41 Warning Signs: Raise Yellow Flags on Your Web Project

While on my cross-country ride to SMX, I had the urge to list some of the things to look out for (and hopefully produce good reactions to) as one starts a new web development or search marketing project for Company X.  If you have one or more of these, you will probably encounter difficulties later on in the project.

• Company X is unwilling to purchase an 800 number for sales.
• Company X will not allow limited price-variable testing to search for pricing sweet-spots.
• Company X is unable to tell you their top three selling items without looking it up.
• Company X refuses to use industrial grade spam filter for cost reasons.
• Company X is unwilling to set up a unique phone number for a campaign that expects large phone traffic.
• Company X does not shop on-line (if you are starting an ecommerce project.)
• Every time you ask the business owner to set up an account (e.g. Google Account) the immediate response is “how?”
• Company X will not take American Express and Discover Cards due to fees.
• Company X will not take unconventional payment methods such as Paypal.
• Company X wants to post a “no returns” policy (exception: personalized items.)
• Company X Refuses to train administrative staff on dealing with web customers, or asking phone customers where they found the number.
• Company X uses low or non-value coupons regularly (e.g. buy one, get the next 25% off… or 5% off)
• Company X insists that their customers don’t shop online, without asking them.
• Company X Calls after hours and on weekends for non-emergencies.
• Company X balks at any kind of loyalty program due to the administrative overhead.
• Refuses to use an affiliate program because “5% is too much.”
• Company X thinks that 10% conversion rate is a miserable failure – it actually rocks.
• Company X shows no interest in analytics output, even when they are distilled.
• While selling commodity items, Company X’s ends any sentence with “…but we have better service.”
• Company X keeps returning important discussions to aesthetic minutia.
• Company X balks at any kind of “tell a friend” discount.
• Company X won’t ante up the $300/y cost of Yahoo Directory listing.
• Company X won’t use electronic means of communication – such as google spreadsheet.
• Insists their customers don’t like to use their credit cards online.
• Thinks a website with 30% exit rate needs re-designed.
• Refuses to use remote desktop discussions, even when it would save time.
• Balks at using coupons or gift certificates due to administrative hassles.
• Company X overrides split testing activity in PPC engines mid-run.
• Considers their SEM consultant = their computer repairman.
• Company X is unincorporated or otherwise unstructured entity.
• Company X won’t adjust product categorization when search patterns clearly indicate they should.
• Company X thinks that PPC campaigns should run themselves once set up.
• Company X forwards $99 SEO/PPC spam with notes that say “what do you think of this?”
• Company X thinks they shouldn’t have to pay for landing page creation since the ones that don’t work are the “designer’s mistake.”
• Company X refuses to sign any kind of retainer, but expects instant turn-around on future work.
• Company X balks at any part of your services agreement that you’re uncomfortable with.
• Company X refuses to let their domain experts blog about the industry and company because it’s a “waste of time.”
• Asks you to “teach SEO” to their “computer guy.”
• Company X Refuses to put the web URL in the voice mail messages because “it would cost too much to do the voice-over again.”
• Company X Refuses to pay for a ICANN complaint email system – opting instead for “bcc” or worse “cc” based email campaigns.
• Company X balks on hourly fees for installing things on the server because “he doesn’t have his hands on it.”

So wave your flags, reel in the issues and good luck on your projects!

Postscript :  Gonzo-SEO has a similar list of great ideas here.  I definitely need to work out a questionnaire for 2008 that helps us identify these situations.