SEO is often brushed aside as the poor relation of paid advertising, but in many ways, having a strong SEO strategy can reap far more rewards in the long run – and for a fraction of the price. That said, it can’t always wave a magic wand and in some instances, using SEO might not actually be the right move for your business.
In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons of SEO, exploring why it can come up trumps (when done correctly) and, on the flipside, why it may not always be the best approach.
Table of contents
- Increased traffic to your site
- Builds credibility and trust
- Better user experience
- Gets you seen by the right people at the right time
- Long-lasting visibility
Limitations and disadvantages of SEO
- There are no guarantees
- It’s incredibly competitive
- Results don’t come overnight
- Constant maintenance is required
Advantages of SEO
You can have the best products or services in the world, but if you don’t optimise your content, you risk your site never being seen. The cynics might argue that SEO is just a tool to appease the search engine overlords, when in truth it can improve the overall user experience (UX) and help showcase your brand as a leading, authoritative, industry leader.
Here are five key advantages of implementing SEO.
1. Increased traffic to your site
SEO is key to boosting visibility of your website on search engine results pages (SERPs). Technical SEO will ensure your site is found in the first place, while identifying the right keywords and optimising your content for those terms can help your site can rank higher, leading to increased organic traffic, all without having to fork out for paid advertising.
2. Builds credibility and trust
Appearing at the top of the SERP sends a clear message – you’re a brand to be trusted. The further down in the rankings you are, the less authoritative you seem. This is why Google likes to promote sites with great E-E-A-T credentials on its platform (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and effective use of SEO can help boost those credentials.
3. Better user experience
User experience is a factor in search engine rankings, contributing to higher visibility. We want to give the user a nice time while they’re on our sites, don’t we? If your site load speed is too slow they might not even make it on to your website at all, clicking away to a competitor. If they do make it onto your page, you want to keep them there. SEO can ensure your site’s structure and content is shipshape, which can lead to increased page views and higher engagement rates.
4. Gets you seen by the right people at the right time
Being seen is half of the battle, the other half is ensuring your content is seen at the moment most likely to result in a lead conversion. Take the travel industry as an example, where targeting search intent at the right moment in the booking journey is essential. SEO can help you match content to search intent, boosting visibility and helping to build confidence in your brand as users make their way down the buyer funnel.
5. Long-lasting visibility
SEO is a long-term game, but while it might feel like an eternity to reach the top of the SERP, the good news is that once you’re there, you tend to stick around for a while (brutal core updates aside!). This enduring presence can provide ongoing benefits in terms of visibility and traffic, helping to keep your brand fresh in the minds of potential customers.
Limitations and disadvantages of SEO
SEO’s not for everyone, nor is it a surefire way of increasing your revenue. Before you start working on your SEO strategy or approach an SEO agency, it’s worth having these caveats in mind:
1. There are no guarantees
Sadly, implementing SEO doesn’t guarantee success. No agency worth its salt would tell you otherwise. If I could safely say to all business owners who approach us that we can promise them brilliant rankings (and subsequently follow through on that), I’d currently be in the Bahamas, sat on a throne of cash.
It’s also important to note that we are all completely at the mercy of search engines. At any point, they can implement a change to the SERPs which can instantly impact traffic to your site (they certainly keep us on our toes!).
All that being said, while there are no guarantees, if you want *any* hope at all of ranking organically, you will need SEO to achieve it, so it’s definitely a risk worth taking!
2. It’s incredibly competitive
The big boys of your industry will already have the monopoly on high volume, generic keywords, but even if you’re targeting the low volume terms with minimal keyword difficulty, you’re still likely to be competing with other brands, most of whom will be continuously searching for ways to leapfrog you in the SERPs.
3. Results don’t come overnight
With SEO, you’re not so much investing money, but time. Visible improvements won’t be achieved overnight, with Google suggesting it could take up to a year to see results.
4. Constant maintenance is required
SEO is not a one-stop shop and requires constant tinkering, improving, updating and refreshing. The factors that influence search engine ranking are constantly changing with algorithm updates rolled out frequently. Unless you have the time and inclination to keep on top of SEO, this form of marketing might not be for you (or another solution would be to hire an SEO agency to look after it for you!).
When SEO is not the answer
- You want fast or instantaneous results
- You have limited resources
- Outranking competitors is not a priority
- Your target audience isn’t looking for your service online
- The right keyword isn’t out there
Need help with your SEO strategy?
Let’s face it, SEO can take up A LOT of time. This is where Adido can help. Our fantastic team of SEO specialists live and breathe all things ranking-related and are constantly striving to get the best results for our clients. We won’t promise you the earth, but we’ll move mountains to get your content scaling the SERPs. After all, your success is our success. Contact us today to learn more!
