Jason Berkowitz lays out four situations where SEO is a waste of money: no one is searching for your product, your team lacks bandwidth to execute it, your business is already failing, or you need results fast. SEO is a long-term play, not a rescue tactic.
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Everyone wants to make SEO work, but should you? As an SEO for over a decade, it's weird to say that SEO isn't for everyone. So let's quickly go over 4 reasons why your brand should not invest in SEO. First up, market demand. SEO is a powerhouse for market disruptors, but if you're creating the market, it's a different ballgame. If no one's searching for what you offer, or they don't even know that your offering exists yet, It might be best to reallocate the budget to other verticals. Next, we have bandwidth. If your team's already stretched thin, juggling a million tasks, and can't even sync up for a solid SEO strategy, you're basically running into a brick wall. SEO needs time, collaboration among different departments, and most importantly, action. Without action, it's a no-go. Third reason why you should not invest in SEO: a declining health of the business. SEO should not be looked at as a life raft for your sinking ship. We've seen brands attempt it and it typically doesn't work out. If the health of the brand is wonky, there are probably other things you need to take as a larger priority first. Lastly, at number 4, you should not invest in SEO if you lack patience. In a world driven by instant gratification, nothing is more annoying than SEO and algorithms taking its sweet time to give you the fruits of your labor. And we've heard marketers say before that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. But if you're looking for quick outcomes in a short timeframe, probably best to spend the budget elsewhere. So with that, yeah, SEO is powerful and it's awesome, but it might not be for everyone. And I will end this by asking you, what examples have you you've seen or times where you've thought maybe this SEO campaign probably was not a good idea.
