Search Marketing Needs Best Practice Guidelines
Online market research firm E-Consultancy is calling for the creation of an independent body to develop best practice guidelines for the rapidly expanding search targeted marketing sector.
Search targeted marketing now accounts for more than 35% of online advertising revenue and increasing competition in the sector has lead to calls for the creation an independent industry body to establish clear guidelines and best practices (see Online Expected To See Revenue Reach £350 Million).
E-Consultancy claims that specialist search engines are becoming increasingly frustrated about unethical behaviour and the perception of search engine optimisation as a ‘black art’, when in fact there is plenty of science and best practice that can be applied.
The market research firm has published a special 125-page report to help educate advertisers interested in the rapidly developing sector. The Search Engine Marketing Buyer’s Guide is aimed at businesses on the verge of outsourcing their search requirements and those keen to learn more about the process of optimising websites for search engines.
E-Consultancy chief executive, Ashley Friedlein, said: “The value of search cannot be overstated, and if you outsource, it is absolutely crucial that you choose the right search engine marketing partner for your company. The Buyer’s Guide will help people get a headstart by understanding how the process works in order to quickly identify and appoint the right agency.”
He added: “Search engine marketing agencies are increasingly concerned about ethics and we know that bad practice is rife. The Buyer’s Guide will help educate the market, so that companies can avoid the horror of a Google ban by finding an agency that adheres to best practice.”
Managing director of Bigmouth Media, Steve Leach, agrees with the call for a governing body. He said: “At the moment anyone with a PC in their back bedroom can claim to be an SEM expert. Once they’re involved with a client, they can have devastating results on the brand, site traffic, even the site technology. A governing body will open up the discussions about best practice and allow ethical marketers to clearly understand the risks.”
E-Consultancy’s Search Engine Marketing Buyer’s Guide features 19 vendors that pursue and implement ethical search techniques for their clients to achieve results. It is intended to be starting point for companies looking to appoint a specialist search engine marketing provider, with tips and suggested questions that will help determine which agency is best for their company.
E-Consultancy: 020 7071 8612 www.e-consultancy.com
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