other reasons.

So you take the good with the bad no matter which way you go.

The bright side is "maybe the boss can't afford to pay what you desire but can't afford to lose you even more... ????"

Risks & rewards are one in the same.

@ssandecki,

Thanks for your input, but yes, I should probably learn to get compensated at least $15 per hour or there abouts..

@EGOL

Thanks for your excellent suggestions. Let me take this time to elaborate about my position.

I don't sell my time to him, I am responsible for all the strategies and stuff, and, at least, I have managed to increase the visibility by over 10 fold. Clients that used to show up in 50th and 200th spots were able to move either to the first page, or the second, and their traffic has increased too, not to mention conversions. Before requesting payment, my boss sent me an email from the client which stated that they were surprised at the performance. I am not exaggarating, but my boss never allows me to communicate with the clients directly, he doesn't give me access to clients emails, for even as small a thing as getting access to google analytics.

I think I will try and utilise these skills for myself, but the problem is I need to make an investment first up to make the efforts worth. Of course, I can use wordpress, or free blogs/domain hosting initially, but I am not sure whether my efforts will be visible for a long time..

Well said mate,

But, will anyone be willing to take a risk for more than 5 months? If I were a boss, and if my employee underperformed for 3 months on a trot, I would naturally fire him..

And this is not a matter of risk, he has been getting results, but heck, I think it is time to move on. I am just surprised when others talk about compensation of the order of 60-75K per year.. Maybe I will try and do the same things for me..

That kinda a loaded question... did you work for nothing while you works to achieve those superb results?

Hindsight is everything... but isn't worth much afterthefact... foresight is priceless!

I'm sure if you had said "boss I can get all these sites at #1 - can I get $300 per? and if I don't you don't need to pay me" ... he could say "client I have a deal for you... if we get you #1 will you pay a bonus? [which is what you are asking afterthefact]... but the fact is you weren't sure of yourself in advance to

Yes mate, that would have been apt, but do we know for sure that we can gain rankings? I am sure that aggressive stuff may help, but it is the job of the search engines, unless we find some black hat techniques.

I was sure of getting results, but it was pleasent to know that there have been noteworthy improvements. But, this is a debate that can go on for years, and still, we won't be able to find the end of the string..

But if you can provide me any suggestions as to how I may move forward, maybe, this will help.

Thanks!

Well 12 years ago I said "feast or famine I will never work for anyone again." ... and I didn't - I started a SEO company, made it successful, and gave it away... to do my own domains.

Nothing you've said has convince me that you're prepared to do what it takes... as you have clearly said "you got skills" but seem to be waiting until you can bankroll a company that has a net to fall into if the company can do it.?

"Feel the urgency"... knowing you don't have a net is a great motivator and let's face facts... you so much better than the company you're with and he did it without any trouble.

An important thing to consider is what you did on the site to make them bring in more traffic. If you simply did on-page optimization that is of small value - because anyone can do that and the upside is only good in very low competition (and hence low profit).

However, if you were able to attract genuine editorial links (these do not count: directory, press release, article syndication, forum posts, blog posts) then you have a chance at success. To get those links you created valuable content that other webmasters were willing to link to for free. Those webmasters thought that your content was so good that they would link to it without anything in return other than a good piece of content to share with their visitors - so good that they were willing to give you their traffic.

Set your priorities first.....

Do you always want to negotiate the deal with your employer,boss A ,boss B,Boss C and on and on....Or be your own boss and command the rates based on your expertise ?

I believe that every competent SEO out there has the potential to make big on his own.While there may be some constraints but its never too big to get scared off.I am not saying that you quit your job and start off on your own but thats not be ruled out entirely.

If you can do such a good job with your clients sites then there is a sure shot chance that you will do better stuff with your own sites.

A well thought of and promoted idea will fetch you 350*10 times the money.

Read between the lines and you will understand what i am trying to say....

I think all of you are right, and speak the same thing. Maybe it is time for me to move on and start things on my own. I will give it a try, even though the task looks daunting..

Thanks for your support and advice guys, I sure do appreciate it!

I think its not fair, you should earn 70% of the client paid for the service you do. Your boss should only get 30% of it cause he didn't do anything to make the site succeed. . .