Part 1f - An SEO Reality Check
Up until now, we have talked a lot about search engine optimization. But I would negligent if I didn't point out the limitations of SEO. I've labeled this section "reality check" because I want you stay rooted in reality as your pursue SEO success. Search engine visibility can do wonders for your online success and your business in general.
But it can't do everything.
Let me elaborate:
What SEO Can and Cannot Do - Three of Each
Some people talk about search engine optimization as thought it's a magic ingredient for business success. Just sprinkle on some SEO, and poof ... record-setting sales numbers!
While SEO can certainly help increase your website traffic (which can in turn have an impact on sales), it is not a magic ingredient for success. Nor is it a sales tool. For best results, SEO should be part of a larger marketing mix, because like any other part of your marketing program it has limitations. There are some things SEO can do, and other things it cannot do. I offer you three of each.
Three Things SEO Can Do
Let's start with the positive before we get to the negative. Let's talk about the merits of search engine optimization, and how they can help you grow you business online. Here are three things that a proper SEO program can do for your business:
1. Increase Your Ranking in Search Engines
This is the most fundamental goal of search engine optimization — to increase a website's search engine ranking for key phrases relevant to the company's products or services. A well-rounded SEO program (one that's built around things like research, networking, link-building, and content development) can "deliver the goods" in this department. And better search engine ranking paves the way for the next item that SEO can do...
2. Drive Qualified Web Traffic
A proper SEO program seeks to increase the amount of qualified traffic to your website. The word "qualified" is critical, because unqualified traffic is virtually useless from a business standpoint. Qualified visitors are those who are actively seeking exactly what you're offering — your products, services, message, etc.
These are the kinds of visitors you want, because they are most inclined to contact you (or buy, subscribe, download, etc.). When done right, SEO can certainly increase the amount of qualified traffic to your website, and sometimes dramatically.
3. Increase Awareness
By increasing your search engine ranking for key phrases, you increase your website's traffic levels. By increasing your traffic levels, you are increasing awareness of your company. This is more of an indirect result of SEO, but it can still be traced back to the act of search engine optimization and traffic generation.
Awareness has benefits that go beyond website traffic. When people are familiar with your website and company, they are much more inclined to mention it to others, link to it from their own websites, etc. This can have far-reaching effects.
Three Things SEO Cannot Do
You might think I'm crazy for making a list of things search engine optimization can't do. After all, search engine optimization (SEO) is a big part of what I do for a living. But I'm also a sucker for the truth, and I like to be absolutely frank with my readers about all things SEO. While search engine optimization can certainly help you grow your business through the functions listed above, there are certain things it cannot do:
1. Motivate People to Act
Search engine optimization can help people find your website. We've already talked about that. But SEO has little to no effect on how people react once they reach your site. Your website's professionalism, usability, content and marketing capability can motivate people to respond, but SEO alone cannot. Search engine optimization can deliver traffic ... but you still have to convert that traffic into business.
2. Build Your Reputation
A company that ranks high in search engines is not always the best company within its industry. Search engine position is determined by a website's age, size, relevance, link popularity and other ranking factors. It's not determined by customer satisfaction. So while SEO will make people aware of your website, it will not convince them of your quality, dependability, professionalism, etc. You'll have to do that yourself.
3. Generate Leads and Sales
This is an offshoot of item #1, but it's worth reiterating. Day after day, I see SEO companies sing the praises of search engine optimization from a sales standpoint. "Generate leads and sales with search engine optimization," these people will proclaim.
Let me be the first to tell you that SEO is not a sales tool. It never has been, and it never will be. SEO is a traffic generator. If you triple the traffic to a website with no lead-generation tactics in place, you will have three times the amount of unconverted web traffic. Or to put it more simply:
- SEO + good lead generation = leads
- SEO + poor lead generation = no leads
Conclusion
Search engine optimization has plenty of merits. If it didn't, I wouldn't write about it, practice it for a living, or apply it to my own business. But it also has limitations. If you understand the differences between these, you will have a much more satisfying (and fruitful) SEO experience.
SEO Continued >> A Word About Pay-Per-Click