Internet Marketing Blog

5 Critical Steps in the Search Engine Marketing Cycle

September 17, 2008 – 3:51 pm

We all know some of the tasks related to search engine marketing include keyword research, page optimization and link building. But one thing that is becoming vital to search marketers and agencies is the method in which they create, measure and execute their campaigns.

For search engine optimization, IBLs (inbound links) are a great method for boosting rankings. But what happens after you get the links is just as important as getting them in the first place. If you don’t follow up regularly, the links may somehow get moved to another page with a lower page rank or disappear altogether. So it’s the linking cycle or management that’s most important. This post will give an overview of the bigger picture of the search marketing life-cycle.

Step One starts off with a need. You may want more traffic for a promotion or more targeted traffic. Regardless of the need, a strategy must unfold that is measurable. To insure that you’re able to see and measure the results, you need a baseline report. So step one is to analyze and measure the situation for the particular need you’re addressing. Professional interactive marketers will bust out their copy of WebPosition or other SEO desktop app. Or maybe use Website grader or SEOmoz to set an online baseline report. So this step also includes setting up the various accounts that come in handy like Google Alerts and Google Webmaster Tools to name a couple.

Step Two means documenting the baseline metrics in a report. Maybe use a spreadsheet like a Google Doc that is easily shareable between your team and the client. Your creating historical references that will be used throughout the cycle. So Step Two involves documenting all the data in one place using the easiest to share and use tool you have. By creating this report and documenting the success metrics, you’ll be forced to clearly define the success metrics. Remember, this is a “cycle” and that means it gets repeated. So you’ll need good documentation.

Step Three involves planning and setting goals. This important step helps to further refine client expectations, your documentation and also serves as a sort of budget review. If you’ve already done a good job of working with your client and setting expectations in Step One, Step Three will mostly involved setting milestones, events in your calendar and daily tasks to perform. Not to sound too much like a Googler but Google calender is a really nice (and free) tool for sharing all your marketing tasks in one place for your team. Keep everything measurable.

Step Four nearly gets us to the end of this cycle. But before we hit Step Four, review your efforts in Step Three to make sure it is reverse engineered. Meaning, look carefully at your project end date. Are your efforts and plans sufficient enough to achieve the results you need? Can you really expect to be able to report all your metrics back to the client with the numbers they need? If you’re confident the answer is, “yes” you’re now ready for Step Four, which is to execute the plan. Executing the plan means starting the paid and organic programs, doing the daily and weekly tasks and performing your regular reviews to insure you’re moving towards your goals.

Step Five takes place when one of two things have happened. One, you have reached your target goals and the metrics have been communicated to an elated client. Or two, you have reached the point in your plan where time has run out in the first cycle. In either of these two cases, it’s time for Step Five which is to repeat the whole process over again. Before you do, you must have your documentation completed from all your first round, aka first cycle.

You can name the bigger picture tasks anything you want. Keep the whole process simple and measurable. Don’t get bogged down in the individual tasks. Stay mindful of the bigger picture and communicate the cycle to your client. An informed client will be more likely to support paying for a second cycle. An uninformed client may wonder if something went wrong. This can be avoided by setting the right expectations and sharing your progress along the way.