SEO
8 Signs It’s Time To Fire A Bad Client & How To Do It
Client relationship building is a large part of your long-term business growth.
Your partnerships reflect your brand and your services, which is why you need to do your part in respecting your clients.
If your customers do not return the favor, you have the authority to take action.
This article explains why you should end a client relationship, how to amend it, and how to terminate the partnership.
8 Reasons Why It Might Be Time To End A Client Relationship
An essential part of the business is your ability to read clients, their motivations, and how they treat people respectfully.
Below are several situations you should reevaluate your relationship with the client and initiate a change.
1. The Client Requires More Time Than They Are Worth
You are an expert in your industry, so you understand how much your time is worth. If the time spent with the client is wasted and unproductive, it might be time to move on.
There is also an opportunity cost involved in working with a bad client. Investing extra time into a client that drains your energy will degrade your quality in other parts of the business.
Each client is critical and should be valued. However, you have a solid idea of how much each client is worth.
Here are some examples of how a lousy client might waste your time:
- Showing up unprepared for meetings.
- Unwillingness to commit to a plan, delaying the workflow process.
- Shooting down all your ideas.
- Taking a long time to reply to emails, questions, or deliverables.
2. The Client Continuously Shoots Down Your Recommendations
The client hired you for a reason: to guide them to success. Although the client knows their business, they signed a contract with you to provide actionable insights for their organization.
You invest your time to help the client reach goals. However, the client could delay the process by continuously rejecting your ideas, recommendations, and deliverables.
Yes, disagreement is common between a client and a company. However, there should be a mutual agreement that both parties will work it out and align on the overarching goal.
Sometimes the client may not see this and let other factors get in the way.
3. There Is Little Respect Between You And The Client
Respect is the foundation of any business relationship. When there is trust between the client and the company, you can create innovative ideas and achieve great things.
However, the relationship can sour when respect breaks with one of the parties. No respect means no trust, and no trust means it will be challenging to attain your goals.
If the client does not respect you, they will not trust your work. Therefore, it could be the right time to move on.
Always show respect, but you should reevaluate the relationship if the client does not return the favor.
4. There Is Minimal Communication Between You And The Client
When you and the client begin your relationship, you should agree on a primary communication channel. Will you communicate with the client best via phone, text, email, or online messaging?
You should also set parameters on an acceptable timeframe to respond to a message. Emergencies might arise, but both parties should agree on a good time window.
If either party cannot follow through with their commitment to communication, there should be a check-in discussion. If things still do not improve, it is time for both parties to go their separate ways.
5. The Relationship Is Not Progressing
A solid business relationship will continue to strengthen as both parties learn more about each other. If there is a culture or value fit, the relationship should blossom. Trust should build between the parties, and better ideas should flow.
If you engage with the client for several months and do not see an improvement in communication, it might be time to move in a different direction.
As the relationship endures, try to identify the best communication channels for you and the client.
Determine how and when they communicate the best and tailor your messages toward that channel. If you still do not see better workflows, you should speak with the client.
6. The Client Has A Pessimistic Attitude
You become what you think about. If the client constantly projects a negative vibe toward your working relationship, it will be challenging to achieve your goals. Your client relationships reflect your brand.
Yes, it is standard to become stressed, but these pressures should never impact your relationships negatively.
You can do your part to spread positivity. However, if the client shoots down your words of encouragement, it can demoralize your work. You may not feel motivated to produce your best quality work for the client.
7. You Are Losing Money On The Client
Although you run a “relationship business,” it comes to dollars and cents. If the time spent with the client does not produce profitable results, it might be time to go your separate ways.
Whether it is wasted time or minimal profit results, evaluate why you are losing money.
Approach the client about ways to improve the relationship and achieve these goals. If you continue to see no results, it is time to terminate the relationship.
8. The Client Is Verbally Abusive Or Makes Demands You Cannot Meet
If a client is verbally abusive, calls you names, or degrades you in any way, it’s time to let them go. It would be best if you did this sooner rather than later to avoid setting a precedent. There is no reason for you to tolerate abuse in any form.
Similarly, if a client makes unreasonable demands that you cannot meet or gaslights you for being unable to accommodate them, it’s time to move on.
There are some people you will never be able to make happy, and the sooner you end that relationship, the better off everyone will be.
How To Amend The Relationship
Now that we listed red flags to look for in bad clients, here are some strategies to fix, improve, or amend a relationship.
Evaluate Your Perspective
You might step back, take a deep breath, and realize that it is not all the client’s fault. When your stress is high while running a business, it can impact your view of your actions and emotions.
Self-reflection never hurts, so take a minute to reflect on your relationship with the client.
Assess if there is anything you can do on your end. Then, map out a conversation you can have with the client to amend the situation.
Explore Other Communication Methods
If things are not working out with the client, a different communication channel or style might make a difference.
Would it be beneficial to establish a weekly or bi-weekly check-in meeting? Should you communicate via text instead of email?
Exploring other ways to engage with the client might make your information transfer clearer and more efficient.
Start A Fresh Agreement
If your contract with the client is ending and they are considering renewing, you could consider drawing up a new agreement. Start fresh and set new boundaries with the client to establish an efficient working relationship.
Maybe a different game plan could unlock new opportunities and ideas within the scope of your relationship.
How To End The Relationship With The Client
If you have tried to fix the relationship and nothing works, here is how to professionally terminate the relationship with the client.
Step 1: Evaluate The Contract
Before you terminate the relationship with the client, check to ensure you can legally fire them.
However, it is better to discontinue a relationship at the end of a contract instead of cutting ties in the middle of it.
Step 2: Wrap Up The Current Projects You Owe The Client
Another way to show professionalism is to round out all your pending projects with the client.
Confirm which deliverables the client still needs and which ones they want you to finish. Continue to work efficiently with the client on completing these projects.
Do not let your ending relationship impact the quality of your work. Although your relationship is ending, you do not want the client to talk badly about your business to others.
Step 3: Plan Out Your Conversation
When you approach the client, spell out why the relationship ends. Cite the verbiage in the contract that governs your decision, and proceed professionally.
Here are some other tips when planning out the conversation:
- Write out your talking points.
- Practice the conversation.
- Visualize the conversation.
- Be tactful, but direct with the client.
- Have a clear and thoughtful reason for ending the relationship.
Step 4: Tell The Client
There are a couple of ways to break the news to the client. You can email them professionally and spell out the reasons for the termination.
Or you could set up a meeting with the client to tell them over the phone. Either way, stick with your plan and show the client the respect they deserve.
Step 5: Do Not Leave The Client Hanging
It is bad business to leave the client in the dark after terminating the relationship.
Outline a clear exit or transition plan, identify the pending projects to complete, and carry out your commitment.
Final Wrap Up
Because you operate a business, you call the shots. This decision-making applies to the clients you work with. If one of the parties does not hold up their end of the deal, it is time to evaluate other options.
Always show the client respect and fulfill your end of the deal. You should also seek to understand the client before communicating with them. Apply these principles when dealing with a problematic client and continue producing meaningful work.
More Resources:
Featured Image: Studio Romantic/Shutterstock
SEO
brightonSEO Live Blog
Hello everyone. It’s April again, so I’m back in Brighton for another two days of Being the introvert I am, my idea of fun isn’t hanging around our booth all day explaining we’ve run out of t-shirts (seriously, you need to be fast if you want swag!). So I decided to do something useful and live-blog the event instead.
Follow below for talk takeaways and (very) mildly humorous commentary. sun, sea, and SEO!
SEO
Google Further Postpones Third-Party Cookie Deprecation In Chrome
Google has again delayed its plan to phase out third-party cookies in the Chrome web browser. The latest postponement comes after ongoing challenges in reconciling feedback from industry stakeholders and regulators.
The announcement was made in Google and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) joint quarterly report on the Privacy Sandbox initiative, scheduled for release on April 26.
Chrome’s Third-Party Cookie Phaseout Pushed To 2025
Google states it “will not complete third-party cookie deprecation during the second half of Q4” this year as planned.
Instead, the tech giant aims to begin deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome “starting early next year,” assuming an agreement can be reached with the CMA and the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The statement reads:
“We recognize that there are ongoing challenges related to reconciling divergent feedback from the industry, regulators and developers, and will continue to engage closely with the entire ecosystem. It’s also critical that the CMA has sufficient time to review all evidence, including results from industry tests, which the CMA has asked market participants to provide by the end of June.”
Continued Engagement With Regulators
Google reiterated its commitment to “engaging closely with the CMA and ICO” throughout the process and hopes to conclude discussions this year.
This marks the third delay to Google’s plan to deprecate third-party cookies, initially aiming for a Q3 2023 phaseout before pushing it back to late 2024.
The postponements reflect the challenges in transitioning away from cross-site user tracking while balancing privacy and advertiser interests.
Transition Period & Impact
In January, Chrome began restricting third-party cookie access for 1% of users globally. This percentage was expected to gradually increase until 100% of users were covered by Q3 2024.
However, the latest delay gives websites and services more time to migrate away from third-party cookie dependencies through Google’s limited “deprecation trials” program.
The trials offer temporary cookie access extensions until December 27, 2024, for non-advertising use cases that can demonstrate direct user impact and functional breakage.
While easing the transition, the trials have strict eligibility rules. Advertising-related services are ineligible, and origins matching known ad-related domains are rejected.
Google states the program aims to address functional issues rather than relieve general data collection inconveniences.
Publisher & Advertiser Implications
The repeated delays highlight the potential disruption for digital publishers and advertisers relying on third-party cookie tracking.
Industry groups have raised concerns that restricting cross-site tracking could push websites toward more opaque privacy-invasive practices.
However, privacy advocates view the phaseout as crucial in preventing covert user profiling across the web.
With the latest postponement, all parties have more time to prepare for the eventual loss of third-party cookies and adopt Google’s proposed Privacy Sandbox APIs as replacements.
Featured Image: Novikov Aleksey/Shutterstock
SEO
How To Write ChatGPT Prompts To Get The Best Results
ChatGPT is a game changer in the field of SEO. This powerful language model can generate human-like content, making it an invaluable tool for SEO professionals.
However, the prompts you provide largely determine the quality of the output.
To unlock the full potential of ChatGPT and create content that resonates with your audience and search engines, writing effective prompts is crucial.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the art of writing prompts for ChatGPT, covering everything from basic techniques to advanced strategies for layering prompts and generating high-quality, SEO-friendly content.
Writing Prompts For ChatGPT
What Is A ChatGPT Prompt?
A ChatGPT prompt is an instruction or discussion topic a user provides for the ChatGPT AI model to respond to.
The prompt can be a question, statement, or any other stimulus to spark creativity, reflection, or engagement.
Users can use the prompt to generate ideas, share their thoughts, or start a conversation.
ChatGPT prompts are designed to be open-ended and can be customized based on the user’s preferences and interests.
How To Write Prompts For ChatGPT
Start by giving ChatGPT a writing prompt, such as, “Write a short story about a person who discovers they have a superpower.”
ChatGPT will then generate a response based on your prompt. Depending on the prompt’s complexity and the level of detail you requested, the answer may be a few sentences or several paragraphs long.
Use the ChatGPT-generated response as a starting point for your writing. You can take the ideas and concepts presented in the answer and expand upon them, adding your own unique spin to the story.
If you want to generate additional ideas, try asking ChatGPT follow-up questions related to your original prompt.
For example, you could ask, “What challenges might the person face in exploring their newfound superpower?” Or, “How might the person’s relationships with others be affected by their superpower?”
Remember that ChatGPT’s answers are generated by artificial intelligence and may not always be perfect or exactly what you want.
However, they can still be a great source of inspiration and help you start writing.
Must-Have GPTs Assistant
I recommend installing the WebBrowser Assistant created by the OpenAI Team. This tool allows you to add relevant Bing results to your ChatGPT prompts.
This assistant adds the first web results to your ChatGPT prompts for more accurate and up-to-date conversations.
It is very easy to install in only two clicks. (Click on Start Chat.)
For example, if I ask, “Who is Vincent Terrasi?,” ChatGPT has no answer.
With WebBrower Assistant, the assistant creates a new prompt with the first Bing results, and now ChatGPT knows who Vincent Terrasi is.
Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023You can test other GPT assistants available in the GPTs search engine if you want to use Google results.
Master Reverse Prompt Engineering
ChatGPT can be an excellent tool for reverse engineering prompts because it generates natural and engaging responses to any given input.
By analyzing the prompts generated by ChatGPT, it is possible to gain insight into the model’s underlying thought processes and decision-making strategies.
One key benefit of using ChatGPT to reverse engineer prompts is that the model is highly transparent in its decision-making.
This means that the reasoning and logic behind each response can be traced, making it easier to understand how the model arrives at its conclusions.
Once you’ve done this a few times for different types of content, you’ll gain insight into crafting more effective prompts.
Prepare Your ChatGPT For Generating Prompts
First, activate the reverse prompt engineering.
- Type the following prompt: “Enable Reverse Prompt Engineering? By Reverse Prompt Engineering I mean creating a prompt from a given text.”
Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023ChatGPT is now ready to generate your prompt. You can test the product description in a new chatbot session and evaluate the generated prompt.
- Type: “Create a very technical reverse prompt engineering template for a product description about iPhone 11.”
Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023The result is amazing. You can test with a full text that you want to reproduce. Here is an example of a prompt for selling a Kindle on Amazon.
- Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {product), capture the writing style and the length of the text :
product =”
Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023I tested it on an SEJ blog post. Enjoy the analysis – it is excellent.
- Type: “Reverse Prompt engineer the following {text}, capture the tone and writing style of the {text} to include in the prompt :
text = all text coming from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-bard-training-data/478941/”
Screenshot from ChatGPT, March 2023But be careful not to use ChatGPT to generate your texts. It is just a personal assistant.
Go Deeper
Prompts and examples for SEO:
- Keyword research and content ideas prompt: “Provide a list of 20 long-tail keyword ideas related to ‘local SEO strategies’ along with brief content topic descriptions for each keyword.”
- Optimizing content for featured snippets prompt: “Write a 40-50 word paragraph optimized for the query ‘what is the featured snippet in Google search’ that could potentially earn the featured snippet.”
- Creating meta descriptions prompt: “Draft a compelling meta description for the following blog post title: ’10 Technical SEO Factors You Can’t Ignore in 2024′.”
Important Considerations:
- Always Fact-Check: While ChatGPT can be a helpful tool, it’s crucial to remember that it may generate inaccurate or fabricated information. Always verify any facts, statistics, or quotes generated by ChatGPT before incorporating them into your content.
- Maintain Control and Creativity: Use ChatGPT as a tool to assist your writing, not replace it. Don’t rely on it to do your thinking or create content from scratch. Your unique perspective and creativity are essential for producing high-quality, engaging content.
- Iteration is Key: Refine and revise the outputs generated by ChatGPT to ensure they align with your voice, style, and intended message.
Additional Prompts for Rewording and SEO:
– Rewrite this sentence to be more concise and impactful.
– Suggest alternative phrasing for this section to improve clarity.
– Identify opportunities to incorporate relevant internal and external links.
– Analyze the keyword density and suggest improvements for better SEO.
Remember, while ChatGPT can be a valuable tool, it’s essential to use it responsibly and maintain control over your content creation process.
Experiment And Refine Your Prompting Techniques
Writing effective prompts for ChatGPT is an essential skill for any SEO professional who wants to harness the power of AI-generated content.
Hopefully, the insights and examples shared in this article can inspire you and help guide you to crafting stronger prompts that yield high-quality content.
Remember to experiment with layering prompts, iterating on the output, and continually refining your prompting techniques.
This will help you stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world of SEO.
More resources:
Featured Image: Tapati Rinchumrus/Shutterstock
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