As a business owner (especially small business owners), you need to be aware of what you can expect SEO to accomplish for your business. Some people think SEO is the magic bullet for increasing sales. For some industries, it is. Others, not so much. Let me pose a few scenarios and help you make informed business decisions on use of SEO consultants.
If your business is suseptible to business cycles, then you should be aware that the effectiveness of your SEO campaign will also be suseptible to those same cycles.
First off… reasonable SEO expectations
SEO is Internet Marketing… a branch of your overall marketing strategy. I believe there is a growing buzz that SEO is the be-all, end-all of business marketing. For some very niche industries, this is a true statement. But for the vast majority of businesses, SEO should be one component of your overall marketing strategy.
So, that means that you need to set reasonable expectations for the results of your SEO campaign. Further, if you are seeking an SEO consultant, DO NOT buy into the common lies of dramatic increased sales, and all that mumbo-jumbo. Any SEO consultant who ‘guarantees’ increased sales is a shiester and should be avoided at all costs. SEOs who know what they are doing will talk to you about what you expect to achieve with your SEO campaign.
Back to business cycles…
External influences of Business Cycles on SEO
If your business is affected by the economy, or any other external factor, then your SEO campaign effectivness will probably also be affected proportionally.
For example… I often work on a friend’s site who is a home inspector. He is ranking in the top 10 (if not #1) for terms like “<county> home inspector”, or “<city, state> home inspector”. However, people simply aren’t looking for home inspectors right now! The housing market is bad, and people aren’t buying like they used to, therefore, they aren’t hiring home inspectors like they used to either.
Another industry that I’ve briefly worked with is beading eCommerce. Beading… as in the hobby where you make things, like jewelry, out of beads. Beading is a hobby, and when the economy is down, people make choices to reign in spending, and hobbies are one of the casualties of a tight budget. So, no matter what we did, the number of people searching for beads was simply not there.
Non-Economic examples of Business Cycles and SEO
Another example of business cycles affecting SEO, but not necessarily tied to external or economic factors, are seasonal businesses.
It should be obvious that no amount of SEO is going to increase sales dramatically of fireworks…. except near July 4th.
Another example is tax preparation. I’ve represented tax shops who have greatly increased in new clients directly as a result of an effective SEO campaign. But it only happens after the first of the year, and only lasts until taxes are due. The rest of the year is flat.
Summary
The point of this article is to simply bring to your awareness that SEO, like all elements of business, is subject to business cycle influence. Keep your expectations reasonable. SEO is not the magic bullet, in most situations. However, SEO is a powerful supplement to your overall marketing strategy.
No related posts.
