Is SEO Positioning Over-hyped?

There is no question in my mind that the great mantra of the 2010s among marketers is "SEO".  SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the achievement of a high position in a search engine of a particular business.  And it is greatly overhyped.

The logic of the marketeers is that success depends on getting as close to #1 search result as possible for a given search term or business name.  Great sums are spent to "optimize" this position.  It sounds wonderful, but there are considerations.  I think for most small businesses, achieving very high SEO should not be the overriding goal.  Here's why:

1) Every competitor is also doing the same thing, and there are only so many top-ten positions to go around.  If you are a Realtor and hoping "Top Realtor in Gotham" will show you, you will likely be disappointed.   Every business spending money with a marketing firm to buy more "horses in the race" is locked in an arms race of sorts with others doing the same thing.

2) Not every small business builds their marketing plan around search.  Quite a few I know rely on relationship building, word of mouth, advertising, and good old fashioned promotion.  And, similarly, not that many consumers (or clients) see the be-all-and-end-all in search.  A search may inform but it does not automatically lead to to a sale.  Oftentimes the search is conducted to find a detail that is not remembered, such as a telephone number or address.

3) The question of "High SEO" is highly dependent on the "what" of the search.  That is, what search term matters most?  Do you want to score high with your business name? your line of business? a particular product or service? something else?  One's search position can change enormously based on the word choices a prospect makes.  Trying to buy high SEO for every combination can be enormously expensive.

What's the solution?  I recommend adapting to the realities of search.  A business can improve its search position by keeping a web property with strong content, fresh material, and plenty of both.  Use videos and a blog to add searchable material.  Consult your web master for ways to enhance searchability of the web site.  But most of all, ensure your messaging reflects ways in which you are unique and different.  Continue to work the non-search methods most businesses use.

Bottom line: Search is part of the equation, but it is not the most critical to a small business.  Be careful buying into programs that focus on building the maximum SEO.  Very often, that program may not result in the strongest return on investment.  Depend on established marketing techniques.

Directories May No Longer be at the Top of the List

In recent weeks I have had several encounters, in various forms, with directories as a media/advertising channel.  Do they make sense for small business?

I think we can agree directories have long lost their luster from the days when the massive phone books landed on the front door step.  Even overlooking the reality that hardly any one has one in their home (or business) the directory publishers themselves have made strategic moves to offer services beyond the traditional directory listing.

I'm bearish on directories.  A few years ago I was willing to concede a meaningful role to directories for some types of businesses (e.g. home services, food delivery, etc.) and especially not business-to-business I am retreating from even that qualified position.  Search has become everything.  Published directories take up space.  Online directories are one step removed from search.

The directory publishers I have seen recognize this and are trying to accommodate search in a way that they hope adds value, for example, adding review capability.  The problem is that they're merely duplicating what's already there with established market share.  Examples include Yelp, Google, Angie's List and so forth.

For the small advertiser, there are some serious concerns about directory listings.  Can the publisher return impressions that match or surpass others?  Do consumers actually use the tool(s)?  Is it too easy to be lost in a matching field of competitor listings?

Bottom line: Look very hard at directories'  offerings.  Compare to alternatives and think about how the directory is used, if so, by your target market.  The old days are gone and directories aren't the go-to resource they once were.

We Can't Search Everywhere

It is wonderful how some one-on-one conversations spark discussions of marketing tactics.  My latest involved a small business owner who runs a specialized shop.  He is optimized, I think, in terms of social media, but had a very ambitious plan to list his venture on search engines.  He wasn't satisfied to come up strong on the usual suspects (Google and Bing and DuckDuckGo) but keep going, as time permits, on a good many more.

I don't think this a productive strategy.  There are many, many search engines and not all of them rank very highly in terms of users.  Spending valuable time becoming listed (and high-SEO ranked) on a search engine that draws under 1% of search consumers is by definition a poor return on investment.  I prefer identifying the top five portals and stopping there.  That should mop up the vast bulk of all search traffic.  Spend other time working on higher-gain marketing, like building indexible content and SEO.

Bottom line: time is precious.  As it has been said (by Voltaire, I believe) "perfect is the enemy of good".  Do what is necessary to cover the largest part of a marketing channel and then move on.

Are Your Search Terms Optimized?

How do potential customers search for you?

This certainly sounds easy.  These days, as easy as someone typing some words into a search engine like Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo and pressing "Search".   But the devil is in the details.  What words do they use compared to terms you use for yourself?  It can make an enormous difference!

Tools like Google Trends can show a small business owner how terms are trending, and there are tools like Socialmention.com that provide insights on the positive or negative associations with various search terms.  With these tools your own self-image and branding terms can be compared with alternatives.  Perhaps alternatives are more likely to be on prospects' top-of-mind or have a more positive image.  Making a correction soon can boost the likelihood you'll be found near the top of the search list!

Take a moment and test your search word strength.  You may be surprised what you'll find!

The Long and Winding Road to Better SEO

Every so often I run across a company that claims it can achieve higher Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for its customers.  If only. (sigh) I am afraid the road to better SEO is a long and winding one, one that is neither easy nor quick.

I think that the strategy that gets the most attention is the most deceptive.  A broker buys a large number of "backlinks" to other web sites, many of which are built expressly for that purpose.  The result is what looks on paper like a rich network of connections to the client business.  But it is a network barely worth the paper it can be printed on.  The major search engines are aware of these techniques and crush them when they can.  And when they do, a network goes away in a puff of dust.  As did the money spent to get that "network."

Like all things worth having, better SEO is built honestly and slowly through true connections, a body of indexable text, and social media response.  A blog can help.  A true social media community of followers can help.  Listings on other (legitimate) web sites can help.  Alliances with other web site owners can help.  Starting today and every day a little more ground adds up to a solid SEO that does not disappear when a search engine changes their algorithms to nail the corner cutters.

You can do it!  Start mapping out your SEO strategy today!

Beginning SEO: Several Strategies

I had a fascinating discussion today with a small business person whose web site was, in his words, "invisible".  He wanted to know what he could do to change the equation.  To put his plight in perspective, I found that if I typed the name of his business into a search engine his business web site was listed sixth.  A couple of questions later, I suggested some revisions to his web site strategy that will make a difference soon.  I think they are a fine start for someone beginning their pursuit of a better SEO (search engine optimization)

#1.  The web site itself should include text, and a decent amount of it.  The business owner's entire web site was made of attractive but unindexible graphics.  Web indexing robots look at text.  Hence, talk about your business and services in words, and use key words as much as possible (and that includes your business name.)

#2.  If it's possible to get into the HTML code (and it should be!) pass search terms into a Meta tag up front that will be noticed by the robots.

#3. Talk about your business and your services, products, and expertise in a connected property, such as a blog or in LinkedIn or Twitter, etc.  Regular infusions of material that relate to your business and web site will improve its standing.

#4. Exploit opportunities to have other web sites point to yours.  Comment on blogs or forums.  Form alliances with other businesses.  Or ask other businesses to list you in a "recommended web sites" list.

I do not recommend buying into a service that purports to "move you up the search engine listings to the top".  Much of the traffic that feeds their scheme doesn't help much---if they work at all, and others are bidding for the same space.  Slow and steady progress through your own words will make a difference, using techniques that amplify your good work.

The New Look Yellow Pages

It's been rather a staple of wisdom in the marketing trade that the old-fashioned "yellow pages" directories are no longer a good way for businesses to advertise.  Telephone directory use has plummeted and the ads are only seen by a tiny fraction of consumers.

But what about the "New Look" versions of these dinosaur directories?  At least one of the better known properties has a webpage that performs like a search engine and includes promotional and social media-type add-ons.  Of course, there is advertising for enhanced placement.

That's all well and good, and it is nice to see the directory company moving resolutely into the new era.  But at the end of the day, what I see is a derivative application.  Google, Yahoo, Bing and others got there first and have vastly better Top-of-Mind-Awareness.  To really make the ad spend worth the while the new directory application needs much more innovation.

For the small business seeking promotional gains from the Internet, I counsel care, and adherence to a tool that is already recognized.  I'm not persuaded that the ROI is there for a player like Google, but it is certainly superior to other search engines.  And that includes the new look yellow pages.  As with all of these thinks, a careful decision is in order.