I was reading a presentation from a Search engine marketing (SEM) /Search engine optimalisation (SEO) business earlier today. The cover said they are a “Full Service Search Marketing Specialist”

Based on the texts in this presentation I believe that at least part of this market to be in a one eye in  land of the blind situation. The presentation shows the problem and in an other part the tools, but the customer surely cannot himself understand how these are linked. An example is to garantee 100% of pages to be found (is not necessarily indexed) by google and the service to create an xml-sitemap.  

Businesses contract SEM and SEO consultants, without knowing exactly what these consultants are doing and  why but these businesses do know they can’t do it themselves.

From the point of view from the customer, I believe there is an underlying, broader need: support in optimizing for conversion.  A website has a goal, and sending more people to that site is not the ultimate goal, it’s lowering one (important) barrier for conversion.

To guarantee conversions, you need at least:

  • SEM=SEA  and SEO, (search engine adverting and search engine optimization)  for findability, paid and free
  • User Experience Optimisation, for usability, trust, etc. (lets call this “UXO”)
  • Internal Process Optimization, Management of processes behind the website, important for retention. (IPO)
  • Website Optimization Management, to maintain, measure, and adapt (WOM)

That’s why I think businesses should offer a new kind of service: Website Goal Optimalisation.
As people seem to like abbreviations, I called it “WGO“.

Surprisingly, I Googled this expression literally, and the result was zero!
Also alternatives as Internetsite Goal Optimization (IGO) or Website Effectivity Optimisation (WEO) give a zero result.

Website Goal Optimalisation (WGO) is a multi-discipline activity, or:

 WGO = SEM+SEO+ UXO+IPO+WMO

For Intranets, The service is a bit different, as goals and users needs are different, and has therefore a bit different name: Intranet Goal Optimalisation (IGO).
A similar sum would be possible:
IGO= SEO+ UXO+IPO+WMO

The SEO in this case would be an own search or even enterprise search.

As internal processes are part of the WGO, web disciplines as content management etc. are part. Therefore the organization wil learn during the services of the external party about the why and how of sem, seo, usability  etc.

The real WGO is consultancy and training, making the blind man see.