Need, don’t need?…..

I think any business that gets quality SEO advice from the get go, is far more likely to thrive than one that doesnt.

I think in the near future we will see a lot of business fall, because they have the wrong search marketing vision.

Stuart

@Mike – I don’t consider SMO, viral marketing, ect as part of SEO. They have an after affect that helps SEO and that is why so many SEOs are getting in SMO but if you are using SMO just for links for SEO purposes you are ignoring 80% of SMOs benefit.

@Rick – I have multiple SEO clients who is they did not receive a single click from Google would have no problems remaining profitable and in business. I can’t talk directly about my own client specifics but I can give you a public example of an online business that is successful without SEO. http://www.AuctionAds.com. They are growing like a rocket and I don’t think that success came because of SEO. It came from proper investment capital, good business plan, and an owner who knows how to market himself and his offerings and has spent the time to build relationships that make it all possible. If AuctionAds never received a click of traffic from any organic search engine, nothing would change for them. Also JohnChow.com was penalized in Google and his traffic keeps going up. He is not defendant on organic traffic either.

@Greg – Glad to hear you are making a transition. This was sort of the point of the article. I want people to look at their business model and ask themselves if they could stay profitable and even prosper without one single click from organic search engines. If not, then it’s time to consider making some massive changes to their business plan. Most people will swear up and down there is no way for them to get banned from the search engines cause they are squeaky clean but search engines are fickle. Squeaky clean websites can and do disappear from the search engines all the time. Anyone can be next.

The biggest misconception out there about SEO is that it generates free traffic. Nothing could be farther from the truth. That used to be the case, but SEO in today’s world is quickly becoming more and more expensive.

The “throw mud against the wall and see what sticks” business model is good when it works, and it definitely worked for us. However, it is becoming infeasible, and that is why in recent years, our strategy has had to change to a more traditional “build a brand” approach. I cannot claim that we are all of a sudden more legitimate–we simply adapted our strategy to the market change.

Silly article – all assertion, no case study or evidence. The proper way to think about this is

1) Does the business need a site AT ALL? If so, why? You may want a site that is mostly a way for people in your local market to find your single store – or you might sell your entire inventory from the site and be looking to expand your reach beyond your local market.

2) Build the site with those goals in mind.

3) Use your answer to #1 determine traffic generation tactics (and of course to have determined the site design and copy).

4) Analyze, test and refine if the site is an important component of driving traffic to your store or if you sell from it. If it’s just a brochure site (and you WANT it that way after due analyis), just make sure it’s up.

I’ve told some business folks that they dont need SEO because of their need for say a targeted audience (C-level execs), etc. I’m not going to lie about it; we’re not here to steal money (I know many feel otherwise about marters), marketers are here to help businesses grow.

No amount of SEO will save a bad business. But a Good Business, will (by definition) pursue the correct strategies and execute the correct tactics to acquire and retain customers in the long, medium and short term.

If that strategy/tactic includes SEO or not is part of the “Good Business” decision that needs to be made. Likewise, for any other sales, marketing and PR channel.

PPC advertising is expensive, and contraction through acquisition in the marketplace combined with increasing competition is only going to raise the prices and lower ROI on PPC campaigns. Oragnic searches should be a component to any online business model. However, if should not be the only component.

Mike

SEO is not the end all be all, but it is a very effective aspect of the overall business plan.