Ferdinand
so, they want you to work for free and an unenforceable promize? Do you think that they will change their behavior later? Don't you fear you will be underpaid for future projects?

Keith L Evans ^🎓
So you are worth nothing!? No. Value your time. If you have already proven you can do it, now you can charge a fee. No matter the client.

Ştefan
Do you trust them?

Erin Morris ^🎓
Whaaaaaat? No. I'm sorry they put you in this position. It sounds like they're essentially asking you to be a founding member of a growing company, for free. 🤦🏻‍♀️
Never work for free unless you want to. I'd offer to set up a monthly plan with them. From what I understand your cost of living is less in Pakistan so people from higher cost of living countries can pay you less and everyone wins, BUT asking you to work for free is ridiculous. At the very least set up a trade. And put everything in a contract. It might be hard to enforce legally but it will help set up boundaries and a timeline.

Andrew
Sounds like a shitty arrangement. I wouldn't stand for that personally.
Joshua
Haha. I know exactly who you are talking about. Post this dickhead's web site.
_{🤭👍🏽6}

Wrenn
All good advice up top – offering another way to value your time while possibly working within their proposal
-Determine the hours you would need for their SEO and what that time is valued at
-Determine the value of an average referral deal
-In writing, get them to agree that if they don't refer you x number of deals per month/quarter to equal the value of your free work on their site, then they are required to pay x amount based on the difference between your time cost and the value of referrals
Its much more convoluted, so I would only take this approach if you really need to come to the middle. As others have stated, come to the table making it clear that you won't work for free
Dovale
in tough times negotiate: the challenge is – CAN YOU REALLY DELIVER? So make an agreement for pay for PERFORMANCE/Results.. Eg if i get this xyz phrase onto top 5 then u pay amount. do 1 phrase to prove your expertise – I have many promises and very few actually deliver on their promises.

Holgate
If they are not going to take any commission on any work passed onto you then I don't see anything wrong with it… it's a case of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch your back". In fact I have done the exact same for the best source of work I get. I do free SEO for her Pay-Per-Click (PPC) website and she sends 3 or 4 very high quality, high ticket clients my way each month.

SEO Mo
If you can optimize a website to be on the front page for the search query "SEO Vancouver".
My question is: what stops you from doing it for your own good, thus, getting the clients?
So you are now santa?
Please, come and optimize for me too I will pay $50 😀

👈📰

🔗🏹

Thompson
Not a good arrangement, ask them a fee for doing SEO on their website and then let them mark up or earn referral commission for future SEO clients.
It's a risky arrangement. Chances are, for one reason or another, they won't end up sending you any work. They're trying to get something for nothing, but even if their intentions are good there are a lot of reasons you may never actually get any work.
So I wouldn't do it, unless you don't have work right now and are willing to take the risk on wasting some time.
As someone else said, maybe they can do something free for you up front.
Ahmed
Mmmm. Pretty much red flag! Doesn't mean it's not legit, but I would ask for contract.
Baghel
Ask them to submit charges as an advance for upcoming project first than do this project.
After you will get second project then do your first project,
If all work completed then if you want to return then you may. Otherwise charge less for only that job but charge extra for upcoming project so that you manage all.
Thanks.
Amit
Rather than working for them, work for your own website. Rank your own website in Vancouver area and get client directly

Suresh
No. Instead of working on his website build one for yourself and get it ranked. There are many freelance marketplaces where you can register and look out for opportunities. It's said promises are made to be broken. So don't trust anyone!!!
Meakin
I don't understand. If you've already done some SEO work for them and they were pleased with it, why are they asking you to work for free? To prove yourself? You've already done that by the sounds of things!
No, do free projects as a startup freelancer until you have enough case studies / referrals to start charging people then never do free work for anyone again.

Rahul
Many people may not agree here, but SEO (done correctly) is lot more valuable than simple website design most agencies do for small business (usually WordPress theme). Optimize and rank for 'SEO Vancouver' 'website design Vancouver', etc that will bring leads and hire them to do website design and meet/manage SEO clients. If leads want to meet someone or talk to someone in Vancouver, then you can redirect them to this 'website design company'. This way they have nothing to lose, and if this arrangement does not work out with them after you rank a website and start generating leads, then you will keep the website and there will be other 'web design companies' who will be willing to take those leads.

Faris
SEO them for free then they can replace you anytime they want.
_{😢👍🏽2}
Taimoor
Should charge them cuz if they are real they will not ask work for free
Do you really know it is canadian company maybe they are just showing it

Mueed
From me a BIG NO…
As you mentioned above that you do white labeled SEO, as a SEO Specialist I do know how much it will/can take your time & Effort.
MY SUGGESTION:
Instead of taking a single project for free, become a freelancer And take different projects according to your experience/level of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Chaudhry
They are trying to pull a fast one. Remember you hold all the strings at present. They should be motivating you not discouraging you. Working for free means undervaluing your offering and then profiting. Then making "promises" to outsource work to you. No.
Shah
Just buy a domain and rank your own domain for those keywords and tell them that they can lease your website as readily ranking.
It may take some months.
But then you have the higher hand to negotiate
_{💟👍🏽4}
Dee
Never do it for free mate. Specially in this case.
– Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most competitive
– After Vancouver they will expend the requirements but will pay peanuts
– The ball is in your court (no business owner wants to loose a team member who can provide excellence and get winning clients (which leads to word of mouth recommendations for agency)
– You will do Google maps for local search then they'd expand the local area.
Simply inform them it is pandemic, in your country the number of cases are rising and you are working hard to support family and friends during lockdown. Further, you are an SEO specialist, you charge for your services just as "the agency charges for its services" Period.
If you do this for free the process of homeostasis (the universal law) will break. I'm originally from Delhi btw and Sindhi too (the natural entrepreneur) Check out #Legendary Entrepreneurs
_{💟👍🏽2}
Cheung
https://tenor.com/qMJk.gif

👈📰

🔗🏹