We can happily announce that the lucky winner of the ASOS vouchers is:

Liz Wood, RAC

We hope you enjoy spending your vouchers Liz!

For those people who did our Search Marketing Quiz, please visit the quiz blog for answers and to find out who was crowned our ‘Search Marketing Guru’.

To book your seat at the conference, please visit: www.onlineretailconference.com

How well did you score?

Our Search Engine Marketing quiz was the hot  topic at TFM&A and Digital Cream this month. Everyone wanted to put their skills to the test  and find out how good they really are at  Search Engine Marketing.

Some left a little disappointed after finding  their score was lower than expected, however  with the average score being 4 out of 8 (3.8  to be precise) not many people excelled  themselves. Only one person from both shows  managed to get all the answer right!

Well done to:

Kristal Ireland from Welcome to Yorkshire

who wins our prize of a shiny new iPad!

We thought you may like to know how you fared against the competition so we have put together a few basic statistics below as well as the CORRECT ANSWERS so you can brush up on your skills.

SEARCH MARKETING QUIZ

THE CORRECT ANSWERS

Q1. Which landing page performs significantly better?

A strong call to action with clear product shots and benefits make the first page convert better.

Q2. Which is the most popular search engine in Japan?

Yahoo! Is still the largest search engine in Japan.

Q3. Which ad text has double the click through rate of the other?

Short, simple ad beats the alternative easily.

Q4. Which of these is the least important area to include your target keywords?

The keyword meta tag is little used by search engines.

Q5. Which is the better optimised Google Places listing?

Listing 1 has a spammy title and does not have as complete a profile.

Q6. Is it time to drop the worst performing advert?

Performing a statistical test, fifty impressions and zero clicks is enough to prove this ad will not recover to be as good as ad number one (to a 95% confidence level).

Q7. Which is the better link to have on your site?

How did anyone get this wrong?

Q8. Is it time to drop the worst performing ad?

Despite the close CTRs, the volume of impressions and clicks is such that it is very unlikely that ad 2 will ever catch ad 1 (to a 95% confidence level).

Many of the people we spoke with had been stung by their existing agency relationship (either because of a lack of transparency into their methodologies or because they had massively underperformed against what they had originally promised). Others simply could not work out how to differentiate between the agencies. All agencies seemed to make the same claims about their SEO practices so who do you pick?

Lots of people asked me; ‘how do I know that what I am told is true’? With so much competition in the market place (and lots of SEO agencies showcasing their wares at TFM&A for example) how do you tell the difference between the truth and what agencies would like you to believe?

Lots of people also quoted the J C Penney SEO story which recently made the news for all the wrong reasons. (J C Penney in the USA got forced off of their top rank in Google once the New York Times unearthed their SEO agency’s less than ethical techniques for link building). It’s no wonder clients are concerned about picking the right agency; and one they can trust. From my own experiences as a Marketing Manager, I know how hard it is to tell what apart the good agencies from the bad.

I’d like to share some findings with you so that you can make better-informed decisions about which agency you hire to manage your search engine marketing

1. Are they taking the pitching and proposal process seriously?

Do not let agencies gather details solely over the phone, even if they are not based locally. If they won’t spend time driving to your offices for a meeting then they probably don’t really want your business. How an agency acts when asked to travel a distance to meet you may be an indication of the level of service they are likely to provide moving forward.

2. Do they really understand your business?

Ensure they understand your business, your stressors, and your barriers to sale. If they haven’t asked the right questions, how can they possibly understand your needs? You should feel that they truly understand every inch of your business, your objectives, your products and the buying process. Furthermore you want the agency to understand the relationship between quality and quantity. Some businesses may want to build traffic, but most really want more conversions so make sure this topic is covered in your meetings.

3. Are they looking at the bigger picture?

Your existing online presence is very relevant to a new agency looking to take on your business and is an area many agencies fail to research before meeting a client. If you have negative press online about your business, the first port of call may be online reputation management. Do you need SEO simply to get better rankings on Google and increase revenue or is there bad press online that you need to give attention to? SEO can be used to effectively push this negative press out of your customers’ line of view. If your website ranks top of Google for your key terms but underneath in position two is a less than flattering review of your company or products then are you losing customers who see this press?

4. Have you met the team?

My best advice is to take time after the pitch and before you sign any contract to meet their team at their offices. They should be open and willing for you to visit and should show you around their offices not just their meeting room. You should be able to meet the people who will work on your SEO and if the offices or setup seem smaller than you think is fitting – ask yourself why?

5. Have you established the difference between sales patter and the truth?

The fact is you will never necessarily understand everything that goes on in an SEO agency, however, there are some obvious clues which you could detect if you saw their operations.

Many agencies claim to be ‘ethical’ or use ‘white hat’ techniques. They claim to provide in a sustainable, natural way and claim to have numerous staff who perform this function for them in-house. The fact is that unless you visit them, how would you ever really know that the work is done in-house? While visiting them may seem a hassle, one afternoon out of your week is little time lost considering you may be working with (and paying) the agency for years to come.

The problem is that a huge part of your will be link building and done properly, using ethical techniques link building is actually very manual, time-consuming and arduous work. There are no shortcuts, and to get quality links to your website from relevant high authority websites in your industry is hard work. Many agencies outsource this work abroad, or to out of office staff over which they have less control. This can mean that best practices are lost or put aside in the name of delivering quick results. Sadly, sometimes adding large numbers of irrelevant links to poor quality sites is easier than getting a few really top quality ones.

The only thing you can do to avoid this situation, is to try to understand what it is the agency will do to build links for you. You can go and meet their link building teams to ensure your agency is doing what they say they are in-house.

In addition, you can ensure the agency you choose promises complete reporting and link profiles for the links they get for you. Transparency is harder to achieve than you would think but don’t fall into the trap of believing that SEO is a dark art – it isn’t.

6. Have you discussed contract terms?

Most agencies ask for long term contracts to be agreed so that they ‘have time to demonstrate’ their SEO skills but few companies like to be tied into a new relationship which is yet to prove itself.

Ideally you should work with any agency that is confident enough about their services to offer a rolling contract if you want it. Many will say that you need to commit to a long-term contract because the effects of SEO work are not instant. Patience is required and it’s fair to say you have to be prepared to commit to the work and timescales agreed but if you are not still fully convinced by the agency you are considering hiring then ask for short-term contracts.

Employing an is a long-term arrangement; it is a key decision which directly affects your revenue and your reputation so choose which agency you work with very carefully.

Recently winning Best Employer, awarded by the Best Business Awards, Search Laboratory is thrilled that its simple approach – honesty and respect – has won the hearts and minds of its employees.

Search Laboratory’s commitment to the wellbeing of its employees has undoubtedly facilitated its growth and success. From 2008 – 2010 the company has more than doubled turnover and has expanded rapidly.

The age old saying that is at the heart of the business is ‘Treat others as you would expect to be treated’. This is a benchmark to be applied to everything we do both internally and externally. In an office of between 20-30 employees at any one time the atmosphere remains calm, friendly and pulsating with life. The company has a great social side, whether it’s playing with The Lab Rats, the five-a-side football team, or a couple of free drinks after work on a Friday at the local watering hole, there is plenty going on if you want to get involved.

Jimmy McCann,(Search Engine Optimisation) Manager, said: “It’s a really friendly and happy working environment; everyone gets on. You feel really valued and you are rewarded for your hard work. We were taken out for a meal when the company did well one month. Nice surprises like that mean a lot.”

Cascade HR
The UK’s fastest growing Human Resources Software supplier of HR software, payroll systems and employee self service. They supply their own integrated HR and Payroll solutions that use the very latest Microsoft technologies such as .net.

Donate Some Back
Designed to find you great deals on your car insurance, home insurance, pet insurance and home & office supplies.
As an added bonus whenever you buy through them, they make a donation to a charity of your choice.

IQ Test
IQ Test are providers of online IQ tests. Based on 100% professional tests anyone can find out their IQ level and compare results with national statistics as well as international statistic to see where they rank.

Each of the above clients will benefit from Search Laboratory’s unique approach to search marketing; harnessing scientifically proven & statistically logical approaches.
Our exclusive bid management system, BidLab™ will also play a major role in maximising the benefits gained from online marketing.

If you would like to find out how Search Laboratory can help you with your online marketing please contact us or call 0113 2121211.

Search Laboratory was chosen after we were able to demonstrate our expertise in Business to Business search marketing. Some of the names we already provide a successful online marketing campaign for include Novell, LifeSize, TSG and Jet2.com

In this joint venture, Search Laboratory will support Reed Business Insight which will offer a Website health check service. SEO, which improves a website’s ranking on search engines such as Google, is expected to be a major element of this service.
Ultimately the Website health check service will help customers improve the effectiveness of their website as a business driver and will incorporate short and longer-term recommendations.

Ian Harris, Managing Director of Search Laboratory Ltd, says: ““We are very excited to be working with RBI UK and pleased to be chosen as the SEO partner. Reed are a major player in this market, and to have the chance to help their clients become more visible online is a great opportunity”.

Lawrence Mitchell, Marketing Director at RBI UK added: “SEO is an important part of Reed Business Insight’s website health check and we believe that the experience and expertise of Search Laboratory makes them the perfect partner to deliver this element”.

For further information about the Reed Business Insight service, call 020 8652 8564 or email Jan De Iulio

Speaking at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Ballmer argued that traditional broadcast and print media would have to plan business models around a smaller share of the advertising market, as revenues continue to move to digital outlets.

He stated that within 10 years all traditional content will be digital and anyone that does not act accordingly will be left behind.

He went on claim that the advertising economy had been “reset” at a lower level and with the trend shifting towards online marketing; media companies shouldn’t be expecting revenues to bounce back to pre-recession levels.

If you would like to take up the opportunity to maximise your advertising strategies contact us today or call 0113 2121211. Alternatively if you are already with Search Laboratory you can call your account manager directly to discuss your options.

6th Gear allows gift vouchers to be purchased through their website as well as through many high street retailers such as Marks & Spencer, Argos and John Lewis.

As their online marketers Search Laboratory is employing its unique approach to Pay per Click to promote these vouchers to fans and track sales to identify and maximise 6th Gear’s Return on Investment.

Our Innovation Award nominated bidding system, BidLab will be playing a big part in utilizing the pay per click campaign to give 6th Gear the advantage over their competitors.

To find out how Search Laboratory can help you contact us today.

Well, fortunately Search Laboratory is here to help. We can help you set up your Google Checkout feature so that your conversions are tracked and logged in AdWords.

If you have a website offering this feature please contact us to find out how to track your conversions. Alternatively if you already have your Pay Per Click with Search Laboratory you can call your account manager directly to discuss your options.

The report states that Search engine optimisation (SEO or natural search) is the most favourable medium for companies to be most likely to invest more money, with 55% of respondents expecting an increase in their budgets this year. Just under a third of respondents (31%) say that SEO spending will stay the same and only 6% say there will be decreased investment.

The third annual UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report, comprised of a survey of more than 800 company and agency digital marketers, provides an in depth overview of the search marketing landscape, and also includes research about the use of social media.

Social media website, Twitter, has shown exceptional growth since last year. Last year only 3% of responding organisations said that they were using Twitter in their marketing strategy, compared to an overwhelming 49% this year.
However Facebook continues to dominate in the social media sector with 65% of companies using it as a part of their marketing efforts.

The SEM report also found that almost half of company respondents report that SEO return on investment (ROI) has gone up in the last year. For paid search, 43% report that ROI has increased compared to 15% who say that it has decreased.

Despite heavy competition from Yahoo, MSN and the relatively new Facebook channel, Google remains the king of search engine marketing. A staggering 85% of responding companies utilise the search engine for paid search while 94% of agencies say their clients typically pay to advertise on Google.