MARKETING PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Search
Engine
Optimization
SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT
Monthly Research Series Conducted in Partnership with Leading Marketing Solution Providers
Search Engine Optimization Survey Summary Report
Ascend2 Monthly Research Series Conducted in Partnership with Leading Marketing Solution Providers.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
You may adapt, copy, distribute and transmit this work. However, you must attribute the work as produced by Ascend2 and its Research
Partners but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Gaining favorable search engine rankings
Most important objectives
Rating SEO success
Obstacles to success
Most effective tactics
How effectiveness is changing
Most difficult tactics
SEO resources used
Effectiveness versus difficulty
Most useful metrics
Survey methodology and demographics
About Ascend2
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GAINING FAVORABLE SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS
It's no secret that most website traffic is driven by top search engines like Google and Bing.
But how are marketers optimizing websites to gain favorable search engine rankings?
To find out, Ascend2 and our Research Partners fielded the Search Engine Optimization Survey and
completed interviews with 286 marketing, sales and business professionals from around the world.
We thank them for sharing their valuable insights with you.
The charts in this edition of the study titled Search Engine Optimization Survey Summary Report
represent the average of all market segments responding to the survey. Specific market segments
are reported on exclusively by our Research Partners.
This research has been produced for your use. Put it to work in your own marketing strategy
planning and presentation materials. Clip the charts and write about them in your blog or post
them on social media. Please share this research credited as published.
Sergio Balegno
Partner / CEO
Research-Based Demand Generation for Marketing Solution Providers
+1.800.762.1595
www.Ascend2.com
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MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVES
Improving search rankings is the top priority for search engine optimization because more
favorable rankings result in an increase in website traffic and an increase in lead generation, the
next most important objectives of an SEO strategy.
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RATING SEO SUCCESS
Search engine optimization achieves important objectives to some extent for 89% of companies
surveyed. Like many marketing tactics, achieving objectives is in direct proportion to the effort
applied. The lack of SEO success for 11% of companies may be due in part to insufficient effort.
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OBSTACLES TO SUCCESS
There are many obstacles to SEO success. Some are technical challenges like keeping up with
changing search algorithms. Others relate to corporate limitations like budget constraints. For
some, a more effective SEO strategy would help overcome the most challenging obstacles.
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MOST EFFECTIVE TACTICS
Search engines love relevant content that correlates to the keywords and phrases used. Creating
relevant content is the most effective tactic used by 72% of SEO marketers. Nearly half of the
companies surveyed (48%) say researching keywords and phrases is the second most effective.
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HOW EFFECTIVENESS IS CHANGING
The effectiveness search engine optimization is improving for 71% of companies. SEO effectiveness
is not improving for everyone but the good news is only 11% find that SEO effectiveness is
worsening. SEO effectiveness has reached a plateau for another 18% of companies.
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MOST DIFFICULT TACTICS
SEO marketers often refer to “white-hat” and “black-hat” techniques, particularly when it comes
to link building. Applying white-hat techniques may be more difficult but will create a long term,
sustainable link building strategy that will avoid search engine penalties and eventual banning.
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SEO RESOURCES USED
Effective search engine optimization often relies on specialized expertise and capabilities not found
internally. That’s why 81% of companies surveyed outsource all or part of their SEO tactics. The
other 19% of companies use only in-house resources to execute search engine optimization.
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EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS DIFFICULTY
Creating relevant content is not only the most effective tactic used for search engine optimization
purposes, it is also one of the most difficult tactics to execute. On the other hand, keyword or key
phrase research is the second most effective tactic but one of the least difficult to execute.
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MOST USEFUL METRICS
SEO marketers find that website visitor tracking is the most useful metric for measuring
performance. Tracking visitor behavior enables the improvement of visitor conversion rates that will
increase the number of leads generated, the third and second most useful metrics respectively.
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NOTES
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SURVEY METHODOLOGY AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Ascend2 benchmarks the performance of popular digital marketing strategies and practices using a standardized
questionnaire, research methodology and proprietary 3-Minute Survey format. Findings are examined in a
quantitative context by experienced analysts and reported objectively.
This survey was conducted online from a panel of more than 50,000 US and international marketing, sales and
business professionals representing a range of demographic roles, channels and company sizes as follows:
Number of Employees
More than 500
50 to 500
Fewer than 50
14%
22%
64%
Role in the Company
CEO / COO / CMO / CSO etc.
Marketing VP / Director / Manager
Sales VP / Director / Manager
Marketing or Sales Staff
Other
39%
27%
4%
18%
11%
Primary Marketing/Sales Channel
B2B (Business-to-Business)
B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
71%
29%
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ABOUT ASCEND2
Research-Based Demand Generation for Marketing Solution Providers
If marketing professionals are your ideal prospects, we can help you find more of them. Marketing software, data
and media companies, and digital marketing agencies partner with Ascend2 to reliably generate demand and
supplement marketing content for their firms. Our Research Partner Programs are transparent – spotlighting
your brand and the interests of your market.
Learn more at www.Ascend2.com
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ASCEND2 RESEARCH-BASED DEMAND GENERATION
Research Partner Programs provide white label reports and
a guaranteed number of leads in two simple steps:
1. Choose the topics of interest to your target market
• Content Marketing
• Website Optimization
• Email Marketing
• Inbound Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Paid Search (PPC)
• Organic Search (SEO)
• Lead Generation
• Marketing Automation • Social Media Strategy
• Email List Growth
• Marketing Database
2. Choose an exclusive research segment for each marketing topic
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Benchmarks for Success [Research data from the successful program segment]
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B2B Benchmarks [Research data from the business-to-business segment]
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B2C Benchmarks [Research data from the business-to-consumer segment]
•
Enterprise Benchmarks [Research data from the large company segment]
•
SMB Benchmarks [Research data from the small and medium business segment]
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Agency Benchmarks [Research data from the marketing agency segment]
•
Leadership Benchmarks [Research data from the marketing leadership segment]
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Other Benchmarks [Research data unique to a specific topic when available]
If marketing professionals are your ideal prospects, watch this 90 second video.
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