Interview: Radomir Basta, CEO at Four Dots: The Powerful Weapon of Marketing

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1 The websites of international companies are becoming the foundation for improving operations and attracting a larger number of potential clients, and it is there that search engine optimisation (SEO) plays a major role. An ever increasing number of local business leaders are coming to realise that SEO is an important factor in developing their authority on the internet SEO is mandatory worldwide as part of any strategic development plan, both in small enterprises and in major companies. Little is still known about this in Serbia and it is rarely discussed, even though he is a strong tool for positioning not only major brands, but also small companies that want, with the help of a smart strategy, to be competitive against them, says Radomir Basta, CEO at Four Dots. For a start, tell us how important SEO is in today s climate? - Internet usage statistics in the last few years bear witness to the fact that people are increasingly turning to online searching, comparing and purchasing products and services. This obviously gives enormous importance to strategies for improving visibility in searches, where a company s website becomes the foundation for improving operations and attracting a larger number of potential users. Of course, in order to achieve a result it is not enough to simply make a site. The goal of any online strategy is to attract as many users as possible, and it is precisely in this part where search engine optimisation (SEO) plays a major role. Unlike other forms of internet traffic, organic site visits usually result in the conversion of potential users into customers. Therefore, SEO is mandatory worldwide as a part of any strategic development plan, both in small enterpises and in major companies. Without adequate technical and content structure, it is difficult for a site to expect to achieve tangible results. That s why SEO represents a strategy that contributes to the development of 1 / 6

2 operations and the creation of brand awareness, and the importance of that should not be disregarded at a time when the internet is no longer a luxury, but rather an integral part of our daily lives. Who most requires high quality SEO today: companies, media outlets or someone else? - Given the fact that the internet is today used actively by people of various demographic characteristics, SEO is definitely becoming useful for an ever increasing number of industries. At the same time, one must not disregard the fact that the internet allows the launching of various types of business with minimal investment, which contributes to increasing competition in almost all sectors. Since the start of the mass expansion of online business, experts have highlighted its importance for small businesses, thus SEO is also most commonly associated with that sector. What represents the most striking advantage in this area is the low investment required, on the one hand, and the possibility of a global breakthrough, on the other. This is why it is often pointed out that small businesses can compete with global brands on the internet, as long as the quality of their services and online authority building strategies meet the demands of consumers. It is precisely for this reason that big companies must invest in maintaining their competitiveness, because it is not uncommon for smaller sites, or even personal blogs, to become a greater authority in an industry of established brands. A similar situation exists in the media sector, where personal blogs are increasingly assuming a leading role in informing internet users. This is blatant proof that the balance of power on the internet depends on quality and a readiness to constantly invest in innovating content, which is also one of the aspects of website optimisation. Since the start of the mass expansion of online business, experts have highlighted its importance for small businesses, because with a small investment - small businesses can compete with global brands Given that Google hides very well the criteria by which it produces search results, how can someone secure good SEO? 2 / 6

3 - Representatives of Google have repeatedly explained that, for now, signals from social networks do not have a direct impact on determining the position of a site in search results. However, their popularity is extremely important to building a stable identity on the internet. First of all, social networks are now so broadly represented that their potential cannot be ignored by any industry. Furthermore, they can be a source of quality traffic towards a site, which is certainly beneficial to webmasters, regardless of their strategic goals. At the end of the day, social networks are one of the best ways to promote the actual content of a site and, thus, provide the possibility of its quality distribution. What is the difference between SEO and HEO? - Although both strategies are aimed at optimising sites for users, HEO can definitely be seen as just one part of the whole SEO story. The reason for this is the fact that HEO focuses on the content and structure of a site, while SEO deals with the positioning of a site in search results generally. Of course, the importance of HEO is huge, mostly due to the fact that over 90 per cent of internet users form their impressions of a site on the basis of the design and in the first few seconds of viewing a page. Accordingly, site content, colours and illustrations must be adapted to the rules of human perception. Unlike search engines that understand code, tags and keywords, users experience text through its integration with visual elements. Here, of course, it is not only the visual presentation of the content that is important, but also its very purpose. For example, it is important to determine which words will be highlighted, where links to take action will be located and whether the graphics on the page will adequately transmit the emotion that the content itself is trying to provoke. Which are the most rewarding web platforms for SEO? Wordpress, as the most popular, or something else? - WordPress is definitely still one of the most rewarding platforms for SEO and that s mainly because of its simplicity, which also enables novice bloggers to easily manage content and very easily carry out the initial optimisation of their site. Although there are other platforms, like Joomla!-e, that can carry out good search optimisation, Wordpress offers far more possibilities, 3 / 6

4 especially in terms of plugins and extensions that enable easy management of any aspect of a site. How satisfied are you with the level of use of SEO in our region? - The fact is that little is still known about SEO in Serbia and it is rarely discussed, but the number of business leaders choosing to implement these strategies is growing and that is definitely a good thing. Unfortunately, one of the things that can constitute an obstacle to greater application of SEO is common misconceptions regarding the industry itself. Namely, there is still a view that SEO is expensive, doesn t pay off and cannot be measured, which is perhaps based on previous negative experiences that saw site owners have work with dubious companies or self-proclaimed gurus who promises quick results with minimal effort and cost. Such offers were indeed frequent while SEO was still in its infancy, and it still exists today, which has a negative impact on our entire industry. In order to avoid mistaken assumptions about how Google functions and how SEO is done, it is necessary to educate customers on what SEO really is and what represent the benefits and potential risks related to this branch of digital marketing. The SEO industry is more dynamic than ever, given the constant growth in the number of companies dealing with it and bringing innovations to their approaches As we have already touched upon the area, how do you see the potential for start-ups in Serbia, with special emphasis on the IT sector? 4 / 6

5 - As in many other parts of the world, start-ups are a very interesting sector for both investors and the media, as well as for marketing professionals. Start-ups, especially those in the IT sector, represent a global phenomenon that has one striking paradox: the disproportion between application of innovative methods in a technological sense and in terms of marketing. Start-ups are known for their focus on the use of advanced technologies and testing of new business models, but many of them lack a feeling for effective marketing. This is typically the problem of a lack of time or expertise, so such companies rarely decide initially to invest in SEO and ASO (App Store Optimisation) or opt to delegate responsibility for these communication channels to juniors. The competition is fierce and that s why there are various methods of promoting business start-ups, all of which emphasise the importance of an active online presence. IT start-ups represent a particularly aggressive sector in Serbia that has great potential in the international market. However, I'd still like to see more companies decide to develop and promote their own products on the world market, and not only outsource their knowhow and services. How much personal experience from the global market can you make use of here? - Four Dots Agency is currently collaborating with several major domestic brands and I must emphasise that this experience is truly at the global level. It is a pleasure to see a readiness to apply advanced SEO methods, constant communication in order to improve strategies and, of course, excellent results. Among smaller enterprises, as I mentioned earlier, there are still a multitude of misconceptions related to what SEO really is, so there it is also a lot harder to apply some advanced strategies. Generally, there are often still problems in communication when it comes to what can be achieved and how, but I think the positive side of all of that is the fact that an increasing number of enterprises are showing an interest in the industry and improving their knowledge of the area. How would you respond to the suggestion that SEO is dead, but also that SEO is gazing into a crystal ball? - Such criticisms are totally understandable and that s why I like to emphasise the fact that there are metrics that indicate the exact opposite. As long as SEO is conducted professionally, there 5 / 6

6 are ways to measure the results and realise a return on investment, and to form future strategies on the basis of that. What are the current trends in SEO and what do you expect in the period ahead? - The SEO industry is more dynamic than ever, given the constant growth in the number of companies dealing with it and bringing innovations to their approaches. One of perhaps the most striking trends is the focus on strategies for the production and distribution of content, i.e. content marketing, which in combination with SEO techniques certainly represents one of the most potent methods for building up a company s authority on the internet, and the website itself. As for the next few years, I expect ever more innovative approaches to building links, and for that to be done on the basis of high quality content. Some traditional technical aspects of SEO will, of course, also be valid in the future, but there will also be increasingly striking innovations. Online reputation management - ORM, for example, is one of the progressive fields related to SEO that more and more companies and individual professionals are beginning to implement proactively. This strategy is currently mostly used reactively, i.e. only when a negative result appears, which often requires much more time and money than when quality ORM is ensured from the start. In this area there is still a problem when it comes to finding a reliable agency that hasthe knowhow and ability to ensure better content is represented more in searches. Online Reputation Management is definitely something that will become increasingly prevalent in future, both throughout the world and in our country. 6 / 6