The SEO Technology Buying Process:What to look for, what to ask and what features matter

most.

TODAY’S PRESENTER

Ryan Crombeen

•Director of Sales & Marketing, gShift•10 years experience in software

Agenda

• SEO Technology Landscape & Market Trends• What to Look For• What to Ask• What is Important• Coming Up Next

The SEO Technology Landscape

• Digital marketing professionals face more selection in tools than

ever before.

• Narrowing down a list of platform vendors is only the first step.

• What questions should you ask? How should you compare your

options?

Search Still Leads Digital Marketing Efforts

(via SEMPO & MarketingLand)

SEO Challenges

(via SEMPO & MarketingLand)

How is technology being leveraged?

(via SEMPO & MarketingLand)

What do I look for in a SEO Software Provider

Partnership:Do you have a

dedicated Client Success Manager who understands

your business needs and goals?

Innovation: What is the track record of innovation look like for a vendor and do they seek client input?

What do I look for in a SEO Software Provider

ROI: Does your software partner help you identify

under-used or new features so you can maximize your

investment?

What do I look for in a SEO Software Provider

Poll Question #1

How often do you connect with the client success/customer service team of your current SEO software provider or other

technologies?

• Once a month or more• Semi-annually

• At annual renewal• Never

To Ask An SEO Software Provider:Question 1

Does the platform Have A Web Presence Centric Approach?

To Ask An SEO Software Provider:Question 2

Does the platform have Competitive

Intelligence & Search Visibility?

To Ask An SEO Software Provider:Question 3

What Keyword Research insights does the platform offer?

Poll Question #2

What is the leading deciding factor for you when selecting SEO software/marketing

technology?

• Feature Set• Price

• Reviews/Support/Services

Survey Results:3 Most Important Features of an SEO

Platform1. Keyword Research

a. The ability to provide insights into which keywords should be driving your SEO, content and social strategy.

2. SEO Reportinga. The option to run ad-hock, scheduled

and custom reports on the data that is most important to you.

3. Ease of Usea. The development of tools within the

platform that are easy to use and understand.

To Sum It Up

What to Look for: Look for a SEO software provider who will listen, adapt and work with you to

meet your needs and goals and provides innovation to ensure the tool is always addressing the needs of an ever changing environment.

What to Ask: Find out more details about the features that that pertain to your specific

digital marketing strategy.

What is Important: Insights to keywords, reporting capabilities and user experience lead the

charge for most important features.

Coming Up NextOver this week and next, we will be releasing follow up content to dive into this topic in much more detail. Watch for the following pieces to learn more:

• Blog Post - 6 Relationship Rewards for an SEO Software Partnership

• SEO Software Buyers Companion Guide• Full survey results, ranking all 17 features of an SEO platform, by

over 100 SEO professionals• Blog Post - Top 10 Questions to Ask an Enterprise SEO Platform

Thank You!

Questions?