Return on Investment

It is important to assess if Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the right option for your company.

Search Engine Marketing is often a sound marketing investment for the majority of businesses that have a website, for the following reasons.

• It is very targeted – people who find your website are already pre-qualified because they have taken the time to actually search online for the type of product or service you are offering.

• It is measurable – you can monitor visitors to your website, enquiries, emails or online sales and see the return on investment from SEO far more accurately than many other mediums such as print and radio.

• It is comprehensive – unlike other marketing channels where campaigns have a limited time-span or geographical coverage, once we have your company website ranking in the Search Engines it is visible all day every day, and around the world.

• It is cost-effective – for the coverage you can achieve and the potential return on investment, Search Engine Marketing is unbeatable.

• It offers a level playing field – businesses with smaller budgets can rank above major industry players and compete for a bigger share of the online market.  A number of our clients have achieved this.

Working out Potential Return on Investment from Search Engine Marketing

There are a number of ways to consider and assess the potential return on investment from Search Engine Marketing.  Factors to consider are:

How big is the potential online market?  Is it commonly known that many people search online for your product or service, as it is for industries such as real estate, tourism and electronics?

How many sales or referrals would you need from your website to cover the monthly cost of search engine marketing?  If you are selling real estate then the return from a single sale would cover the entire year’s SEO budget.  If you are a luxury hotel or lodge then you might only need one extra booking a month to cover the cost.  If you are selling a low value product with a small margin then you may need to sell 100 or more extra a month.  Obviously all our clients want to cover the cost and make a profit on top.

How else could I be using this marketing spend?  Compare the budget required for search engine marketing with other advertising alternatives.  What could you get for the same money and how does it compare in potential coverage and effectiveness?  Are there current advertising costs that are not getting a tangible return, such as a particular magazine or directory listing, that you could stop and use the money for search engine marketing instead.

What are my competitors doing?  If you have competitors that you know are smart businesspeople, then have a look to see how their websites are ranking.  If they are ranking well you can assume they have done their homework and decided that search engine marketing for their company website is a smart option.

Hopefully the above questions will help give you guidance with your decision-making. 

We are happy to discuss your situation with you openly and honestly. 

Whilst we want new business, we have over the years helped a couple of businesses come to the conclusion that SEO was not the best fit for them. 

Contact Us if you want to check if SEO has potential to help your business grow.