SEO is not right for every business. I say that as someone who makes his living doing SEO.
The truth is that many businesses waste thousands of dollars on SEO when they should be focusing on faster, more predictable marketing channels. If you just started your business, need leads immediately, or have a very limited budget, SEO may not be your best investment.
However, if you’re an established business with a solid website that has never done SEO, you’re likely missing out on significant growth opportunities. The key is understanding which category your business falls into and choosing the right marketing strategy accordingly.
When SEO Isn’t the Right Marketing Strategy
SEO is a slow-building strategy that pays off over months or years. It’s not a good fit for businesses that need fast, guaranteed results or have very limited resources.
Immediate Goals or Events
If you need traffic right away for a one-time sale, product launch, or event, SEO will not deliver in time. Paid ads or social campaigns are far better for urgent lead generation.
Unknown or Niche Offerings
A radically new product with no existing search demand will struggle with SEO, since customers aren’t yet searching for it. In that case, awareness campaigns through PR, paid ads, or influencers are needed first.
Tiny Budgets or Resources
SEO requires ongoing content creation and some budget for tools and time. A business with almost no marketing budget may find PPC or guerrilla tactics more controllable in the short run.
Oversaturated Markets
If your market is extremely small or huge brands, climbing organic ranks dominate every relevant keyword can be extremely difficult. Competing with a big incumbent often means you’ll get little SEO traffic despite significant effort.
In such cases, paid advertising and other channels are more suitable. Paid search through Google Ads, social media ads, or referral campaigns can be turned on instantly and scaled to immediate needs.
Should a Brand-New Business Invest in SEO?
For a startup just getting off the ground, SEO can eventually be valuable, but it should not be the sole or primary focus early on.
If you just launched your website and need to get leads now, you should not be investing the majority of your marketing budget in SEO. For a business that doesn’t yet have an established brand, you’ll get half the benefits of SEO by just doing the basics: setting up your Google Business Profile and doing some basic website optimizations.
But spending $1,500 to $2,000 a month on SEO just isn’t worth it for a business like that.
The Reality for New Businesses
Marketing experts advise new or bootstrapped startups to treat SEO as a background “slow burn” while prioritizing channels that yield faster results. Bootstrapped founders often find more immediate impact from tactics like:
- LinkedIn outreach
- Influencer collaborations
- Targeted social ads
- Affiliate programs
In the first 3-6 months, you’ll likely see little to no SEO-driven traffic, so paid channels or other growth tactics are needed to keep leads coming while SEO ramps up.
Basic SEO Steps New Businesses Can Do
Even with a tiny budget, new businesses can perform some foundational SEO tasks in-house:
Keyword Research
Brainstorm what terms customers might search for and verify with simple tools or Google’s autocomplete. Pick 5-10 highly relevant keywords or phrases to target in your content.
On-Page Optimization
For each page, write clear title tags and meta descriptions that include your target keywords and location (if local). Structure content with headings (H1, H2) and use keywords naturally in the text.
Google Business Profile Setup
If you serve local customers, claim and verify your Google Business Profile. Fill in every detail (accurate name, address, phone, hours, categories), add quality photos, and encourage reviews.
Basic Technical Setup
Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console (both are free). These tools let you monitor traffic and indexing with minimal cost.
These steps cost little or nothing in money (mostly time and effort), yet they lay the groundwork for organic visibility.
When Established Businesses Should Invest in SEO
If you’re an established brand with a big website and you’ve never done SEO before, you should be investing in that now. These are my favorite companies to work for because we can easily 2x or 10x their traffic.
Established businesses typically should invest in SEO as early as possible. If you already have a significant website or strong brand, SEO can unlock large volumes of organic traffic and leads at low ongoing cost.
Key Conditions for SEO Investment
The conditions signaling “it’s time for SEO” include:
- Stable product-market fit
- Existing customer base (brand credibility)
- Enough budget or capacity to produce content
- Established website with existing traffic
An established brand often has advantages: domain authority, existing traffic, and possibly many indexed pages. SEO can amplify all of these factors.
SEO vs Paid Ads: Time to Results
One of the biggest differences between SEO and paid advertising is how quickly they produce outcomes.
Paid Ads: Immediate Results
If you’re on a budget and need leads now, you’ll have way more success with Google Ads or Facebook ads.
SEO: Long-Term Investment
Most SEO experts note that it typically takes several months to see meaningful organic ranking improvements and traffic gains. For new websites or keywords in moderately competitive niches, expect 3-6 months (or more) before noticeable SEO results.
This comparison underscores the difference: paid search is like a sprint, while SEO is a marathon.
Budget Considerations for SEO vs Paid Ads
For businesses with tight budgets that need leads now, the trade-offs between Google Ads and SEO are significant.
Cost Per Lead Analysis
- Average Google Ads cost-per-lead is around $70 (much higher in competitive industries)
- With a limited budget, this means only a few paid leads might be attainable
- Paid traffic stops as soon as you pause ads
SEO’s Long-Term Value
SEO has no per-click cost – once content is live, each additional visitor doesn’t cost more. After SEO starts working, its leads cost roughly 40-60% less than PPC leads. However, that big saving only comes after a slow buildup (often several months).
The Balanced Approach
A small business on a tight budget should balance both: use a small amount of PPC spending to get quick leads now, while simultaneously doing basic SEO to build free traffic for the future.
When SEO Agencies Get It Wrong
Be aware that if you’re a new business, especially if you’re talking to SEO agencies, they’re all going to tell you that you need a big SEO plan.
Most agencies have a financial incentive to sell expensive SEO packages, regardless of whether they’re appropriate for your business stage. They may not tell you that:
- SEO takes months to show results
- Your budget might be better spent on immediate lead generation
- Basic optimizations can provide most of the initial SEO benefits
The Bottom Line
SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. The right marketing strategy depends on your business stage, budget, and timeline:
Skip extensive SEO if you:
- Just launched your business
- Need leads immediately
- Have a very limited budget
- Offer something completely new with no search demand
Invest heavily in SEO if you:
- Have an established brand and website
- Can wait 3-6 months for results
- Want to reduce long-term customer acquisition costs
- Compete in a market with search volume
Remember, you don’t have to choose just one strategy. Many successful businesses start with paid ads for immediate results while building their SEO foundation for long-term growth.
Ready to determine the right marketing strategy for your business? Contact TJ Digital for a free audit of your website and current marketing efforts. We’ll provide honest recommendations about whether AI SEO, Google Ads, or another approach makes the most sense for your specific situation.