Search Engine Marketing Blog: piloSEO

Over at Search Views there is some discussion over recent comments made by Steve Harty, Chairman of Bartle Bogle Hegarty in AdWeek. In case you are unaware, Bartle Bogle Hegarty or BBH, is a traditional advertising agency headquartered in Britain. They have developed some very notable ad campaigns in the last 20 years. While they may be masters of traditional media they still don’t seem to understand the power of search. This is evidenced by the comments of Mr. Harty in AdWeek stating that:

“We’re not convinced that the people we are marketing to are using that as a channel…We have a more targeted strategy than, ‘We’re open for business.’ Search is kind of indiscriminate in a way.”

Of course, those of us in search tend to disagree and SearchViews has taken it a step further with a couple of recent blog posts.

BBH is severely lacking in SEO & SEM knowledge

In the first blog post they call out the BBH Chairman’s Quote and go on to explain why it he is wrong. They also go on to point out some of the mistakes BBH is making and how they are missing the mark when it comes to search. Their second post goes even further by pointing out that the original SearchViews article shows up in the organic results for related searches AND they even bought a few paid ads that call out Steve Harty and Bartle Bogle Hegarty for his misunderstanding of search.

While this was done in a humorous manner the fact is that even though traditional marketing agencies give lip service to search they still don’t understand the impact that it can have.

Search is important no matter who your customers are

The point that Harty was trying to make is that businesses who would use their services will not use search to find them. That may be the case but as Joshua Stylman’s post at SearchViews points out those businesses will probably use search to find out more about the company while conducting their research. If the search results contain articles pointing out a lack of knowledge in an important aspect of their business they may be looked upon less favorably. Your customers may not use search to find you initially but you can bet they will use it to learn more about you. BBH does not seem to understand this and it could end up costing them some business, especially if they are offering a search compenent to their marketing strategy. Many traditional advertisers understand the power of search but far too many, like BBH, still have a lot to learn.

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I have noticed that Amway, Quixstar for those in the US, is making a huge marketing push. It appears that they are spending a ton of dough on TV commercials in an attempt to distance themselves from their reputaton as a pyramid scheme. It seems to me that they are attempting to portray themselves as a business that actually earns revenue by selling products as opposed to making money through their MLM scheme. I question whether this marketing plan is going to serve that purpose or if they are wasting a ton of money.

Did they overlook the power of the web?

IMO it seems like they did. They are throwing a bunch of money at television advertising and even went as far to use a different name in the US. The commercials here highlight the fact that they have a different name in the US, Quixtar, but they don’t hide the fact that it is still Amway. This is all well and good but when you do a search online the majority of websites that show up in the SERPs are calling out the pyramid/cultish reputation of the company. They would have been better off throwing some of that money toware SEO and reputation management than trying to change their image through traditional marketing. Take a look at what shows up on the first page of Google when you search for Amway.

TV ads for reputation management are expensive and ineffective

The fact is these ads are not going to help them repair their reputation. Those at the top still make their money through the recruitment of lower level members not the actual products they are selling and anyone who sees these ads and does a quick search will see that. Couple that with the fact that most people largely ignore TV ads and you can see the problem with engaging with traditional advertising for reputation management. Even if they don’t ignore the ads many people will search for an interesting commercial online after they see it. When they do that search and see all of the negative results they will be turned off. There is nothing wrong with running reputation management on TV but to be successful you can’t ignore the web.

Don’t throw your money away by ignoring search

At a minimum you need to run reputation management campaigns online and if you are doing it on TV you damn well better include an online component. Many marketers understand this but some are still ignoring it. Amway appears to have ignored it and because of that they are throwing their money away on expensive and an expensive and ineffective TV campaign with no search compenent.

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I have a problem. I really really like links. It’s getting out of control and I don’t know if I can be saved. As an SEO and X-List blogger I have an unnatural obsession towards links. I just can’t get enough. To most of my friends links are a utilitarian aspect of the Internet that allows them to access new content. To me links are that and so much more.

I am not normal

I realized how strange I am when I was talking to someone at work. They had written a blog post and linked to one of my posts. I thanked him for the link and he explained that he was going to ask me about it but figured that I would be fine with it. We went on to have a brief discussion about links in the midst of a few other co-workers. Now, everone I work with is steeped in search engine marketing knowledge but many are not necessarily SEO savvy. Said co-workers were looking at us like we were insane. That’s when it dawned on me that my rerverance of links is just plain weird and probably a bit creepy to the unitiated.  Oh well, at least I can admit that I am hopelessly addicted to links, even those wearing a condom.

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So I bought into all the hype and pledged to download Firefox 3 on Download Day. I figured that since I would download it eventually I would try to be part of the world record attempt. I have been using the latest release candidate at home for a while and I like it but I held out at work for a few extensions to be updated. Since those updates were made I had been looking forward to updating the 3.0 at work and I was ready to do it this morning when I got into work.

Probably should have planned for a bit more downloads

Well, the time came to get the newest Firefox update so at 1:00 PM EST I tried to access the various Mozilla and Firefox sites and they all kept timing out. They were being bombarded with visitors and downloads and they did not have enough bandwidth to handle it. When I finally did gain access to the different sites they were not yet promoting 3.0 for download. You could find it but the featured download was for 2.0. After a short long while the new update was finally available. I was able to download it but the whole thing got a bit irritating.

I got a little upset but in the end I was satiated because I was able to download Firefox 3 and I understand the problems associated with big launches like this. Most Firefox users are not going to abandon it because of this but something like this could destroy a business without the loyal user base of a company like Mozilla.

Don’t make the same mistake

Most businesses do not have the same type of rabid fanboys that Mozilla has. Making a big mistake like Mozilla made could end up costing big bucks as well as the trust of users and customers. This combination could destroy a business that is attempting to make it to the next level. If you are planning a big promotion (like say, attempting to break the single day download record) and expect a significant increase in bandwidth usage you should probably plan for it. It is probably a good idea to make sure the website is updated and ready for the big promotion when it is supposed to launch too.

Mozilla made a few mistakes for the Firefox 3 launch but in the end they will probably be just fine. Most businesses can’t take that hit so it is important to plan for it and make sure your site is prepared to handle whatever gets thrown at it.

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Good SEOs are not cheap but the rewards for an online business can be astronomical. Many businesses understand this but there are still a bunch of companies out there that try find the cheapest SEO provider available rather than paying a bit more for high quality SEO service. Of course, in the end these same businesses are getting walloped in the SERPs by their competition who conducted exhaustive research and found the best SEO. Their competitors realized that the additional cost associated with a professional SEO would bring them increased revenues and profits in the long run. SEO is a specialized service and while almost everyone who designs websites claims they do SEO, real SEO professionals provide a valuable service and bring extensive expertise that only comes with an immersion into the SEO world.

Would you use your life insurance guy for stock advice?

Both are in the financial industry but they are completely different disciplines. I know I prefer to consult a stock broker or investment adviser for stock and investment advice and my insurance agent to discuss insurance options. Why is SEO different? I kind of chuckle when I see EVERY web developer (or hosting company) offer ultra cheap or even free SEO service with their design or hosting package. That is until I see the “SEO” service they are providing. Most of the time it is outdated service that never worked in the first place. Even if the additional cost is minimal it is not going to be worth it. If you want to succeed in a competitive industry you need someone who knows SEO and real SEOs are not going to be cheap. The money spent on real SEO will end up being beneficial in the long run though.

If I got arrested I would not try to find the cheapest lawyer

No, if I got arrested I would try to find the BEST lawyer. Of course, since I never ever do anything that would lead to me being arrested I don’t have to worry about this :>) but my point is when I need a professional I want to hire the best professional I can. Sure, there are some who would be out of my price range but I am going to do what I can to get the best lawyer that I can afford. Business owners should use the same logic when it comes to hiring an SEO. If you want to be successful you need to find the right person for every job. Find the best hosting company you can afford, the best developer you can afford, the best IT professional you can afford, and the best SEO you can afford. Each of these professionals provide a highly specialized service and will end up helping you put your best foot forward. Many businesses will spend whatever it takes for hosting and design and then skimp on SEO. In the end that beautiful web site with rock solid hosting ends up getting no visitors and all the money spent is never returned. Spend a bit extra for that professional SEO to take advantage of your beatiful webiste. SEO can be expensive but when all of the work done on your site pays off it will all be worth it.

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