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Tuesday, January 16, 2007 |
Aren't you glad I didn't include an image with this post? OK, so SEO isn't rocket
science, but it's not a colonoscopy either. Well, maybe GooogIe thinks SEO
is rocket science, but what do they know.
What's with the cliche's? Cliche's are simply a way to hide innuendo which was
the case when this SEO/rocket
science guff all started. Some of the arguments in this debate are not entirely
without merit so I'll take a humorous and a somewhat practical approach to explaining
a few.
One of the common questions that comes out of this silly debate is, "What do we
get for that monthly SEO fee?".
Upfront activity is substantially higher with SEO as it is with most marketing
initiatives but SEO is much more than making the site ready and relevant for search
engines. Besides the initial research, analysis, recommendations and the management
of implementation, there is also the matter of ongoing content development, promotion,
link acquisition and web analytics.
Depending on what the client has to work with, there can be any of a variety of
link and traffic building tactics employed on an ongoing basis right along with
measurement, refinement and consulting.
Add in integration with other marketing initiatives such as sharing of data and
collaboration with paid search, social media marketing, interactive, viral content
development, account management and online public relations and it's pretty easy
to see where the monthly fee goes.
There are pros and cons as well as right and wrong reasons for using SEO, PPC
or both. They're just marketing tools and as I've said before, bashing one over
the other doesn't help companies looking to improve sales in any way.
Part of the issue with the SEO industry is that there is a huge gap in skill sets
and capabilities. The offering of a 1 year old, one-person shop is going to be
different than a 10 year veteran agency. Each fills an appropriate need depending
on the client. The other issue is that many SEO problems can be solved multiple
ways - leaving presumed discrepancies in pricing between agencies.
I agree that SEO needs to do a much better
job at packaging its services and by getting more intelligent dialog going,
sans cliches, the better educated businesses will be when allocating online marketing
dollars.
Since all this SEO vs PPC malarkey is hardly a serious look at online marketing
channels and more gratuitous self promotion and contrarian link bait, I thought
I'd draw attention to a rather humorous text that pokes fun at SEO, PPC and even
paid inclusion by Simon Heseltine at Search
Engine Tigers. Think Monty Python skit:
Praline:
Hello, I wish to register a complaint Hello? Miss?
SEM Agency: What do you mean Miss?
Praline: I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint.
SEM Agency: Sorry, we're closed for lunch.
Praline: Never mind that my lad, I wish to complain about this SEO implementation
plan what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.
SEM Agency: Oh yes, the Google Blue. What's wrong with it?
Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it. It's not rocket science, that's
what's wrong with it.
SEM Agency: No, no it's complicated, look.
Praline: Look my lad, I know a simple plan when I see one and I'm looking
at one right now.
SEM Agency: No, no sir, it's not simple. It's complicated.
Praline: Complicated?
SEM Agency: Yeah, remarkable SEO implementation plan the Google Blue, beautiful
ranking, innit?
Praline: The ranking don't enter into it - it's bleedin' easy.
SEM Agency: No, no - it's really hard.
Praline: All right then, it it's hard let's take a look (shouting) Title
tag, meta tags, fresh content...
SEM Agency: (ruffles papers) There in the index.
Praline: What index?
SEM Agency: There that index.
Praline: That's just some notes in pencil on the back of the last page
analytics, external linking, url structure. Now that's more like it. Do you have
an implementation plan that actually has all of this in it?
SEM Agency: Let me look no.
Praline: Well what do you have then?
SEM Agency: Well, I have this PPC Implementation plan.
Praline: Is it geotargeted?
SEM Agency: Yes.
Praline: Where to?
SEM Agency: Norway. Tells you all about the right keywords for people pining
for the fjords...
Praline: Pining for the fjords, what kind of campaign is that? Look, I
want something that's complicated so I feel I'm getting my money's worth.
SEM Agency: Well, I'd better replace it then.
Praline: (to blog) If you want to get anything done in this country you've
got to complain until you're blue in the mouth.
SEM Agency: Sorry gov, we're right out of complicated SEO implementation
plans.
Praline: I see, I see, I get the picture.
SEM Agency: I've got a paid inclusion plan.
Praline: Well, it's scarcely a replacement then is it?
SEM Agency: Not really, no. Look, what do you want?
Praline: No I'm sorry, I'm not prepared to pursue my line of enquiry any
further as I think this is getting too silly...
What's particularly funny about this is that it hints at some of the client side
reasons for more education about all aspects of search marketing.
About
the Author:
Lee Odden is President and Founder of TopRank
Online Marketing, specializing in organic SEO, blog marketing and online public
relations. |
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Google,
Yahoo Get December Search Boost
 By
David Utter
Staff Writer | WebProNews
The rich got richer during the big holiday month of December, as Google and Yahoo
gained in comScore's search engine rankings while the competition gave ground.
The waters of e-commerce rushed through the aqueducts of search in December. Nowhere
did they flow more strongly than over the falls of Google. Internet analysis firm
comScore said people jingled
their way to Google at a brisk pace. Google picked up 47.3 percent of US searches
for December, with more than 3.2 billion search queries passing through Google
sites.
About
the Author:
David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.
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Credit
Card Information Via Web Form?
I have a client who wishes to have customers input credit card information into
a web form that is used for scheduling an appointment. The credit card info is
to simply "hold" the appointment and the card is to be processed in-house when
the customer arrives for their appointment. At present my client receives reservations
via an online form.
Their customer is supposed to then contact them via telephone to relay the credit
card info to hold the appointment. My client claims that they usually end up calling
the customer and playing a bit of phone-tag thus negating the benefits of the
online appointment form.
My question(s) is this: is there a simple, secure method of receiving this information?
Is this even a good idea or is there a better alternative? Has anyone dealt with
a situation like this? If so, please let me know what your solution was.
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Inc. 2549 Richmond Rd. Lexington KY, 40509
