SEO – Significance to C-Level Executives

C-Level Executives have an important stake in the online business performance of their company websites.  However, CEOs, COOs, CFO’s and other top execs are no different than any other top executives and business owners when it comes to their website and “the purpose of it all.”  Often they are frustrated that a good deal of company money has been spent on website design and promotion yet the early optimism has faded with time as the hoped-for results in terms of sales, profitability and corporate efficiency just didn’t materialize.

Nonetheless the web remains a significant untapped resource for executives to push solid growth for their company and / or shareholders.  Top executives have a structured filtration system that often times actually prevent them from understanding where the problems and the solutions are.  Whether it is a well-intentioned personal secretary or administrative assistant or a policy that prevents any form of outreach by “outsiders” actually reaching the executive, the problems remain and the solutions are not even on the table.

While phone contact is certainly worth a try, the best strategy is to speak in terms of our universal language … numbers … statistics. For instance, if a CEO was informed in writing that the company’s website:

1.    Only had a Google PageRank of 4.

2.    Had an Alexa Rank of >200,000.

3.    That their top 5 keywords were not ranking on the top pages of the major search engines.

4.    As a result of 1-3, more than 20,000 searchers per day were seeing their competitor’s websites rather than their website.

5.    Structural issues exist internally to the website that don’t properly describe the content of the pages within the site that contribute significantly to the poor results.

I maintain that if the executive does not take notice of these stats, or at least has directed a reporting middle manager to investigate or somehow follow through on these issues, he either does not understand or does not want to understand what it actually takes to be successful.  Maybe he / she doesn’t have the time.  Regardless, the presentation of this material to top level execs, done consistently will attract enough attention by those genuinely concerned with company performance in all respects.  After all, how many customers actually visit the physical company?  Contrast this with the fact that all customers and or those interested in the products and services of the company will visit the website.  The website is the de facto public face of the company.

This type of preliminary research also demonstrates something unique about your SEO Company.  You have taken the time and the interest to determine if there is reason to need an Internet Marketing effort.  It shows key metrics and a basis for comparing performance.  It is no longer a “cold call.”  You are following through with serious information and serious solutions.
When you do get an interested exec, you have the basis for discussion of course.  You also have something more valuable; the knowledge that the exec does respond to numbers and stats … you then can show this person how you use stats to plan and execute and ultimately maintain a solid professional SEO strategy.

SEO is expensive.  But a CEO will not see it as expensive if it is also understood what is being missed through poor or non-existent SEO.  After all, what is the cost over a 1 year period of time of not being found by over 20,000 searchers ever day who are using exactly the search phrases that the CEO would expect to be found for?  Do the math.  If high quality, successful SEO costs $30K or even $40K, isn’t this relatively inexpensive when considering that 20,000+ searchers are actually see them.  What does it also mean for the brand names? … For the company image?

Lastly, you cannot be shy here.  Timidity will get you nowhere. C-Level execs didn’t get where they are being timid and they certainly do not respond to timidity.  They do respond to incisiveness, facts and statistics that are relevant to their interests.  Persistence is of course important as well.

Internet Marketing and Search are still a bit of mystery to company executives.  However, these execs cannot ignore the importance of the web, their company image and profits.  All point to visibility and visibility lies in quality Search Engine Optimization.