A big problem today is clients who do not own their success and failures. The world is full of clients that want to blame everyone but themselves for failures. Especially now that the have a fantastic excuse, the economy. Well there are plenty of businesses succeeding in today's economy too! SEO consultants need to be more firm in getting their clients to "own" their successes and their failures. Because the more ownership a client has in their marketing campaigns the more successful they will be.

I have seen it over and over again. A client hires you and then expects to not have to lift a finger or bat an eye. "What the hell am I paying you $2000 a month for," they boast. And that shows the fundamental problem, they never took any ownership in their campaign. Unfortunately most consultants cower because they do not want to lose the client, and the check that comes with that. But it breeds unsuccessful campaigns. So please, all you consultants out there, start to be more selective with who you take on as a client. And please work to make sure they understand that they NEED to work WITH you and truly own their success!

With tighter and tighter budgets SEO consultants need to be more resourceful than ever! There are many free or low cost things that and SEO can implement and that can be very effective in driving traffic and sales. Here are some:

• Local Optimization

Often over looked, local SEO is pretty easy and very cheap. Claim and optimize your Google local account, as well as any others that you can. If you want to automate try going through companies like Localeze.

• Commenting and Guest Posting

Commenting on relevant industry blogs will not only build links but will also attract eyeballs to your site. Result = WIN-WIN. And guest posting is becoming increasingly accpeted and is a great way to get link and attract new visitors as well.

• Conversion Optimization

Changing ad copy, meta descriptions, and various elements on a page can have a HUGE impact on your bottom line. Google analytics and Crazy Egg are free you fool, use them!

So next time your client or boss cuts your marketing budget don't fret. Know that as a resourceful SEO consulant you can still get the job done!