Should SEOs Recommend or Implement Optimization Changes?

A recent study shows that a majority of companies (64%) fail to implement some or all of their SEO company’s recommendations.

According to the study the primary reasons company’s failed to implement the recommendations provided by their SEO were as follows:

1. 33.6% – Lack of human resources to implement the change
2. 16.8% – Lack of outsourced IT budget
3. 15.4% – Timing/frequency of update issues
4. 9.4% – Upper management decisions not to implement the recommendations
5. 8.7% – Agency failed to prioritize specific recommendations
6. 8.7% – Lack of agency implementation support
7. 8.1% – Branding issues/restrictions
8. 8.1% – Unpredictable ROI if changes were implemented
9. 6.7% – Other reasons
10. 6.0% – Predicted ROI did not justify such changes
11. 3.4% – Agency failed to education company on the required resources to implement recommendations

If you look closely at that list, most of the reasons cited for not implementing SEO changes can easily be remedied and eliminated by making one simple change: Hire an SEO that will make the changes themselves, rather than submitting a list of recommendations.

That’s the big issue here, many SEOs simply do not make SEO changes for their client but instead they provide a list of changes that the client must make in order for the SEO campaign to be successful. No wonder why so many SEO campaigns miss the mark on success.

Let’s look at that list again after removing factors involving the client having to implement the recommendations themselves.

1. 9.4% – Upper management decisions not to implement the recommendations
2. 8.1% – Branding issues/restrictions
3. 6.7% – Other reasons

Reasons for SEO not being able to be properly implemented on a site will always crop up over the course of a campaign. Sometimes it’s technological issues with how the site is designed, other times it’s client preferences on how the changes should be implemented.

For security reasons, some client’s refuse to allow their SEO access to their site. That’s fair, and certainly their right to do so, but that company must also take on the responsibility of making all such changes and bear the blame if the results of the SEO campaign are less than expected.

This makes a strong argument toward selecting an SEO provider that does more than simply provide recommended changes, but actually implements those changes for their clients. Excuses for lack of SEO implementations can be significantly minimized and in many cases eliminated when the client gives the SEO the responsibility of implementing all the optimization changes themselves. This removes the client from the process allowing for faster implementation of more changes for increases ranking results.

Before selecting an search engine marketing company, you need to do a little internal and external research. Are you willing to give the SEO access to your site to make the changes necessary that will produce results? If so, be select an SEO that includes implementation as part of their optimization services. Not only will that save you time and money, it will also ensure that your SEO campaign can and will be more effective.

Stoney deGeyter is president of Pole Position Marketing (www.PolePositionMarketing.com), a search engine optimization / marketing firm providing SEO and website marketing services since 1998. Stoney is also a part-time instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College, as well as a moderator in the Small Business Ideas Forum. He is the author of his E-Marketing Performance eBook and contributes daily to the E-Marketing Performance (www.eMarketingPerformance.com) marketing blog.