UK SEM

After reading a couple of recent articles, some directly saying that Google hates SEO's and others being more stealthy in their aspersions, the question has to be asked. Does Google really hate SEO's?

Well in this authors humble opinion, No! Google does not hate SEO's, or at least search engine optimisation performed by ethical SEO companies - what would be the point?

Sure make life difficult for people trying to manipulate the search engine results, but in terms of hating an industry, I would have to draw the line short of that (although perhaps some of our less industrious spam-friendly friends may need their wings clipping somewhat).

To be brutally honest, I can see no reason for Google, or any other search engine, to hate SEO's. Search engine optimisation, I would suggest, is one of the key reasons why search engines have become as effective as they currently are in refining their results.

We search engine marketeers, at the end of the day, want our campaigns to work and rely heavily on a ROI focussed service. For this reason, all aspects of the marketing mix have to be working in synergy, so relevance and targeting are fundamental aspects of all our campaigns. Essentially, this is what Google wants - good quality, relevant results.

Google have also provided a wealth of tools, aimed at providing marketeers and potential marketeers with sufficient information to promote their sites - whether it be guidelines, webmaster tools, API access or blogs. Surely such activity is a clear indication of support and not a case of trying to minimise the effect of would be search engine marketeers.

Above all, most search engine marketing agencies don't just offer SEO, they offer paid search (PPC) as well. Surely if the search engines annoy these agencies by attacking SEO, they run the risk of affecting paid search spend. Google, Yahoo and MSN work very closely with agencies as regards their paid search campaigns, so it is logical to assume that to alienate the SEO activity of an agency would surely impact on paid search as well. Too much of a financial risk I would have thought!

Ultimately, the question "Does Google really hate SEO's?" boils down to one key factor. What commercial benefits could there possibly be in curtailing SEO activity?

Peter Young - A search engine optimisation (SEO) professional with E-Gain New Media Ltd, who offer online marketing, pay-per-click management and consultancy and UK SEO solutions.

Are more organisations now looking to bring their online marketing in-house rather than outsourcing such work to a specialist search engine marketing company? And what are the potential benefits and pitfalls of bringing SEO and SEM activity in-house?

After recently being involved in recruiting staff for a number of search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimisation (SEO) solutions it has become apparent that there is an increasing variation of skill set within the search marketing industry in the UK, as well as an increasing amount of competition, each vying for the best people available in the industry.

It has also become noticeable, by monitoring the UK recruitment boards, that many organisations are currently looking to bring their online marketing in-house, rather than outsourcing such work to a specialist search engine marketing or search engine optimisation company.

So what benefits can be leveraged from bringing SEO and SEM activity in-house, rather than outsourcing it to one of the many UK online marketing companies out there?

- Integration! Most obviously, integration with other marketing activity is probably one of the biggest driving forces behind the philosophy of bringing search engine marketing in-house.

- Focus! Search marketing organisations often work on a number of projects (for obvious economic reasons), juggling a number of campaigns and clients, and therefore not focussing clearly on any particular one. By bringing search marketing in-house, this focus can be ensured.

- Understanding! Nobody knows an organisation better than the organisation itself and it's staff, which can be a very valuable asset when heading down the search-marketing route.

However despite the advantages of bringing search engine marketing and search engine optimisation in house, it is still surprising that so many companies consider this route, for the following reasons:

- Economies of Scale! To effectively manage a full online marketing campaign an organisation would, in all probability, need a minimum of two key team members to effectively implement and manage on an ongoing basis. In today’s online marketing industry, such expertise could cost circa £60,000 in terms of annual salary alone, with this figure growing considerably when taking into account the direct costs involved.

- Return on Investment (ROI)! It is doubtful that many organisations would see a significant return on investment on a £60-100,000 online marketing outlay. However outsourcing such campaigns, really can result in significant returns on investment. For example, a typical ongoing campaign with a reputable SEO or SEM company could cost you around one quarter of the investment mentioned above.

- Utilisation of New Technologies! The benefit of focus, as mentioned earlier as an advantage, is a double-edged sword that could act to the detriment of a client. The incorporation of new methodologies, strategies, and technologies is often slower amongst in-house marketing teams than it is within SEM agencies.

Ultimately, organisations have to look towards the methods that they feel will benefit themselves. However in the haste to maintain control over all aspects of the business, is the potential for increased ROI through online marketing channels being overlooked because of naivety or bad planning?


Peter Young - A search engine marketing (SEM) professional with E-Gain New Media Ltd. Offering online marketing, pay-per-click management and SEO UK solutions.