There’s no doubt that search engine optimisation (SEO) can be a challenging technique to master, especially when you’re busy running your own business.
While its main purpose is quite simple – to help increase your website’s visibility and ranking on search engines like Google – its increasingly complex nature has led many businesses to believe that SEO simply isn’t for them.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth as SEO can work for anyone, regardless of how big, small or niche your enterprise may be. In fact, 60% of marketers say that SEO offers the best source of high-quality sales leads, with search engines driving 300% more traffic to websites than social media.
Still not convinced? Here are the most common objections to SEO that we hear and how your business can overcome them.
1) “It takes too long to see any results”
As any marketing guru will tell you, SEO is not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme that will guarantee overnight success. In fact, it typically takes around 8 to 12 months to start seeing results.
So why bother with it at all? Well, much like running a marathon, SEO requires time, planning and patience. If you go into it without preparing yourself, then you’ll likely be doing more harm than good.
That’s why, as with any project, having a detailed, long-term strategy in place is critical for your success. Search engines like Google will only rank your business highly if you put in the necessary work and continue to meet their standards.
2) “It’s too complicated”
There are undoubtedly multiple different factors that you’ll need to consider when compiling your strategy. However, that doesn’t mean you should put off SEO completely. After all, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it!
While certain aspects of SEO can be quite technical, the fundamental elements consist of the following:
- Writing compelling, original content on a frequent basis
- Compiling specific keywords for your business
- Maintaining an active social media presence
- Having incoming links (or ‘backlinks’) to your website
If you want to better understand the intricacies of SEO, there are plenty of free guides available on the internet that you can read up on, most of which are constantly being updated to ensure complete and total accuracy.
3) “I’ll have to change my entire website”
If you’re starting your SEO campaign for the first time or returning to it after a long period, then it’s more than likely that you’ll have to update your existing web assets so that they’re in-line with the latest trends.
While this may seem like a time-consuming endeavour, it does offer long-term benefits for your business which, as highlighted above, is what SEO is all about. Not only will your website be in a better position moving forward, but you can then make any adjustments to your online presence as and when you need to.
4) “It keeps changing”
It’s true that search engines are constantly updating their algorithms to keep up with the ever-changing technological landscape. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that all your hard work has been for nothing.
Ultimately, these changes are made so that good practitioners of SEO stand out over those who use misleading and disingenuous methods. If the best SEO practices always stayed the same, then it would inevitably be open for abuse, thereby rendering the whole practice pointless.
By keeping on top of the latest trends and developments, you’ll be one step ahead of the curve. If you’re not sure where to start, websites like Search Engine Land, Ahrefs and the Moz Blog are excellent sources of up-to-date SEO news and resources.
5) “We’re already rank top of Google when you search for our name”
While this might be true, this is only applicable for customers that already know about your business. Even if you offer a particularly niche service, it’s worth investing in SEO so that you can make your business more discoverable for potential customers.
Keywords are especially useful in this regard, as they allow you to rank for specific terms and phrases that your customers are searching for online. For example, if you sell homemade jam, then you could rank for keywords like ‘natural raspberry jam’, ‘organic strawberry jam’ and ‘low sugar jams’. See below for more details on how 123 Reg can help you find the most suitable keywords for your website.
By ignoring the opportunities available with SEO, you may potentially be enabling your competitors to get an edge over you.
6) “It’s too expensive”
If you want to achieve the best possible results, then you will need to set some money aside for your SEO campaigns.
That said, SEO can be considerably cheaper compared to other forms of online advertising, such as pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Furthermore, unlike with PPC campaigns, your ranking won’t immediately be affected if you decide to cancel your budget because search engines will continue crawling (or ‘reading’) your website’s content.
Wrapping up
Although SEO may seem like a complicated and everlasting venture, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, it can pay dividends for your business. By expanding your brand’s visibility online, you’ll be making your services more discoverable for potential customers, which, in turn, will help you grow your business even further. So, if you want to get ahead of the competition and stay there, there’s no better alternative than SEO.
