Comments on: Google’s in a Hurry to Pick the Low Hanging Fruit http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html I think there's an opinion on that subject lying around here somewhere.... Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:13:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Jamie http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1812 Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:25:57 +0000 http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1812 Sorry, that last sentence of mine was a bit confusing, agreed John, got to optimize and monitor your data and let that guide your spending. Nice blog btw Sorry, that last sentence of mine was a bit confusing, agreed John, got to optimize and monitor your data and let that guide your spending. Nice blog btw

]]> by: Jamie http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1796 Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:37:00 +0000 http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1796 I think your view of SEO vs. PPC misses the point entirely. I agree that people can derive great long term traffic and conversions from SEO, usually more volume that PPC. However, you should not view this as a zero sum game. “Well, at that rate of spend, you could hire a good SEO and eliminate half of that spend..." Wrong! Profits are profits, you should try to maximize in each channel. SEO and PPC should work together, not one at the expense of the other. By all means get the client to commit to a solid SEO program. In the meantime set a baseline for PPC performance prior to launching the SEO initiative. This way you'll see how one affects the other as the SEO traffic and conversions start to kick in. Also, if they have a crap PPC program, then that should be cleaned up optimized on an ongoing basis. However, if the client is getting an acceptable ROI then they should keep at it. <em><strong>John Andrews Replies:</strong></em> Thanks for the input, Jamie. I think perhaps I didn't lay it out clear enough. They spend a good deal on unmanaged PPC, and don't have any money for a consultant. While I agree with what I think is your point (that PPC and SEO can be combined, as long as ROI shows it to be profitable), I can't see through your logic above. On the one hand you suggest they need to track ROI and maximize profits; on the other hand you say that if they are happy with the PPC conversions, they should let it run.  I disagree. Optimize, optimize, optimize. And <em>if you have unmanaged PPC spend, start by optimizing that</em>. If you don't have SEO, get started. That unmanaged PPC spend is a very good source of start up funds for organic SEO. I think your view of SEO vs. PPC misses the point entirely. I agree that people can derive great long term traffic and conversions from SEO, usually more volume that PPC. However, you should not view this as a zero sum game. “Well, at that rate of spend, you could hire a good SEO and eliminate half of that spend…” Wrong! Profits are profits, you should try to maximize in each channel.

SEO and PPC should work together, not one at the expense of the other. By all means get the client to commit to a solid SEO program. In the meantime set a baseline for PPC performance prior to launching the SEO initiative. This way you’ll see how one affects the other as the SEO traffic and conversions start to kick in.

Also, if they have a crap PPC program, then that should be cleaned up optimized on an ongoing basis. However, if the client is getting an acceptable ROI then they should keep at it.

John Andrews Replies: Thanks for the input, Jamie. I think perhaps I didn’t lay it out clear enough. They spend a good deal on unmanaged PPC, and don’t have any money for a consultant. While I agree with what I think is your point (that PPC and SEO can be combined, as long as ROI shows it to be profitable), I can’t see through your logic above. On the one hand you suggest they need to track ROI and maximize profits; on the other hand you say that if they are happy with the PPC conversions, they should let it run. 

I disagree. Optimize, optimize, optimize. And if you have unmanaged PPC spend, start by optimizing that. If you don’t have SEO, get started. That unmanaged PPC spend is a very good source of start up funds for organic SEO.

]]> by: David Temple http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1741 Sun, 10 Dec 2006 03:03:52 +0000 http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1741 Absolutely spot on. There is so much waste going on in PPC it is unbelievable. And only a small percentage is being spent on seo. A company I consulted doesn't want to spend the money integrating their SEO and PPC. They pay their seo people very little and don't want to mix the two. Talk about penny wise and pound foolish. Absolutely spot on. There is so much waste going on in PPC it is unbelievable. And only a small percentage is being spent on seo. A company I consulted doesn’t want to spend the money integrating their SEO and PPC. They pay their seo people very little and don’t want to mix the two. Talk about penny wise and pound foolish.

]]> by: IncrediBILL http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1710 Sat, 09 Dec 2006 00:31:44 +0000 http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1710 Everything you said is totally true which is why I avoid those types as they are penny wise and pound foolish, doing all sorts of illogical things, and consulting for them will give you ulcers. With that mentality about SEO 'tricks' they probably aren't running adequate testing on PPC ad campaigns either. They might as well just donate the money directly to charity where it will do more good than lining the pockets of Google, their share holders and MFA sites. Most of these companies need to simply hire someone to completely run their SEM strategy, not just SEO or PPC, it needs to be well coordinated combined effort to get the maximum ROI. Everything you said is totally true which is why I avoid those types as they are penny wise and pound foolish, doing all sorts of illogical things, and consulting for them will give you ulcers.

With that mentality about SEO ‘tricks’ they probably aren’t running adequate testing on PPC ad campaigns either. They might as well just donate the money directly to charity where it will do more good than lining the pockets of Google, their share holders and MFA sites.

Most of these companies need to simply hire someone to completely run their SEM strategy, not just SEO or PPC, it needs to be well coordinated combined effort to get the maximum ROI.

]]> by: scoreboard http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1707 Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:33:07 +0000 http://www.johnon.com/193/google-cold-calling.html#comment-1707 I remember one of the guys at Google telling me what their internal research estimated as the percentage of Adwords accounts that meet break-even on their spend. The number was disgustingly low. Good for SEO's. Bad for Google. That said, it's really hard for those unsophisticated Adwords advertisers to meet ROI when Google is meeting its own ROI via the Quality Score "bot". I remember one of the guys at Google telling me what their internal research estimated as the percentage of Adwords accounts that meet break-even on their spend. The number was disgustingly low. Good for SEO’s. Bad for Google.

That said, it’s really hard for those unsophisticated Adwords advertisers to meet ROI when Google is meeting its own ROI via the Quality Score “bot”.

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