The best strategy to enhance e-business performance is to combine both online and offline advertisement
VSDaily had an exclusive interview with SEO Daddy, Mr. Edward Chong from Bean Design Studio to share his opinions in search engine optimization (SEO) services. Mr. Edward Chong is one of the famous SEO specialists with more than 12 years experience in SEO, paid search management, online lead generation, email marketing and website development. Additionally he manages web analytic multi-variate testing, landing page optimization and social media marketing activities. He co-founded Bean Design Studio in year 2000 as a Digital Ads company in the beginning and now is more focus in providing SEO services with more than 90 clients. He is working closely with his another two partners, SEO Mama – Mr. Foo and iBoleh – Shin Yong.
VSD: Why do you name yourself as SEO Daddy and your partner as SEO Mama?
Edward: We like the industry very much and that’s why we name ourselves like that as our identity in the industry.
VSD: Where is your SEO Son?
Edward: Coming soon (He was smiling)
VSD: You have co-founded Bean Design Studio to provide Search Engine Optimization or SEO service but why you chose Bean? Does it carry a special meaning?
Edward: Every bean has its own philosophy and I believe every business should grow like a bean.
VSD: Why you choose providing SEO service as your business startup?
Edward: We didn’t start up our business in SEO service. In the beginning stage, we provided web design services and later ventured into SEO service as our hobby. We like to read new stuffs, do research, and test out new policy launched by Google and then share it with friends and colleagues.
VSD: What is SEO and can you explain how SEO works?
Edward: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it is a process of getting free organic and natural traffic on search. To me, it means nothing and it just a proper way to get attention from the search engines on your website. For favorable result, you need to put a lot of effort on it.
VSD: Can you share the importance of SEO to online stores?
Edward: Almost 80% of online stores are not search engine friendly. You may have thousand items sold in your online store but not all the items are visible to your potential buyers. SEO for websites and SEO for online store are different because you need to ensure all your products sold are indexed by the search engines for the visibility.
VSD: What are the costs involved for a website to engage a SEO service?
Edward: The price charged is ranging from RM500 to RM2,000 per month
VSD: Are you using any SEO tools? If yes, what are they?
Edward: Google webmaster tool is one of my favorite tools but in fact there are many other useful tools available in the market.
VSD: What are the differences between SEO and SEM?
Edward: SEM refers to Search Engine Marketing which will bring instant traffic to your website and it suitable used for a new website while SEO is mainly for long-term and long-lasting result but the cost of implementing SEO is cheaper than SEM.
VSD: As we know, Bean Design Studio is not the only SEO service providers in the market. We just curious to know your competitive advantages that can make you stand out from the competition?
Edward: We have been in the market for more than 10 years and we treat providing SEO service as our hobby. We are different from others because we will ensure our clients’ business performance is guaranteed.
VSD: What making the websites not to engage SEO service? Is it because high fee charged or lacking of awareness?
Edward: Definitely cost is not an issue to them because RM500 to RM2,000 per month is cheaper than hiring a sales man. Most probably they do not know how SEO works as well as the benefits brought to them.
VSD: Can you advise what are the criteria a website owner should consider when choosing a SEO service provider?
Edward: The website owners should identify their business needs and objectives before engaging any SEO services. Besides, they should know the person who comes to approach for such services. A professional SEO consultant should know and understand the logic behind the SEO.
VSD: What are your thoughts on online advertisement? Is it a must for online sellers to advertise their product / service online?
Edward: Online advertisement can help you tell others about your products. Business owners should not only rely 100 per cent on online advertisement. The best strategy is to combine both online and offline advertisement to optimize your business performance.
VSD: In online advertisement, there are terms of CPC, CPM and CPA. Can you share with us more about these?
Edward: CPC stands for cost per click whereby the advertisers need to pay for every click on their advertisement. CPM refers to cost per mille or cost per thousand impression whereby the advertisers pay for the exposure of their advertisement. Lastly, CPA refers to cost per action or acquisition which mainly used by affiliate marketer whereby the advertisers need to pay whenever a user sign up a service or purchase an item.
VSD: Google Adwords and Facebook Ad are the most common online advertising channel in the market, are you able to share the differences between both? Which one is better?
Edward: I wouldn’t say which one is better. Google Ad is a search driven platform and it can generate instant lead to a website. For Facebook Ad, it is not a search driven platform but it can help businesses to gain targeted audience with specific demographic and location. Either use Google Adwords or Facebook Ad, it subjects to the objective of your advertising campaign.
VSD: Do you think E-Commerce in Malaysia is growing?
Edward: As per 31 December 2011, 17 million Internet users and 12 million Facebook users were reported in Malaysia and these numbers still increasing. Definitely there will be some opportunities for e-commerce.
VSD: What are the factors can help to grow E-Commerce in the country?
Edward: Population of Internet users in the country is the main factor. Of course, awareness and education among public are must to grow e-commerce in the country.
by Raymond Chin
