3 Reasons Why Your Startup Doesn’t Need an SEO Consultant

You just started a new business and you need leads quickly. If you’re like most small business owners, the natural next step is to hire an SEO consultant and invest thousands of dollars in improving your search engine presence. After all, the more often you show up in search results, the more leads you’ll get – right? Welllll, yes and no. 

This might sound contradictory coming from a marketing agency but if you’re a small business or startup and just getting started in digital marketing, making SEO your initial focus may end up hurting your company down the line. 

Sure, SEO is a great way to get traffic to your site and increase your sales, but if you’re just starting out in the world of digital marketing, there are better ways to spend your time and money. Here are three reasons why you should focus on other aspects of digital marketing before you start investing in SEO.

SEO is a waiting game

The truth is that you won’t see any results for at least six months. Search engine optimization is a lengthy process, and you will see very few results if you don’t have the budget to make consistent investments. Spending too much time focusing on SEO before you’ve seen any results from your organic marketing efforts may cause you to deplete your reserves before you can reap the benefits. You also risk investing a lot of money in SEO, only to find that the outcome is not as effective as you expected. After months of hard work and high expectations, you may be disappointed to discover that you wasted several months and thousands of dollars on a marketing channel that doesn’t work for your business.

The best SEO plan will align closely with your goals.

Google’s Algorithm > SEO Consultants

Search engine algorithms change all. the. time. It’s not uncommon for shifts in Google’s algorithm to completely change the rankings of millions of websites overnight. While it’s good practice to stay up-to-date with these changes, it’s not something that a new business owner has the time or resources to do when other areas of their business need more attention. Because Google’s algorithm changes so often, chasing after SEO is not always the most reliable way to scale your business quickly. 

Content is king

Chances are that you just don’t have enough content yet. Content is king when it comes to SEO, so if you haven’t started blogging or creating useful content for your customers yet, then it won’t matter how well-optimized your website is — you won’t rank highly. When you’re just starting out, your best bet is to focus on creating rich and valuable content that increases your visibility on the web and drives traffic back to your website organically. Developing a social media presence also allows you to participate in discussions on relevant topics that are of interest to your target market. 

Great SEO takes time and technical skill.

Do I need an SEO Consultant?

The right SEO consultant will walk you through the steps of creating a digital marketing strategy that caters to your specific business needs.  If you relate to any of the points above, your business is not ready for an SEO-focused marketing strategy. So what should you do instead? Focus on the channels that will bring in leads today. For many small businesses, this means paying for leads with Google AdWords or investing in quality partnerships with complimentary businesses.

As your small business grows, it will make sense to invest in SEO and other digital marketing channels. Until then, focus on doing what works best for your business today, not what might work better in the future. That’s why it’s important to have a marketing strategy in place that doesn’t solely depend on organic search traffic. Without solid analytics on your audience and how they like to consume information online, hiring an SEO consultant just won’t have the impact you want it to. 

Did you know that Specter has been selected among the Top California Digital Marketing Agencies by Designrush?