Although many business owners have been told they should hire an SEO company, the concept is often met with a fair amount of resistance. There are many logical reasons that a small business might choose to reject the idea that SEO — which stands for search engine optimization — could help their company. But are those seemingly logical reasons actually valid, or are they the result of misunderstandings of how SEO fundamentally works?
The basics of SEO involve content placement, understanding the Google search algorithm, and linking. Google’s algorithm judges websites on a number of factors that SEO marketing agencies attempt to account for. And the business that organic Google search can bring to a company is no chump change — 70% of users ignore paid ads, and search is the #1 driver to content websites.
So what are common reasons business owners reject SEO marketing companies — and what’s the truth behind them? Here are three.
1. SEO is Too Expensive
Much of the resistance regarding price isn’t necessarily because business owners believe SEO has little value — it’s because they’re reluctant to stop believing they’re going to find the “golden goose” of an SEO marketing agency that gives them free SEO forever. The reality is, there is no golden goose. Good SEO isn’t free, but it is an investment in future profit. Comparatively, SEO has a much higher ROI than many traditional forms of advertising — SEO leads on average have a 15% close rate compared to outbound leads, which have a 2% close rate.
2. SEO Doesn’t Work
It can be hard to argue with someone who really believe SEO “doesn’t work.” However, we can see the reality behind SEO anytime we use the internet. Where does the majority of your business go? You’ll end up choosing, in most cases, companies that list on the first page — and usually near the top of the page at that. The keywords those companies promote with SEO determine how likely you are to, ultimately, give them your money. If SEO is working for them, why can’t it work for you? Delaying investment is only going to lose you money.
3. I Don’t Need an SEO Marketing Agency Because I Don’t Sell Things Online
This is like saying you don’t need to wear a seat belt because you’re not the person driving the car — you’re still on the road, too. We can argue about whether the prevalence of the internet is a good or bad thing, but we can’t really argue that it is an inescapable force. Today, 70% of people rarely or never use a phone book. When people want to find a restaurant, they use Google. Restaurants that hire good SEO companies end up with better rankings — and hence, more customers. About 20% of Google’s billions of weekly search queries have a local intent.
Would you reconsider hiring an SEO marketing agency? Let us know in the comments.
