http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/internet/seo/the-seo-investment-the-business-owners-mindset-an-agencys-perspective.html http://www.articletrader.com/internet/seo/the-seo-investment-the-business-owners-mindset-an-agencys-perspective.html Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600
An interesting disparity appears, however, when one looks at the numbers closely. According to the report, "Forty-three percent of "Big Spenders," those who typically spend at least $25,000 per month on search marketing, are planning 11 percent increases in SEO spend for 2008, but only 35 percent of all marketers surveyed plan to."

This could mean that a majority of small businesses are interested in getting SEO results, but are intimidated by its upfront cost, risk factors and gradual results. In addition, a large percentage of these companies are still struggling to assess ROI due to lack of analytics data, or know-how on analytics implementation.

By now, most marketers and business owners understand the value of SEO - but only a small percentage of them are willing to apply the time, resources and budgets necessary for a successful campaign. For those that seek professional assistance, things can get even more complicated if they don't align themselves with the right SEO firm.

So the question becomes, does SEO make sense for your small business, and are you willing to take on the investment required for getting results? If so, here are a few things to consider.

SEO is harder than you think

Not the concept, but the actual work behind it. SEO is a complex combination of technical website design, keyword placement, continually updated content, quality in-bound links and the list goes on. All of that takes time, and if you don't understand the complexities involved, you may not feel comfortable opening your wallet to it.

Let the SEO Wizards be the SEO Wizards

As a business owner, it's in your blood to want to grasp, learn and master the strategies that generate profit for your business. In the event that you are inspired to learn the ins and outs of SEO, be aware of the time it may take you to implement this type of strategy on your own.

Having a fundamental understanding of SEO is most helpful when interviewing SEO professionals and firms. This way, you can ask pertinent questions to assess their true knowledge, experience and know-how, while still being involved in some of the tactics they employ.

SEO is typically not a one person job - especially if you are in a competitive field, or have a sophisticated website. Most likely, it will take a team comprised of copywriters, link builders and technical architects. So if you're serious about achieving quick results, step aside and let the SEO wizards do what they do best.

Know the Difference between Agency Fees and Third Party Costs

When companies request proposals for SEO services, they tend to get confused about where budgets are being applied. Although agencies vary in pricing models, standard agencies tend to charge a monthly fee for their services, in addition to a proposed third party budget for link building.

To clarify, agency fees are applied to the development, management and execution of an SEO plan, while third party budgets are applied to link building strategies including text link ads, directory submissions, blog per posts and article distribution services. Some agencies do combine these fees into one package, but at times this can create confusion and leave room for unethical practices.

Accountability and Reporting

Once you've hired an SEO professional, firm or in-house team, ensure that you receive weekly reports on SEO progress and results. This is the best gauge for whether the campaign is working for your company's benefit or not. Be mindful that results can take anywhere from 3-6 months depending on numerous variables, with the most important being: how long your website has been live (longer the better), online competitive landscape (are most of your competitors engaging in SEO?), link building (are you starting from scratch or has your site acquired a decent number of inbound links), and many other variables.

In closing, it's important to align yourself with right team (whether in-house or contractually) to spearhead your search marketing efforts, specifically SEO. Just make sure you're the first one on board - and the results will follow.

About Blueliner

Blueliner is an internet marketing agency and web development firm specializing in web design, search engine optimization, online advertising, web analytics and social media campaigns. Visit www.bluelinerNY.com for details, or contact Dali Singh at dsingh@bluelinerny.com.

Internet Marketing Agency

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Dali Singh is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of BluelinerNY.com, an internet marketing agency based in New York. She is responsible for the implementation of Blueliner’s marketing strategies including SEO, interactive PR, social media and search friendly web design. For details, visit www.bluelinerNY.com or email dsingh@bluelinerny.com.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/business/marketing/the-seo-debate-good-roi-or-hard-to-measure.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/marketing/the-seo-debate-good-roi-or-hard-to-measure.html Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600
But a closer look at the numbers revealed a slightly different story. Although 36 percent of respondents rated SEO to have good ROI, another 21 percent slammed it as hard to gauge. The result was that SEO also placed third, out of seven marketing tactics, for least effective.

Why would a tactic heralded as being on the cutting edge of internet marketing, and praised for it's ROI also be criticized for being hard to gauge? There are a few reasons, most of them related to the relatively short period of time SEO has been used as a marketing tool and the trepidations most business owners feel when paying money for a relatively new strategy with graduated pay-off.

Measure This.

There still isn't a good, solid analytics tool that can separate SEO leads from SEM leads. Google Analytics, wildly popular because it is effective and free, only measures return from SEM leads, and most other high-level analytics tools, like Click Tracks for example, inevitably mix up SEO and SEM. Frustrated business owners who couldn't get solid numbers about SEO versus SEM probably contributed to those who judged SEO "hard to gauge."

Time, time, time.

Getting on the first, or even second, page of Google for a popular key word takes serious time, effort, and patience. After all only 10 websites in the entire country are capable of getting on the first page of Google for a specific keyword or phrase. Return on investment, in the form of a higher profile or better leads, may arrive within two months, or take over a year. In fact, any good report on SEO's ROI should evaluate expenditure and profits on an annual basis, rather than going month by month.

The Size factor.

Companies with the time and resources to wait things out see a tremendous jump in profits thanks to SEO. Smaller companies who become frustrated part-way through the process or who lose the ability to fund SEO or who choose a cheap and ineffective SEO company are less likely, or, rather, not likely at all, to see the fruit of their investment. This factor is also probably the reason that MarketingSherpa's survey found that 43 percent of "Big Spenders" (companies who spend more than $25,000 per month on SEO) plan on increasing their SEO budgets at least 11 percent next year, but only 35 percent of all respondents surveyed were willing to do the same.

Youth.

At the end of the day, SEO just hasn't been around that long. People like the idea of it because it is cutting edge, but the flip side of cutting edge technology is that it often hasn't had time to really prove itself. Businesses praise SEO's obvious advantages (zero cost per click, long-term rankings, no constant bidding wars) but feel less sure when it comes to paying up front costs that will give birth to results at some distant point in the future. There are no standards in the industry, no rules, and most of the literature on SEO is available on the internet, in opinion articles and through blogs.

Is SEO an effective tool? YES. We can't say it enough and the stats speak for themselves. According to Forrester Research, 93 percent of Internet users use search engines and 97 percent of those users never get beyond the first three results they find. Not only that, but thanks to an ad-averse culture, 76.7 percent of internet users use the organic, rather than paid listings. But search engine optimization is not cheap and not easy. Anyone who promises you first page status for 500 bucks a year is lying. So count the cost, research the benefits, and prepare for an exciting journey.

About Blueliner NY

Blueliner NY is an internet marketing agency and web development firm specializing in search marketing tactics including SEO, social media, online advertising and web analytics. Visit www.bluelinerNY.com for details or contact Dali Singh at dsingh@bluelinerny.com.

BluelinerNy - Internet Marketing Agency

--
Dali Singh is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of BluelinerNY.com, an internet marketing agency based in New York. She is responsible for the implementation of Blueliner’s marketing strategies including SEO, interactive PR, social media and search friendly web design. For details, visit www.bluelinerNY.com or email dsingh@bluelinerny.com.

BluelinerNy - Internet Marketing Agency

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