SEO “Double Dipping” is a No-No

You’ve paid an SEO company to conduct deep research on which search terms your prospects are using to find your product/service online. Many hours of keyword research that go onto your bill.

Then that same vendor turns around and signs one of your competitors as a client. Why is this a problem? Doesn’t a hard-working search engine optimizer have the right to carve a niche market for him/herself - becoming specialized in, say, your industry?

No.

At least, that’s what I believe; it’s a Wild West out there in terms of what SEO suppliers in general will do, but I don’t like the practice of what I’ll call “double dipping.” Let me explain.

The most effective keywords/phrases are the lifeblood of every SEO strategy. Keywords with the highest search volumes plus lower competitiveness by other websites are worth their weight in gold.

No fondue allowed: keep your fork out of my goodies!

These golden keywords are your pot at rainbow’s end. You don’t want that turning into a fondue - with competitors dipping into it and enjoying the gains!

Not to mention the other strategies (design, social media, email marketing, etc.) that my team develops to have your company kick butt online… Do you want that shared with competitors?

To set my clients at ease that this kind of conflict of interest won’t occur, I include a clause in each contract that goes like this:

“writingSEO will not conduct business of any size or duration with any competitor of CLIENT NAME during the period of service as stipulated in this contract. CLIENT and writingSEO have defined “competitors” as the following: xxxx…”

The last bit is where my client gets to spell out the specifics:

• Names of companies they compete with
• Types of vertical industries
• Geographic areas of service

It’s only fair: Your money, your keywords, your SEO success.