Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:28:50 by Matt Hopkins
 Kaizen is a Japanese term that effectively means continuous, incremental improvement. This is a large part of our company ethos and features heavily in how we manage both SEO and PPC campaigns.
The Kaizen philosophy was brought to light during the 1980's when the success of Japanese manufacturing was leading the world in terms of quality. It is part of a larger qualityimprovement process, but the basic notion is that small, incremental improvements are always more successful than large, "big bang" initiatives. There are many reasons for this, some to do with human behaviour and the difficulty in changing people's working practices. Another reason is that it is empowering. Sometimes, it is the smallest change suggested on the "shop floor" that can have the greatest impact and these sorts of changes are often overlooked with large process optimisations.
There was a time when you could get away with a "big bang", "do it once and leave it" sort of search engine optimisation (SEO) project but not any more. There's a lot of work at the beginning of any SEO campaign, don't get me wrong. But a lot of the work is based on a set of assumptions and these assumptions need to be tested and adjusted over time.
For example, let's look at keyword research. Keyword research is not an exact science. The tools and techniques that are used to help research, understand, and select appropriate keywords for a campaign are useful guides but are flawed. Many times, the keywords that are being reported and ultimately selected end up not delivering the volume or profile of traffic that was expected and so need to be replaced.
So you start with a set of keywords based on a solid amount of research and informed discussion. You, optimise the site for these keywords (both on-page and off-page). When the rankings start to improve, you monitor the traffic. Keywords that are not providing the necessary level or profile of traffic need to be re-considered... not ALL of the keywords, only those that are not delivering. The site needs to bereoptimised for the new keyword(s) and the process starts again. This iterative process must be on-going and constant. Small incremental improvements, continuously implemented. Kaizen.
This approach works for all aspects of search engine marketing - including PPC.
It is this attention to detail and pig-headed determination that ensures that campaigns achieve enduring success. Does your SEO company adopt the Kaizen approach? I know we do.
Matt Hopkins
Managing Director |
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