NONE: Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Search Engine Optimization = Waste of Time
Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Search Engine Optimization = Waste of Time
richard_at_tenagra.com
Thu, 12 Nov 1998 17:02:09 -0600 (CST)
I've succeeded in confusing two issues here.
First, there's the question: Is search engine optimization
worth it? I define search engine optimization as the process
of continously monitoring your ranking in various search
engines and tweaking your pages and keywords to get a higher
ranking.
Second, there's the question: How many search engines and
directories should one register in?
PAUL BRUEMMER WROTE:
>Amazon has 75% market share because Amazon spent 75 million
>dollars. Comparing Amazon's traffic building techniques with
>search results is ludicrous. To implicate that 'search
>results' could create an Amazon.com is rediculous. To imply
>that 'search results' are not worth the time is also absurd.
>Just sub-it-out.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't think Joel ever intended to suggest that search
engine results alone could build a brand the likes of an
Amazon.com. His point is that proportionalty the bulk of
traffic comes from methods other than search engines when
you have a well-rounded promotional plan, regardless of
the budget size.
This is absolutely true in our experience as well. With our
Year2000.com site the overwhelming amount of the visits we
get per month are from sources other than search engines.
Search engine and Yahoo referrals combined are miniscule.
And our site has been optimized.
I question, as Joel did in his article, the ROI of search
engine optimization in light of other traffic-building
methods.
PAUL BRUEMMER WROTE:
>We have a full time technician who scours the Internet for
>legitimate, authentic, working directories and search
>engines. There are less than 220 period. All the companies
>boasting 400+ engines and directories are repleat with
>404's, FFA's, Not Found's etc.. We currently offer a 50 and
>100 package.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This addresses the other question - How many search engines
and directories should one register in?
Your numbers are comparible to what we found. But looking at
the referrals of the access logs across a number of sites we
host, I've noticed that the overwhelming amount of traffic
comes from just the seven I listing in my previous mail.
This is despite the fact that we've registered them in a
large number of places. And of that group, the majority of
the traffic comes from Yahoo. In some cases, I had never
seen referrals from many of the places we registered clients
in. Not even one.
My conclusion is that just because 220 directories exists,
it doesn't mean people actually use more than a handful.
And since each one of those 220 have a different registration
process and each one is not necessarily appropriate for every
client, they have to be evaluated almost on a one by one basis.
This takes time, which when you bill hourly equals money.
Based on this, I think it is fruitless for us to waste
client dollars registering sites in places other than the
big seven, where I know the ratio of time spent registering
to number of visits they will get is high. However, there
are times when we just do a whole slew of them because we
can't convince a client they will get marginal return if we
spend time registering them in places like COMFIND or The
Global Online Directory.
A big list of stuff still impresses some people, regardless
of the actual results.
PAUL BRUEMMER WROTE:
>First of all, 'registering' means nothing. That is a one-way
>message 'please register my site.' You must 1) receive
>confirmation your registration was received. 2) go back in
>6 weeks to verify you are registered. 3) if not, you must
>re-register. We only re-register with the top 20.
>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ah, well the question is: How much time/money does this
take? And will you get a greater ROI by investing those
resources in other traffic-building activities?
One of my marketing guys just spent about six hours total
cutting a co-promotional deal for a client with a major travel
site. I guarantee you this deal will bring more traffic
than if we had spent that same six hours optimizing the
client's search engine results.
"Oh sure Richard," you may say. "You need to factor in what
the client had to pay to be part of the is co-marketing deal
in addition to what the client had to pay Tenagra to cut it
for him." Frankly, you would be surprised what little it can
take to cut such a deal (I sure the hell was). Even
factoring that cost in, it is still a very high ROI.
I would really like to see someone do a comparison of costs
to acquire a visitor through the major methods of building
Web site traffic, which in my opinion are:
1.) search engine/directory registration
2.) search engine optimization
3.) newsgroup/discussion list postings
4.) linkage campaigns
5.) self-published e-mail newsletters
6.) online media campaigns
7.) off-line media campaigns
8.) online contests
9.) online advertising
10.) off-line advertising
11.) co-marketing/promotion arrangements
12.) affiliate programs
In all fairness, I must admit that I have not run these
numbers even on our stuff here at Tenagra. But my
circumstantial evidence to date is the ROI from both large
registration campaigns and engine optimization are minimal
for most sites when compared to the ROI on other elements
of an online marketing program.
richard
--------------------------------------------------------
richard hoy
moderator, online advertising discussion list
vice president, marketing and client promotions
the tenagra corporation
http://www.tenagra.com/
p: 281.480.6300 | f: 281.480.7715 | e: rhoy_at_tenagra.com
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