f you’re a small business owner, you have likely heard at least one person suggest that you learn SEO (search engine optimization) and implement an online strategy for your business. After all, most people first look to the internet – either on their smartphones or computers – to find any business or service.
You understand that you need a website, and that it requires a little work for it to show up on the search engines. And so you spend some time – maybe outsource the process – and build a basic website for your business. Maybe you use a pre-made template to get the website up and running.
Then, not much happened.
It turns out that, despite your best efforts, the website isn’t “optimized” enough.
You understand that, but you didn’t want to deal with all that “SEO stuff.” From everything you heard, search engine optimization takes too much time, is too technical, and doesn’t guarantee significant results. So why bother?
A lot of small business owners feel this way. They hear about how necessary it is, but still hesitate to get started on their own or hire an agency.
Let’s take a look at a few aspects of SEO that make newcomers hesitant about embracing and using it:
1. It’s Not a Magic Formula
If you think that SEO is the magic potion for immediate online success and profit, you’ll be sorely disappointed and frustrated. SEO is valuable to your business’s profitability, but it will take time before you’ll see a return on investment (see below for more details on that).
In business, every strategy and campaign must yield measurable, significant ROI. If it is something that won’t help grow your business, you won’t do it. Because the ROI from SEO is slow in arriving, many small business owners feel that SEO doesn’t have any significance and therefore they relegate it to a lower priority.
Those new to SEO will pour a lot of time and money into it and are often frustrated by the lack of results. This makes many business owners reluctant to begin an SEO campaign and to stick it out for the long haul.
The results will eventually come if the strategy is done right. They just won’t be immediate.
SEO is an invaluable strategy for one’s business and should not be ignored. Be patient and look for logical processes, not magic.