Don’t worry you aren’t the first and probably won’t be the last. Of course, you’ve heard all about being page one on Google, how business just flows to you when you manage it. How online is the only way and “hey but I get over 1000 unique visitors to my website every month”. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Oh and don’t worry we did the same. You see your website climb the rankings, the unique viewers go up and you think you’ve cracked it. From there you get hypnotised by the amount of traffic you are getting.
But do you track how much actual business the traffic has generated? When someone calls do you ask how they found out about you or simply presume that because you don't know them they must have found you through an organic search online? Do you get calls that invariably don’t go anywhere? Thought so. It’s a tough lesson to learn and accept, though isn’t it?
So how can I prove that (okay not in all cases) SEO for a B2B service company is a waste of money? I don’t need to, you can. Here’s a question If you were going to buy the services YOU offer what would you typically do? Go online and try and find a service provider or call a few trusted people in your network and ask for a referral?
Thought so.
You see when we asked the same question in a survey a couple of years ago 93% of the respondents answered that if they were looking to buy a service that was worth £5000 or more per annum they would ask a colleague or peer. From there they would go to the company’s website. But this doesn’t need SEO as the referrer gives them the url. It is then that your online marketing must work and have the correct key messaging look and feel and size to win the kind of clients you wish to win.
How do we know this? Because 54% of respondents said they wouldn’t even bother getting in contact if the website didn’t look like it could fulfil their requirements.
You see many businesses who search online for a B2B supplier tend to be either too small and haven't got the connections to generate a suitable referral or are large businesses/PLC's who want to find a few more suppliers for their beauty parade pitches. They often have the incumbent agency and the mate of the CEO/CFO but require a few more so that it is 'fair'. Unfortunately this often leads to wasted time for the SME who doesn't want the one and doesn't get the other.
So, what do I suggest? Well instead of paying money for someone to provide SEO expertise and getting hooked on how many unique visitors you get per day/week/month maybe spend more time focused on the type of business you want to win to generate the growth you want. Spend more time networking and speaking to current clients to see if they will refer you. Ensure your website is awesome so when you do get a potential client through a referral, they call. Make sure that all of your key messaging is aligned to what you go out and hunt for and create a unique reason for them doing business with you. Look at bringing someone (like us) who will have an honest conversation with you, see your weak points and more importantly your strengths and ensure your online presence is sick. (teen for really, really good :))
In our mind, there is so much online noise people are going back to the old method of speaking to their trusted network, this seems to be borne out by both our research, our partners and our network and yes even you are probably nodding...
Yes, it is the long game, yes it takes time and yes it takes effort. However once created and your name and service is valued amongst your contacts you have a far higher chance of being introduced to a potential client at exactly the right time and with the endorsement from a third-party ringing in their ears.
How much time and money could you save if you binned your SEO initiatives? Go spend it with someone who can win you sales...
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