::WHY INVESTING IN SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION ?
I know this is a long article but I am certain that you will find it wort the read. It will give you a lot of facts and information and might give you something to think about.
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation in combination with a professional web site can be, and usually is, a big expense.. A professional website which compliments your corporate image, is fully functional, easy to navigate and providing unique and relevant content is already a considerable cost. If you add on the annual price for hosting, price of maintenance, software and database set up and maintanance you can easily spend a couple of thousand Euros.
Most website owners are under the miss-conception that after having paid all this, having spent serious money, the return on their investment should occur rather sooner than later. They were made believe by web designers that actually having a nice website is most of the job done and obtaining relatively good positions in search engines is easily achieved by adding some meta tags and submitt regularly to the search engines.
Reality teaches a markedly different lesson. Unless you actively promote your website, you will be one of the few people looking at your web site. Think about it: . All yout competitors think they have the best website on the planet. They all use the same phrases as you do in their meta tags and they all submit to search engines. They can not all be on top of the Search Engines, can they?
Of course their are some simple ways to use and promote your website such as displaying the domain name in your print advertising or having the name displayed on your business cards - this is the easy part. Is that it ? No, certainly not. You did not spend thousands of Euros just to have an online presentation which supplements other means of promotions, all of which cost even more money.
Here some facts:
1. According to Forrester Research net influenced sales represent three times as much revenue as online sales. In other words, people prefer to research products and prices online and then shoot off to the shops to buy offline. Source: Microsoft Business central
2. According to research company Nielsen there are upwards of 34 million Britons currently connected. And, as of May 2002, there were some 185 million Europeans online says stats compiler. Source: Microsoft Business central
3. One recent research reveals 58% of house hunters are using the Internet as a major source of property information. Source: HBF Press Release
4. According to a study of the Stansford University people do judge a company's credibility and professionalism by the design and content of their website. Source: Consumer Web Watch
5. The biggest markets in Europe for Internet Marketing are 1. Germany- 21% of all European Internet users are German. 2. UK - 16 % of all European users are British. 3. Italy - 12,9 % are Italian and 4. France - 11%. Source: World Internet Stats
It appears to me that many businesses and managers will have to realize that competing in a rather normal business environment is not as easy as in times when virtually everybody could open a business - the most popular once being real estate agencies.
The same applies to your web presence and SEO. I know that in the past people were not bothered that much about this essential part of your company's profile, and what should be one of the most important credentials of your marketing strategy.Others think they can do it themselves, they try this they try the other or worse: leave it to their web master without realizing that they cause more damage to their web presence than doing good. Some privileged few have the money and the budget to contract an SEO Consultant and invest into serious online marketing .
In light of all of the above, you should ask yourself some questions:
1. Do I have a website which, gives the user a professional image of my company hence creating credibility and confidence in a prospective buyer?
2. Do I, or my web master/designer really know how to market my web presence? If so, why does it not work?
3. After spending thousands of Euros for a web presence - why does it not get me any results?
The question is this: Can you afford not to Invest in SEO?
Think about it! How much will it cost you, if a potential client chooses to go to a competitor just because your website does not create sufficient confidence and credibility, or because he did not find you on the web in the first place?.
If you can not afford SEO, you really need it!
Written By
Wolfgang Brand
Managing Director -
Clever marketing
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