How to Convince Your Boss You Really Need SEO

A lot of bosses will tell their PA, their partners or someone from their marketing department to go out and get as many SEO quotes as they can and find out as much information as they can about SEO.

They end up doing the ring around, speak with 3 or 4 SEO Sydney agencies and then nothing happens.

Why? Because there are too many mixed messages and SEO can be quite hard to understand and convey even to astute and internet-savvy marketing people.

At SEO Sydney Experts we come across this issue all the time. The boss sends someone out on an SEO fact-finding mission, I educate them on the process, they seem keen, but they are unable to convince their boss on the benefits of SEO and why they need (in some cases) to pay a hefty fee to rank their website on Google.

These fact-finding missions start out with the very best intentions but they fall flat when the messenger comes back to the office and tries to convey all the information I have told them.

Somehow it’s just not quite the same when someone else is trying to tell your story and explain all the wonderful benefits that SEO can bring to a business to a time-poor, stressed-out boss. Essentially it’s a waste of everybody’s time.

So what I have done here is compiled a list of really useful information that these fact finders (secretaries, PA’s etc) can use to explain to their bosses about the benefits of SEO – these points should be enough to get him over the line.

If not he’s probably not into it anyway and prefers to use old school marketing methods. If this is the case I would probably be looking for another job cause one things for sure, his competition is doing SEO and he’s going to loosing out on business big time! According to LinkedIn As of November 2020, Google share of search engine traffic in Australia is 94.24%. This is a huge number of search queries so it’s super-vital that your business is in the mix getting a percentage of those online searches. Also, make sure you tell your boss about local SEO on Google and how people prefer to shop locally from retailers or professionals. Hubspot tells us 88% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visits the business within 24 hours. 

Benefits of SEO

Tell your boss it’s a lot cheaper than other traditional forms of marketing like magazines and newspaper ads. Old school bosses love these tangible forms of marketing but the downside is they are really expensive and deliver poor rates of return. SEO works out to be so much cheaper and works out to give higher conversion rates. Remember to tell your boss that when people are ready to buy the first thing they do is go onto Google. They do a search and make their decision from what they see on the first page.

No one and I repeats no one uses the local newspaper or goes to their fridge to check their fridge magnets when they are ready to buy. That’s simply old school and if your bosses headspace is here then he needs to know these facts. We can always show him the monthly searches for a particular keyword.

The key benefit to tell your boss about SEO

Go online and type in your main service and see if your competition is there. If they are appearing in the SERP’s ( search results ) then it’s time to hit the panic button. If they aren’t there then it’s a great opportunity for you to start your SEO campaign as the door is wide open. Your boss will love the fact about this great online marketing opportunity. Having said that, the online landscape is very competitive so this scenario is an exception to the rule.

If your boss has been relying on Adwords for years and saying her gets all his business this way then you need to tell him about the 80/20 rule. That is, 80% of potential customers will pick an organically ranking website while only 20% ( and these are generally tyre kickers and bargain hunters) will click on the Adwords. Plus the cost of an SEO campaign generally is cheaper than Adwords. In fact, according to Search Engine Watch users overwhelmingly click on organic results on Google and Bing by a margin of 94 per cent to 6 per cent.

Many businesses have been relying on social media to get their brand and message out there. Unfortunately, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and now so flooded with that much information that your message is now becoming far too diluted. Being on page 1 of Google is clear cut and defined. You cannot put your website in a better position.

Social media used to work and used to be effective but it’s now far too cluttered with every man and his dog vying for your attention. It’s essentially becoming a waste of your time and your money. Don’t over-rely on these social platforms.

Fact that you have to tell your boss regarding the importance of SEO. If you are already ranking for some keywords and think it’s good enough then think again. Google is always changing its algorithm and nothing remains constant. So thinking that you in a good position is delusional as it can change at any given point in time. Be careful about this fact. Your boss shouldn’t rely on past rankings and think that this will continue forever. Plus if you are already ranking for some keywords and they are bringing in business, why on earth would you not want to push harder and get more keywords ranking. This is a no brainer!

Be prepared for the tough SEO questions from your boss

When dealing with the decision-makers, especially your boss about SEO and why he or she should be doing it, be prepared for the following type of questions that are probably going to be thrown at you:

• What kind of website traffic can I expect with SEO? What are the numbers of searches per month and what percentage are likely to come to our site?
• What kind of dollars are we looking at and how long do I need to keep investing in SEO?
• How can we compete online in such a saturated and fiercely competitive space?
• Who is going to be doing the SEO and how can we trust them?
• What is the expected rate of return for our marketing dollar?
• What exactly is SEO
• Who will add the content to the site?
• Will they be redesigning my website or making changes to it?

Also read: Must ask questions for your SEO agency

If the above questions will have been answered in detail in our first initial meeting. If you or your boss needs to go over this or need further clarification on any technical questions, it’s best to speak with me rather than second guess it.

If you are sitting there feeling frustrated because you have either been put in charge of getting more new business in or you have been set the task of finding a suitable SEO supplier and you think you have nailed it and your boss won’t listen to you. Then it’s a good idea to show him this article. I have written it for people in your situation that can see the benefits of SEO but cannot seem to convince the powers that be.

If all else fails please get him or her to give me a call on 02 9360 8514 and I would be more than happy to explain why they need SEO in greater detail.