How will business be educated in tactical link building?

[v9designbuild]

According to an article by TopRank Blog (Strategic Link Building for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) | Online Marketing Blog "Not many in the Search Engine Optimization game would argue that link building isn't tactical. The problem is, approaching link building as an end goal and tactically, is very much like a hamster running in it?s cage."

But let's get back down to earth, tactical or not, how many website owners of say a condominium project or travel agency have the skills to coherently relate information about their "products" in a meaningful way in online articles and press releases? Most are reluctant to perceive any real value in spending in this way; in fact, in my experience, while the internet is a familiar and an obvious marketing tool to us, most of the world has yet to catch up.

Of course, these site owners want their sites at the very top of organic search but many have not yet been sufficiently educated to do so. According to the article "Quality SEO Pays for Itself" by Search Engine Watch (http://searchenginewatch.com/3634113): "Educating people...is part of changing the industry's image, and quality SEOs share responsibility in creating this reality...However, since this value proposition is not yet understood by many management team executives, it often lacks the executive support it requires both in terms of financial resources and supporting needed operational changes."

Our industry has some way to go yet in assembling and disseminating this concept. With directories moribund and other short-cuts removed from the link building process, providing services today maybe belongs in the hands of the wordsmith?

But how to get the message across convincingly? The web is still in its infancy in many ways.

 

[Kutaone]

I couldn't agree more. I worked for a Technology company in the marketing department and I can't tell you the resistance I got when wanting to put time and resources into driving organic traffic. It was painful to watch them throw $$$ at the same old same old and the campaigns generate less and less results. These weren't just Execs that I used to argue with but MARKETING execs.

I think SEO is a lot like marketing in the fact that EVERYONE thinks they can do it and EVERYONE thinks they already know how to do it and EVERYONE under values the role it plays in generating revenue. While I am no where near the SEO expert, I knew a long time ago stuffing a page full of keywords isn't going to help your site.

I think as marketers we see the value in SEO and marketing etc we also see the problems and hurdles first hand and think our complaints about not enough attention or budget are unique.

These are complaints in just about every department in any company. Those who specialize in their niche (marketing, product development, accounting etc.) are typically going to be on the cutting edge in their space.(unless you are like my old idiot boss fatticus maximus.) Naturally it is going to take those who budget our $$ and those who decide the strategic course of the company a little longer than those on the front lines to learn new tactics and have new ideas.

That's my two cents and I could have totally misunderstood the conversation but I wanted to add a little of my experience.

"Quality SEO pays for itself" the same can be said for just about any GOOD investment...

 

[v9designbuild]

I couldn't agree more. Marketing execs really need to undergo some basic education on SEM and then believe at least some part of what we're trying to advise them on. It is painful, I know.

 

[Kutaone]

I forgot to talk about a couple ideas to advance SEO on agendas of those who might not see the value. (It does nothing to just discuss a problem without discussing solutions too.)

-Show them the results. Don't even talk about SEO. Talk about the number of leads generated or the number of sales generated and then ask them if they want more and then tell them how much in time and resources it's going to take. Most good people want to see the results and as long as you can show results typically they won't care how you did it. (of course unless you work where I used to and everyone has to give their input to justify their job.)

-People are visual. If you want to get someone's attention to discuss SEO I find showing them the maps, lists of keywords, page views etc tends to get their attention, people are still amazed by what you can do with the web.

-ROI ROI ROI... Any good business man just cares about ROI. Sometimes as marketers we focus on views, number of repeat views etc but really all those who make the budget want to hear is how much money did they give us last year and how much revenue did we generate with that revenue.


Anyone else got any good ideas on how to overcome these problems?

 

[v9designbuild]

Again, I agree with your strategy. I show them results of my clients who are #1-3 on Google - endlessly. They get excited and ask how I can do that for them. I say you have to get involved and provide me with regular press releases and articles relevent to your industry and location. The eyes glaze over, they stifle a yawn and say they'll get back to me. In fairness, that's not 100% of the time, only generally.

One such case is a very high-end resort in Phuket, Thailand, run by a Hong Kong property group. I did their SEO with the build and without fuss. They then told me they had then employed a Thai company to do it all over again. This company couldn't string an intermediate sentence toegther in their email to me, so what they'll make of manipulating the English language is anyone's guess. Only, I've seen this type of company's work before. "Woeful" is to be kind.