Is SEO still relevant?

Lately, the question: Is SEO still relevant? seems to be a topic of lots of discussion.

I have had the opportunity to listen and participate in very intense discussions where one side attacks SEO and says it is a waste of time and the other side says it is the only way.

So the question, you might be asking yourself is:

The problem with this question

Is that online marketing is an art and a science, so deciding to choose between black and white is not the solution.

Because we also have a range of grays.

How to view your online strategy over time

One of the advantages of working in online marketing for so many years is that I have the opportunity to see how the strategies change over time.

A few weeks ago I was working on a client’s Adwords strategy and I was strucked by the cost increase for some of the keyword phrases.

I have also had the opportunity to work on this client’s organic traffic strategy.

So I decided to do the exercise of taking the most expensive phrases in Google Adwords and seeing if the client was been found in Google using those same phrases.

And indeed, his website was included in Google results when people where searching for those phrases.

The importance of combining short and long term strategies

Although I know and understand that we need to combine short-term and long-term strategies.

It’s one thing to understand it and a every different one is to be able to have concrete real results.

Thanks to this exercise I was able to proof the importance of having made the decision to implement strategies in the short and long term.

And for me it demonstrates clearly the importance of SEO.

Not everything new is better

Every day when the sun rises, it seems like there is a new discipline and 10 new tools in the world of online marketing

Of course the idea of keeping up, becomes more difficult.

The solution to this problem is to choose an area or a strategy to focus on.

Although I agree with this idea, it’ is important to do it carefully, without necessarily ruling out everything else.

My client, decided to bet on a long-term strategy and now he can see the benefits.

Not to mention all that he has learned by having the courage to experiment with different strategies from the beginning.

Not all businesses are the same

I understand that not all businesses are the same and that for some there is only one window of time to validate their idea.

In this case SEO will not be your best option.

But if you have an established business or offer professional services and plan to do so for many years, I think it’s important that you consider it.

Here are 3 questions to help you decide when to consider an SEO strategy for your business:

Is SEO Still Relevant for your business? (3 questions to help you decide)

1. Identify your Goals

If your goals are short term, it is possible that SEO is not best way to go for your business.

But if your goals are long term, I think there is a lot to learn from SEO and it can benefit your business in general.

You see, you can have the best of both worlds when you succeed in implementing an SEO strategy and a strategy using paid traffic.

It is true that if you have a fixed budget and need to start seeing results, SEO is not the best way to to accomplish it.

But that does not mean that SEO is dead.

When you pay for acquiring customers, chances are the cost for acquiring each customer will increase over time.

You have to be able to have different sources of traffic. So you do not rely solely on one source and you can average the cost of acquiring customers.

2.Consider your Industry

Is your audience doing Google searches? If your answer is yes, you should consider SEO as an important ingredient within your online strategy.

There are industries where social media is the perfect fit.

You need to feel comfortable with how you promote your business and the reality is that everyone does searches Google.

3. Define Your Strategies

Regardless of whether you decide to invest in SEO, understanding how it works will change the way you look at your online strategy.

If you still think that SEO is not for your business, my recommendation is that you do not rely on a single source of traffic, so no matter which strategy you choose, always consider implementing two strategies.

If there is something I have learned, it is that the only way to improve your strategy and your results is to remain curious and experiment.

Through experimentation we expose ourselves to new learning and experiences.

When we do this, our mind opens and we can connect the dots and finally put together the pieces of the puzzle.

I am convinced that understanding how SEO works, will help you see your strategy from d point different of view.

Conclusion

If 10 years ago, my client would have not made the decision to invest in SEO, today, he would not have a choice, his only option would be to pay to play.

I don’t think any business wants to find itself in this position.

SEO today is ver different from how it was 10 years ago.

The key is to offer valuable content to your audience.

It’s true that there is a lot more competition, but it you are able to look at it long term, there is still opportunity.

When we understand how Google works, we also understand how people search for our services.

I can’t think of any reason why this is not important to your business.

The reality is that Google is not going away.