tfm search engine marketing benchmark report

UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report

E-consultancy in partnership with Neutralize (*\*)

Methodology• Online survey in March 2007• E-consultancy’s user base

– 62,000 registered users– 145,000 unique user sessions per month– Client-side & agency digital marketers– Many sectors well represented including retail,

financial services, travel and publishing

• Press releases

Response• 744 respondents

– 384 client-side search marketers– 284 agency / consultant respondents– Predominantly UK respondents (76%)

• SMEs and Blue Chips• Range of sectors

Topics covered in research

• Search activity and search services

• Budget / spending• Objectives and effectiveness• Search engines• Problems and issues

What did people say?

“E-consultancy continues to churn out great research on the UK search marketing space, with the release of their UK Search Engine Marketing Report 2007.”

“Another excellent report …well worth purchasing. ”

© Neutralize (*\*) - Search engine optimisation and marketing

Who are Neutralize (*\*)?

Full-service Search Engine Marketing (SEM) agency

Over 10 years’ experience

23 staff in office (260 worldwide)

Pan European / Multilingual skills (in-house)

Our approach to search engine optimisation is distinctly different to our peers

- Unique proprietary software slashes timescales and increases efficiency

- Large ‘offsite’, link building and SEO PR team


What do other companies spend on their search engine marketing?


A quarter of UK respondents (25%) reported spending of more than £100,000 annually.


Company

How much do you spend on Search Engine Marketing pe r year?

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

£0-£

5,00

0

£5,00

1-£1

0,00

0

£10,0

01-£

25,0

00

£25,0

01-£

50,0

00

£50,0

01-£

100,

000

£100

,000

+

£500

,000

+

£1 m

illion

plus

Not rele

vant /

Don't kn

ow


About two thirds of respondents said their companies would be increasing their budgets in the next 12 months for both paid search (65%) and SEO (64%).


Company

Do you expect your budgets to increase or decrease in the next 12 months?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

PaidSearch

SEO Email Onlinedisplay

advertising

Mobile Affiliatemarketing

Increase

Decrease


Agency

Do you expect your clients budgets to increase or d ecrease in the next 12 months?

0.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%70.00%80.00%90.00%

PaidSearch

SEO Email Onlinedisplay

advertising

Mobile Affiliatemarketing

Increase

Decrease


Online display advertising is the area where budgets are most likely to be decreasing with 10% of respondents saying that spending will be less.


Company

If they are increasing, by how much do you expect y our search budgets to go up in the next 12 months?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Up to 2

0%

21-4

0%

41-6

0%

61-8

0%

81-1

00%

100%

+

Paid Search

SEO


Why all this investment in search engine marketing and the increasing budgets?

lead generation

direct online sales

driving traffic


Objectives from Paid Search

Lead Generation 53%

Direct Online Sales 53%

Drive Traffic 51%

Branding 32%

Not relevant / Don’t know 2%


Objectives from SEO

Drive Traffic 65%

Lead Generation 51%

Direct Online Sales 49%

Branding 36%

Not relevant / Don’t know 2%


E-consultancy’s Online Lead Generation Report

Paid Search and SEO were the online marketing channels getting the biggest share of lead generation budget (and were the channels deemed to be the most effective).

http://www.e-consultancy.com/publications/online-lead-generation/


What about my brand?


Paid Search and SEO impact on brand

What is more important in terms of the impact on yo ur brand? (Clients)

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

1

Paid Search

SEO

Equal importance


Paid Search and SEO impact on brand

What is more important in terms of the impact on yo ur brand? (Agencies)

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

1

Paid Search

SEO

Equal importance


What types of search engine marketing services are companies using?


If you use an agency, what Paid Search services do you use or plan to use?

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Keywor

d re

sear

ch

ROI t

rack

ing a

nd an

alys

is

Autom

ated

bid

man

agem

ent

Land

ing p

age o

ptim

isatio

n

Compe

titor r

esea

rch

Conte

xtua

l adv

ertisin

gClic

k fra

ud a

udits

Using now

Planning to use

No plans to use

Don't know


The four Paid Search services most likely to be on the radar were:

1. Landing page optimisation (35%)

2. Competitor research (33%)

3. Joint 3) Contextual advertising (27%)

4. Joint 3) Click fraud audits (27%)


Company

If you use an agency, what SEO services do you use or plan to use?

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

45.00%

Positio

n m

onitor

ing

Keywor

d re

sear

ch

Searc

h st

rate

gy d

efini

tion

Site te

chnic

al au

dit

Land

ing p

age d

evelo

pmen

tCop

ywrit

ing

Subm

issio

n pr

ocess

Link

gene

ratio

n ca

mpa

igns

Compe

titor r

esea

rch

Onli

ne P

R opt

imisa

tion

Using now

Planning to use

No plans to use

Don't know


The four SEO services most likely to be on the radar were:

1. Online PR optimisation (38%)

2. Joint 2) Competitor research (37%)

& Link generation campaigns (37%)

3. Landing page development (35%)


What types of issues were impacting the success of your search engine marketing?


0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

Lack

of in

terna

l res

ourc

e

Lack

of cl

ient k

now-h

ow

Diffic

ulty of

imple

men

tatio

n

Lack

of b

udge

t

Streng

th of

com

petiti

on

Poorly

conv

ertin

g w

ebsite

Lack

of in

terna

l buy

-in

Compa

ny poli

ti cs

/ cult

ure

Low v

o lume

SEO “Obstacles to Success"

agency

company414 respondents


0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Lack

of i

nter

nal r

esou

r ce

Lack

of b

udge

t

Keywor

ds to

o ex

pen siv

e

Lack

of kn

ow-h

ow

Streng

th of

com

petiti

on

Poorly

con

verti

ng w

ebsit

e

Poor q

ual it

y tra

ffic

Low vo

lume

Cl ick

fraud

Poor te

chno

logy

Pay Per Click “Obstacles to Success"

agency

client422 respondents


New for 2008


Facebook


Hitwise UK - Top 20 Websites - December, 2007

1. www.google.co.uk 7.69% 2. mail.live.com 3.13% 3. www.ebay.co.uk 2.66% 4. www.facebook.com 2.01%5. www.google.com 1.72% 6. uk.msn.com 1.63% 7. www.bebo.com 1.49%8. www.youtube.com 1.14%9. www.myspace.com 1.01%10. news.bbc.co.uk 1% 11. www.bbc.co.uk 0.87% 12. uk.mail.yahoo.com 0.85% 13. uk.yahoo.com 0.81% 14. www.orange.co.uk 0.78% 15. www.amazon.co.uk 0.77% 16. www.microsoft.com 0.75% 17. news.bbc.co.uk/sport 0.6% 18. images.google.co.uk 0.59% 19. www.wikipedia.org 0.49% 20. www.msn.com 0.48%Source: Hitwise (ranking is based on share of UK visits)http://www.hitwise.co.uk/datacenter/rankings.php


Social Media

2008 survey is live today …

• New report will include trends data plus new questions

• Complete online survey and get free copy of report (normally worth £150)– URL = http://tinyurl.com/3al59r

– Deadline = Thursday 6 March

http://tinyurl.com/3al59r

Questions? Linus Gregoriadis, E-consultancy.comEmail: [email protected]

Teddie Cowell, Neutralize (*/*)Email: [email protected]

tfm search engine marketing benchmark report

Economy & Finance

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search budgets

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quarter of uk respondents

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