SEO by Commission. Don't Do It!
Posted On: January 27, 2011 at 3:25 p.m.
When I first switched to running Pageworthy full time over 3 years ago I thought that I could really do something different in the SEO world by working by commission, which no one seemed to be doing. Now I know why. It doesn’t work!
But let me give some background and some of my own experiences with this model. I think what made the part about being paid on commission so natural for me was two things. First, I had worked as a salesman before getting into online marketing so I liked that I could make more money by working both harder and smarter. Second, it seemed like it was such a win-win for everyone involved.
I came across an article on this subject today while searching for something else and it really resonated with my experience with this payment model. I have allowed myself to be burned by this model way too many times. It seemed I kept going back to it because it seemed so simple. “I get paid according to how good of a job I do,” I would say to myself and my client. Yet, months later after tons of hard work and the rankings and returns were rolling in, the client would inevitably have a change of mind and I would be left out in the cold. Admittedly, I’m too nice when it comes to things like this, which is all the more reason to never use this payment model again.
Don’t agree to do SEO by commission unless you have tremendous trust in the honesty and the longevity of the merchant.
So 3 years later and I look over and see other SEO companies who use an hourly, retainer or PPC percent of spend payment model thriving and finally realize that’s the better model. The other option and what I’m switching to is to use the affiliate model which obviously works very well.
Just wanted to save someone else a little pain hopefully.
Patrick Oct. 23, 2011 at 8:12 p.m.
Hi Neum, It doesn’t sound like the model failed you. It seems your lack of foresight failed you. For something like SEO that take months to take affect you have to have a long term contract that ensures you get commission. I have seen companies using a commission model that require a three year contract. This can be very lucrative if you are good and structure it correctly.
Neum Nov. 14, 2011 at 2:23 p.m.
I did have a long term contract. For me it just came down to being willing to get a lawyer to get paid. While I have no doubt the contract could have been enforced it just wasn’t worth the time / stress of going to court to do it.