SEO Manchester – Client 1 Update

Things have been going well on my first SEO project.

The clients site is now on page 3 of Google for his main keyword (up from page 15 since my last post) and on page 1 for each of his 3 secondary keywords. We are now looking at expanding his site/keywords to focus on new areas of his business.

I am also in the early stages of securing my second customer (more details to follow).

SEO Manchester Client Update

It’s been nearly 3 weeks since my ‘first client’ post. I had a few really nice emails wishing me well and I’m sure it wasn’t just people getting into the Christmas spirit, they really meant it.

Although we have still not met personally I’ve got to know my first SEO client pretty well. We did try to get a game of golf in but the snow put paid to that idea. Neverthless we have spoken over the phone once and been in touch via email pretty much every day.

His website is www*hisownname*co*uk and he wanted to improve his non existent Google rankings for his main business keyword plus 3 associated keywords.

We made a lot of improvements to his on-page SEO and I’ve been busy with the off-page SEO. As it currently stands he is on page 15 of Google UK for his main keyword, on page 2 for one of the associated keywords and on page 1 for the remaining 2 keywords. He has already been invited to an appointment as a direct result of the potential customer making a search on the page 2 keyword.

My client has already paid me for my work done so far and we have agreed a monthly retainer.

I have also started to get more enquiries and am hoping to have client number 2 soon.

First SEO Manchester Client

It’s been interesting to see the reaction to my site from the SEO community in Manchester. I’ll be honest and admit that one of the main reasons for this project was that it appeared that many SEO specialists in Manchester had their heads way too far up their own backsides!

This has been borne out by some of the emails I have been sent together with the odd blog post I have seen giving me a slating. Conversely, I realise that I cannot tar all SEO specialists with the same brush because I have also received a good few complimentary messages.

The site started out as a bit of fun and as I said right at the outset I was (and still am in the eyes of many) a complete novice. I took the teachings of a very experienced SEO specialist, whose posts about on-page SEO I came across completely by accident and thought right, let’s see if I can make them work.

Well, they have because I’m at the top spot. I’ve been ridiculed because I’m boasting about my achievements in a non-competitive marketplace. Well, blow me! All the SEO companies in Manchester aren’t competing for business or aren’t bothered about getting on the first page of Google. Seems a bit of an odd one that to me! SEO companies aren’t interested in competing for the top spots in their own marketplace. Well, if they weren’t competing on the keywords “SEO Manchester” before my site appeared I know that there’s a few who are now desperately trying to knock me off the top spot! Plus, to all those who have given me a slating and called my site pointless, if it’s resulted in people asking me to do SEO on their sites rather than going to the companies they own/work for I think you have your answer!

Anyway, back to the post topic. The good things that have come out of this site are:

1) I’ve had SEO companies offering me a job.

2) I’ve had companies asking me to do SEO on their websites.

3) I’ve had offers from people interested in buying my site.

The job offers don’t interest me as I don’t want to work for anyone else and I’m not interested in selling the site (at least not at the moment).

As far as doing SEO for clients it was something that I never set out to achieve or even considered and I have turned them all down. Until recently. I got an email from a business owner in Sale which basically said “Can you do the same or similar for my site and if so how much? He had already spoken to a number of SEO companies and wasn’t impressed with what he’d heard.

I had a look at his site and thought why not? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I’ve been totally up front about how and why my site came about and my level of SEO knowledge (which is now tenfold what it was when I created this website). He knows that he will be my first ever client and that I am using him to test my skills. This will of course be reflected in the fee I will charge (he has already said that my figure is way too low). I have literally spoken to him for the first time in person on the phone this morning, rather than just via email, and we are both happy with the arrangement.

I’ve already pointed out how he can improve his on-page SEO in a number of places and I’ve started on off-page SEO this week.

So, an interesting but welcome outcome has materialised from this SEO Manchester site. It may not lead to anything but then again?

My SEO Manchester site remains in No.1 Spot

It’s over 6 weeks since my last post and my seomanchester.org.uk site has remained at number 1 for the duration.

A lot has been happening over this period and I’ll expand on that in a new post.