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Evaluation Criteria
Each company that enters the competition is evaluated over a period of one year. Our methodology is centered on customer satisfaction, the depth of knowledge in the field, reporting methods, internal principles, and additional discrete competitive advantages. Each core competence is intensely examined over four phases whereby each phase equates to a quarter of a calendar year.
Timeline For The Annual SEO & PPC Competition
All Phases – Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is measured in every phase by ensuring that we communicate to the customers of each entrant on a quarterly basis during the one year long evaluation. Queries on the status of the project, the quality of services being performed, the status on the return of their investment are asked on four separate occasions during the year to ensure that no fluke winners are announced at the end of the evaluation.
Phase 1 – Depth of Knowledge
The depth of knowledge in the field is determined by reviewing the mission of the company, the quality of the entrant’s website, practical experiences, blog entries, press releases, their vision of the industry, and the specificity that they go into in informing their clients on how search marketing results are generated.
Phase 2 – Reporting Methods
Reporting methods are reviewed. Actual reports generated for clients are scrutinized. The formats, the ease-to-read factor, levels of specificity that are provided to customers, and the frequency of reports are all carefully evaluated.
Phase 3 – Internal Principles
Ensuring that the entrants practice what they preach is a clear indication of a “buy in” on the strategy. If an entrant proposes the distribution of press releases to their clients, do they perform such services for themselves? If a vendor proposes to its clients that their website meets various stringent online standards, do their own sites meet such standards?
Phase 4 – Competitive Advantages
Additional discrete competitive advantages are carefully examined. New product offerings, proprietary processes, customization combined with speed to market, quality of employees, organizational hierarchy and any trademarks and patents can all be sources of competitive advantage.
| Outstanding | Excellent | Average | Poor | Not Evident | |
| Customer Satisfaction | 20 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| Depth of Knowledge | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Reporting Methods | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Internal Principles | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Competitive Advantages | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
Competition Scoring Table (provided to entrants on January 15, 2009)
