Search Engine Optimization (SEO) might just be the one industry and keeps tricking small businesses. It’s an industry that more or less relies on the fact that nobody outside higher ups at Google really knows exactly how the algorithms works, and it being fairly technical.
Salesmen from many SEO companies keep calling, and I can’t count how many (horror) stories clients have presented. It is sadly all too common to play on the fears “you won’t be visible on the web”.
The stance I’m taking on the SEO industry is one that it will not share. And that’s the way it is. I’m not saying SEO is useless. It’s wonderful, and can do many wonderful things. But it isn’t everything. There might be better options for your small business.
Return of Investment (ROI)
At the end of the day. It’s about return of investment. The wises business decisions maximize ROI. You should take care not to be too short-sighted when evaluating any projects ROI, but you should also not ignore it.
Every industry is different and every type of business and different too. While you share similarities, your mileage, as they say, may vary. This is why you should take care and look at the ROI.
E-Commerce sites will typically have a much easier time getting clear-cut ROIs from SEO than others. Mostly, this stems from the fact that you are marketing a simple product (can be easily purchased) and have the possibility to analyze the entire chain.
It’s not the only marketing method
Quite frankly, I am sick of people in the SEO industry who thinks it is the only viable marketing method online. It isn’t. Just because it is digital doesn’t mean all the traditional theories about marketing don’t apply (albeit tweaked).
Marketing is about the human brain. And you know what hasn’t changed? The human brain.
SEO itself isn’t a magical marketing method. Marketing is still about the human brain.
While SEO should be a tool in your tool belt, there are many other methods that it should be used together with. Don’t buy the myth that it is this magic juice that will suddenly make you sell a lot. Yes, it can yield wonderful results, but not on its own.
Will SEO Help You With Your Business Strategy
Not all strategical goals can be reached with advertising. Yes, SEO is advertising. It may be highly targeted and specific advertising in a really fantastic way, but it is still advertising.
Not all advertising is successful and there are a number of reasons for it. It all depends on your current strategical goals, your target audience and your spot in the marketplace. It’s about how you reach consumers and how your sales processes work, and how the customers’ buying process work.
Not all businesses benefit from simple advertising.
It’s perfectly alright to make a conscious business choice that SEO is simply not effective, that your marketing dollars should be spent elsewhere, and that it isn’t right for you at this stage. That’s sound business.
Conclusion: It isn’t all about SEO
Yes, SEO can be fantastic. There’s just no doubt about it. But it isn’t everything, and there are certainly many other effective ways of gaining customers. Perhaps at a lower cost per acquisition, and that may be better suited to your specific business.
Evaluate properly and make a conscious decision, but don’t jump in head-first, believing that SEO is a magical marketing method that’s going to suddenly have your business explode with sales.
