Roadblocks Sidetrack Search

The larger the corporation, the bigger the roadblocks detouring your search engine marketing campaigns. Lots of different roadblocks can arise. If you get around one, you may find another one just around the bend. You may even clear some roadblocks and find you’re still in a falling rock zone with the same basic road block stopping you in your tracks again and again.

Here’s a typical scenario: Your servers are in dire need of a caching product for performance problems. Then, you’ve been told your project has been moved back since operations believes it’s not mission critical. Since speed-to-market can be a major factor for your search rankings, your search marketing strategy faces failure.

Road Map To Clear Roadblocks

How do you solve a problem like that? One of the responses I’ve heard over the past few years: call the search engine and ask them exactly what they want to see. That’s one of most ridiculous and humorous responses imaginable. Search engines don’t just give away their secret sauce to anyone who knocks on their doors.

Other problems could be as simple as no more room in the data center. I recently heard from a client that their data center was full and they had to wait in line before they could add any further machines. This came from a billion-dollar company that would rather wait to decommission servers than expand and add data centers.

Fighting for your position in line can be bumpy at times. It will always be a struggle to prove that your needs outweigh the needs of others. Keep in mind, the battle will never be short. The best way to move up the priority of any project: win the backing of management so there’s little or nothing blocking your way.

Find the financial leaders in your organization who can approve expansions and other projects you need to justify in order to succeed. Make sure they clearly understand how your project will affect their organization. Let them know what it may do for them. The movers and shakers of most big businesses can be found in the finance department. Top executives and other decision-makers you need on your side trust their opinion almost without question.

Use Metrics To Avoid U-Turns

Understand the exact costs of this upgrade; how many new pieces of equipment will it take? How long will it take to put in and what type of support will be necessary to install the equipment? This can only be accomplished by using your operations team; take them out to lunch or do something that will gain you a little favor.

After understanding the exact costs, try your best to use your analytics to come up with a revenue gain. You need as much evidence as possible to support your theories; otherwise you will be at ground zero.

Find out what the projected upsides are to the other projects that are out-prioritizing you. Clearly chart out the reasons why these projects won’t have nearly as much upside as your own and may even critically damage the site. It’s very easy to stop a project that promises to have a negative impact on search engine optimization.

Arms Merchant of Data

Now that you have your data, make sure that your company’s financial leaders understand what you’re trying to accomplish. Arm them with enough data to make a case. It’s always best to attack as a team rather than as an individual. Gain as much support as you possibly can before attempting any efforts. If you’re turned down, don’t stop fighting. Keep going, but never go over the heads of your executives. Going above their heads will only slow down the process, and if the process does speed up, only one person will suffer down the road.

You.