One of the most common misconceptions about search engine optimization (SEO) is that it’s something that can just be done later. This mentality shows that some entrepreneurs still haven’t clearly grasped the essence of timing when it comes to optimizing content for search engines.
When more than 90 percent of people on the internet using search engines, it’s not a good idea to delay search engine optimization, especially if most of your target audience is actively using the internet.
Unfortunately, many business owners still don’t even understand how SEO actually grows their business. There needs to be an easier way to explain and properly convey how important search engine optimization is for business owners to truly grasp why implementing it as part of their overall digital marketing strategy should not be delayed.
3 Common Reasons Entrepreneurs Haven’t Jumped Into the SEO Bandwagon Yet
Before we tackle the reasons why delaying SEO is unfavorable, we should first point out the reasons why there are still so many business owners who are unfamiliar with or not yet convinced about the benefits of search engine optimization.
1. Believing Their Current Marketing Strategy is Enough to Keep Their Business Going.
In many cases, a business with a successful referral marketing strategy will not think they need SEO. When you acquire new customers through referrals, you tend to believe this will be enough and that any other marketing strategies don’t really matter. Unfortunately, this is where most business owners make a mistake. We’ll discuss this further below.
2. They Are Not Well-informed about Search Engine Optimization.
Sadly, despite an abundance of information on the internet and other mediums, there are still so many business owners who are not aware of search engine optimization or even digital marketing in general. Businesses sometimes stay away from concepts simply because they don’t understand it.
3. They Just Simply Don’t Understand How Internet Technology Works
One of the common reasons there are still many business owners who are not well-informed about SEO is because they just don’t grasp how today’s technology works. This stems from the fact that some are not from generations who are internet-savvy and the technological gap seems overwhelming. What topic is as alien to them as search engine optimization?
Why Is It Bad to Delay Incorporating SEO into Your Digital Marketing Strategy?
Perhaps knowing the common reasons for delaying incorporating SEO into your Digital Marketing Strategy will give you a clearer perspective on why you are losing prospects rather than gaining them.
1. Failing to Complement Your Other Marketing Strategies
By not optimizing your content or website for search engines, you failed to boost the results of your successful marketing strategies.
For example, if you have been successful at referral marketing, there is a higher chance that people who are referred to you will search about your brand online. When they search for your brand and are unable to find anything about your business, there’s a higher probability they will go to your competitors instead. The same can be said if people are able to find information about your brand but find the information unsatisfactory.
This can also happen to your other marketing strategies. A prospect that saw your product in an ad or read a post about your service in a social media post, is more likely to search more about your offer before they buy or subscribe to it. If you were unable to find more information after searching for a specific brand, what would you do as a consumer?
2. Prospects Searching for Your Business Online Will Go to Your Competitors
As mentioned above, your prospects might go to your competitors instead of becoming paying customers. Why? Consider the following scenario:
If you are ABC Company, and there’s a prospect who heard about your product from a friend, he goes online and searches for your brand. But, when the results are displayed, he cannot even find your brand on the first 2 pages of the search results (SERPs). The reason your brand isn’t showing up for him is because you’re not optimizing your website for the search engines.
Because your prospect cannot find anything online that confirms your claim about your product or service, he is more likely to look for another brand offering the same product or service.
3. Losing Online Exposure
Delaying SEO is equal to losing a great deal of your daily online exposure. Imagine the prospects you could have turned into paying customers if you had only showed up on the first page of a Google search or if you were ranking at the top of other SERPs. You will lose prospects and online exposure if you are not convinced that search engine optimization is a vital tool to help grow your business.
4. Losing Your Advantage in Sales
Because you lose online exposure and have prospects going to your competitors, you will obviously begin losing your advantage in sales. This dip will ultimately bring a negative impact on your profit and ROI in the long run.
If you still think SEO is not important, then you are doing your business a disservice.
5. Losing the Upper Hand in Establishing Your Online Authority
Time is not on your side when it comes to search engine optimization. The earlier you start, the better the opportunities you will have, especially when it comes to establishing your authority and credibility online.
Delaying your SEO is like giving your competitors the upper hand both in building authority and in sales. If this doesn’t alarm you, then we can’t think of anything else that would change your mind. Remember, regret always comes in the end.
There’s no better time to start your SEO than right now. If you don’t know how to get started, get the help of KISS PR’s team of SEO Experts. They’ve been helping entrepreneurs for 15 years grow their business through cost-effective search engine marketing strategies. Contact them at 972-437-8942, or fill in this form to request for a free consultation.
Sources & References:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/216573/worldwide-market-share-of-search-engines/
https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/united-states-of-america/2019
