Step Wise SEO

This symptom is not uncommon in many marketing mediums and it is through the identification of what elements can go wrong that strategies can encompass control measures to ensure that this doesn’t happen.

The following two sections focus on many of the reasons why search engine marketing fails for companies.

These are by no means comprehensive; however, the symptoms that exist in most failing campaigns are to be found in the following:

Strategic reasons for failed campaigns
While many blame the search engines themselves or focus on the failures of individual tactical elements of a campaign, some of the major reasons cited for a failed campaign cover lack of strategic thought and preparation.

The following are strategic reasons for problematic search campaigns:

• No clear objective: One of the major cited reasons behind success with search is having a clear objective or goal for a search strategy.

Without a direction the rest of the plan will fall over as there is no way to judge either failure or success until it is too late.

• Unrealistic goals or objectives: as a stark opposite to the reason given above, one of the problems that often appears is that too much is expected from a search engine marketing plan.

 As a victim of its own success, SEM has become the savior of many companies’ marketing efforts with the lure of low cost per acquisition costs.

 Campaigns are often started within careful preparation and appreciation of the marketplace and, as a result, regardless of how good the results of the SEM campaign may be, if the initial goals have been set to unrealistic levels the program is set for future.

• Thinking ’search engines’ are free: in many instances, the historical understanding of search engine clicks (i.e. once upon a time the traffic was free) has prevented many companies from properly investing in search engine marketing plans.

 This often manifests itself in many companies turning to organic search in a hope to drive incremental traffic to a website for free.

 One of the factors not being taken into account is that any form of optimization, be it from a consultancy firm or internal resources, will have a cost associated with it and without careful planning could result in large amounts of initial investment and little return.

 After all, a site optimized for the most competitive keywords in an industry might not drive a single click and the ensuing return on investment will potentially be lower than that of a paid campaign.

 Either way, both search submission techniques are of equal importance but it should be noted that neither of these is free.

• Lack of tracking metrics: From the case studies given above, a common factor can be identified; each one uses a form of tracking to gauge success.

 A major failing in search campaigns is:

  (1) The lack of tracking,
 (2) The fact that traffic is often used as the only metric for success and
 (3) All search activity is grouped together and scored evenly against a goal.

• Poor resource allocation: search campaigns can’t run on limited resource. The number of factors that make up a campaign, by nature of the characteristics possessed (i.e. PFP engines) require constant attention, often hourly.

 Search campaigns fail if little or no resource is allocated to the unkeep and maintenance of a plan and the measurement of said plan against goals and objectives.

Keywords: marketing, search engine marketing, search campaigns, SEM, tracking, traffic,