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Like SEO Feeding Frenzies? Feast On Resistance
By Mike Murray | August 8, 2007
Truth be told, I was in the dumps earlier this year when the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization came out with its annual survey results.
Natural search engine optimization amounted to only $1.1 billion of the nearly $9.4 billion North American companies and consultants kicked into search engine marketing, according to the 2006 survey (yep, that’s $1.1 billion as much as I’d like it to be $11 billion). I settled for taking comfort in the fact that we’ve come a long way (it used to be $492 million in 2004).
Fortunately, my summer is going great (a helicopter landing in the Grand Canyon helped). I’ve been watching two other corporate trends that lift my spirits every day and help me find hope in prospective client objections. I call them:
1. Two Words: Not Yet
2. I’m Out of the Loop
So, grab a giant napkin, pick up your grandpa’s antique fork and dive in. It’s feeding time because opportunities abound.
Don’t be discouraged by prospects that don’t sign up right away. If we’re a $1 billion (I mean $1.1 billion) industry in North America alone, that’s a mere pittance compared to what corporations can really afford. We don’t need to salivate over marketing crumbs brushed off an accounts payable table. I’m thinking there’s still some gold in them hills and there will be plenty go around (unless you charge too much and that’s another issue). I’m not into chump change. How about you?
Two Words: Not Yet
The SEMPO survey indicated that 61% of companies plan to manage 100% of SEO on their own - no outsourcing. I thought, “Dang, that’s not fair. We should get to do the work.” Well, maybe it wasn’t “dang” that crossed my lips.
I’m amused by some companies that claim to do SEO considering my inability to clearly see the cultivation or fruits of their efforts. The basics aren’t even in place. My favorite is a very large company that says it’s doing SEO internally and that all of the recommendations are in development. Yeah, right. I hope for their sakes that they give some of their ideas a real test ride one day.
It may take time, but we can sense their pain and come in at the right moment to remedy their situation. We’re staying in touch. Patience can pay off. No need for lots of data, just friendly calls and some watch checking now and then.
Businesses may very well want to do SEO on their own, but they often can’t (not to the most effective degree). Well, it’s not that they can’t. Generalizations are silly. “They can’t” reflects dumb logic like those who claim “SEO is B.S.” or “SEO is not rocket science.” Businesses could do a better job, but current expertise levels or other marching orders get in the way. We’ve assisted clients who gave up trying.
I’m Out of the Loop
Yes, at times they may know so little that they hold off (for a time) because they don’t appreciate why spending cash makes sense. But when they admit they need a helping hand, it’s time for us to come to dinner.
In the same SEMPO survey, for example, 57% of businesses that do outsource SEO said they prefer that route because it’s too difficult to stay up with best practices. Now, that’s my kind of company. We’ll gladly stay informed and draw from the experiences gained from diverse clients.
Along those lines, the July issue of OMMA magazine detailed the JupiterResearch’s U.S. SEM Executive Survey for 2007. Get this: a whopping 54% of those surveyed indicated that they “lack enough time to focus on SEO.” I love that statistic, don’t you? You should. I say, “Stay busy doing whatever preoccupies you. We’ll take it from there.”
The reality is that many businesses don’t know how to handle SEO — not by itself and certainly not in conjunction with online PR/links, paid search and even e-mail marketing for that matter.
We talk to prospective companies all of the time that have budget. They just don’t know who to hire or how far to take their first steps. Yes, it is 2007 and major organizations are just getting started. In other words, we’re not just hearing from John or Mary who made this really neat web site and they can’t wait for you to invite the entire world and make them a million bucks by Christmas. Companies with hundreds of employees are sending out their first RFPs.
I find joy in many places, but do you know what rates really high? I like talking to a prospect who doesn’t rank. Together, we go to Google, enter a reasonable search term like “youth soccer shorts” and discover that they’re nowhere to be found (especially if they sell soccer outfits). Few things can top my delight. Of course, I think the potential client gets a different feeling.
During those moments, I’m thinking, “This is great. We can help. When can the sales rep expect your signature?” They’re thinking, “This is pointless. I’ll never get to the top” or “I deserve that top spot, but I don’t know why.”
Instead of admitting my inner thoughts, I usually say goodbye after pointing out some valuable tactics that could help (although I’d like a secret appraiser to put a value on what I share). Anyway, it’s always better to leave them in a good mood because no one wants to be in the dumps.
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August 9th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
>61% of companies plan to manage 100% of SEO on their own .
I am sure that more companies will start handle their seo effort internally. The only reason it took while to do so is that seo was a foreign concept to many of them. The same thing happened with IT, marketing and advertising projects. In each of these areas, many companies have their own internal staff to handle some of the work but they still have to rely on external companies for some of the projects.
I am sure the seo market space will eventually mature over the next 10 years or so via either consolidation or elimination.
August 9th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
It is a mystery to me why some organizations - large ones at that - almost seem scared to pay attention to organic search. Is is because they have heard some sort of buzz that it is a bunch of ne’er do wells with handles that “hack” the search engines?
Or are the senior decision makers are just slow to respond to something they were not taught in school, back in the day before search engines?
August 10th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
I think the feeding frenzy is helpful to SEO firms in as much as it brings clients looking for direction who have a realistic grasp of what their own goals are and what their site/brand could achieve for various keywords or markets. It’s when they shoot for Mars with no rover that trouble comes.