It’s a confusing topic with the tangibility of a voodoo spell. What does it take to make it really worth the effort? We use search engines to find what we want on the internet, so the common perception is that our product or service must be found on Google or we can’t sell anything. Well, maybe or maybe not. There are a few things to consider before jumping into the deep and mysterious waters of the SEO world, but we must understand the ROI (return on investment), the timeframes involved, and compare it to other marketing options. ·
How many visitors can I expect to my website for each keyword that appears in the top half of a Google search result? Basic keyword research will give you a general idea of the potential each keyword has for search traffic. Please note, however, that this information is a very preliminary draft because Google is not 100% forthcoming with hard data about search results unless you run an AdWords campaign and pay for the results. Even if you have the exact number of people searching for this particular keyword, you should still apply the breakdown of people who will click on your list based on how they rank in the results. Something to keep in mind is that the first position gets 31% of all clicks and drops off sharply from there.
What about the other search engines? 70% of all the searches that are done in this world are done on Google; Bing is 10% and Yahoo is 9.5%. It goes down from there. I’m not saying that the other search engines are irrelevant, but statistically they are less relevant.
Of all the visitors to my website, how many will do what I want them to do? This isn’t really an SEO question, but it needs to be answered to calculate your ROI. The most common objectives would include a “Call to Action” such as: fill out a form, call us, send an email, buy from my online store, etc. Some of these actions are easy to measure, ROI, and others are a bit more difficult.
How difficult will it be to achieve a top 5 ranking for this keyword? There are some tests you can do to assess this, but none of them are guaranteed. As an example, a simple assessment of who currently occupies those slots will give you an idea. I did a review for a client and the top five spots were taken by Best Buy, Walmart, Overstock, etc. Although nothing is impossible, the chances of taking over those places are slim. You can also use the keyword tool provided by Google AdWords to see if they tag your competition as low, medium, or high. I prefer to do a google search and use this in front of the search. allintitle:”keyword”. This will tell you how many websites are really trying their hardest to rank for that particular keyword. The reason I say strive is because this type of search will tell you if a page on the website has that exact keyword or phrase in its title tag. If the results are over 2,000, it will take some effort to achieve a first page result. There are many more tools to gauge how difficult this battle is going to be, but this is the bare minimum you should do.
How much time, effort and money will it take to qualify for one of those top five spots? This is where the SEO guy tells you that it will take 3-6 months to achieve results. Well that’s a standard answer that may or may not be true. Google’s algorithm changes daily, so how could anyone really know? Unfortunately, this is a guessing game with too many variables. When you talk about SEO, don’t forget that being good is not enough. You are competing against everyone who wants to take those top 5 spots, so you have to be the best. So now you must ask yourself if you are the best or can hire the best. Then, once you have an estimate of the cost and time involved, you can evaluate the ROI.
How long can I stay on top? Assuming that you eventually land in one of those top 5 places in a search for your chosen keywords, how long can you expect to stay there without extra effort? This is another slippery question with no solid answer. All SEO professionals will tell you that it won’t last forever and they are right. As for exactly how long, it could be just a week, it could be a year. Depends on competition and Google rule changes. ·
How much will it cost me to stay on top? This is a more realistic question because if you want to stay there after investing so much to get there, you have to keep up your efforts. Whatever has been done to get you there must continue. The debate is whether it takes a percentage of that effort or the full effort. That is a matter of debate. But to assess your ROI, that has to be taken into account. I would suggest that something between 60% and 100% of the effort expended to get to that place should be exerted to maintain the place.
What about my competition? Obviously, the people you displaced from one of those premium places will want you back. Are they going to let you have it or will it be an escalation of the Cold War? There are no hard numbers for this, but it is something to consider. If you are spending your maximum budget, do you have the upward flexibility to spend even more to maintain your top rank?
Is the price of SEO going up? The cost of Pay Per Click increases every year and the number of competitors increases every year, so you are likely to assume that the cost of SEO will also increase every year. I bring this up for two reasons. If you think you’re going to get a quality SEO service at a discounted price, check out the point above about being the best. If you are trying to anticipate the true return on investment for SEO over time, you should calculate a minimum increase of 15% year over year.
What magic must be performed to secure a top spot? It is important that you know exactly what the SEO agency is going to do for you to ensure your top ranking. The reason behind that is simple. Google has some very harsh penalties associated with the wrong type of SEO, ranging from a drop in rankings to the complete removal of your website from their search engine platform for the next 2 years. If the SEO agency you hire tends to cheat, you will pay the price. Another reason to know what is being done to your online reputation is that some SEO companies will structure their SEO efforts so that if you ever leave them, your rankings will drop like a rock. You should know that what is being done for you will continue and you will benefit from it, regardless of your continued business arrangements with this company.
Can I take control once the ball is rolling? If the company is transparent with their practices and you feel comfortable enough with the processes, you might give it a try. Normally the skill set is quite high and keeping up with industry changes is almost a full time endeavor these days. But, you can give it a try. It is usually easier to maintain a place than to recover once it has fallen.
What is the value of the brand for my business? Not all SEO benefits are measured in immediate ROI. The benefits of brand recognition through more eyes on my business name and position have value as well. That value must be quantified and taken into account when evaluating actual ROI over time.
Can I collect more money? As your brand and visitor traffic increases due to higher rankings, you will be able to increase your prices.
Is Google the only party in town? NO! The real name of the game is a multifaceted approach where you can be found everywhere a potential consumer might look. Depending on the type of business you have, Google may not even be the best place to appear. As an example, if you are in the food and beverage industry, Yelp is a very important player and the reviews on that platform carry a lot of weight. This also applies to Facebook for the same industries. I’m not saying we ignore search engines; however, they may not be at the top of your list of where to spend your money first. If you’re selling products, Amazon is competing with Google as the second largest search engine related to e-commerce.
Do I have to pay only for my clicks? Pay Per Click (PPC) can be done with Google, Yahoo, Bing, Facebook, etc. They all have their hands out to take your money. The pay per click only control is very attractive and getting to the top of the page is not hard, just shell out that money. An argument could easily be made for PPC as an ongoing ad spend. In my experience, it’s easy to spend money and much harder to do so with PPC. There are many companies that are very good at that game and you are also competing with them. ROI for a PPC campaign is easier to calculate than with SEO because you can choose the landing page and use a follow-up phone number or other analytics to gauge conversions. This way you can at least give it a try to see what it can do for you. I highly recommend getting help with this process. There are many studies showing different ad click-through rates vs. organic listings, but none of that really matters because you only pay for clicks, not impressions. If nothing else, a PPC campaign can provide valuable insight into the actual traffic you can get from various keywords.
Can I get paid traffic from other social networks? Not all paid advertising is pay per click. You can also pay by the number of impressions. It’s a good idea to look at options with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Each of these has its own rules and audience culture. As an example, the mentality of a person on Facebook is very different from that of the same person doing a search on Google. When they’re on Facebook, they’re in an entertainment mindset and are less likely to shift that mindset to a shopping mindset. The cost of reaching a large number of people is relatively low, but the conversions are at a much lower percentage. LinkedIn’s audience is a more professional demographic, so the culture is different than most. There are opportunities here, but you need to know the rules of the game.
What other options do I have? Any business person knows that the advertising options are virtually limitless. A few more to consider when considering your options would include: mobile apps, telesales, YouTube videos, TV ads, radio, billboards, newspapers, other print ads, direct mail, online banner ads, affiliate marketing, email marketing, email etc etc
There is no clear answer as to whether or not SEO is worth it for your business; however, it is highly recommended to get reliable help to make an informed decision before going down that path. Most businesses can benefit from some degree of SEO, it’s just how far you want to get into the pool. Is the kiddie pool more your style or are you ready for the big kiddie pool?
