Many SEO companies will expect their clients to be happy with a simple increase in rankings or traffic. The issue with this is that it does not always translate to a better bottom line. In this post we will discuss the proper way to prove the value of SEO.
Keyword Groups
Each website has what we would like to call keyword buckets. These are segments of keywords that all have a common theme. Using Ignite Visibility as an example, here are our bucket keywords.
How to Prove the Value of SEO
1. Branded Keywords: Ignite Visibility, Ignite Visibility SEO, Ignite Visibly Social, Etc.
2. Service Keywords
Service Social: Social Media, Social Media Services, Social Media Marketing, Etc.
Service SEO: SEO Company, SEO Company Services, Etc.
Service PPC: PPC, PPC Company, Etc.
3. Blog Keywords: Facebook Timeline, How to Use AdWords, Etc.
4. Location Based Keywords: San Diego SEO, San Diego Social Media, San Diego PPC, Etc.
As we can see, our website, like all others has groups of keywords, all with the potential to drive businesses. The issue is, that because the keywords speak to different types of searchers the SEO and conversion optimization needs to be approached differently for each set.
What is nice about breaking these keywords out into groups is that it allows us to gauge how profitable each set of keywords is and then make changes across each group to improve them.
Reporting on Keyword Groups
Keywords should be reported on based on group and top keywords in-group. The metrics used to evaluate these keywords should be based on per visit value and total revenue generated. By looking at these metrics we can determine the most profitable keywords, SEO segments and overall prove the value of the SEO campaign.
Now not all websites are ecommerce so we cannot set up ecommerce tracking for all websites online. While this is the case, we can simple create a goal value and measure keyword worth based on conversion and goal value data.
Summary
Overall, the main point of this post is make it clear that all SEO companies need to report on the actual return they deliver to a business. When SEO companies only focus on traffic and rankings as proof of the value of their services it demonstrates a gap in the companies understanding of online business. Furthermore, by refining keyword segments we can better understand where success and failure lies in the SEO program.
Like what you hear? Contact us today to learn how we prove ROI.
