Tagged 'web presence optimization'

SEO Evolution: Sell, Discover, Deliver & Report on Highly Converting Keywords

Posted by Krista LaRiviere on April 16th, 2013 at 7:34 am

To produce strong SEO results and happy clients, focus your SEO efforts on traffic and conversions, not rank.

More Traffic? Or More Conversions? No Contest.

Posted by Mark Simpson on April 4th, 2013 at 9:58 am

The reality is, if you provide a really stellar online experience, they will want to come back, again and again. Which makes the overall job simpler, and clearer.

SEO Buying & Selling Tricks that Create Unachievable SEO Results & Expectations

Posted by Krista LaRiviere on January 22nd, 2013 at 10:11 am

The techniques and tactics of “doing” SEO are forever changing and constantly challenging. For many SEO agencies, the marketing and selling of SEO services is a bigger hurdle than the task of actually obtaining improved organic search results for clients. Competing for marketing dollars while proving value through the sales process needs to be accomplished even before the insurmountable task of obtaining ROI through the Google search box begins.
From an SEO buyer’s perspective, it must be downright confusing and discouraging to obtain multiple quotes from SEO service providers that very clearly have differing price ranges and service methodologies, but not so clearly defined differentiating skill sets and experience.
So sellers attempt to make it easier for buyers to understand SEO proposals in order to ultimately get to a closed deal - a signature on a contract. In the meantime, are they undermining their own profession and setting themselves up for failure by setting unrealistic expectations with clients?
Or are SEO clients being unrealistic in their expectations of SEO results in the short term versus the long term, leading SEO service providers to drastic measures that may ultimately result in the client’s web presence being penalized in organic search? Or even results in... Read more

Ten SEO Truths of 2012 for Agencies and In-House SEO Teams

Posted by Krista LaRiviere on December 12th, 2012 at 10:19 am

Search Engine Optimization agencies, professionals and in-house teams have difficult jobs – obtain improved organic search results as quickly as possible given a limited budget and timeframe, while Google changes its algorithm on a daily basis and competitors continue to optimize their web presence. I think it’s safe to say that managing the clients’ or boss’ expectations in this turbulent environment are almost more difficult than the moving target of SEO itself.
I spend a lot of time thinking about how the SEO landscape has changed for the better over the past three years, with Google’s continued and unwavering focus on the concept of relevance. However, three aspects of SEO have not changed at the same pace. The outcome is often a gap in expectations between the team delivering SEO services and the client literally banking on the results. The three aspects of SEO that I feel have not changed at the same pace as the SEO industry include:

The way SEO services are marketed and sold.
The processes around how SEO is delivered and reported on.
The ability for agencies and in-house teams to prove the ROI of SEO efforts.

But the importance of SEO in the digital marketing mix remains unchanged and unchallenged.... Read more

Investing in SEO: Marketers Do More SEO than They Think

Posted by Krista LaRiviere on September 19th, 2012 at 9:25 am

I was thrilled to see the joint GroupM and Nielsen research published recently on the UK Search Marketing Landscape. If you missed it, Danny Goodwin’s blog post, “Organic vs. Paid Search Results: Organic Wins 94% of Time” is a great summary. With this study, marketers and search marketers have, for the first time, vendor-neutral data containing evidence of organic search clickthrough rates (CTRs).
As a quick recap, the research concludes that 94% of searchers click through on organic search results, and that the top three positions in Google earn 61% of the clicks. These numbers are not far off the numbers I’ve used for years when describing the importance of SEO in a marketing budget as well as ranking on Page One for the keywords prospects are searching on to find your organization. The GroupM and Nielsen numbers simply (and strongly) validate the importance of an on-going SEO strategy.
A significant disconnect, however, continues to exist between the impact that SEO can have on impressions, clickthroughs and lead generation compared to PPC and the representation each receives in a typical marketing budget. Take Forrester’s U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast, for the years 2011 to 2016. Marketers are spending and will continue to spend,... Read more