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The question of whether or not to hire a professional SEO agency may not be as deep as what Hamlet was pondering, but it is an important consideration, especially for small business owners.  An entrepreneur is only capable of addressing  a limited number of business issues without sacrificing the well-being of the company.  An I-know-it-all or I-can-do-it-all mentality limits the business owner from concentrating on running and building the business. It also places an owner on a fast track to becoming burned out.

An online presence is a must for 21st century business.  At the very minimum this entails a website.  A website and search engine optimization (SEO) goes hand in hand or else the site is merely a needle in the proverbial Internet haystack.  Accepting this premise moves the question forward to include Who and How.  Who will perform the required SEO and how will it be accomplished?

As far as the company is concerned, the question of  Who is easily determined by a process of elimination.

• Who in the company is an expert in SEO?
• Who is capable of developing SEO rich content?
• Who in the company has the time and skills to focus on SEO and rankings?
• Who is qualified to determine which search engines will be the most beneficial?
• Who can keep up with the changing algorithms of several search engines?

After completing the inquiries, a blank page is a good indication that hiring a professional SEO agency may be in the best interest of the company.  If not totally convinced as yet, then also consider the following:

Cost-Effective Measure
There is a great deal of truth in the old adage, You have to spend money in order to make money.  You can also save money in order to make money.  Hiring professionals in SEO will lessen the cost of the inevitable mistakes made in-house and speed up the ROI with increased traffic to the site. To further  this, conduct research and compare both domestic and international agencies in order to secure reputable services at the most cost-effective pricing.

Dedicated Services
Outsourcing to a professional SEO agency ensures a dedicated commitment to the promotion of the company without sacrificing in-house resources. These resources will be best used preparing the back-end operation to receive the increased traffic and sales that will occur over time.  Opt to receive reports from the agency in order to plan for ramping up operations in line with SEO progress.

Professional SEO Strategies
Strategy is at the very core of search engine optimization.  The most effective strategies are born out of a combination of expertise and optimal implementation.  SEO agencies can supply both, as well as the ability to keep track of and forecast changes in the field.  In this time of unprecedented technological change, an SEO agency is poised to shift strategies commensurate with technology. They also keep the client informed of any new trends that will impact other business strategies as well.

Professional Tools and Analytics
It is the business of SEO agencies to possess all of the state-of-the-art content marketing,  analytic and reporting  tools necessary to provide their clients with optimal results. Their expertise also affords their clients with the tools that address their specific promotional needs. There is no way a small business, absent a fully equipped SEO division, could replicate these benefits without a greater expenditure of time and money.

Access To Learning SEO Standards and Best Practices
Learning is a key component in the success of any business enterprise.  A part of hiring a professional SEO agency is the knowledge that can be garnered about the best standards and practices in the field.

As owners know the story of their own business and industry, the SEO agency is knowledgeable in how to best implement SEO across a number of industries.  The client also benefits from learning what works and what doesn’t work for their particular field without experiencing the pain involved in trial and error processes.  The learning curve is expanded with the professional feedback received from SEO experts.  As the company grows and readies itself to take over some or all of the SEO responsibilities, the existing agency relationship can serve as a continuing learning resource.

For those of us who are not accountants, preparing budgets is one of those I-would-rather-be-hung- by-my-thumbs exercises. Even when an accountant is engaged, it is still dependent upon the owner and department heads to address the line items in need of budgeting. Both entities tend to budget for items they prioritize and underfund or even leave by the wayside those items they consider to be of lesser value.

Traditionally, marketing is one of the line items that is not fully appreciated, especially in a sales driven enterprise. Sales people tend to believe that they can sell without marketing and marketing people believe that sales are the end result of effective marketing. As a marketing professional myself, I hold the latter to be true.

This opinion is especially valid when it comes to content marketing for a business with an online presence. It is virtually impossible to sell a product or service online without a content marketing strategy. Inherent within this strategy is planning for search engine optimization (SEO). It is not enough to merely post a website. Budgeting for driving traffic to the site is essential for the sales process to take place.

In most cases, the more knowledgeable someone is about a budgetary line item, the more value it holds for them and the other way round. Except for an IT savvy business owner, or in-house IT department, there are few within an organization who fully understand the function of SEO and therefore how critical it is to achieving online sales.

The following are a few reasons why budgeting for outsourcing to SEO professionals is important to the success of an online business.

1.  How Do I Find Thee? Let Me Count The Ways

What would happen if a traditional brick and mortar business opened up a store or office in the middle of nowhere and did not let anyone know where they were? Nothing, that’s what would happen, no foot traffic, no calls, no sales. Now, if a business launches a website and does not let anyone know how they can be found, the same thing happens…Nothing. The value of search engine optimization is as simple making it easier for people to find a business online. How it works is far more complex and is best left to professional SEO agencies.

2.  Keyword Rich Content

Content marketing relies on how the written or spoken word is best constructed to influence consumer response. This includes content that brings value to both the consumer and the business. For the business, this incorporates employing keywords that have the greatest impact on SEO. Keywords are the fuel that drive search engines and allows for higher SEO page rankings. This includes the keywords chosen for the website domain name, page names and associated industry categories. If these were not considerations in developing the original site, then a current review of the site by a professional may be warranted. If you want a website to perform like a premium vehicle, you do not fill it with economy grade fuel. Content marketing and keywords also come into play in developing adjunct sites such as social media and blogs. In these matters, professionals are worth the investment in achieving premium results.

3.  An Investment In The Future

Change is the one constant in conducting business online. The technology is going to change, but it is never going away, so budgeting for outsourcing to professionals in areas that are neither fully understood nor addressed within a company, yet critical to company success, is a wise move for the present, as well as the future. It is more advantageous to approach budgeting for SEO professionals over the long term so that the funds will be available for whenever changes occur in optimization techniques. Companies who had already budgeted for SEO were financially poised to hire or continue to fund professionals to take charge of the social media phenomenon.

Any savvy business owner knows the key to success is a sound understanding of not only the products or services they provide, but also the environment in which they face their competitors.  With the public’s voracious appetite for online sales, social media, and tailor-made discounts, the most visible sites are those which flourish.  An aggressive SEO strategy and the budget to fund it helps even the smallest small-business Davids of the world face down  their particular Goliaths.

Setting goals is a general standard for successful individuals and organizations. Studies have shown that people who set written goals are over 95% more successful at achieving those goals than those who merely have ideas, or no conceived goals.

The concept of mapping gained popularity as a practical application for life coaches to help their clients set and achieve personal goals. Mapping has since been expanded into the organizational development domain. Based on the application of three fundamental principles, mapping is similar to the planning that is required when taking a road trip. In this vein, the mapping formula consists of three points known as A, B and C. Point A is where the trip begins. Point C is the destination and Point B is the vehicle and route being employed to mobilize travel between points A and C or more simply:  A+C = B.

Mapping can be very effective in creating a successful road trip for achieving Search Engine Optimization. SEO is often overwhelming for a small business owner who is trying to run the business, as well as execute a content marketing strategy loaded with digital asset bells and whistles. SEO has created a subliminal fear among many businesses that they cannot be successful without taking advantage of every digital asset and every social media site. Mapping can alleviate these fears by setting business goals that are achievable through SEO, rather than setting SEO goals that may not further the goals of the business itself.

Point A – Starting Point

Every journey has a very specific point from which it begins.  In order to create an action plan of any kind, you need to know where you are starting and where you are going, in order to figure out how you are going to get there.  The mistake small businesses make is that they set SEO goals based on SEO elements such as rankings, traffic or back links, rather than setting business goals that can be achieved through SEO elements.  SEO is the vehicle used to travel from point A to point C, and the elements are the route or Point B. The current state of the company as far as resources, revenue, cash flow and percentage of profits is starting point A. This is information that a small business owner should be aware of on a daily basis.

Point C – Destination

Knowing the starting point helps to determine where you want the company to improve.  Set broader business goals such as increasing the number of leads, sales volume or hits, whatever the starting point reveals needs to be pursued. From the broader goals set specific benchmarks, such as a 10% increase in sales or a 25% increase in leads in order to measure progress or as on a road trip, mile markers.  Common sense dictates that you do not attempt to plan point B, how to get there, before you know exactly where you want to go or point C.

Point B – The Route

Once you have set the map with allegorical push pins marking points A and C, the route or point B can be planned. For these purposes the vehicle being driven toward point C is SEO. As with any vehicle, it will require fuel in order to move forward.  The SEO fuel chosen should be directly tied into reaching the destination goals at point C.  The defining question in planning route B should center on whether an action will further the journey to point C, hold it back, or get you off the beaten track.  For example, rankings are only important if they are achievable to a level that will directly affect reaching a point C goal.

Road trips are often subject to unforeseen problems such as adverse weather conditions or road construction.  Persistence and focus on reaching point C will increase the possibilities for success. If problems occur, they should not be solved by changing the destination, but rather by adapting the route, keeping in mind that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Identifying both where you are and where you want to be are the first steps to your business success.  Understanding the tools available to you and the effect they will have on achieving your goals is of primary importance.  Just as you would not buy a Porche to traverse dirt roads in mountainous terrain, a four-wheel-drive Hummer will not get you very far very fast on the Autobahn.  However, by matching your goals to the online marketing tools available, your business will achieve both long-term and short-range success with greater speed and clarity.

For small business owners seeking to harness the power of social media, the adage ‘look before you leap’ is appropriate before jumping into the social media abyss.  If you have already leapt in and are drowning in the craziness, step back and take a deep breath before proceeding to the following steps:

Revisit Business Goals
Before moving forward, there are times as a small business owner it is wiser to step back and revisit exactly what it is you want to accomplish for the business as a whole. Focusing on amassing social media sites for the sake of putting all those icons on your website may not be in the best interest of the business. In other words, it is important for social media to be aligned directly with furthering business goals and not the other way around.

Assess Human and Financial Resources
One of the benefits of social media is its ability to interact with and receive feedback from consumers.  However, interaction is a two-way street that requires time and attention.  There may also be a financial investment involved for digital asset and content development. Social media is a marketing adjunct that should enhance a business, not drain available resources. It is better to choose only one site and develop it to be aligned with business goals than to overreach and strain resources that could be better used elsewhere.

Choose Social Media Aligned With Target Audience
Social media is a form of content marketing that is geared toward influencing an audience into taking action that will benefit a business.  To be its most effective, it is essential that the social media audience is the same market segment that is targeted by the company. There are a number of demographic considerations such as age, gender and occupation in relation to the company product line or service that impact consumer response.  Research into the demographic draw of various social media outlets will help to ascertain which sites will be the most beneficial to the business. Choose the best match and expand from there.

Draft A Social Media Strategy
Sanity is only a step away when clarity of business goals, available resources and target market sites are incorporated into a planned approach to social media.  All of these elements are essential to determining the content, style and number of social media sites that will be most beneficial to furthering the business.  If resources allow, a variety of sites can be geared toward achieving similar or different goals. The strategy should also address whether the plan will be launched at once or in phases over a period of time.  Planning for measuring benchmark progress should also be included.

A balanced, moderate and considered approach toward social media offers the small business owner the opportunity to yield the benefits without sacrificing flexibility and resources.

All business, whether product- or service-based, is built around an offer.  In the science of language, requests, offers and promises are three acts of speech that allow for coordination of action between human beings.  Offers alone contain all three acts since offers are requests to accept a promise to satisfy a need.  The most effective business offers are those that effectively communicate how a product or service will specifically satisfy a consumer need.  This is the basis upon which all advertising and marketing content should be based.

The power of language lies in its ability to drive behavior.  Perceptions drive behavior and all perception is in language.  Consumer perception drives sales. Most often these perceptions are forged by the language of the offer that is made. This places a great deal of importance on the language that is used in crafting the offer because the purpose of an offer is to evoke a response.  The same can be said for social media.  Social media is an element of content marketing that serves to influence an audience to take action. The most successful social media sites are those that provide content that adds value and/or satisfies one or more needs of a community.

Inherent within an effective offer is knowledge about the audience to whom the offer is made.  This relates to knowing what the audience needs. Social media provides an interactive forum for a business to ascertain what the consumer is looking for, as well as what language is the most effective in communicating an offer.  Social media is most effective in meeting business goals when it serves as a proving ground for the development of rich, value-added content.

Adding digital assets such as images, graphics or video and audio to the social media offer can serve to enhance the ability of the content to evoke a response.  The founders of Facebook constructed their offer around a request for members to join with the promise that they could interact with other online members.  The offer obviously satisfied a need.  As Facebook offered more opportunities for sharing photos, interests, information and the like, their offer expanded in order to satisfy the needs of their members and commensurately their membership expanded as well.

Truth, sincerity and relevance are essential elements when creating a social media offer.  The most well crafted content will fall flat if it is irrelevant or does not ring true to the intended audience. Sincere content in particular, can help to distinguish a social media site from the others, especially if it evokes an emotional response by inserting human interest content.

The most effective social media offers drive behavior by satisfying the needs of a target audience. They are crafted around truthful, sincere and relevant language that can be enhanced with multimedia assets and human interest content.