Don't Go It Alone

Great column recently in Search Engine Land by Debra Northart ("Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: Why DIY SEM Isn’t The Answer") addressing the issue of DIY search engine marketing.

Most important quote from the article: "Owners of small businesses usually need to devote all their time to their customers."

Owners of small businesses are used to doing it all themselves, either out of necessity or personality. People go into business for themselves precisely because they want to do it themselves, they want control over their own destinies, to be masters of their own fate. The need to watch the bottom line is also keenly felt, so any outside expense is carefully considered. "Keeping it inside" often seems like the smarter idea.

Northart points out, however, that SEM professionals can often produce immediate improvements in efficiency and effectiveness because of their special knowledge. She describes a case study in which she is able to quickly help an accountant improve his click-through rates, conversions, and "connections" (her term for any form of customer contact) via judicious use of key phrase research, exact match refinement, and more sophisticated tracking and conversion tactics.

Most small business owners do not have the time to educate themselves to the point where they can learn and understand these advanced strategies. The expertise of the SEM expert, particularly one who focuses on local search, will pay for itself when compared to the costs of lost opportunity and wasted clicks.