Search engine optimisation isn’t always sheer pleasure. Sure, it involves a lot of learning and a business gets a large return on the time it invests, but the upheaval of overhauling your entire site isn’t necessarily unadulterated fun. In fact, a lot of businesses shy away from search engine optimisation because it is sometimes a bit of a chore.

Obviously, putting something off because it is hard work does not make good business sense. Everyone does it, however, and it’s only in recognising the signs of procrastination that you can combat it.

Excuse number one: ‘We don’t have the time’

Search engine optimisation does involve a time investment, just like any maintenance on your site requires time. It’s possible to plunge into the optimisation process by taking the whole site down while it’s being worked on, but this isn’t a viable option for most businesses. SEO companies are aware that your business can’t afford to be without a site for weeks at a time, and a schedule that is acceptable to all parties is usually easy to work out. You can talk to us at SEO Consult about SEO scheduling.

Excuse number two: ‘We have better uses for the marketing budget’

It’s true that SEO is a form of online marketing, but it’s a lot more than that. Search engine optimisation is an investment in the long-term health of your site. While it’s possible for a business to get by on the traffic organically attracted from the search engines, it’s impossible for a business to succeed if it never appears in search results. SEO has a far broader reach than almost any other marketing technique.

Excuse number three: ‘SEO takes too long to work’

While most forms of online marketing are short-term, SEO is very much long-term. It not only takes longer than other forms of marketing to kick in, but it also lasts for a much longer time. This means the initial optimisation period can be frustrating when you impose regular marketing expectations on SEO. It also means that SEO results are very impressive compared to regular marketing. How often does a paid ad campaign bring in traffic a year after you’ve stopped paying for it?

Excuse number four: ‘We can’t afford it’

SEO is often compared with marketing when it comes to outcome, but marketers are very shy about making the same comparison when it comes to fees. Search engine optimisation services are usually much cheaper than a marketing campaign, and not only because advertisement placements don’t have to be paid for on your own site. SEO services on the whole prove more cost-effective than marketing campaigns. This doesn’t mean that marketing campaigns aren’t worthwhile. It just means that the two methods can’t really be compared, as their objects and outcomes are rather different.

SEO is all about improving your site across the board. Businesses often find that after their initial SEO their site doesn’t just work better with the search engines, but attracts better forms of traffic and retains more users once they’re on the site. Sometimes, there are legitimate reasons to defer SEO. Don’t let the poor reasons put you off.

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