As SEO becomes more mainstream, marketing managers have begun to ask their digital marketing specialists for a ‘projection of results model’, similar to that for traditional marketing activities. Most digital marketing professionals, on the other hand, have little knowledge about how to create such projections, and produce simple predictions, filled with caveats, which are off by huge margins. This may be because it is quite difficult to create projections for SEO due to digital marketing obstacles like:

• There is no definite knowledge about how search engine algorithms really work.
• These algorithms are continuously changed, as search engines like Google devise newer ways to fight spam and ensure better relevancy.
• It is not possible to learn beforehand if business rivals are going to expand their SEO campaign. In cases when they do, a digital marketing professional’s job becomes much harder.

The easiest way to create a projection model is to begin with a simple model, and later add some refinements to give it more detail.

1. First identify relevant digital marketing keywords, extracting search volumes, using tools like the Google Keyword Tool. Add up these volumes, and multiply the total amount by a percentage of the expected number of clicks, for a particular SERP position. For example, 10 percent for a number seven rank.
2. Compare yourself with competitors that are in the same industry as you, and are running a similar digital marketing strategy. For example, if you have a restaurant in London, and you see a competitor ranking number six for the term ‘London restaurant’, it is safe to assume that a prudent SEO strategy can get you to that position as well.
3. Add upper and lower limits: Fixing a range is good for tracking purposes. If using Google’s search volume data, you can use ‘exact match’ to determine the lower limit of likely incoming clicks, and ‘phrase match’ to decide on the upper limit. Remember not to use ‘broad match’, as keywords are usually counted twice or thrice by the data, thus nullifying your projection model.
4. Include feedback: It is important to continuously refine your projection model, after analysing how your digital marketing campaign is working. As you begin your SEO activities, measure the projected performance against how you are actually performing, and modify your assumptions, if required.

Qudos Digital is a leading digital marketing consultancy, and can be contacted on 0845 388 5583 or info@qudosdigital.co.uk.