I have been hired by a middle size corp. to handle the SEO/SEM end of their website.
I am having to work with the clients entire team, a webmaster, a copyrighter, marketing director, etc.
I have spent 5 long hard years night and day reading, studying, perfecting and constantly refining my seo methods into various steps and techniques and I do not wish to disclose any more than I have to and/or I want to protect my methods or processes from being used by the client or having them disclose to any other competitors, webmasters, etc. any of my techniques etc.
What do you folks do to protect yourselves?
Is this even an issue I should concern myself with?
I feel it is.
Do larger companies balk or object to signing such agreements?
I have a basic non-disclosure agreement I use when I hire an independent contractor to do work that I direct and oversee.
That covers non-disclosure and non-compete.
I wonder if adapted if that would be adequate?
I don't really forsee this being an issue with this client but I want to cover myself. As any of you know, it often takes years of hard work in this field.
Anyone care to share a copy I can adapt of their agreement layout?
I should have bundled it into the original agreement but I an add it yet as an adendum.
Forgive me if that is an offensive request, I just could use some help adapting mine or creating a new one.
everything is out there. some people crawl the web and collect and analyze all their own data anyway.
a client who understands your process is more likely to be a good client. odds are if they know what all they must do they wont want to do it anyway. and if they snag some of thei info and do stuff themselves then they will probably only snag part of the info and screw it up and screw themselves over in the process.
as far as I am concerned it is just about impossible to be too open with clients.
Do larger companies balk or object to signing such agreements?
Any company worth a grain of salt will respect such an agreement. If they are a large corporation most likely it will be have to be reviewed by a legal advisor, but again things like that are standard in the corporate world.
As any of you know, it often takes years of hard work in this field.
Really! Its all on the net and I guess it takes no more than about 5-15 hours to cover everything up-to-date! Unless I have missed something YOUR method is bound to be covered somewhere on the Internet and you do not have a leg to stand on.
Most companies can get around any kind of agreement; depending on the state (if in US). I'd just make sure you have an agreement to get paid.
If you have some deep dark secret to getting high rankings:
1) Share it with us first.
2) If, after ~ 8 months, you can't rank them through "normal" methods and they agree to let you try your other way, do it without telling what you are doing. This probably won't happen.
3) Most companies are on the up and up and wouldn't have hired you unless they already know that what ever you are making is less than what they could have accomplished on the inside. And, since most of the SEO types I know are making about $1 per hour, you are cheaper than their people.
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3) Most companies are on the up and up and wouldn't have hired you unless they already know that what ever you are making is less than what they could have accomplished on the inside. And, since most of the SEO types I know are making about $1 per hour, you are cheaper than their people.
I think most companies are shady IMHO
but I think the best way to do SEO services is to
-build a strong brand and charge what you are worth -or-
-create passive income streams -or-
-only work for yourself.
I do think there are a lot of shady companies. But, after working for many, at high levels, I've learned most try to avoid trouble. It's no wonder lawers make so much $$$.
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Non-disclosure agreement are pretty much worthless. Look, Any web monkey can learn SEO. why doesn't the inhouse web designer / marketing expert do it? It takes time. You don't do an all nighter and become a online marketing wiz.
SEO is a small part of it.
A company always wants more people to their site, but your job is also to analyse the company's marketing P&P.
Are they using what they have?
In other words, can you analyse the stats, and increase the conversion rate of what they are getting now.
Example:
lets say that mid-sized company currently gets 1000 leads a month (they want more - of course)
The CEO is bitching because sales are in the toilet.
They're in house web guy has told the company they need SEO and they hire you.
You look at the company stats and find 60% of the leads are bogus
You show them how to get 70% good leads and you increase their SEO.
More people better leads, (why would they not want you back instead of the inhouse guy who collects his pay and plays FarCry)
Then you look at how many leads are being contacted (it may be the sales guys are screw ups) Maybe there is no sales policy, the sales guys are are usually husters who have they're own way of doing thing, so you set up a contact call back policy. Sales increase, because of accountability.
SEO is not the solution to all problems.
So they hire you the next time not because you are an SEO expert but because you can market the web.
The fact is the client has no idea what he wants. They are wandering around in the dark, and a developers job is to show them the light. I hate hearing guys say, well that what they wanted.
Clients & Non-disclosure of SEO methods
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