Convincing someone of the value of SEO

As an SEO specialist, I know better than anyone how important it is to properly communicate the value of SEO. This aims to convince stakeholders within companies of this. A strong online presence for businesses today is indispensable. Potential customers find a company better that way. SEO contributes to this. It can improve a website’s ranking in search engines.

Higher rankings bring more organic traffic to a website. Conversion rates will increase as a result. Convincing businesses of the value of SEO is not always easy. Not everyone understands how SEO works and the benefits it provides to a business(1).

In this article, I provide tips on communicating the value of SEO to businesses. In this way, a successful partnership can be built.

The approach in communication

SEO is a very abstract concept for many people. They don’t quite see the value themselves, which makes it harder to convince these people. In this case, use the examples of arguments below as an aid.

SEO is cost-effective: SEO is cost-effective, unlike paid search advertising(SEA). SEO generates organic traffic to a website, but there is no need to pay a certain amount per number of clicks. Setting up SEO takes time and resources, but using it in the right way actually cuts costs significantly in the long run.

SEO is a long-term investment: unlike other forms of online marketing, including ads that stop as soon as they are no longer paid for, SEO has a lasting effect on a website. A good SEO strategy can keep more traffic flowing to a website for years to come.

SEO improves user experience: a good user experience is an important goal within SEO. Consider improving loading speed, providing relevant content and optimizing the user interface. A user-friendly website leads to a greater number of conversions and higher customer satisfaction(2).

SEO makes a brand more visible: when a website ranks higher in search engines, the brand becomes more visible to potential customers. The brand value and brand awareness will increase as a result.

SEO is measurable: Measuring ROI from SEO sometimes presents some challenges. Still, there are plenty of measurable aspects. Thus, the amount of traffic, conversions and ranking positions are easily measurable. The measurements provide insights into a website’s performance. Optimize the minus points to improve the SEO strategy.

Support the above arguments with concrete examples and statistics. This helps convince stakeholders. Always emphasize that SEO is an ongoing process. Time and effort are required to achieve the desired results.

Convincing the value of SEO summarized

The video below for a summary of this article and briefly summarizes convincing the value of SEO.

How to have a conversation about the value of SEO?

Carefully prepare a conversation to convince someone of the value of SEO. For example, apply the conversation structure below:

Step 1: Understand the person’s needs and goals. Ask questions with the goal of understanding their business challenges and goals. It is smart to adjust arguments accordingly. This makes it possible to even better explain how SEO contributes to achieving the specific goals of the interlocutor.

Step 2: Talk about basic SEO principles and how they work in practice. Use simple language and concrete examples. Explain what SEO means and why it is important(3).

Step 3: Dig deeper into how SEO can contribute to specific business goals. For example, if the goal is to generate more traffic to a Web site, explain how SEO improves visibility in search engines, leading to an increase in organic traffic. If the goal is to increase conversions, talk about how SEO can help optimize a Web site for a better user experience. Also explain that SEO can help create valuable content.

Step 4: Use concrete examples and statistics. Show how other businesses have increased their traffic and conversions thanks to SEO. Also provide examples of how a faster website has led to improved user experience and results.

Step 5: Communicate that SEO is an ongoing process and takes time and effort to get results. The interlocutor must have realistic expectations and understand that SEO is a long-term investment.

Step 6: Answer any questions and concerns the interlocutor may have. Also, take time to discuss any misconceptions or obstacles.

Step 7: Establish an SEO roadmap or work on a plan to improve existing SEO strategy. Tell what the concrete steps are and what resources are needed to do this. Also go over the expected results.

The above steps and good and open communication lead to the desired effect. Also tune the conversation to what the interlocutor is saying. This way, it is even more successful in convincing someone of the value of SEO for their business goals.

What objections can a company have to SEO?

Companies come up with various objections to SEO. Below are some of the most commonly heard objections:

Cost: companies find SEO is expensive, especially compared to other marketing channels – think paid advertising. They doubt whether it is worth putting time and resources into SEO.

Time: SEO is an ongoing process. It takes time and consistency. Companies sometimes fear that good results take too much time and therefore hold off.

Complexity: SEO can be complex and confusing. This is especially true for companies that have little experience with online marketing. It is often difficult for people in these companies to understand what steps to take.

Uncertain results: companies become uncertain about how they measure SEO ROI. They are also often unsure what results they expect.

Trust in third parties: companies are not always full of confidence when it comes to outside SEO experts or agencies. This is especially true when they are unsure of their own knowledge and experience.

Address the concerns of a company’s stakeholders by communicating well and openly. Moreover, show understanding of their concerns, as well as their needs in terms of SEO. Using concrete examples and statistics can help. This increases the expectations of the interlocutor. Companies that are confident in the knowledge and experience of their SEO partner will be more confident in the results and ROI.

What do companies care about?

When companies outsource SEO, they attach great importance to several aspects. Listed below are some of the most important aspects. These are the things companies find essential in working with an SEO specialist:

Experience and expertise: the SEO specialist with whom the companies work must have proven experience in achieving successful SEO results. The specialist must also understand the specific industry. Stay on top of the latest developments and best practices in SEO.

Clear and open communication: an SEO specialist must communicate clearly and openly. Explain technical concepts in an understandable way. Thus, these are obvious to those without technical knowledge. Moreover, companies often like to know exactly how the process works.

Measurable results: companies need to invest in SEO. Therefore, they want to see measurable results. Companies want to see how their Web site is performing. In doing so, they want to know what traffic and conversion improvements they expect.

Adaptability and flexibility: an SEO specialist must adapt to a company’s needs and goals. The specialist must respond quickly to changes in the market or within the company.

Quality: an SEO specialist must work according to best practices. It must also deliver reliable and high-quality service. This way, companies are sure that search engines will not penalize them for blackhat SEO techniques or other unethical practices.

Cost-effectiveness: in addition, the SEO specialist must provide value for the money the company invests in SEO. An expert should achieve the desired goals within the budget.

If an SEO specialist meets the above requirements, it should be feasible to achieve a successful SEO strategy.

Transparent working method SEO specialist

For an SEO specialist, transparency in the process is essential. This can be done in the following ways:

Clear communication: it is important to communicate regularly and clearly with the client about the work, progress and results. Talk about the work to be done, why it is needed and what the results will be. Also be open and honest about any challenges and obstacles and the plan to address them.

Reports: create regular reports on website performance and SEO campaign progress. Explain how website performance has improved. Also indicate what impact this has on business goals. Use graphs and visual representations to make the data clear and accessible.

Transparent about costs: create a transparent and clear cost structure. This way, the customer knows what to expect. Communicate openly about prices. Make it very clear what is included in each package or service.

Reliable methods: use only ethical and reliable SEO methods. Also avoid blackhat techniques. These are harmful to the customer in the long run. Tell why certain methods are used and how they improve Web site performance.

Understanding how to work: it is important for clients to understand how to work. This can be done by explaining the steps taken to achieve the client’s SEO goals. Also tell in what time frame this should be done and how performance will be measured.

By using the above transparent process, customer credibility is enhanced. This increases customer confidence and contributes to a successful partnership. As a result, SEO goals are achieved faster.

What SEO practices lead to distrust?

Different SEO practices lead companies to distrust when it comes to working with an SEO specialist. Below are some of the most common practices.

Keyword stuffing: this is adding too many keywords in an unnatural way on a web page. SEO specialists use this tactic to improve a Web page’s ranking in search engines. However, this can make the page content difficult to read and understand. The page may actually be ranked lower this way(4).

Unnatural links: unnatural links improve search engine rankings, but they also actually lead to a penalty from Google. This is a risk companies would rather not take. They prefer to work with SEO specialists who employ ethical and reliable link-building practices. In this way, a website’s authority and credibility are increased in an honest and secure way.

Hidden text: this is hiding text on a web page. This is going to be done to trick search engines, but it is also a blackhat SEO technique. Hidden text can lead to a penalty from Google. This is why SEO specialists only want to work with SEO specialists who work according to ethical practices.

Promise quick results: SEO is an ongoing process and requires a lot of time and effort. Therefore, companies also want SEO specialists to set realistic expectations. They should not make haphazard promises about quick results, which qnot be achieved.

Using untrusted tools: some SEO tools and services have a detrimental effect on a website’s performance. These lead to a penalty from Google. This is why companies want to work with SEO specialists who use only trusted tools and services. Moreover, the specialist must also be able to explain his methods in an understandable way.

Ethical and trustworthy SEO practices, transparency and communication increase customer trust. This is necessary for optimal SEO performance.

When is an SEO result visible?

Several factors determine the time it takes to see SEO results. Consider website size, industry and competition. The quality of content, the technical aspects of a website and the SEO techniques used are also important points. It generally takes several weeks to months before results can be seen.

Optimizing technical aspects of a website will quickly increase its visibility in search engines and quickly improve the user experience. When it comes to the creation of high-quality content, it may take a little longer to see results. It takes time to create and promote content. Only then will more traffic come to a website and it is possible to get more backlinks(5). Does a company operate in a highly competitive industry? Then, because of high competition, it may take even longer to see results.

SEO is a long-term investment. It takes time and consistency for good results. SEO optimization is an ongoing process. This is because search engine algorithms are constantly changing. Competitors are also constantly trying to increase their rankings. Therefore, have realistic expectations.

Keep working on SEO over an extended period of time. Consider a period of six months to a year. Only after this period is it possible to achieve and maintain demonstrable results. Also, only by then can search engine rankings be improved. Higher rankings bring more organic traffic to a website. Also, conversion rates will be higher and e better long-term business results.

Persuading Stakeholders

Various stakeholders need to be convinced of the value of SEO to an organization. These are some of the key stakeholders:

Management: the management of an organization is responsible for deciding on marketing and advertising budgets. If this team is not yet convinced, explain to them how SEO contributes to the company’s growth and success.

The marketing department: the marketing department executes the SEO strategy and creates content that improves website performance. Thus, this department must also be involved in the process. In this way, an even stronger SEO strategy can be developed.

The development team: the development team is there to optimize the technical aspects of a website, with the goal of improving SEO performance. Work with this team to solve technical problems to optimize the website.

The sales department: the sales department benefits from higher search engine rankings. This can lead to more organic traffic and higher conversion rates. Show this team how SEO can help them achieve their sales goals.

The customers: often a company’s customers search for products and services through search engines. A website’s ranking affects their search behavior. Optimize SEO performance to improve customer experience. This leads to more organic traffic.

Work with the above stakeholders. In doing so, be open to their input and ideas as well. This leads to an even more successful SEO strategy.

Overview for communication with stakeholders

It can be challenging to convince stakeholders of the value of SEO. Mainly, the fact that SEO results only show up after a while does not make persuasion easy. Align arguments with stakeholder input. The table below shows some examples:

Consider the stakeholder in communications

It is important to communicate effectively with stakeholders to make the importance of SEO clear. Below are some examples of good communication:

Management: in communicating with management, it is important to emphasize the ROI of SEO. Above all, explain how SEO can ensure that the business grows and becomes successful. Emphasize that SEO is a long-term investment that can lead to stable and sustainable results. Use examples and statistics. This clarifies the impact of SEO on business outcomes.

The marketing department: listen to input from the marketing department to create a good SEO roadmap. Talk about how SEO can help achieve marketing goals. Also elaborate on how SEO can be integrated into a broader marketing strategy. It is important to regularly share SEO campaign progress and results. Also share knowledge and information about best practices. This promotes cooperation and can improve SEO.

The development team: regarding the development team, focus mainly on technical problems and how they are solved. Also address how a website can be optimized for SEO optimization. Explain which technical aspects contribute significantly to SEO. Also tell how these will be improved. Make it very clear which technical improvements are important to a website’s SEO performance and always tell why that is so.

The sales department: explain to the sales department how SEO can contribute to a company’s sales goals. Talk about how improved SEO performance leads to more organic traffic and higher conversion rates. Inform this department regularly about the results as well. Show how SEO performance contributes to achieving sales department goals.

Customers: tell customers how SEO performance helps improve the user experience. Explain that better SEO can lead to more relevant and valuable content on the website. Delve deeper into how SEO strategy helps solve customers’ problems. In addition, tell how website performance can improve customer searches and buying decisions.

Good communication not only makes it easier to convince stakeholders; it also allows you to leverage their input and insight. This way, the SEO strategy is even more optimal and the website will rank even higher in Google.

Summary

As an SEO specialist, I know how important it is to convince companies of the value of SEO. This is often a challenge, especially for companies unfamiliar with digital marketing and the technical aspects of SEO. Understand their business goals and show how SEO can help achieve those goals. The goals are different for each company.

Show ROI, as an aid to convincing companies of the value of SEO. For example, show how SEO can contribute to improved search engine visibility and higher conversion rates. Also explain that SEO can provide a lower cost per lead or acquisition. Talk about how SEO can contribute to a company’s long-term growth and stability.

Trust is the basis for successful cooperation. Transparent communication about the progress and results of the SEO strategy is essential in this regard. Additionally, inform a company of opportunities for improvement and growth. Always be open and honest about the challenges and obstacles to a business.

While it can be challenging to convince businesses of the value of SEO, it is essential. Demonstrate this value by showing how SEO can contribute to a company’s business goals. Communicate a clear ROI for this as well. This can greatly help companies improve their online presence and achieve their goals.