SEO and the CMO: Communication and board room metrics that matter

SEO is now a digital marketing activity used by 94 percent of marketers, and it’s estimated that companies will spend just over $65 billion on SEO in 2016. Yet despite the increasing usage of and growing investment in this digital marketing channel, measuring the ROI of SEO efforts can still present a considerable challenge for marketers.

For brands to maximize the impact of SEO, they need to be able to communicate the value of their efforts and show their CMO just how well SEO is performing. It is only with this evangelism that digital marketing departments will be able to secure the resources, funding and attention they need to drive forward toward marketing maturity and revenue-based success.

What do the CMO and the board want to know?

For SEOs to communicate effectively, they need to consider their audience. CMOs do not want to see slides with information about the latest Google algorithm update or the steps being taken to avoid duplicate content penalties; instead, they want to know how the actions taken by the SEO team are directly impacting the bottom line.

CMOs are driven by numbers. They want to be able to see that SEO has a positive impact on the brand’s growth and revenue. They are interested in hearing answers to questions such as:

1. How are we performing in conversions and revenue year over year?

2. What is our market share and share of voice?

3. How are we performing compared to the competition?

4. What channels are driving our paying customers?

5. What is our current and projected ROI?

[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]