search engine optimisation - intheopen

Google Rankings

One of the things that many customers ask us is how we will increase their sales, and the honest answer we always give them is that they will have to increase their sales and not us. We cannot make anyone buy their products. This might sound strange and an admittance of defeat, but it is simply the truth. Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is not about selling peoples services or products, it is about getting people to the website who are looking for the product or service. The sale is the job of the website, the product and the pricing - which we have limited or no control over.

Yes, we always advice our customers if we think that improvements could be made to the website to aid sales (e.g. design improvements, customer sales process improvements, functional improvements, extra content / explanations, more product details etc etc), and if we have been involved in the initial website development, then we may even make some of these changes as part of the service, however the actual product and pricing is the site owners responsibility.

Before anyone commences with a website they should know that their product has a market and what that market is willing to pay for the product. At intheopen we will try our hardest to glean this understanding from you so that we can be sure that your market is the same target audience entering the terms and phrases on the search engine, but we cannot change your pricing. Why do I seem to have a bee in my bonnet about this? Well, we have had a long hard struggle with a customer who has been complaining about lack of sales. We have made many recommendations about improvements to his site and have many good rankings, but at the end of the day his products look to be hugely overpriced.

When we did a little market research, we found he was the most expensive we could find on the internet. So the answer to why the good number of visitors the site was now attracting was not showing as sales figures was very simple - his products cost too much!

So the moral of this story is? Well, from my perspective a marketing drive of any sort should be a joint effort between the company and the marketing partner. That is true for all marketing and not just internet marketing. Make sure you understand what to expect results wise, but also be honest and realistic about what you should expect. Visitors are great, but sales are better, and that takes a good look in the mirror as well as expert advice.

No, we have not fallen out with this customer, and yes we are still providing a good service, and yes he accepts his prices are too high....but he still hasn't changed them!!! ah well!

Labels: intheopen - the search engine optimisation specialists, SEO

posted by intheopen @ 6:42 pm