How can you justify the ROI of your SEO project?

Setting goals involves collaboration with multiple teams within an organization. I have found that many SEO leads assume that internal partners are educated enough about the basics of SEO. This includes: - Realistic timeframes to begin seeing results - Changes to multiple platforms that may be required in order to achieve goals - What tools are used to measure success - How paid search and SEO can work together to improve results SEO leaders should not only spend time doing the actual work, they should educate and evangelize throughout the organization on a regular basis.

Setting SEO goals goes beyond mere traffic metrics and KPIs. It’s about identifying the keywords a brand should dominate and ensuring that this dominance aligns with the brand’s short and long-term objectives. The short-term SEO goals should act as a bridge to the long-term goals, which typically take longer to achieve.” This offers a clear progression from setting SEO goals to short-term and long-term objectives.

At the end of the day, every and any business' objective is to generate sales/ conversions. This has to be taken into account while working on your goals. Following the SMART framework is your best approach. Always look at historical data available and compare it with what you are able to achieve. Always share a complete view of the journey for your audience to understand the ROI. From pages indexed, to ranking, clicks, visits, additions to cart, and sale, any improvement in any and each step of the journey is an ROI and needs to be looked into to be optimized as you grow.

Nearly 10 years ago a client said "Jim you've taken a month to get me to no.1 for Outdoor timber ceiling fan with light, what is that worth to me?" Our tech SEO work had helped every channel on the site, that made examine how SEO can help shoppers not Google. We now focus on growing revenue and use SEO to increase sales through every channel. We only work on tasks that will directly impact revenue. After 25 years doing this SEO = Shopper Experience Optimisation for us now.

Sometime its difficult to calculate the SEO ROI compare to other channels like PPC where you can easily tie up the revenue. When you are working on SEO goals and KPIs make sure to tie it with company goals and vision. Few things apart from general KPIs like organic traffic , keywords ranking that will help to setup SEO goals - Measure all the small conversions in your journey to the main conversion that will help you to show the value organic traffic helping in actual conversion. - Prioritize the things that have most impact especially the task that you are dependent with other team like dev, product, UX/UI or content team - Look for past data and market trends or any other seasonality impact before setting up SEO goal and target.

Identify specific goals, such as increasing organic traffic, improving search engine rankings, or boosting online sales. Choose Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with your goals, like click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, or revenue generated from organic search.

Let's talk SEO. Imagine diving into a pool without checking if there's water in it. Sounds silly, right? That's how diving into an SEO project without clear goals feels! Your goals need to be SMART. I mean Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. It's like giving your SEO a GPS for success. Now, onto KPIs. Think of them as the breadcrumbs Hansel and Gretel should've used. They guide you, ensuring you're on the right path and not just wandering in the digital woods. Whether it's traffic, conversions, or that sweet, sweet revenue, your KPIs should be your North Star. Before diving into the SEO pool, make sure it's filled with SMART goals and KPI breadcrumbs. And maybe a rubber duck for good measure. #seoisinmycoffee

Defining clear goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is the foundational step in any effective SEO strategy. Begin by understanding what you want to achieve through SEO. Is it increased organic traffic, higher rankings for specific keywords, improved conversion rates, or brand visibility? Once your goals are established, identify specific KPIs that align with these objectives. These might include metrics like organic traffic growth, click-through rates, conversion rates, keyword rankings, and engagement metrics. By setting and regularly monitoring your KPIs, you can track progress, make data-driven decisions, and ensure your SEO efforts are aligned with your business goals.

SEO should focus on the overall objectives of the business which is acheived by understanding the internal departments objectives. Understanding these departments goals and resources available will help you set expectations of achievable results. Set objectives for year 1 by quarters to align with the financial calendar when it comes to reporting on performance. Understand objectives for year 1, 3 and 5 against SEO strategies. Make sure your data and reporting is solid and improve accuracy of your data to understand what leads or sales convert, which marketing sources/channels drive the best ROI for your business. You can use this data to guide SEO focus supporting new areas of business and reduce costly lead generation methods.

SMART goals are critical for any project, including SEO projects. In my experience, small improvements can help justify the effort to improve your SEO over time. One way to demonstrate a quick, achievable win is to find a long tail topic in your industry that combines 2 ideas that people search for. Two ideas together can make great content and should be easier to rank quickly. Its a great way to demonstrate fast progress within a larger SEO strategy.

Measuring SEO success is like keeping score in a game. We track organic traffic, conversions, click-through rates, and keyword rankings to see if we're winning. We also compare ROI with paid ads (ROAS) and check the cost per acquisition (CPA) to see if SEO is outperforming other marketing efforts. These stats guide our strategy, showing that SEO brings in more visitors, leads, and revenue.

You need to give some time and effort before you measure the ROI as SEO is a long term process compared to PPC. It also depends on the competition in your space, it might take long time to rank organically so measuring ROI might be more challenging. But keep track of soft and smaller conversion help you to show SEO contribution towards the lead and revenue.

Calculate the upfront costs, including SEO tools, content creation, and any agency fees. Estimate the long-term benefits, such as increased organic traffic and potential revenue from organic conversions.

Crafting an effective SEO strategy involves identifying keywords, optimizing on-page content, building quality backlinks, and ensuring technical SEO aspects are in order. However, one often overlooked aspect is user experience (UX). UX plays a pivotal role in SEO success as search engines prioritizes websites that provide a seamless, engaging experience to users. Elements like site speed, mobile-friendliness, intuitive navigation, and well-structured content impact how users interact with your site and influence rankings. By prioritizing UX alongside traditional SEO practices, you not only improve search engine visibility but also enhance user satisfaction and conversion rates, ultimately achieving your digital marketing goals.

"Proving SEO ROI is like nurturing a garden. We've seen: Traffic Surge: SEO brought a significant uptick in website traffic. Conversion Boost: Higher-quality leads and improved conversion rates. Keyword Dominance: We rank well for key industry terms. Competitive Edge: Consistently outperforming rivals in rankings. Engaging Content: Attracts and retains visitors, establishing us as an industry authority. Revenue Growth: SEO efforts resulted in substantial revenue increase. Client Testimonials: Satisfied clients from search engines attest to our impact. Data-Driven Decisions: We use data analytics to make informed choices. In sum, our SEO project is a success story, boosting traffic, conversions, revenue, and brand trust."

SEO can be a roller coaster if you don't align it to the business. Take the time to look internally and understand what converts for you and not what your competitors seem to be converting. Sometimes it's best to understand the business before you start taking on competitors. Estimate costs and revenue for all your marketing channels. Once you know marketing spend, tools and retainers for each along with the average revenue/value per channel and lead, you can benchmark SEO against these to set targets and use SEO to help maxise performance, reduce costs and increase ROI for the business over a 1, 3 and 5 year strategy.

You can estimate the costs and benefits of an SEO project using the following equation: Estimated ROI (Return on Investment) = (Expected Gain from SEO - SEO Project Cost) / SEO Project Cost In this equation: Expected Gain from SEO represents the anticipated increase in revenue or traffic as a result of the SEO project. SEO Project Cost is the total expenses associated with the SEO project, including salaries, tools, and any other relevant costs.

As SEO is a long term process, we generally calculate ROI for a span of 1 year or longer period of time. We have a proven case studies where we have scaled the businesses from $40K / month to $400K / month within 3 years (From organic traffic). Our formula for ROI (%) = [(Revenue from Organic Traffic - Cost of SEO) / Cost of SEO] x 100 Now present this data for each month for 2 to 3 years and you will see the actual impact of SEO over time.

Use the basic ROI formula: ROI = (Net Profit / Cost of Investment) * 100. Net profit includes the revenue generated from SEO minus the costs. Consider using more advanced ROI formulas like Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) or Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratios for a deeper analysis

In the context of calculating Return on Investment (ROI), the first formula is generally better and more widely accepted: ROI = (Benefits - Costs) / Costs This formula expresses ROI as a ratio of net profit (Benefits - Costs) to the initial investment cost (Costs). It provides a clear percentage value that indicates how much return you're getting for every dollar invested.

I think two things that a lot of people miss when trying to prove organic ROI are: - ROI on improvements - measure your success on the added value you bring - Brand vs non brand - if you want to take a truly purist view, you should be looking primarily at estimated ROI from non brand activity. Of course, if you're responsible for brand through DPR/content marketing then you can claim some of those brand increases, but non brand is key

Return on Investment (ROI) in SEO can be determined using the formula: ROI = (Net Gain from SEO - Cost of SEO) / Cost of SEO In this equation: - Net Gain: from SEO represents the cumulative revenue or value generated from the SEO project. This includes increased organic traffic, higher conversions, and any other measurable benefits. -The cost of SEO: contains all expenses associated with the SEO project, including salaries, tools, content creation, and advertising costs.

When SEO is done right everything works better including promotions, sales, paid ads, websites, social media, branding, etc. When there is a success story it's important that the integration of SEO is accounted for.

Benchmark your SEO ROI against other marketing channels like paid advertising, social media, or email marketing. Analyze which channels provide the highest return on investment and allocate resources accordingly.

Comparing the Return on Investment (ROI) of different marketing channels or strategies is a crucial step in optimizing your marketing efforts. To do this effectively, follow these steps: 1- Define Your Metrics 2- Calculate ROI 3- Analyze Results 4- Consider the Customer Journey 5- Attribution Modeling 6- Budget Allocation 7- A/B Testing 8- Track and Monitor 9- Benchmarking 10- Long-Term Perspective By systematically comparing ROI across different channels and strategies, you can optimize your marketing budget, improve campaign effectiveness, and make informed decisions to achieve better results.

Effectively communicating Return on Investment (ROI) with stakeholders is essential for transparency and decision-making. Here's how to do it: 1- Understand Your Audience 2- Use Clear Visuals 3- Focus on Key Metrics 4- Tell a Story 5- Provide Context 6- Address Questions and Concerns 7- Regular Updates 8- Highlight ROI Impact 9- Use Real-World Examples 10- Open Dialogue 11- Demonstrate Accountability 12- Highlight Future Plans 13- Custom Reports 14- Transparency 14- Follow-Up Effective communication of ROI not only informs stakeholders but also aligns your team's efforts with organizational goals. It builds trust and confidence in your strategies and can lead to better decision-making and resource allocation.

Create clear, visually appealing reports and presentations to share with executives and team members. Highlight the impact of SEO on business goals, such as revenue growth or brand visibility.

It is key to educate stakeholders and decision-makers to the long-term benefits of SEO. It may take a while to see the results of SEO. Making sure that the key aspects of SEO are understood by management will help to get approval and budget. Clear communication and regular updates can help the education process of stakeholders. The better they understand SEO, the easier it is to get them onboard !

- Start with the Profits: Tell them about the good stuff first. Say, "Thanks to our SEO work, we're making benefits and this is a good sign. - Talk About the Costs: Let them know everything about the costs of SEO. - Use the ROI Formula: Now, you can say, "To see if it's a good deal, we use this formula: ROI = (What We Earn from SEO - What We Spend on SEO) / What We Spend on SEO." - Show the Positive ROI: If the number is positive, tell the stakeholder, "See, our ROI is positive, which means we're in a good way. -Share Real Numbers -Highlight the Benefits: Explain the benefits

It is widely accepted that it can take 6-12 months to fully prove organic ROI, especially if you are starting optimizations on a website for the first time. So how do we prove ROI during this time? Outside of the monthly keyword and website metrics, you can: look at competitors performance relative to your website, industry changes and benchmarks, short form tests on new keywords, layouts, or content, work on internal structures and benchmarks, and look for any indicators that your SEO work is taking effect. Any positive changes are a win; show it off!

One thing I've always found useful is to not look at an SEO project as a campaign to win a brand popularity contest but as a roadshow with a final destination to put down your flag and dominate a market. Someone (you and/or your agency) has to drive the bus and the other navigates, but both follow an itinerary where they spend time reviewing the last cities, comparing it with the previous cities, and agree to add or remove certain elements from the activities in the next cities, so not only you will know when you have reached the final destination, but you feel good about it knowing the SEO project has grown in alignment to your business direction!

Understand that SEO is the building of an asset. Your claiming digital real estate. PPC drives traffic in the short term, but implementing SEO, over time, is developing a consistent organic lead source.

Take a look at this example Let's say a company spends $10,000 on an SEO project and sees a 50% increase in website traffic, resulting in 50 additional leads and $20,000 in revenue. The net ROI would be: Net ROI = ($20,000 - $10,000) / $10,000 = 100% In other words, the company earned twice as much revenue as they invested in the SEO project, resulting in a 100% ROI. Note: There are many more specific ways to calculate SEO ROI

ROI realized ultimately through increased conversions on the website. SEO should bring more interested, organic visits to the website, who then engage with the brand through transactions, form fills, or phone calls. Once a business is able to determine the average conversion rate (from Lead to Sale), and the lifetime value of a customer, a marketer can determine SEO ROI through using analytics to measure the source of the lead, and tie it back to real revenue potential for the business.

SEO is kinda rocket science. But in no way will it take 6-9 months for ranking results if your team is doing everything needed correctly. This is rare. If you aren’t seeing marked KPI results within 90 days, it’s time to move on to another provider. Don’t believe me, just ask for results. It’s very possible and it’s also a thing to ask any agency you are going to hire. WILL THIS WORK AND WHEN. If they don’t give you a straight answer keep your money and call another. If they say 6-9 months ask why? Trust me if you do it right it doesn’t take that long, at all. One example; new client, healthy catering in Orlando, top three in three weeks, now is the preferred catering company for the NBA in Orlando. That call came in 3 weeks later.

SEO is a long-term game driving traffic, improving ranking and conversions. Measuring Rio depends on various factors: - Cost of tools utilized - Quality of backlinks - Number of keyword ranking in top - Total traffic generated - Number of leads generated - Traffic from other resources Sometime PPC can be beneficial for traffic but it will be for short term but can't improve efficiency as SEO. SEO is a long-term process so takes times but deliver long-lasting results for smoother business process and organic business growth.

In 2023, SEO has evolved into a dynamic and multifaceted discipline, adapting to the ever-changing landscape of online search. With search engines placing greater emphasis on user experience, mobile-friendliness, and page speed, SEO strategies now revolve around holistic website optimization. Content quality remains paramount, but contextual relevance, natural language processing, and AI-driven algorithms have become integral to achieving higher rankings. Additionally, the rise of voice search and the growing importance of video content are reshaping SEO practices, requiring marketers to stay agile and innovative in their optimization approaches.

SERPs Conversion rate in the context of SEO Understanding the buyer's journey and intent mapping is crucial for optimizing this rate through SEO. Awareness Stage: Metrics to track: Organic traffic, page views, and time spent on site. Consideration Stage: Metrics to track: Engagement metrics, bounce rates, and the performance of content targeted at consideration-stage keywords. Decision Stage: Metrics to track: Conversion rate, click-through rates, and the performance of product-specific landing pages. Intent Mapping: Understand user intent behind search queries. Identify intent-rich keywords that match the user's stage, and optimize content accordingly.