This is the first post in a two-part series by Business Development Manager, Josh Roa, on how to get a higher return on investment from your next SEO campaign. It is an all-too-common occurrence for most businesses to get lost in the mire of what many agencies claim to be Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). I've seen it time and time again, from owners and marketing managers alike, sharing their stories of how citations, sitemaps, redirects and a hundred other terms they don’t fully understand, are at the core of what makes SEO successful in their business. While each one of these activities contribute in part to the implementation of a successful campaign, they are short term 2006 tactics and mindsets in a 2016 digital landscape.Now let me be clear, this is not a slight on those businesses looking to improve the performance of their search channel, rather a rallying cry to go a step further (or even 10), sent out to those who are savvy enough to see past the smooth talking salesperson or technical noise that catch some people unaware.Fortunately, SEO as a channel can be held to much the same standards as other channels when it comes to return on investment (ROI) and sales conversions - metrics far more interesting to your bank manager than rankings and number of links to a page. With this in mind, I've listed 10 rules which have helped many businesses to improve not only the ROI of their SEO campaigns but other channels as well. Adapted from a list by world-renowned direct response authority, Dan Kennedy, these rules will change the way you approach marketing - be it direct mail, email marketing, Facebook advertising or newspaper advertising - leading to a smarter approach to marketing and a better bottom line for your business.Rule #1 - There will always be an offer or offersIt is not enough for your site to have all the right keywords in the right places (H1, body text, Title & Alt Tags, etc). In a time where everyone knows how to optimise a page for a particular set of keywords - some far better than others - there can be little comparison between that and a page which is not only well optimised but mirrors the reader’s needs, fears, greatest desires and presents an offer which addresses some or all of those areas. Examples of offers can include information, products, white papers and discounts and it is essential to include these on your site. Rule #2 - There will always be a reason to respond to youPresently, as a conservative estimate, there is 3% of your total market looking for the type of product or service you sell, right now. With a large enough market this is sometimes not a concern, but when you consider the number of competitors also vying for that 3% of people ready to buy now, you then realise the game is rigged. Bar being a monopoly i.e. petrol companies, the only way to get people choosing you over your competition, is to give them a strong enough reason in your on-page copy. Using scarcity, social proof and Rule #1 are great examples of giving people a better reason to do business with you, rather than the competitor down the street. Rule #3 - There will be clear instructions on how to respondWe've all been there before...pacing back and forth through the store for one last item on the shopping list - for what seems like forever - wishing someone would just tell you where to go. This is the dilemma of the average website visitor, the person needing immediate gratification from your website but who is equally at a loss as to where to look. It’s for this reason that it is crucial to clearly state every step a person needs to take in order to achieve a particular outcome. It seems almost too simple to consider but I promise you, if you aren't doing it, you are leaving a large amount of money on the table - money your competitor might be putting into their pockets if you don't level up.Rule #4 - There will be tracking and measurementWith many digital marketing agencies assuming they need only provide ranking reports to their clients at the end of every month, it’s clear to see why so many business owners and managers lose confidence in search engine optimisation as a viable channel. For the savvy clients we work with, there is a clear understanding of what metrics really matter and sad to say, rankings are not the priority. Truth be told, if you fail to track and measure online conversion rates, bounce rates, traffic flow paths and offline sales, you are always going to stay indecisive and emotive when making key marketing decisions. Reason being? You lack the data to make smart, tactical choices and grounded observations on future trends.Rule #5 - Whatever brand-building occurs will be a happy by-product, not a bought resultYou needn't travel far to find examples of an over-sized billboard or full page advert in the local paper. The type of advertisement showing a vanity photo, logo or tagline but being, otherwise, devoid of any relevant messaging, offer or a call to action. For large corporations with limitless ad budgets, this is a retention strategy more than not and in most cases, it is a strategy your business would not be able to sustain - nor should it have to. The smarter approach would be a direct response marketing campaign that targets a small group of profitable keywords and leads people through to a landing page which gains the visitors attention, interest, desire and motivation to take action. If that action is a phone call or email inquiry, it already puts you in a far better position than if you had run a generic brand building campaign.Click here to read the next 5 rules for Increasing the ROI of your SEO Campaign! If you agree with the first 5 rules for getting the best results from Search Engine Optimisation and want to see improvements in your own campaign, contact us today on the phone (08) 9328 7000 or by email so you can receive a complete SEO or larger digital marketing audit for your business!