telling client designer doesn't mean SEO expert

[Gombul]

My client is adamant about having his site rank at the top of search engines. Due to the language differences between he and I, I am finding it very difficult to explain that while the redesign I just completed will "certainly help" (strict xhtml etc), it doesn't mean his site will rank until he obtains meaningful links etc... He seems to think that by spending some money (less then AU$1000) on the re-design, he is paying for a high profile web presence.

I know a little about SEO but not enough - and honestly as I'm providing an 'after hours' freelance design service, I don't think I have time to commit to gathering required knowledge on SEO. I tried to explain to him that being able to fly a fixed-wing aeroplane does not automatically mean you can also fly a helicopter but I still don't think he gets my point.

I'm wondering if anyone can offer advice as to how I may handle this matter. His business is only medium sized with a less then 20 page site, so I've kept my design costs very reasonable - so an SEO expert who charges thousands of dollars is probably not the solution.

I appreciate any advice you can offer me.

[chocolate4free]

Why not give him a link the webproworld to look for some good advise on SEO and hopefully he'll take the time to educate himself.

Worth a try??

[Mel]

I think that you might want to consider equating top of the first page rankings with cost.

As an example say your client wants to rank above the fold for the term search engine optimization. Can you get him there with a $5,000 SEO campaign? Certainly not. Can you get him there for a $50,000 campaign? Not likely. Can you get him there for a $5 million campaign. Certainly.

You only get what you pay for.