Why I Don't Want "Clients"

I made a mistake earlier this year.

Somebody asked me if I could build them a cheap and cheerful web site for their new startup business.

I tried to get out of it, but in the end agreed on the basis that it would be just a basic web site, with a nice design, as long as they provided the copy.

Guess what?

The site has been completed (as far as any site is ever complete) and now they ask,
"could you get the web site up the google rankings. we’ve tried searching for our website, but drawn a blank".

The client in this case is an estate agent who's opening a new business in a related niche.

He charges 1% of the value of any property he sells, so his "service" is valued at say an average of £3-4000 a time.

His new company's service will be just as lucrative, but he wants to spend no money on a service that could give him a top ten Google ranking and bring in loads of new business.

I explained politely that web design is not the same as search engine placement.

I could get him that top spot he craves, but I don't want to.

ANY search engine placement company would be stupid to give such a service away for next to nothing.

ANY search engine placement company that can actually get results would not be messing around dealing with tin pot outfits in the first place - they'd be finding a way to leverage their skill into a profit share situation and then earning a residual income on the back of their efforts.

That way, everyone's a winner.

That's what I do. It means that I work for ME.

Clients. Who needs 'em?