Recently chatting with David, my Head of SEO, we realised that we’d been circling a similar issue for many years. And that was a general lack of understanding of SEO or search engine optimisation. Many people I speak with still struggle with:
And we get it. I mean, we’re optimising websites for a massively advanced algorithm. There’s just not going to be a lot there that is relevant or digestible for most people.
However for business owners, particularly if they already have a digital ecosystem that provides them leads or sales. Search Engine Optimisation can be an amazing channel to invest in. But it’s not right for everyone all the time.
So how do we as businesses know when it’s right to invest in SEO? What is the relevant information that we need to know to make that decision? We’ll be discussing that today.
Firstly, let's understand the case for SEO. Google is still, far and away, the biggest traffic referrer on the internet. Here's research from Jan-24 with Google delivering a whopping 63% of traffic across the entire web.
Note that this includes paid search traffic as well, which depending on some estimates would account for about 15%.
It means that for every 10 people that visit a website, 6 of them came from Google.
Long story short. Google drives a lot of traffic. And if people are searching for your products or services, organic search will likely be your biggest traffic driver. But this doesn’t mean you should be investing in SEO straight away.
No, no. There are a few things we need to understand first.
To start, there are a few things that we should know about the channel generally speaking. Much like an SEO 101.
Ok so we’ve been briefed on the nature of SEO. We’re ok with time frames and we’re ready to create content. Let’s get specific to our own businesses, what should we consider? Here are the big ones:
There’s no faster way to waste people's time, because even if it did work briefly, people would leave straight away and those rankings will plunge. So the first question when you’re working with your agency or looking around in the Keyword Tool is, are these keywords relevant to my website?
*Why are we using an ad tool for organic search? This tool is probably the first stop for many SEOs. It’s a free tool and supposed to be used for ads but the same things that make the tool good for search ads also makes it handy when doing initial research for SEO.
There's no point investing in SEO if it doesn't look like there's enough demand to justify the time and money it'll take to get you on top!
Tip: I shouldn't be saying this but if you want to find out, ask for a proposal from a search agency. All of us will likely do keyword research on a few of the most relevant phrases and present the numbers back to you. Get a few proposals so you get some perspective.
This is a bit harder to tell, so I would ask you to refer to your business sense on how competitive it is in your niche generally. If it is very competitive, just be aware that time frames will likely need to be lengthened to account for this. And that should be taken into consideration when deciding on channels.
But that doesn't necessarily mean it's right for your organisation. Consider carefully the questions above, think about your business goals and how you might match up the marketing tactic to what you want to achieve.
Good luck out there.
With over 15 years of experience in search and online marketing, Kim is the Founder of Insight Online. Kim started Insight as he saw an opportunity to build an agency that focuses on business results and strong working relationships with clients.
As the face of the business, Kim will likely be your first point of contact, chatting with you about your work and what you’d like to get done. The best part of his job is meeting new people, getting to know their businesses, and making a tangible, measurable difference for them.
In his spare time, Kim loves playing disc golf, strumming a little guitar and is an avid bookworm.
His favourite charities are Zeal which supports youth in their development over a number of years and Lifewise, an organisation focussed on getting homeless into homes.
