• SEO Book, Tuesday, July 8, 2008 1:48 PM

Aaron Wall argues that search pros that spend all their time providing client-side SEO services are a dying breed, because pure-play SEO consultancy requires too much effort for too little reward. "The best consultants could usually make more promoting their own sites and brands than they would working for clients," Wall says.

One of the most common obstacles an SEO consultant comes up against is a prospective client with a poorly established brand. "Most prospective SEO customers are not ranked well because their businesses are unremarkable and have little to no competitive advantage," Wall says. "In many cases it would be cheaper, easier, and more profitable building from scratch with a strong brand and domain name that was built around succeeding on the Web."

Unfortunately, said clients would rather hire someone who will plod on, optimizing their Web site, developing content and trying to snag rankings--and all on the cheap. So when Wall does sign on for an SEO-specific gig, the project either has educational potential, or pertains to a client/vertical that he's really interested in.

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