I’ve been in enough digital marketing conversations to know how this goes: “Our pipeline feels shaky. Paid search is getting expensive. Attribution is a mess.” Then, somebody says, “We should invest in SEO.”
Ok, but . . . should you really?
SEO has a weird reputation in marketing. It’s either treated like magic or like a scam. In reality, it’s neither (even if it does feel like magic at times). It’s just another digital channel, and a really good one if it’s done right. However, for some businesses, it can be a slow, expensive distraction.
Is SEO necessary? How important is it? That depends on what kind of business you run, how fast you need results, what your margins look like, and whether people are already searching for what you sell and do.
Why Everyone Says SEO Matters
Let’s give SEO its due first (easy for me to say as our director of SEO)!
Google’s Search Central documentation makes a pretty good case for SEO. They say even a basic understanding of SEO can have a noticeable impact, and they repeatedly tie search visibility to content that is helpful, reliable, and built for people first. Creating genuinely useful content for your website is a win-win for both your site and the people you serve.
SEO is all about capturing existing demand. It can reduce your reliance on paid media over time, creating lasting value as content continues to bring in searchers long after the publish date. It can support trust when buyers search for your company, services, category, or one of those sundry “best X for Y” queries people type when they’re trying to solve a real problem.
But, we still have to ask the question:
Is SEO Necessary for Every Business?
No. It still feels weirdly taboo to say “out loud,” but I don’t think it should be controversial.
SEO is not necessary in every stage, for every model, nor for every growth problem. To really answer whether or not SEO is necessary, you should determine what you’re trying to achieve and what your situation is.
When SEO Should Be Your Main Focus
There’s Existing Demand
The clearest reason is when there’s already strong search demand tied to the thing you sell. If people are regularly searching for a service, a product type, or a problem you solve, SEO can be a strong fit.
Local services are the obvious example (or maybe I’m speaking from personal bias). A personal injury firm, a roofer, a dentist, a med spa, a plumber: those businesses already have inherent search demand. People have a need, they search, and they make decisions quickly. SEO can pull a lot of weight, especially when your location pages, reviews, Google Business Profile, and a well-optimized site all support each other.
B2B can work this way, too. When buyers are searching for software categories, service providers, migration help, audits, or specific solution comparisons, SEO can become a real acquisition channel.
You Have Time for Compounding to Happen
SEO looks a lot more appealing when your business can wait for it to develop.
While some optimizations can make an impact in a few days, broader site-level improvements can take weeks or even months to move the needle. If your business has the patience, the cash flow, and the conviction to invest for six to twelve months or longer, SEO is a good fit.
Your Margins Can Support the Ramp
SEO isn’t free traffic.
Good SEO usually needs content strategy, writing, editing, web design and development support, technical cleanup, internal buy-in, and someone who can tell the difference between useful work and busywork. If your margins are thin and your cash flow is tight, the delayed payoff can feel painful. If your margins are healthy, the wait becomes a lot easier to justify.
SEO as a Supporting Channel
A lot of companies should invest in SEO, but not as the main focus. It should support the broader marketing machine.
Say you already generate awareness and leads through paid social media, PR, events, partnerships, podcasts, or strong word-of-mouth. If you’re already doing that much, SEO should absolutely be a part of the mix. It can capture branded searches, improve your rankings for high-intent landing pages, and help build trust with the people who search for and find your website.
Imagine you’re working with an established brand with offline awareness. If people already know you, you probably don’t need SEO to create the first touch. You do need a search presence that confirms what they’ve heard. You want your site to make sense with service pages that answer the questions your potential customers are asking.
When SEO Is Honestly the Wrong Move
Here’s the part more people in our industry should say with conviction: sometimes SEO isn’t the right fit.
You Need Results in the Next 90 Days
Could you do foundational work now that pays off later? Absolutely.
Should you expect SEO to solve an urgent pipeline problem? Don’t count on it!
If you’re facing down strict revenue targets, cash constraints, or a short runway, SEO is often too slow to be the primary answer when compared to other channels with a more immediate impact like paid search and paid social media.
There’s Little to No Search Demand
SEO is about demand capture. That’s why new categories, unfamiliar products, and weirdly specific innovations often struggle when they try to make SEO the centerpiece too early. The bigger need is education, positioning, market development, distribution, and message testing. A technically sound, well-optimized website still matters, of course! But your answer is probably not “we need more blog posts.”
You Don’t Have the Resources to Commit
While this is true for most marketing efforts, SEO is definitely something you don’t want to half-ass. When done wrong, it eats budget slowly, produces a pile of forgettable pages that clog up your site (maybe even your crawl budget), and then makes everyone think SEO “didn’t work.”
If you don’t have the people, budget, or patience to do SEO well, it’s better to wait than to fake it.
SEO Is Always Changing, Now More Than Ever
Whether we like it or not, AI is increasingly a part of the search experience. Last year, Google claimed its AI Overviews now reach more than 1.5 billion monthly users, and they’ve continued expanding AI-driven search experiences since then. The search experience is significantly less dependent on a traditional click than it used to be. We have to fight harder to rank higher, all for fewer clicks.
Despite how some of us in the industry act, traffic and keyword rankings were never the primary goal anyway. Real KPIs that matter to you and your clients, like revenue, leads, and market position, are what you should focus on. Organic traffic is just one way to get there.
A Simple Decision Framework for SEO Investment
If you want the fast version, ask yourself these five questions:
- Is there clear search demand for what we sell?
- Can we wait at least a few months and possibly up to a year for meaningful traction?
- Do we have the budget and internal or external support to do this well?
- Is the search landscape competitive but realistically winnable for us?
- Are we solving for real business outcomes, not just vanity metrics?
If the answer is yes to most of those, SEO is probably worth serious investment.
If the answer is mixed, SEO may belong in a supporting role.
If the answer is no to most of them, you may be asking SEO to fix the wrong problem.
So, How Important Is SEO?
It’s too important for most businesses to ignore, but it’s not a universal solution.
SEO is the right primary channel when search demand exists, the economics work, the competition is beatable, and the business has time for slow and steady growth. However, it’s the wrong place to put your focus when you need fast wins, demand barely exists, or you can’t commit the resources needed to do it well.
If you’re wrestling with where SEO fits in your channel mix, grab 20 minutes with us, and we’ll map out the reality of your business so you don’t have to rely on a generic funnel.
