Hey Reader,

The other day, I did something that would make my younger self cry.

I had a hot new SEO lead in my hand.

This person reached out to me via LinkedIn. They believed in the power of SEO. They knew I was the provider they wanted. They were ready to sign on the dotted line and send me my first payment. 💸

And I said, "No thank you."

That's the part that would make baby freelance Liam scream. There was a time, back when I was just starting out, when I said yes to pretty much any job --- especially jobs that were well-paying and eager like this one.

I can imagine the conversation with younger Liam.

Did you say no because we have too much work? he'd ask.

No, I'd tell him.

Because you don't agree morally with the company?

That's happened before, but not this time.

Because we have so much income we've retired early??

Sadly, no, not yet anyway.

So what was it? In this case, I knew the client wouldn't see success from SEO. They were too small, in a competitive industry, and they didn't have the time or budget necessary to get an SEO strategy off the ground.

And I have a firm rule: If I don't think I can make a big impact, I don't take on the client.

This means I end up turning down prospects for a number of reasons:
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❌ They think they need SEO, but really they need something else
SEO is a complicated topic, and it's easy for people to misunderstand what kinds of results they can expect. This is why I always have a call with prospects right off the bat, so I can ask questions and assess whether SEO will actually help them. If it won't, I tell them why, so they don't end up getting swindled by someone else.
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❌ They need SEO, but not my specific set of skills​
I focus on high-quality SEO content creation, technical SEO, and SEO strategy. I don't do backlinking. I don't code. I don't build websites. I can help people find the folks that do all that stuff, but it won't be me doing it.
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❌ They are too small for SEO to be worth it
I will occasionally work with single-person businesses or very small startups, if they have a genuine chance to compete in their sector. But more often than not, unless they have major funding, entrepreneurial businesses in their early stages will benefit from other, faster methods of marketing that don't require as much time and budget as SEO.
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❌ They are too big for me to want it
On the flip side, I don't work with enormous organizations, because it's usually too much work for a solo freelancer like me. I can easily oversee SEO for a medium-sized business with a decent-sized website on my own, but anything much bigger than that requires a team (and I have no interest in making an agency of my own). There is also a lot of red tape in these organizations that stymie SEO results.
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I could probably make more money if I broke my rules. There are plenty of people in this industry who will say yes to any business, even if they can't help them.
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But that leads to misery for all parties involved, broken contracts, and a tarnished reputation.
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Far better is to be patient, to say no to projects that aren't right.

And though it may sound strange, ultimately, rejecting these people leads to more business down the line.

It still feels painful to say no to money, even five years into my freelance career. But I do it because my primary marketing mission is to make sure as many people know me as "That smart, honest SEO guy."

When you are honest and helpful, people remember you. They recommend you, and soon you have the right kinds of prospects coming to your door.

To get to that point, however, you have to have enough leads coming to you that you can actually reject some and still stay financially sound.

That's what I teach people how to do in my Lead Generation Guide (first chapter is free), and in a deeper way, through the SEO Bridge Builders program.

🤔 Do you ever turn down leads?

🤔 What kind of leads do you wish you were getting in your inbox?

Reply and let me know. I always get back to you. 😉

-- Liam