I promised something I couldn't deliver on. If I break my promise, I could lose all my other work. Please advise on how to approach this..

April 5, 2011 7:58 PM

I promised something I couldn't deliver on. If I break my promise, I could lose all my other work. Please advise on how to approach this..

I became an "Search Engine Optimization Specialist" about 4 years ago when it was relatively easy to get websites to the top of Google. You know-- optimize pages, post links on some high PR sites, get instant google street cred and rise to the top. I got promoted fast at work and gained a bunch of contracts. All has been well up to the last month or so. Google's algorithm has evolved so much now it is quite complex. It takes a huge amount of effort to achieve the results I used to always get right away. I got a huge contract this month for a client in a major city with like thousands of similar competitors. I have tried my best but don't know if I can get him the results I promised.

I don't want to lose my other contracts as a result of not being able to complete this one...like a domino effect. I don't know if I should offer my boss his moneys back or cut the price in half, because although I have reached some results - they are just not nearly what the client wanted.

Please advise on what I should do / how I should approach this with my boss / client / evil overlord.

Thanks

posted by audio to Work & Money (10 answers total)

Can you extend the contract, telling your client what you've told us? The algorithm has changed, and it's going to take an expert, like you, some more tweaking to get the results that used to be easier. You're not able to get exactly the results with the exact same strategy, which is good data, and maybe helpful to the client, so long as you can get the results in a little more time for the same money?
posted by xingcat at 8:09 PM on April 5, 2011

Response by poster: I feel like this one is way too big that even if he gave me the budget for it... I would still have problems. All the competitors are using SEO firms. So its like, me (one guy) against 15 specialists located in a fancy office somewhere.
posted by audio at 8:27 PM on April 5, 2011

Can you sub-contract it to the 15 specialists yourself?
posted by Mad_Carew at 8:38 PM on April 5, 2011

You can't make promises based on a system you don't control. Educate your client about the fact that your promise was based on a search environment that Google has now radically changed. If they're logical and you're a good communicator, they'll understand why those results are no longer possible.

Then, stop making promises that Google has to keep, and starting helping people promote their web presence based on good content, not fragile tricks.
posted by anildash at 9:58 PM on April 5, 2011 [22 favorites]

Let me understand what you are saying here.

You promised? As in, a guarantee? Did you say you usually get results etc. without guaranteeing it? Did the client come to you solely because of your reputation and you said nothing? If you promised, is it a verbal promise that contradicts the contract or does the contract also guarantee results?

Did you find out about Google's algorithm change before you accepted the contract? Or, did the algorithm change/did you find out about the change after you accepted the contract? What does your contract say happens in the event of "environmental risks" like that?

What was the bid like? did you leave yourself any room to bill the final cost, or is it an immutable fixed bid that will have to be renegotiated?

I realize the algorithm changed. How does that mean you can't finish the work? Do you no longer understand the formula as well as your competitors? Or, do you understand it but are now required to put in many more hours?

--

If you guaranteed results in the legal sense, you have made a big mistake. Unless you limited your liability for failing to live up to the guarantee in the contract, your client can take you to court for an extraordinary sum of money. Best to get a waiver signed, pay back whatever you have to, and get out of the contract.

In any other situation, it's up to you. It sounds like you've put in the same hard work as always, so don't feel bad about charging your full price. When it comes to budget vs. premium, your client should know he gets what he pays for. That said, I agree you should not have accepted this job. Too many big SEO projects fail for this reason.

Hopefully the client's expectations are entirely their own fault and they agree to a revised bid, and since you still understand the algorithm you are able to hire contractors to fix what is merely manpower shortage on your end, completing the project successfully. Meanwhile, you are revising your pricing and recruiting people so that you can compete in this new, more competitive SEO market.
posted by michaelh at 9:58 PM on April 5, 2011 [2 favorites]

You need to graciously refer him to the specialists and find a new line of work.
posted by roboton666 at 10:26 PM on April 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Bite the bullet and admit defeat to the client, then give them their money back. That will make good on your guarantee, and earn you more respect among your other contacts. People will know that you stand by your word.
posted by infinitefloatingbrains at 10:42 PM on April 5, 2011

Best answer: Explain the changes you made to their site. Explain how those changes are helpful to the company. Explain that google recently changed their search algorithms, so the effect has been lessened compared to what it would have been even just a few months ago. Tell them you're done with the work you agreed to do. Bill them. Do not offer a concession. Do not promise anything more you cannot deliver. Do not apologize more than once or at most twice in the conversation. Don't let the apology be the last thing you tell them. If you can do more with more time and more money, tell them that. If you can't, don't mention it. Be prepared with a referral to the big fancy guys that you know can get better results if they ask for it. Walk away with your head held high because you still delivered a good value for their money (you did, right?), you learned something important for the future, and your work will not dry up overnight. Understand that people in this thread are right to rag on what you did, but you're more than the mistakes you make, and you have plenty of time to correct course as long as you don't keep compounding the error.

Doing things right is like quitting smoking: it's never too late to reap the benefits.
posted by jsturgill at 10:46 PM on April 5, 2011 [10 favorites]

Maybe I am not understanding the terminology in your question.... are you a freelancer writing your own contracts or are you an employee of a larger corporation (you said you "got promoted")? If you are part of a larger corporation, talk to your management.

Use the advice in this thread to decide what to do in this case, but then figure out what to do for future contracts too. Does the corporation need to hire more SEO experts and become one of those fancy 15-person offices and then pursue the larger more complex contracts? Or do they (you?) need to evaluate the new algorithms and make decisions about which contracts you can accept and which ones to pass on (maybe you get a referral fee from the bigger guys)? Do you need to evaluate the language in the contracts and specify what actions you will take but not guarantee the results?

Or maybe you need to apply for a job at one of those fancy 15-person offices and become part of their SEO team where you can grow your knowledge and still be involved in this line of work.
posted by CathyG at 7:54 AM on April 6, 2011

Also ... might want to stop making such promises in the future. Google has pretty much wiped out the SEO crowd and it might be time to change gigs.
posted by rr at 7:55 AM on April 6, 2011