How To Convince Your Boss You Need An SEO Strategy
5 simple steps that will help you convince your boss you need an SEO strategy, or at least get the conversation going:
How many times have you heard this from your boss, “Why aren’t we on the first page of Google?” or “My daughter can’t find us on Facebook?” Well Mr. Boss man, let’s evaluate our online Marketing and SEO strategy. Oh ya, we don’t have one! Randomly updating your Facebook page, unfortunately, doesn't qualify as an effective online marketing strategy. Selling a SEO or SEM strategy to your boss or higher ups can be a challenge, no doubt. So I have come up with 5 simple steps that will help you convince your boss you need an SEO strategy, or at least get the conversation going:
I have worked for organizations in the past, which have thrown thousands of marketing dollars at creating a really fancy website. People looking for your products/services need to be able to “find” your website to eventually purchase your products and or services! I know, it's an amazing concept right!? That fancy website will get ZERO traffic, except from you and your co-workers in the office. In a nut shell-- your website needs to be functional and searchable for your potential new customers/clients.
Here are 5 easy steps to help you in showing or convincing your boss the benefits of SEO Strategy:
1. Show Graphs, Numbers, Charts & Visuals:
Your boss might be a bit old school, (you're my boy blue!) so you may need to sit down with him or her and produce some numbers and some graphs as to why spending money for an SEO campaign can and will be effective. Although search engine marketing feels like it’s been around forever, it’s actually a newer concept to the majority of people in the workforce. According to Content Marketing Institute 9 out of 10 marketers are using content marketing. It also may be worth using or hiring an in-house team for content creation, with only 44 percent of companies reporting that they outsource these efforts, according to this graph. You can also show him this Infographic that explains a few basics about SEO.
2. The Competition Is Already Using SEO Services:
Darn tootin they are! Why are they out performing us? Why are they showing up on the first page of organic search results, and you can’t even find us? These are pretty common questions when you are wondering how your competitors are outperforming you. The answer is simple- they have an SEO strategy and you don’t. SEO results don’t come overnight, in fact it will most likely to take months, and in many cases up to one year to see direct SEO results. These timelines can be pretty ambiguous at times, in my opinion. I compare an SEO strategy to getting the oil changed on a regular basis for your car. If you don't change the oil, your engine will explode! So, SEO is the same, if you don't keep up with current SEO trends and Google Updates, your website will explode into the abyss of the interwebs! Any boss can relate to competition, and no boss ever wants to come in second place. If you're not first, your last!
3. Search Engine Marketing Is The Present of Marketing:
When I was a kid, I recall watching TV and wondering who came up with all these horrible tv commercials. The so called “Traditional” forms of media still do have a place in today’s marketing world. More and more people are ditching the TV and the newspaper. More consumers are buying and searching for things online. According to CNBC, Cyber Monday online sales for 2015 hit a record of $3 billion! I am sure your boss and the company would like a piece of that money. More and more companies are creating cell phone apps, TV watching apps, and the list goes on and on. People fast forward through commercials on their DVR’s. You can’t fast forward your internet. People have moved towards smart phones, tablets and computers/laptops now. A great example of this is the popularity of Netflix, Apple TV & Hulu.
4. Build On Your Current Analytics (If You Have Any):
Let’s hope you have access to your company’s analytics reports, such as Google analytics, so you can show your boss exactly how much time visitors are spending on the site. You can also show the pages of your website where people drop off unengaged. You may need to revise your content, design, and most importantly your “calls to action” to entice those visitors to convert rather than bounce. Each visitor that leaves the site is a lost customer. Hitting a business person where it hurts- in the wallet- is a surefire way to make a convincing argument for an SEO strategy.
5. Show Him/Her The Free Handy Dandy Tools:
Here are some really handy and free tools that you can show your boss:
Google AdWords Keyword Tool – the data isn’t perfect because it’s filtered and estimated.
Bing Webmaster Tools – yes, Bing. It may be the little guy with only 15% of search volume, but at least they use real numbers. (Looking at you, Google…)
Wordtracker – the best application here is to cross-check your keyword volume and CPC data from Google and Bing.
Don't let your company fall behind the competition because you lack something as important as a strategic marketing campaign.
