Comments on: Inheriting a Website That’s Been on a SEO Honeymoon

By: SeoProfy

SeoProfy — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:28:35 +0000

good post, never heard about seo honey moon saying, but i know how it works)

thanks for informative post

By: Referencement

Referencement — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:44:40 +0000

I think it’s a good idea for a client to work with different agencies, netlinking is quite an important ranking factor and every seo agency use different link sources.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:49:57 +0000

If you see a lot of beginner’s mistakes, they haven’t been on their honeymoon yet.

By: Ben McKay

Ben McKay — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:01:38 +0000

Hi David, I totally agree that it is rare for an agency to inherit a website after seeing relatively good results from the previous agency/consultant, but I can assure you it does happen, even though it might not be the norm.

Just to provide a few examples…
- Transfer of a SEO account for more pragmatic reasons…e.g. expansion of responsibilities that is out of the skill set or capacity of the former agency – this might include items like PR, social media or link-building.
- Transfer of a SEO account as part of larger marketing and media buying remit, as an account is won by a new marketing or media buying agency.
- Internal transfer of SEO account managers (the previous person in charge at a SEO agency leaves, or is promoted out of the position).

As it does occur, in my mind it’s worth considering. It’s the inclination of any good SEO specialist to look to set and achieve realistic targets, and I think this feeds in to make the process all the more realistic.

Regarding inheriting a website that’s been part of a flawed SEO process, I think many people can acknowledge instances where this has happened…but the same applies, education and transparency works wonders! Either way understanding as much as possible about the history of an account can play real dividends. :)

Hi Pete, pleased you agree. And thanks for your comment and for stopping by! :)

By: imrose

imrose — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:15:52 +0000

Thanks for sharing this great article David. bet of luck.

By: Peter Young

Peter Young — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:17:39 +0000

Thats a good point David, and its often a case of managing expectations with those clients rather than inheriting a site on the up, although thats not to say it doesnt happen – Just its often the exception rather than the rule….

That said there are some fantastic tips in the post as to processes that should be undertaken as standard when taking a new project, certainly an understanding of what has previously been proposed/implemented is always good to understand previous focus/methodology.

By: David Leonhardt

David Leonhardt — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 02:39:36 +0000

This is a fascinating post, but I think for most people it’s academic. Although it might happen on a very rare occasion that somebody inherits a website after an SEO honeymoon, most companies don’t change SEOs when things are going well. More likely – as has often happened to me – the company wants a new SEO after the previous one botched things up or failed to live up to the company’ unreasonable #1-ranking-in-six months expectations. The client comes to us already not trusting SEOs and questioning whether to put any resources into the process.