Technology
3 Questions
With Erin Walker of Medium Blue, an Atlanta-based SEO marketing company
Smart Business Atlanta | November 2008
Erin Walker has been at Medium Blue, an Atlanta-based SEO marketing company, since 2002. In addition to her role as Web siteconversion expert, Erin oversees the company’s team of search engine marketing specialists. She has a bachelor’s degree fromCarnegie Mellon University and her SEO articles have been published on numerous Web sites.
Q. What are the main concerns of companies that contact you for SEO/SEM needs?
In today’s economic climate, budgets are tightening and companies are looking to maximize the return on their investment. Manyare cutting back on existing marketing channels and reallocating marketing into the online arena. The ability to measure return oninvestment is greatly enhanced, and many well-publicized studies have indicated that search engine marketing provides one of thebest returns on investment of any marketing channel. Clients are concerned that their competitors are already using this channel attheir expense, and often, they are right.
Q. What figure can a client expect as a return using SEO?
Over a long period of time, the ROI on SEO is practically unlimited. An organic SEO campaign is an extremely low-cost marketingtactic that yields a high volume of Web site traffic when done properly. You’ll see continued improvement over time as your Web sitegains visibility and search rankings, driving more customers and revenue through your Web site. With TV spots, billboards, bannerads, pay-per-click ads or virtually any other type of marketing spend, once you stop spending money, you lose all of the new visitorsthose tactics were pulling to your site. With SEO, if the campaign was set up correctly in the first place, even after you disengage SEOservices, you’ll see continued returns over time.
Q. What are new techniques to maximize Internet search engine marketing?
The best way to maximize your search engine marketing campaign is to give your visitors what they want. That means more relevant,informational content and intuitive site architecture. When you’re reviewing your company Web site, the question shouldn’t be ‘Howdoes it look?’ but ‘Can a person unfamiliar with our site find the answers to common questions?’ Time after time, studies show thatWeb sites that are lauded for design and aesthetics are deemed impossible to use by the average visitor. These sites see 80 percent oftheir visitors leave the site after five seconds of looking at it.
