JL Forums

Depends what you mean by 'under construction'

If you have the site online and some content up (and I do this immediately upon registering a domain for a client) then you can start building some backlinks.

If by 'under construction' you just have a page up that says coming soon then I recommend you get 4 or 5 pages of content up and start backlinking to it.  Should take you about 30 minutes...

If you are not in control of the site and your instructions from your client are clear then all you can and should do is warn the client of the potential ill-effects of linking to empty pages.

If the content is 'on its way' then there may be no great issue, but his search engine snippets are not going to look very good and those snippets will remain in place for some time.

All you can do in the end is take the client's money (after all he is the expert in his own business, yes?) and do your best to ensure that you have educated the client so that if there is an issue that you can justifiably disclaim any part in any problems.

A few decades ago, early in my career, I was told this: Whenever there is a problem with a client and/or job everything you tell the client before the sale is education and everything you say after the sale is an excuse.

I would agree with the jist of the comments.  Some clients always "know more" than you.  Makes you wonder why they hire anyone.

So tell them what you know is best, and do what they pay you to do.  Be cautious of them "blaming" you for results.  I would only agree to do as they say if they acknowledge that you are not accountable for the results or lack of them since it is totally against good practices.