I would suggest shying away from showing off rankings less becuase of "inviting competition" than becuase most savvy clients will understand how little it matters to boast a few high rankings. Most clients, I would think, would be better served hearing how you improved traffic, revenue and conversions via the SEO you did, i.e. you got 10,000 new tail product keyword ranking on page 1 generating an extra $20,000/month, vs a handful of generic keywords in the #1 spot bringing in a bunch of empty clicks.

I agree with Eli. Keep it internally and show it privately on a case-by-case basis. I don't think most people (non-SEOs) will understand the relevancy of what it truly means to be ranked in the top i.e. what's involved. A good SEO will know either way.

Agreed, Eli and MacroB, but playing devil's advocate, many consumers don't understand SEO or how the SERPs work - a call to action on a page reinforcing brand value and integrity based on high rankings might generate extra clicks and sales from the uninformed user, perhaps?

As an SEO company it's probably quite important to show off your rankings and how you've improved the traffic of a site.
As an e-commerce site a lot of your customers won't even understand the difference between sponsored ads and ranking in the organic search so it's pretty hard to use your rankings to impress them.

A good visual will go a long way. Some clients are so sceptical that without some sort of evidence that the job can get done they refuse to sign the contract. I agree with comments above, no need to go over the top. A highly ranked generic keyword or two can do the trick.

@Eli & @MarcoB, I do hear and appreciate your views gentlemen and largely I agree with the majority 33% (36 votes) that it “Depends On Business” whether “Is it wise to show off”.

I think of it more as advertising then use the words “show off”.

To the Poll on this page I voted “Publicly”. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder to those 14 votes that have also chosen to receive “a beat down”. My farther bless his soul; used to say to me when I was as child, “no pain no gain” and “son, be the first to throw in your punch”.

On my homepage I flaunt the fact that I’m number 1 in Google for a fairly competitive key phrase. On Ecademy and on LinkedIn I advertise the fact that I’m Number 1 on that respective key phrase also.

To be number one and in defending your position (title) takes hard work, dedication, motivation and an almost relentless obsession to be there, to be in the Promised Land.

Bill Gates strongly believes in hard work. He believes that if you are intelligent and know how to apply your intelligence, you can achieve anything. He does not believe in mere luck or God's grace, but just hard work and competitiveness.

So I accept the likelihood of “a beat down” and if someone else comes along a beats me fairly and squarely then they deserve to be there at the number one spot and I will then have a new mountain to climb before I see the Promised Land once more and to be favoured by the Google Gods.

Just as William Shakespeare cursed all those who attempt to disrupt his grave I will defend “a beat down” form anyone in Gods Earth…I will not go quietly into the night! I will not vanish without a fight!

AMEN.

Rankings = Nothing
Traffic = Everything

I agree with Nick. Traffic is the key, not rankings.. which we all know can shift with the drop of an algo change. If you place a strong emphasis on rankings to get a client, dont be surprised when they are highly focused on them after you sign them up.