This graph reveals in one view how web marketing managers should think about allocating resources among SEO tactics. Study it first, and then let’s talk (well, I’ll talk about it, and I hope to hear back from you). This graph and the Marketing Sherpa survey it comes from illustrate the Read more…
The Global banking crisis prompted me to contemplate whether search marketing firms – or for that matter any professional services firm — should loan money to their clients. The practice of firms loaning clients money under 30 to 60 day terms is so common that it suppresses the kind of Read more…
A paid initial consultation in web marketing prioritizes what you should even consider, projects ROI that you can later track, and thus produces a proposal honed to your precise needs. In theory, an initial free consultation can do the same as a paid consultation, but in reality the proposing firm’s Read more…
Google Analytics and paid software like Omniture provide tons of potentially useful information, but the amount of information can overwhelm and paralyze if you don’t distill it into a minimal executive summary. While every business has unique needs for metrics, all businesses want to see the resulting cash, so I Read more…
No, there isn’t. It amazes me that, given the huge benefit of having a CMS and ecommcerce system automate SEO, no pre-built solution does so optimally. DISC has reviewed many of the top candidates, and while some are better than others, and most can be coded for much better SEO, Read more…
As SEO options proliferate, and as websites and their web marketing intricacies proliferate, an ever greater percentage of time should be spent assessing and prioritizing. Just plunging into this or that tactic may seem to save on overhead, but it can waste plenty more time than you’d spend in proper Read more…
The lessons of Google’s Panda algorithm update launched on February 24 are simple: (1) Don’t do black hat SEO. (2) Think hard about the risks of grey hat SEO. (3) Do what Google tells you in their extensive guidance pages. (4) Design good website usability. That is, put your human Read more…
My previous post discussed considerations in contracting with an SEM consultant, and concluded that you should (1) ask how the firm trains new and old employees and (2) interview the people who will actually work on your account. Here I address criteria for hiring in-house. My 2003 article “SEM: In-House Read more…
The hospital’s website rocks, but who the heck will be holding the scalpel over your anesthetized body? Likewise, a search marketing firm can sport a fantastic website, employ great sales people, be led by a luminary (who used to do the actual work), but success for your website depends entirely Read more…
In previous posts I discussed how to allocate investments in SEO, and DISC’s head PPC guy, Dale Webb, recently posted on determining your ideal PPC budget. Here, I try to help you understand that if you spend too little in monthly PPC management, you will pay more in click costs Read more…