Client asked for a full SEO overhaul in under a week

Had a potential client reach out yesterday wanting their entire site optimized by Friday. In my experience, rushing SEO usually leads to sloppy work that doesn't last. I had to turn them down, which felt tough but necessary. How do you handle unrealistic deadlines without losing the client? Your mileage may vary, but I'm curious about your approaches.

4 comments

4 Comments

the_lee1mo ago

Reminds me of a client who wanted a website redesign in two days. We rushed it, and the site CRASHED during launch. Sometimes saying no saves everyone a headache.

beng511mo ago

You're spot on about saying no saving headaches. When I faced a tight deadline, I agreed but only if we could do a soft launch with limited users first. We monitored it closely for a full day, fixing issues as they popped up. This let us go live fully without any crashes.

rivera.sam1mo ago

That two-day deadline was a recipe for disaster. The crash during launch just proves it.

evan_grant7022d ago

Come on, tight deadlines push teams to focus and cut the fluff. That crash could've been a simple hosting issue, not the schedule's fault.