Some stakeholders within businesses still fail to see the value of adding SEO into marketing plans. Today’s blog looks at how you can convince them otherwise.
So how do you build a case for adding SEO to your marketing plan and make sure resources to make it successful are allocated when the boss is, let’s say, of the old fashioned approach?
Consumers in America spent $870.78 billion online last year, roughly 19% of total purchases (not including the in-person sales driven by web research and awareness), so every business NEEDS a website. Let’s face it, websites without visitors are useless. Therefore every business must have SEO as part of their marketing plan.
What is a Business Case?
A business case is classed as a justification for undertaking a project evaluating the benefits, costs, and risks of alternative options. A business case also provides a rationale for choosing a solution.
Many small businesses usually overlook business cases when overwhelmed by the enormity of day-to-day operations.
However, without one, you’re probably wasting valuable resources on projects with little benefit, losing sight of project goals, and struggling with proper prioritisation. These are things you don’t want to do when it comes to SEO, especially when having to convince someone of the importance.
A good business plan describes:
- The opportunity.
- The problem in the current system.
- The solution.
Your business plan should be concise; it doesn’t have to be “war and peace” but must clearly describe your SEO strategy’s vision and goals with data to back this up and the tools required. Financial projections of cost and return on investment, ideally month-by-month, and when you believe your SEO project will become cash-flow positive, also need to be documented.
There are several things you can do to help build your SEO business case:
- Conduct a Website Audit
- Do a Competitive Analysis
- Speak to your Target Audience to find out Intent
- Create a Monthly Content Plan
- List Keywords
Strengthen Your Case With Facts And Data
Executives or higher-ups only care about Results and Return on Investment. This is where SEO can help by providing a wealth of data you can use to show that what you’re doing is worthwhile and paying off.
Measure And Track Your Success
When you speak to an SEO Specialist or professional, they will tell you that SEO results do not happen immediately or overnight. They may not occur for the next six months. What needs to be clarified to all stakeholders initially is that SEO means playing the long game – when we talk to prospective clients, this is one of the first things we tell them.
You can use a host of tools, such as Google Analytics, to measure the key metrics, such as Organic traffic, Keyword ranking, Click-through rate, Bounce rate, Conversion rate and Time spent on a page.
By carefully tracking your performance, you’ll better understand where and how you’re succeeding and identify areas for improvement.
SEO is a good investment for all sizes and types of organisations, but it requires upfront time, budget, and resource investment.
Indeed, SEO results are not always predictable, there are so many factors out of your control that can affect performance, but SEO is a field where you get out what you put in. A carefully thought out business case and SEO plan that highlights its potential is better than throwing together a mishmash of a plan.
Click here for more information about our services or view more of our blog.
