07 Aug Why You Shouldn’t Pause SEO

‘Google it’. How many times before have you heard this response when someone asks for information? It makes sense considering Google is a search engine so big, it’s one of the only brand names to have become a verb. And for good reason too – these days it’s almost archaic to consult a directory or call a friend for advice on a business, product or service, when everything is at your virtual fingertips. Add to this a global pandemic that has resulted in people all over the world becoming converts to the digital economy more than at any time in history. With all of this taken in consideration, you’d be hard-pressed to find reasons for thinking your business can survive online invisibility.

For many business owners, service providers and marketers, that is exactly the trap they may be tempted to fall into. Preoccupied by a downturn in economic activity and trying to make ends meet while sitting out the worst, the last thing on anyone’s priority list may be uploading new, relevant content to keep your SEO rankings solid. After all, you may still be getting website traffic and business leads based on prior efforts on the content marketing front. So why not go into neutral SEO gear while you focus on other things you think are more pressing, right? Well, here’s why you should be doing exactly the opposite.

Adapt, or die

It’s a well-known fact that when the going gets tough, marketing budgets get going. But look at any business that’s survived a tough collective time, and you’re sure to find that not only did they have grit, they also had ‘guts’ – the guts to innovate and do what their competitors didn’t. You may not have the budget to spend on great written SEO content, but you may be able to record an interesting audio clip on your phone, or record a YouTube video, however basic.

Do you really want to take the risk that while you’re fretting about not being able to do anything, your competitor is trying something; a little ‘something’ that could end up keeping your competitor top of mind and winning over new audiences. And when you’re not seen and heard enough, you’ll be overlooked, possibly for good. Tough times mean that only the brave will survive.

Time is not on your side

Many marketing managers agree that thanks to the cost-effectiveness of creating solid SEO-rich content and the longevity of the ROI, organic SEO methods by far outperform paid media, self-researched leads and outward-facing marketing. SEO is considered the mainstay by most, and likely so.

Sure, paid search can lead to a quick and sudden upswing in traffic and product uptake. But no pay, no gain. By contrast, organic SEO takes longer to build up as well as taper off – which underscores why you should never taper off, but keep that content turning over. Some effort is better than total suspension. By the time you’re rearing to go, your competitor has acquired your lead, and converted it into a sale. By the time you’re finally ranking well and visibly again, that lead could be lost to you for good.

Pausing your SEO strategy is not something you can simply “pick up where you left off”. It can take months to recover the lost rankings, and during this time there’s a good chance that your competitors would have outranked you. Is it really worth the risk?

When you’re invisible, you don’t exist, according to consumers

Not having an online presence – which in most cases means ranking lower down than three or five in any search – makes you invisible. In the eyes of consumers, that lack of visibility equates to not existing at all.

In the world of micro attention spans and competing platforms, you need to rank high so that you’re seen in the brief few seconds that people spend on search result pages or websites in general.

Basically, that means you can never be caught napping – and with consistent, not sporadic effort – there’s no reason why that should ever be. The beauty of a properly executed SEO strategy, however simple it may be, means your product is being marketed even while you’re sleeping or not actively marketing right that instant. The same cannot be said of paid marketing, where there’s no level of ‘cruise control’ to be reached without ever-increasing advertising spend and effort.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it simply doesn’t make sense to stop a marketing tool that could be working for you while you’re away or sleeping. It makes about as much sense as leaving a decent sum of money in the bank and being satisfied with zero percent interest, and, eventually, a decline in your capital, too.

Paid marketing is renting the house. Organic SEO is owning it. The trick? Maintaining the house.

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