The following email came from a client who received a “targeted” search engine optimization services pitch from a search engine optimization salesman who was prospecting for clients.
I changed the search engine optimization company and client names.
This is after my optimization of their old website started “miraculously” producing over 4,000 web visitors per month and new business – telephone calls, online and in store sales – where none had came from before.
Clients amaze me!
Hi Tim-
What do you think about this e-mail? I thought this was what your website optimization was supposed to accomplish. Help?
[Preferred Client]
—–Original Message—–
From: [ABC SEO Company]
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 3:14 PM
To: Website owner
Subject: Attn: [Jane Doe] Regarding [preferredclient.com]
Hello [Jane],
I was recently looking through [ABC Consumer] magazine and saw your advertisement. I took a look at your website and found it very appealing. I decided to do a little research on Google to see if your website was on the first page.
I searched for “[general product term] Oklahoma City” and your site did not come up in the natural search results on Google. I then tried “[another general product term] Oklahoma City” and even “[and even another general product term] Oklahoma City” again with no results. Potential customers are currently using keyword phrases similar to these to search for a company like yours. [PreferredClient.com] could and should be on the first page of major search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.
I work for ABC SEO Company, a search engine marketing firm. We help position websites on multiple search engines so you will come up for targeted keywords. It is surprising how many more customers you can attract with online marketing. If you have a couple minutes I would be happy to give you some information on how our services could benefit your business.
Please let me know if you have a few minutes to talk.
Best Regards,
ABC SEO Salesman
Research and Development
ABC SEO Salesman
PH: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Fax: xxx-xxx-xxxx
My response:
Hi [Preferred Client],
Well, my work sent 4,127 visitors from 11 different search engines between January 6, 2008 and February 5, 2008 via 1,528 keywords whereas prior to my work your site received 0 visitors monthly via 0 search engines.
During the same time period the visitors who came to your site via the 11 search engines on average viewed 13.46 pages each and spent 3:48 of their time on your site.
84.01% of the 4,127 visitors who arrived at your site via search engines had never been to the [PreferredClient.com] website before.
I don’t know whether the progression from 0 searches to 1, 2, 3 searches etc. is considered arithmetic, geometric or quadratic but I think the difference is quantifiable.
I also don’t know how many searches he thinks his recommendations would yield daily, weekly, monthly or yearly but I would definitely ask him for his estimate.
I think all you can do when you receive these type of emails is ask the sender what kind of search traffic they estimate their recommendations will deliver and then weigh their response with what your before and after search experience has been and is now.
I think only then would you have the necessary information needed for deciding whether pursuing their recommendations or not would be in the best interest of your business.
Wouldn’t you agree?
Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.
Thanks and all the best,
Tim Cohn
Search Marketing Communications 