Matt Davies, faithful reader of this blog (or stalker) and SEO/music guru brought up a really good point in a comment about one of my posts…where does the responsibility of an SEO begin and end?
I’ve had as many bad customer service experiences as anyone else, although to hear me talk about them, you’d think that I never received anything even remotely resembling good service. I do enjoy hyperbole. Anyway, a well known women’s unmentionables company whose name I shan’t mention (although the initials are the same as the 2 first initials of a famous writer born in Trinidad to parents of Northern Indian ancestry) almost seriously shafted me on some really nice knickers, and I am not one bit happy with the way this was handled. Thankfully, in the end (HA!!! I mean come on that was a good one…) I did indeed receive them, but it cost me quite a bit of aggravation.
Now, admittedly, I did not use any sort of search engine ANYTHING to find the aforementioned knickers, but here’s my rationale for discussing this…the site is quite visible in the SERPs, the usability seemed just lovely, and the ordering process was nice and painfree. It was only after these idiots somehow managed to lose my order and fail to provide me with my customer number (needed to login to check order status, which strangely enough did not allow me to actually see anything other than that, indeed, my order had shipped.) And, worst of all, there was no actual tracking on the shipment on their website. In this day and age, that’s simply quite unacceptable.
Obviously you don’t see this kind of issue until you’ve placed your order and attempted to track it. I’d had one horrendous experience ordering boots from a well-known site that also didn’t provide order tracking functionality, and I have never ordered from them again. I certainly will never order from the knickers site again, even if I CAN get 3 pairs for $25. SEO couldn’t have saved this, you see. And the responsibility of an SEO most likely would have ended well before these issues occurred.
With that in mind, really, what IS the responsibility of an SEO on a site that offers something tangible to a searcher? Years ago, as I’ve mentioned, I (perhaps erroneously) assumed that my job was to get the user to the site. I had nothing whatsoever to do with what happened after the click occurred in the SERPs. That was kind of nice, actually, since I could easily relieve myself of the responsibility of converting the user. Now, however, I think that it’s definitely a part of my job to lead the user to the most relevant landing page, make all the buttons and links visible and user-friendly, and work my arse off when paid ads don’t have a good ROI. Well, I should say that this is what I do when I’m well-paid…otherwise, I really do nothing but lead the horse to water but that’s a funding issue. You get what you pay for you know.
It’s now my job to pore over the web analytics, too, to figure out what information is useful to help me make the site owner more and more money. Usability is a major concern, and I’ll definitely keep the main principles in mind when doing my work. However, when your customer service sucks or you don’t provide a basic service AFTER the fact, how is that my problem? It should be my problem, since if this is happening with great frequency, it’s going to lead to fewer return sales unless your site sells something designed specifically for hardcore masochists. However, honestly, is something that occurs after a conversion an SEO’s responsibility? Is brand reputation now mine as well?
I think it is, sadly. While I’d love to say that no, it’s not, I think that I’d be remiss not to worry about things like this. I could be alone in my constant desire to find something to bitch about, but based simply on the people that I encounter daily, I don’t think that I am. When I told a few friends about my horrendous knicker debacle, after inquiring about exactly what type I bought, most said simply “blog about it” and here you go…that edict is springing from the lips (and fingers) of everyone these days.
Obviously I’m a seriously classy and high end type of woman, or else I’d be calling these people out on their shoddy system publicly without resorting to literary references. Oh, and remember that the products DID eventually show up, which softened the blow a bit. Still, it was a dreadful experience waiting, with baited breath, every day by the window, for the postal worker to show up empty-handed. The Country Curtains catalog just wasn’t enough for me.
With all this being said, and quite lengthily, for which I apologize, what do you think IS your realm of responsibility with regards to SEO? Where does it end, do you see its circle continue to widen, and what effect will this type of thing have as we move farther away from actual on-page factors?
Knackered red head kicks klutzy saleswoman over knickers — film at 11.
Great post Julie, but I think it would have been much more enlightening if you had included an image of the knickers in question.
Ok, seriously… IMHO one’s role in a company, whether their doing SEO or not, is to do everything they can to improve the customer experience. Obviously, this is easier to do in a company where the office political boundaries aren’t erected like Ft. Knox, but if you have some flexibility to offer input you should do it.
Offering input is the key, I think. If you’re aware of a bad brand experience, it’s your duty to speak up.
And the photo? Please. Everyone knows we don’t resort to cheap tricks here on this blog. Ahem.
“Matt Davies, faithful reader of this blog (or stalker)”
You know I’m just here for the link love, Julie
Yes Matt I do. We all see right through you, you scoundrel.
I think you are pushing the limit somewhat in terms of defining the scope of the responsibilities of a SEO consultant. In my opinion, SEO includes optimizing for rankings, click trough rates and relevant traffic for the website.
Other issues, such as brand management, usability, conversions etcetera are outside the realms of a SEO consultant. This is the domain of the broader term of search engine marketing (or even overall online marketing). Surely, this can be covered by the same company and in some cases the same consultant, but these are specific areas of expertise that are logically separate.
Still, the boundaries between all these different niche areas are really not that clear. And the closer the relationship you have with the client, the more you want to work to improve their website’s overall success. With knowledge and experience within many more areas that SEO, it is natural to include your input on this as well, but strictly speaking this is not SEO work the way I see it.
Excellent comment, and I agree with you too actually. The fact is, I honestly don’t know what I think about this. It’s a weird area. I want to do everything I can for my clients obviously, but you’re right when you say that there are other niche areas involved in a case like this, and I’m not trained for those.
Thanks for your comment…I am just curious about what people think.
Julie, Julie, Julie!
You are still in a SandBox! What did you do to Dr. Evil Matt Cutts..:)
I hope to see you soon, will be coming to SES to see my friends!
We can get together and get Pissed, and make fun of DaveN Shaved Pussy..:)
Igor! I hope to be able to get to London for SES but so far am not sure if it will happen.
No way, you have to come, you must come! Let’s make it on the 19th after the show, get the troops ready!
I am flying in from Japan so do not disappoint me..:)
Spread the word!
P.S. Rand can cross the atlantic and dress up as one of the SEO chicks..:)
I will do my best…I haven’t been to a London SEO in a year and it’s getting old.
I am not old, I am young, Baby..:)
Okay supprise me. I will be the guy looking as a Troll, with everyone pointing their fingers at..:)
Julie check this out
http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members/igorthetroll/
It is a cool network, where are you? Sign up and come stalk me!
I was cleverly hidden here: http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/members/SEOChickJulie
I found you, I marked you, and you are mine..:)
Igor, if I’m not there, look for Esrun and his lifesize Julie cardboard cutout. Have your photo taken with it too. IF he will let you, that is.
Interesting, interesting! Are we all in the business..:)
But work a side, I am into the real thing not substitutes. We can always meet up in Thailand.
Mai Thais are nice!
I know this is pushing the limits of SEO responsibility but what exactly is IN a Mai Tai?
Julie, this is deffinetly not SEO..:)
You being a bad girl here!
But honestly I have no freaking idea, eventhough I lived in Thailand for 5 years!
But they sure taste good when you hanging out sitting in a beach chair listening to the waves hit the beach!
Ha! Not at all…I am always looking to expand my drink repertoire, however.
So Igor, what is YOUR idea of SEO responsibility? Seriously. Where does it begin, and where does it end?
Begin, End, these words are not in my vocabulary!
I am always on the job, even when I am flirting with a Sexy Seo chick!
Think of all the links I am milking out of you for Igor The Troll..:)
I would deffinitly hire you, you ready to go the final mile for your client…
You are milking some links…well done sir.
It’s interesting that so many people have advised us to ASK our audience questions in order to get them involved in a dialog about SEO, yet so few of them actually do get involved in a conversation in which I really do want an opinion.
It would be really nice to have a better idea of how our job responsibilities will evolve over the next 12 months. I couldn’t have foreseen brand management and reputation building as being anything that I’d ever have become involved with, if I’d been asked a year ago. Still, what an amazing field this is, with truly amazing people.
Julie, you know I am not the kind of guy to take advantage of an innocent lass like you, so no link milking here..:)
Yeah for sure, this field is very metamorphic. But very few understand it this way, most SEO people only see it from a static point of view.
I do not consider myself SEO, but I have been doing it for 7 years now. I get more links than I can shake a stick at and never look for them. The brand management is priority for me, as well as customer service.
But then I have been in sales since 6 years old, selling one thing or another!
I just see this as one aspect of being a well balanced business man.
Hi Julie,
I don’t know what is in a mai thai, but do have a thought about the ORIGINAL topic/question.
Would the setting or client not perhaps dictate your responsibility? For instance, if you were asked to do SEO for my relatively tiny organization you might be given a great deal of latitude, or even expected, to do a lot more than if you were working with a much larger organization that had dedicated staff for customer service, brand mgmt, and so on?
Melinda…a truly fantastic question it is that you’re asking. And my answer is yes, the amount of latitude that you’re given with a site definitely dictates your realm of responsibility. Some clients let you work freely, and in cases such as those I think that my responsibility is greater than it is when I’m working with a lot of constraints.
Excellent point!