SEO Expectations: What SEO can and can’t do for you

Search engine optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, comprises of many hotly debated and misunderstood topics. Some people claim it’s the be-all and end-all of online marketing, while others say that SEO wastes time and money. So what’s the truth? Is SEO worth your investment?

The answer to that question depends on your expectations for SEO. 

You will probably be disappointed if you expect SEO to magically turn your website into a top result on Google overnight. However, if you understand the basics of SEO and you’re willing to put in the effort, then SEO can be an incredibly valuable strategy for improving your website’s visibility and driving more traffic to your site.

What Expectations Should You Have For An SEO Campaign?

When we look to answer the question of what expectations you should have for an SEO campaign, we need to break our answer down to traffic, leads, sales, and timeline expectations.

The traffic you can expect

Traffic expectations can swing widely from one industry to another. Also, your geographical target will affect the amount of traffic you can expect to receive. We have a couple of general statistics that might help you better understand how much traffic your business might receive.

• The average local business website receives 414 visitors per month. (2019, BrightLocal)
• Over 53% of website traffic comes from search engines. (BrightEdge)

SEO is not a miracle worker and cannot guarantee instant traffic or overnight success. The amount of traffic you can expect from SEO depends on many factors, including the competitiveness of your industry and the strength of your competition. However, if you are patient and invest the time and effort into SEO, you should see an increase in organic traffic over time.

The leads you can expect

SEO is a powerful tool for generating leads. However, it’s not a guarantee of success. Several key components must be considered when determining the number of leads you can expect from SEO. These factors include website quality, your specific SEO campaign, and the competitiveness of your industry.

The sales you can expect

SEO cannot guarantee sales, but it can help increase the chances of making a sale. The number of sales you can expect from SEO will depend on many factors, including your website’s quality, your SEO campaign’s quality, and your industry’s competitiveness.

However, SEO can help you increase your website’s visibility and content. This increased visibility will give you more opportunities to reach your target audience and convert them into customers.

How long will it take to rank with traditional SEO

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The amount of time it takes to rank on Google depends on a variety of factors, including:

1. the competitiveness of your industry,
2. the age and quality of your website’s content,
3. how well you’ve optimized your site for SEO,

and more.

How long will it take to rank on Google Maps

If you’re looking to rank your business on Google Maps, you’re in luck – it can often take only a few months. This is because ranking for Google Maps relies much more on local SEO factors than traditional SEO. Optimizing your business’s Google My Business listing gives you a better chance of ranking in the coveted 3-pack.

Unrealistic Expectations People Have About SEO

People have unrealistic expectations about SEO. They think it can do everything for their website and business when SEO is only one part of the marketing puzzle. To be successful, businesses need to clearly understand what SEO can and cannot do for them.

SEO Is Not Set It and Forget It

SEO is not a one-shot set-it-and-forget-it solution. It takes time to build up your ranking, and you must continually work at it to maintain your position. This is because search engines are constantly changing their algorithms, so what worked yesterday may not work today. You must stay ahead of the curve by continually adapting your SEO strategy to keep up with the changes.

Speed of Ranking Misinformation

One of the most common pieces of misinformation about SEO is that you can rank a website quickly if you use the right combination of keywords and backlinks. While it is true that SEO can help your site rank higher in search engine results pages, there is no magical formula that will make this happen overnight. In fact, it often takes months or even years to see significant results from an SEO campaign. This is because search engines are constantly changing their algorithms, and what works today may not work tomorrow. So don’t be discouraged if your website doesn’t rank immediately at the top of the search results – patience and a long-term approach are essential for SEO.

Time and Budget Constraints

When it comes to SEO, many businesses are under the impression that they can throw a little money at the problem and watch their website traffic skyrocket. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. SEO is an investment; like all investments, it requires time and money to see results.

For an SEO campaign to be successful, you must be prepared to invest time and money. Time is necessary to research keywords, create content, build links, and perform other tasks essential to SEO success. Money is necessary to hire an SEO consultant or agency and pay for other services that can help improve your website’s ranking.

If you’re not prepared to make this kind of investment, then you should not expect significant results from your SEO campaign. However, if you are willing to put in the time and money needed for success, you can see some fantastic results.

All you need are some blog posts

There is a false belief that a website can rank by creating blog posts. This is generally not true. SEO is a long-term investment that requires ongoing effort and regular maintenance to achieve and maintain high rankings. Blogging can be a part of your SEO strategy, but it is not a replacement for other essential elements such as keyword research, link building, and other on-page optimization.

All you need are backlinks

SEO is one of the most complex and misunderstood aspects of web design and marketing. Many believe that if they buy a few backlinks, their website will shoot to the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs). Unfortunately, this is not the case.

SEO is about creating valuable content that will rank high in SERPs naturally. This means optimizing your website and content for search engines and providing valuable information and services to your customers. Simply buying backlinks will not help you achieve this goal.

In fact, purchasing backlinks can actually hurt your SEO efforts and get your website penalized by Google. So, if you want to improve your SEO ranking, focus on creating great content and building solid backlinks naturally.

Get the most out of SEO

SEO is a powerful tool that can help you improve your website’s visibility and drive more traffic to your site. However, having realistic expectations for what SEO can and cannot do for you is crucial.

To get the most out of an SEO campaign, you need to be willing to put in the effort and understand how SEO works. You’ll likely be disappointed if you’re looking for a quick fix or expecting SEO to work miracles. Let us help you set reasonable expectations for your next SEO campaign and create a strategy to help your business succeed online.