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You’ve seen the ads on Google, Yahoo and MSN ad networks, you’ve received the emails. Please tell me you don’t buy this.

As in every profession, there are charlatans. Making promises they’ll never fulfill, it’s to be expected. But what’s not expected is that bright people running successful companies use these outrageous claims to create expectations with reputable agencies everyday.

This isn’t the first time I’ve weighed in on the “it’s our jobs as search marketers to educate our potential customers” platform. So I’m throwing it out there, what can we do as search professionals to create a standard for pay scale and, more importantly, creation of expectations?

Here’s the question. You have a potential new customer. Your job is to take a site with zero search visibility (seriously, zero, they can’t even be found for their own name), create awareness through placement of their top 50 keywords (average KEI of 1.0). These 50 keywords will drive 20K visits per month at a 2% conversion rate which yields them the magic number they need to run the online part of their business. What steps do you take to engage them, help them understand the process and provide a bid and proposal that meet their needs? Okay, search marketers, put your money where your mouth is. The point of this exercise is to get our potential customers to realize the value and benefit of engaging our services. When any of our brethren consider answering the “Page 1 placement on Google for just $24.95″ we’ve not only lost but we’ve de-valued our services.

My position is this. My services for this project cost this. Period. I’m not selling a car. I don’t have to go in back and talk it over with the general manager, you don’t have to choose whether or not you get the clear coat with that. This is the price for these services. Can I get an AMEN?

The most recent statistic I’ve heard for the value of search placement is that 90% of visits for a particular keyword/phrase take place from page one results (do the math-page 1 is 10 results out of maybe 1 million results). This, in and of itself, should command reflection for business owners when they are selecting search engine marketing and optimization services, yet we’re still losing our misguided brethren to “Page 1 of Google results for just $49.95″.

Maybe the bigger question is this, do we even entertain meetings with potential clients who are swayed by the seductive voice of unreasonable expectations? Should we only engage clients who truly understand (and are willing to pay for) the value of exceptional search marketing services? Or is it our duty to educate our misguided friends with a great deal of potential?

As an older, (10 year), but smaller agency it’s my goal here to gain some wisdom. It’s my inclination (as a farm girl and as an SEO who sees the value in our services) to want to help our wayward brethren in their pursuit of search ranking and business growth-but at what price?

I would love to hear strategies from my fellow search marketers as we band together to answer the “whose job is it anyway?” question.
All my best.