Search Marketing Benchmark Report - SEO Edition

MarketingSherpa's 2012 Search Marketing Benchmark Report
SEO Edition

Research and insights for creating and capitalizing on a rich end-user search experience

The 2012 Search Marketing Benchmark Report - SEO Edition includes: 161 charts and analytical commentary Research from 1,530 B2B and B2C marketers Special sections on content, search marketing strategy, integration, and local and mobile search Top SEO tactics including content creation, external link building, and keyword and keyphrase research Success Stories: How using social media boosted leads 30% and revenue 114% View Search Benchmark Report excerpt Published June, 2011

This publication is sponsored by SlingshotSEO

A Growing Shift to Inbound Marketing Efforts

Search marketing continues to evolve in both its organic and paid avenues due largely to growth of social media. Now searchers receive instant, real-time social media content including personalized and local information. Results pages include not only blue links, but also video, images, news, press releases and customer reviews.

This presents an ongoing challenge (and opportunity) for marketers who are trying to find ways new ways to engage their audience with relevant content, at the right time. To help drive traffic, marketers are now shifting their priorities to inbound marketing efforts like creating effective content through blogs, webinars and whitepapers, improving keyword and key phrase research and optimizing SEO landing pages.

This benchmark report gives you critical insight and analysis into an SEO tactics degree of difficulty, execution and their corresponding level of effectiveness in terms of reaching marketing objectives. It will also review some very effective but underutilized local and mobile search tactics.

6 Key Questions Answered in Our Latest Study

• What impact has social marketing had on SEO?
• How are marketers aligning search marketing objectives and overcoming the most difficult SEO challenges?
• What is the usage, effectiveness and level of effort required for SEO tactics and content products?
• How are organizations allocating marketing dollars and where they are shifting their efforts?
• What are marketers doing to fare well in local and mobile search results?
• How do agencies view their clients’ SEO and inbound marketing efforts?

In the all-new 2012 Search Marketing Benchmark Report - SEO Edition you’ll receive a comprehensive reference guide containing more than 160 charts with analytical commentary, hundreds of informative insights from your peers, several case studies of real-life search and inbound marketing campaigns and more.

Developing a Strategy is a Top Challenge but Bottom Objective

Many organizations are sidestepping the discipline of charting out a strategic plan and are choosing instead to put their immediate focus on tactical objectives like increasing website traffic, lead generation and measurable ROI.

They know to achieve good organic rankings and ensure that their products and services are found across all formats and venues. To do this, they have to be strategic with their planning and processes, and savvy with the creation and optimization of all digital assets.

However, developing a process to plan, measure and execute the performance of SEO programs isn't their top objective. Interestingly, increasing measurable ROI ranked higher as an objective than developing an actual strategy to do so!

View excerpt

Key findings from the 2012 Search Marketing Benchmark Report - SEO Edition include:

• Content creation works the best, but takes the most work
• Incremental SEO improvements add up to large gains
• Future investments in SEO backed by having SEO process in place
• Local business listing tactics are underutilized
• Developing a strategy is a top challenge but bottom objective

Special Sections: New search insights, tactics, and charts

The 2012 Search Marketing Benchmark Report - SEO Edition contains more than just data. This all-new report gives you analysis and insight on topics critical to the future success of search marketing, including information on:

• Using social media boosted leads 30% and revenue 114%
• Finding and testing niche content increased organic traffic 40%
• How revamped and optimized Web content doubled lead conversions
• Using analytics to optimize SEO performance
• Achieving results from social media and integration
• Successfully optimizing for local and mobile search
• Content marketing campaign generates surge in traffic