11.04.11
Analysis, Implementation, Tracking, Reporting
*REPORTING*
Tracking return on investment (ROI) is difficult to do, but can be done.
According to a recent industry report (see page 88), tracking ROI is the #1 challenge for SEO firms. Unless the website features an E-commerce shopping cart, leads must be tracked within the client’s day to day business at some level. For example, when a visitor arrives on the customer’s website via a search engine, they basically have several options: 1. Email the client 2. Call the client (toughest to track). 3. Leave the website.
Email form
At minimum, a website will need to feature a simple email form (5-6 fields) on the Contact page. This is a conventional and accepted way to contact someone. For better clarity, more fields can be added, but longer forms tend to be filled out less, so you need to be very careful in not asking too many questions and/or making too many fields required. I always recommend making the name, email address and telephone number mandatory—otherwise you probably don’t want to deal with them anyway. Since email forms store data, this can be a simple first step in tracking a lead from a website. In the background programming, when an email is sent to a designate client email address, a carbon copy (cc) can also be sent to the individual or system tracking ROI.
Telephone calls
This is the most difficult lead to track because some form of “system” must be created within the customer’s business to track inbound calls from the website. If the business is small, the office personnel should ask “how did you hear about us?” and track the responses in a simple online database for later review. Typically, only a few pieces of information are needed such as the person’s name, business, basic contact info and nature of call. In a larger business with many inbound phone lines, a unique website telephone number should ring to a particular person trained to answer the call and track the information.
Website visitors leaving the site
I still get asked all the time “I want to capture the person’s information while they are on my site.” Good luck on that one because you may as well be painting the bottom of a swimming pool while it’s full of water. Unless the website visitor is “behind” a unique IP address, such as a large company or agency, you won’t know “who” is actually on your website. To make things more confusing, Internet service providers (or ISPs) may have thousands of people using their (1) IP address and it will look like, for example, that Comcast Cable was on your site last week. The best method for “capturing” visitor data on your website is to make the site highly usable and aesthetically pleasing with clear and compelling content. “If you build it, they will come.” –Field of Dreams
Summary
Tracking ROI is mainly difficult to do because it requires some client involvement and in interaction with the SEO firm. In many instances, the client thinks they have more important things to do rather than mutually assist in their overall success (wink). Before I ever begin an SEO program with a client, I ensure they have proper “buy in” at the highest level. When this occurs, the program runs more efficiently, more effectively and the customer realizes the value of their SEO program. This understanding tends to lead to higher client profits and larger campaign spends.
About the Author: Rhett DeMille, the owner PalmettoSoft LLC, is a leading search engine optimization consultant located in the Charleston SC area.
Bien vu, j’approuve !
Outstanding post, I believe website owners should find a lot from this web blog its very user genial. So much great info on here .
Thanks.
Really excellent site! Thanks for your effort in posting this.
I like this web site very much so much superb info.
It’s difficult to get knowledgeable folks with this matter, and you be understood as you recognize that which you are discussing! Thanks
Thanks for the kind words.
A number of excellent points brought up here. Thanks for sharing
C’est difficiles à trouver bien informés Les hommes et les femmes pour ce sujet question , mais vous semblent être savez-vous ce ce qui se passe vous êtes référant à ! Merci Beaucoup
thanks, very well written post, found it through a random google search and i shared it on my digg account
You’ve managed a first class post.
Thx
Fantastic site! I’m loving it!! Will come again. I am bookmarking your feeds also.
We so appreciate your website post. You will discover a lot of means we could put it to great use with minimum effort with time and financial resources. Thank you so much with regard to helping make this post give light to many questions we have come across before now.
I just bookmarked Search Engine Optimization, The (4) Simple Parts: 4 | Palmettosoft on Digg, hope this helps get you more traffic. Just right with this particular write-up, I really think this website needs a lot more consideration. I’ll probably be returning soon to see far more, thank you for the post it is excellent
Nice one, would you mind if I use some of this text on my website?
Sure, thanks.
Compliments for this post, I am glad I noticed this website on yahoo.
Could not thank you fully for the blogposts on your web-site. I know you set a lot of time and energy into all of them and hope you know how much I appreciate it. I hope I will do something identical for someone else at some time.
Great blog you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get responses from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Cheers!
I would do a search for them, you should find some there.
This is just the perfect answer for all forum members.
Thank you.
I like this weblog very much, Its a rattling nice office to read and get info . “You can never learn less, you can only learn more.” by Richard Buckminster Fuller.
I was really surprised to see the angle you took to produce this article. It is refreshing and first rate. You must continue to find these kind of ideas and produce more well written articles.
That was a good read. I will be back. Thanks
Excellent goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you are just too great. I really like what you have acquired here, really like what you’re saying and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it sensible. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is really a great site.
The best indicator of ROI is the telephone ringing! Our webmaster does an outstanding job!
Howdy, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam responses? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me mad so any assistance is very much appreciated.
Yes, I do get many spam comments and they typically are hand typed by somebody trying to push a product or service. There are spam filter plugins for WordPress which you can activate which will stop most of the auto generated spam.
Used by millions, Akismet is quite possibly the best way in the world to protect your blog from comment and trackback spam. It keeps your site protected from spam even while you sleep. To get started: 1) Click the “Activate” link to the left of this description, 2) Sign up for an Akismet API key, and 3) Go to your Akismet configuration page, and save your API key.
Version 2.5.3 | By Automattic | Visit plugin site
Dreamin. I adore blogging. You all express your feelings the best way, because they’re your feeling, focus on your blog it is wonderful.
Great write-up, I’m normal visitor of one’s blog, maintain up the excellent operate, and It’s going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this web page daily, this web site is really nice and the visitors are actually
sharing fastidious thoughts.
Quality articles or reviews is the secret to attract the visitors to go to see the site, that’s what this web page is providing.
Bonjour ! C’est vraiment un étonnant écrit, je te remercie de l’avoir partagé. Pour te remercier, voici une ligne pour pouvoir réaliser du card sharing : F: ram1165j sam1165ezae 2 0 0 0:0:1,100:3317 #10/12/2011. C’est sans frais, alors n’hésites pas à l’utiliser et la partager. Bonne journée
With havin so much content material do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? My internet site has a great deal of exclusive content I’ve either designed myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any strategies to assist avoid content material from being ripped off? I’d genuinely appreciate it.
There is not much you can do to prevent people from ripping/plagiarizing content from your site. If you want to check your content, simply copy some of it, and paste the same in Google and see what comes up in the search results. You typically have better results in dealing with a company than an individual. Basically, companies have other people you can talk to… and the fear of being fired usually instantly removes the pirated copy. Other than that, you can seek legal options if it is within your own country.
Numerous thanks for being the mentor on this niche. We enjoyed the post greatly and most of all appreciated how you genuinely handled the issues I regarded as being controversial. You’re always extremely kind towards readers really like me and assist me to in my life. Thank you. Palm Beach Gardens
Thank you for the kind words!
Free knowledge like this doesn’t just help, it promotes democracy. Thank you.