SEO Articles

A new perspective on SEO

Search engine optimisation (SEO) has built a reputation of being a bit of a maverick in online advertising. Most SEO agencies don’t hesitate to build a myriad of links, content and Meta tags but very few are able to back up all the resources that have been consumed with a tangible return. As a result despite following the best practice guidelines, agencies are not able to retain advertisers and barely has an advertiser signed up with an agency are they in the process of sourcing a new one.

It is almost like a dysfunctional relationship where one partner (Agencies) is not able to match the expectation of the other, while the second partner (Advertiser) due to continuous disappointments has developed commitment issues and is always on the lookout for something better.

Where does the problem lie and how do we rectified this? The answer to this does not lie in building more links and better content but in our overall approach to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Here are a few suggestions for both advertisers and agencies towards building a stronger and more successful working partnership.

An Advertiser should look at SEO as an integrated part of their overall marketing strategy and proportion to it a fair share of the overall annual targets.
An agency should map these targets to their analysis of the website and provide the advertisers with their realistic estimations and projections.
Targets should be mutually agreed at the start of the project and all subsequent strategy should be based on achieving the set target.
Advertisers should keep their focus on the target and not get too bogged down by the numbers game when building links and content.
All reporting should illustrate the co-relations between the activities carried out and its impact on targets. This flags up any errors which can be immediately rectified with consultation with the client.

More often than not, this approach will lead to better relationships and more successful projects as it sets clear expectations and facilitates a collaborative process. SEO needs to be seen from macro perspective with the focus on delivering results using the highest quality resources without getting caught up in the numbers game.

Author: Anant Swarup

Date: 24th August 2008