SEO Benchmarking Report

Transcription

1 SEO Benchmarking Report A B2B Marketing Report Published January 2011 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In association with:

2 CONTENTS Executive summary...6 Section 1 Methodology and participant group 1.1 Survey design and data collection What s your job title? Level of budgetary control Size of organisation Industry sector...12 Section 2 Current use of search marketing 2.1 Activity in the past 12 months Expectations in the next 12 months Primary reasons for increased spend Comparing percentage increase in spend Percentage of spend currently assigned...19 Section 3 SEO versus PPC 3.1 SEO and PPC activity in past 12 months Relating SEO and PPC activity with size of company Proportion of spend allocated to SEO relative to PPC Comparing ROI from SEO with that of PPC Increase in spend allocation between SEO and PPC Bidding for competitor s company or brand names...25 Section 4 SEO tactics 4.1 Tailoring SEO to buying cycle or decision makers How SEO is tailored How many keywords are targeted through SEO SEO tactics employed in past 12 months Tactics that have made the biggest impact...30 SEO Benchmarketing Report B2B Marketing

3 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4.6 Challenges to search marketing activity Identifying potential keywords Reviewing keywords being targeted through SEO Keyword targeting activity in past 12 months Keywords for SEO and PPC...35 Section 5 Measurement 5.1 Comparing measurement techniques Comparing useage of web specific platforms Tools to monitor SEO activity...38 Section 6 Outsourcing 6.1 How much search marketing is outsourced Comparing organisation size with level of outsourcing Types of agencies/consultants used for outsourcing Use of single partners for outsourcing Use of multiple partners for outsourcing Levels of outsourcing in next 12 months Outsourcing compared with size of organisation Evaluating search marketing partners...46 SEO Benchmarketing Report B2B Marketing

4 About B2B Marketing B2B Marketing is the comprehensive information resource for businessto-business marketers. Its mission is to provide practitioners with the information they need to perform better and achieve more, whatever sector of the B2B space they are operating in. B2B Marketing is a multi-faceted resource, delivering a broad range of content in a variety of different forms and formats. Its key products are: B2bmarketing.net: An interactive community and content archive, focusing on the key aspects of business-to-business marketing via its Knowledge Bank portal. Interactive elements include forums, blogs, webcasts and a suppliers directory. B2B Marketing magazine: The essential monthly guide to business-tobusiness marketing, with a key focus on best practice guidance, plus monthly features looking at current trends, regular research, profiles etc. The B2B Marketing Awards: The showpiece event for brands and practitioners, attended by over 600 people, and with winners including a host of top-tier B2B brands, including Barclays, TNT, American Express, HP, Microsoft, JCB, Symantec, Volkswagen, Stanley, RSA, and many more Events and training: Regular seminars and training sessions aimed at helping marketers hear and learn first hand from the experts in order to hone their skills. Research and reports: Indepth research and analysis into key marketing issues and trends, offering exclusive insights and practical guidance. The product line includes best practice guides, benchmarking reports and buyers guides. Premium membership: Become a premium member and receive all of our research and guides for free. You will also receive exclusive invites to members-only networking events, get discounts on our training, seminars, conferences and receive a subscription to our monthly magazine. There are different levels of membership available so please call to find out more. For more information on any of these products or services go to or call SEO Benchmarketing Report B2B Marketing

5 About Circle Research Circle Research is a B2B market research agency. We support world leading B2B clients with insights into their brand, customers and market. Our clients tell us that the difference with Circle is our attitude. They say We get it. We couple expertise in research with an understanding of business and marketing. We think differently. We provide insights that get under the skin of an issue and communicate these in creative ways. We make it happen. We consistently deliver and provide not just research findings but action-focused, commercially- pragmatic recommendations. We re a safe pair of hands. Only one per cent of UK research agencies are ISO accredited; we re one of them. We care. We take great pride in our work, won t accept second best and are obsessively client-centric. Central to this is our belief in the value of specialist expertise. We live and breathe B2B. To us it s not a team to deal with a project that doesn t fit elsewhere in the organisation; it s all we do. We ve been in your shoes. All projects are led by a partner who is a highly accomplished researcher and has substantial senior management or entrepreneurial expertise. That s us in a nutshell. We d love to get to know you so hope you ll get in touch. Find us on the web: SEO Benchmarketing Report B2B Marketing

6 Executive summary This is B2B Marketing s first annual SEO Benchmarking report, produced in association with Circle Research. Its aim is to provide an overview of search marketing activity and spend by B2B organisations and an insight into key trends, in order to help marketers rationalise their activities and make the right choices. Key findings Search marketing is the second most popular form of marketing activity among the respondent group, second only to . Sixtyseven per cent of respondents have invested in search marketing over the last 12 months. Search marketing spend is on the rise. One third of respondents expect to increase investment in search marketing significantly in the next 12 months Search marketing spend is on the rise. One third of respondents expect to increase investment in search marketing significantly in the next 12 months. Only five per cent will reduce their spend. The primary reason for the rise in investment in search is because B2B companies are increasingly focusing on the web as their primary route to market. In other words it is taking over from channels such as retail or the sales force. Marketing spend on search techniques is relatively modest at present half of respondents spend less than 10 per cent of their budget on search. Just under two-thirds of organisations prefer to use paid search (pay-per-click) and natural search (SEO) in tandem to achieve best results from their investment. PPC accounts for a larger share of budget than SEO in B2B companies the ratio is approximately 60:40. Just under half of respondents believe the returns on investment from SEO is greater than that for PPC. Only 20 per cent of companies bid on company brand names in PPC. The use of search marketing to influence different stages of the buying cycle or different members of the decision-making unit SEO Benchmarketing Report B2B Marketing

7 INTRODUCTION Executive summary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY remains relatively immature and unsophisticated. Only 20 per cent of companies are focusing seriously on different stages and six per cent on different individuals. Most B2B marketers are using at least 16 keywords as part of their search marketing activities. A quarter of respondents use at least 50 keywords. The biggest challenge to effective search marketing is link building, with video optimisation seen as the least significant Content optimisation is the most popular SEO technique, used by three-quarters of respondents, as well as being the most effective. The biggest challenge to effective search marketing is link building, with video optimisation seen as the least significant. Almost half of respondents review their keywords at least once a month, but only a small minority review them weekly. Sixty per cent of companies have increased the number of key words that they are targeting in the last 12 months. Website traffic was the most popular metric used to assess the effectiveness of SEO activity, ahead of lead volume or keyword ranking. Almost 80 per cent of companies handle all or most of their search marketing activity inhouse, without recourse to agencies or outsourced service providers. Sixty per cent of respondents expect to increase their use of agencies for search marketing in the next 12 months. SEO Benchmarketing Report B2B Marketing