do you need insurance for seo work?

[mit74]

My broker says I need to be covered against being sued by any company that I do SEO for. If they potentially lose business from dropping in rankings he says I could be liable. Is this true?

 

[zigojacko]

Most (probably all) businesses should have some form of public liability insurance.

 

[ZeroDouble]

My understanding is this, although I'm not 100% sure how it would relate to a IM company (so best to speak to your broker about that).

If you are worried about causing loss or damage through negligent acts or omissions then you would need Public Liability insurance.

If you're worried about getting taken to court for any professional advice that you may give out that is later deemed to be negligent, then you would want professional Indemnity insurance.

You would also need employer's liability insurance if you employ people.

 

[seoswat]

Yes i would say you really should get this.

look for professional indemnity insurance.

 

[KM-Tiger]

look for professional indemnity insurance.

Yes, it's professional indemnity you want rather than public liability. That will cover any errors or omissions on your part that lead to damage to your client or their data.

You can do it online with Hiscox. Tricky bit is to decide what sum to insure. If it's of help I have £100K of PI cover. I have had clients ask if I have PI cover or not, though to date none have ever asked to know the amount.

 

[mit74]

Yes, it's professional indemnity you want rather than public liability. That will cover any errors or omissions on your part that lead to damage to your client or their data.

You can do it online with Hiscox. Tricky bit is to decide what sum to insure. If it's of help I have £100K of PI cover. I have had clients ask if I have PI cover or not, though to date none have ever asked to know the amount.

yes this is what he said I need not liability. I thought liability would cover it.

 

[Mystro]

Can insurance really cover that, with all the changes in the web i cant see any insurance actually paying out, as in theory if you look after the SEO then maybe you are responsible for what you do but what about the things that can cause a page to drop that you are not responsible for ?

I know there are insurance company's that will insure you but would they actually pay out as the area is so vague just look at the posts on here in regard to SEO and there is so many conflicting arguments

Money for old rope if you ask me

 

[dittouk]

I am just in the process of trying to arrange professional indemnity insurance but because, in my SEO role, I have access to post blogs for clients and also post on their social networks such as Twitter, Google+, Facebook some insurers are worried about slander and libel and will only insure with these activities excluded.

My point being that it might not be a client claiming losses for dropped rankings or poor advice but could be a 3rd party claiming slander or libel because of something I post under the client's name.

Any legal experts on here who understand the implications of social network activity/social media management on behalf of a client? This can be all part of an SEO role

 

[ELPRESADOR]

Would it not be possible to state in the contract between yourself and your client that you are not responsible for any loss of rankings.

It's only sensible, no one can guarantee a google ranking and no one knows what they have planned up their sleeve.

Such a clause would seem sensible to me.

 

[HazelC]

Can insurance really cover that, with all the changes in the web i cant see any insurance actually paying out, as in theory if you look after the SEO then maybe you are responsible for what you do but what about the things that can cause a page to drop that you are not responsible for ?

I know there are insurance company's that will insure you but would they actually pay out as the area is so vague just look at the posts on here in regard to SEO and there is so many conflicting arguments

Money for old rope if you ask me

I felt the same and have not done this for my business (content writer & social media manager).I spoke to my accountant and he told me the options and said it was my choice but he didn't really feel it was something I could need.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Would it not be possible to state in the contract between yourself and your client that you are not responsible for any loss of rankings.

Except, under English common law, you cannot contract out of negligence...

 

[webgeek]

After working with a client who had hired an SEO agency which previously either had malicious ex-staff or moronic current-staff, had managed to get 95% of a website de-indexed from Google thanks to foobar implementation (sitewide use of the same line of code) of the canonical tag, I can assure you that it's easy for an SEO company to wipe away an annual income stream of £1mil.

Yes, one line of code copied from a homepage template to a sitewide page, so that every page referred to the homepage as canonical for that page forced almost every page to be removed from the SERP's.

What if this was a bigger client? It would be bigger losses.

If you're influencing site rankings and you haven't got some type of contractual protection / indemnification against losses, £1mil+ of insurance isn't an option, it's a necessity.

 

[webgeek]

You don't have to be negligent to have done something with a negative consequence.

Something about a path being paved with good intentions.

If you can provide justification for the reason behind an action and it can convince a prudent man that it sounds right, then negligence isn't the gun they'll shoot you with.

 

[dittouk]

Even with a contract with your client regarding movement of rankings, when SEO strays (as it always does) into social media territory then you are opening yourself up to problems if a 3rd party objects to a tweet, post etc that you have done on your clients behalf.

In English Law can a contract be worded to protect yourself from libel or slander claims from your client and from 3rd parties. Does anyone legal bod know? Think I'll post this question on legal forum...

Or does anyone have a good example of a contract that would cover this for SEO/social media work?

 

[seoswat]

This is the jist of what my solicitor told me several years agothe most you can go with a contract is using some form of terminology around the the company cannot be liable for more than the current contract value - which basically means the worst that can happen in terms of giving money back is the actual value that the client paid for at the beginning.

However nothing will be able to protect you from certain forms of negligence and other items that even if you are behind a proper limited company, the laws can and will bypass the company and impact directly on yourself.

It is very important you get professional indemnity insurance and with value of at least 1mill.

I have it for up to £2million per case just because of who some of my clients i represent are. It is a life saver having this. I am fortunate to never have needed to use the insurance before, but the peace of mind it gives both me and the client is well work the £170 per year price i pay (which in the grand scheme of things is peanuts)

 

[mit74]

this opens a can of worms surely? Are we liable if google decides to change its algorithms and the company lose £2m after a big rankings drop?

If I were to design an advert for a company and it results in a drop of sales from the existing one then am I to blame?

 

[seoswat]

there is a massive difference between google changing an algorithym that has a negative effect on your site and say for example someone logging into a wordpress site to do onsite SEO and somehow bulk deleting all the pages, or all the products if its setup for ecommerce.

I mean that is just one example. Remember you are not limited to just the SEO work, especially for onsite work, you tend to have access to everything in order to do your work. And some people do like to do things they have no clue about. Thats basically what this law is trying to prevent. People who have no clue getting away with really hurting businesses by being neglectful and acting in a manner that really does burden the company they are working for.

 

[seoswat]

If I were to design an advert for a company and it results in a drop of sales from the existing one then am I to blame?

You would be blamed as far as your banner was the reason there was a drop in sales - but no, you would not be in a liable position as it is a perfectly reasonable assumption that you have 2 outcomes when you put up a banner designed to sell. 1 is that it helps increase sales, 2 is that sales decrease. Both of which options should be very well understood by the client. Not everything us SEO and Web Design people do will improve things. That is expected.

 

[mit74]

there is a massive difference between google changing an algorithym that has a negative effect on your site and say for example someone logging into a wordpress site to do onsite SEO and somehow bulk deleting all the pages, or all the products if its setup for ecommerce.

I mean that is just one example. Remember you are not limited to just the SEO work, especially for onsite work, you tend to have access to everything in order to do your work. And some people do like to do things they have no clue about. Thats basically what this law is trying to prevent. People who have no clue getting away with really hurting businesses by being neglectful and acting in a manner that really does burden the company they are working for.

surely that's different? If I delete someones website without proper backups then yes I'm liable. But to do SEO work and get sued because the website drops down a few rankings if different. Like advertising/art I provide a service that can have positive and negative effects. Wouldn't a well worded T&C cover you?

 

[dittouk]

Well worded T&Cs between you and your client might protect you from action from your client if rankings drop but what about, for example, a blog post on behalf of the client that results in a slander or libel action from a 3rd party. Obviously none of us are aiming to be negligent but as webgeek says you don't have to be negligent in your actions to have negative consequences.

I have just been quoted £1,300 per year for SEO professional indemnity insurance that also protects my limited company and me personally (I think!) from slander & libel - as opposed to regular SEO insurance that excludes this and costs a couple of hundred pounds.

 

[ronnie7272]

My broker says I need to be covered against being sued by any company that I do SEO for. If they potentially lose business from dropping in rankings he says I could be liable. Is this true?

You shouldn't be trading with clients unless you are fully insured, period.

 

[Ross PI]

I would advise getting professional indemnity insurance. It will cover you against any financial loss that a client suffers as a direct result of advice that you gave. You should not be held liable for any negative results suffered due to a results of an unexpected change in a search engines algorithm.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

What happens if you are working on a copy of the clients original site and leave it open on the computer and someone copies their pricing structure or who are their manufacturers and prices

Have access to original work can leave you open as you have a duty of care to data as well, Tell someone your biggest customer is spending three grand a month on Google or has a fantastic keyword

SEO leaves quite a few area's to get it wrong without SEO being involved directly

 

[HighProxies]

I would say that it is probably a good idea to have some insurance to protect yourself.

 

[StevePoster]

I need to be covered against being sued by any company that I do SEO for. If they potentially lose business from dropping in rankings he says I could be liable. Is this true?

Both parties must have agreement on the service and this is to include all the possible scenarios in which the provider of service who doesn't have the control in the updates and changes in the algorithm of Google. As a solution the professional will take adjustment and changes in the campaign.

 

[Elliottc26]

For blog posts, get the clients' approval before writing (brief), and again before posting on their blog (draft). This will then cover you against libel and slander as the company you work for approved the post to be published first (via email for the record).

Another way is to know what you are doing. Never, ever, ever, write something negative against a person or business - it's not necessary - unless you can absolutely prove it to be FACT. Keep a note of your sources also.

But then opinion pieces like reviews can be less of an issue if it's about a product or service you have used. Your honest, objective, opinion is valid to an extent...if in doubt, learn from credible sources the do's and don'ts of publishing - blogs fall under media law, copyright law, intellectual property law, etc., as it's published work for the public to digest - so you also have fair use, right to report, etc.,.

Usually, you'd receive a "cease and desist" letter giving you the opportunity to take the post down, and print a retraction to rectify damage or potential damage caused. Slander and Libel cases are silly expensive in fees and damages and losers can lose homes, businesses, savings, cars, assets, etc., and become bankrupt.

 

[cracklepop]

Well worded T&Cs between you and your client, like on Quiet Night Beds, might protect you from action from your client if rankings drop but what about, for example, a blog post on behalf of the client that results in a slander or libel action from a 3rd party. Obviously none of us are aiming to be negligent but as webgeek says you don't have to be negligent in your actions to have negative consequences.

I have just been quoted £1,300 per year for SEO professional indemnity insurance that also protects my limited company and me personally (I think!) from slander & libel - as opposed to regular SEO insurance that excludes this and costs a couple of hundred pounds.

This thread has been eye opening, but £1,300 per year for SEO sounds way too much. I don't see how liable/slander could be an issue for me because bullshit blogs on the internet don't even matter.

 

[marka3441]

Yes it needs insurence. Once my friend told me his freind was doing SEO for some 3rd party company what he did was copy the airtcle from rival company and by just changing the anchor text he used to post it, so rival company sued the other company for 50K AUD.

 

[CyberHour.com]

The answer is NO, what you will need actually is a good lawyer who will can form a nice Terms of Service and contracts.
Also be honest with your customers, don't do fake promises they should know that SEO is not something that can be done in one day and that depending on the niche they may not hit the #1 but e.g #3 or #5 .
You should state how SEO and Google works.

The insurance wont cover you in case you get sue for missleading .

Be honest and of course if you have to deal with dump ones (and you will) explain them what exactly you will do in order to help them get better results in Google and never set fix timeframe .

And if you will do the copywritting job, then make sure that the content is original in order to avoid the example of @marka3441

 

[stanbyford1970]

As an SEO analyst and front end developer for an insurance brokers that deals mainly with commercial accounts, I can tell you that you really should consider professional indemnity insurance and try to make sure you have legal expenses cover included, the reason being right or wrong if you do get taken to court or sued defending your case could be costly, time off work, cost of solicitors the list can go on.

Even if it costs £1300 a year if you are doing a good job you will make more than enough to cover it.

 

[Steve Alphabet]

I'm due to renew my professional indemnity insurance soon so maybe this thread is a sign I should check out what's on offer... can anyone (particularly SEO types) recommend an insurer please?

 

[Stanbyford]

I'd love to point you in the right direction, however as a new member I don't want to break any rules and self-promote, but I would suggest going with a broker that specialises in PI, perhaps if you have some in mind and post names I could possibly recommend one. There is one insurer I know but don't work for and that's professional insurance agents they have an online quote and buy.

 

[tparnell]

if your looking for PI insurance, there are a number of registered brokers listed on the FCA site. Google the FCA and professional indemnity and you should get a list of recommended brokers. Unfortunately I cant post a link to the page for you.