3 big misperceptions about SEO (and why they’re wrong)

The first five people who told me about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as an online marketing strategy shared bad experiences. They say they spent more money than expected and had results that failed to meet expectations. A positive Return on Investment did not occur. It does not have to be that way. The opposite will be true, if you and your online marketing consultant do your SEO campaigns right. Here are the misperceptions that occur most often, and my responses:

• Misperception: online marketing and SEO are too expensive. People sign up for SEO campaigns and spend more money than expected. They start with a minimal figure and find that is insufficient. Response: Have your SEO consultant create a very specific online marketing Statement of Work and budget. When the Statement of Work is nearly finished, he can come back to you with the results so far and ask if you want to increase your investment. You can break up a large online marketing project into bite-sized pieces that fit your timeframe, expectations and budget.
• Misperception: no instant gratification. As Americans, I am amazed at our need for instant gratification. If you want instant gratification, go to McDonald’s and order a cheeseburger. They will have a cheeseburger on the counter before you get the change back in your wallet. Response: It is not that quick with marketing campaigns. SEO, and online marketing in general, take time. You need to build credibility with your audience and also overcome your early mistakes. If this is online marketing, you need to build credibility, or a critical mass, before expecting prominent placement in Google search results.
• Misperception: unknown end result. People sometimes don’t want to deal with the nuts and bolts of their marketing campaigns. They don’t understand their ideal customer, what their ideal customer will type in a search window or what their Internet presence looks like. They think everything will fall into place and the SEO consultant will make it happen. They tell the SEO consultant: “ok just do it and don’t hit me with the details.” Response: It’s not that easy. Your SEO consultant should have weekly, if not daily, contact with you in the early stages of your campaign. You should know what he is doing and how far he is into your SEO campaign. You should not expect instant results. I tell clients to start measuring at 60-90 days after the first blog post. You may object when I say 60-90 days. That is a realistic expectation. This is not McDonald’s.

Next time someone starts talking SEO or online marketing with you, stop and ask your perception of this strategy. Are you open minded or are you jaded with one or more of the reasons I cited (above)?