When Does It Make Sense to Invest More in SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is an invaluable tool for driving relevant traffic and generating leads for your website. With more than 68% of online experiences beginning with a search engine, SEO can have a substantial impact on traffic, leads, and profitability. In the UK, many companies are actively using SEO tactics to improve their online visibility, making it a competitive landscape where knowing when and how to invest in SEO is crucial to staying ahead.

At Koozai, we are specialists in SEO with nearly 20 years of experience helping businesses enhance their search engine rankings. Drawing on our extensive experience, this article will guide you through the key scenarios when it makes the most sense to invest more in SEO.

When the Keyword Data Shows You’re Missing Out on a Big Opportunity

One of the clearest signals that it’s time to invest more in SEO is when keyword data reveals significant opportunities that you aren’t yet capitalising on. By using Google’s Keyword Planner, first identify the keywords people are using in relation to your products or services and the search volumes associated with them. High search volumes for relevant keywords indicate a robust market, signalling potential untapped growth for your business that could be capitalised on via SEO.

Next, examine your website’s performance for these keywords using Google Search Console. If you find that you’re not ranking well for high-volume and highly relevant keywords, it’s a strong indication that there’s an opportunity to improve your SEO efforts. Investing in targeted SEO strategies can help you capture this untapped market, driving more traffic and, ultimately, more leads to your site.

When the Data Suggests That Your Website Has Technical Issues

Technical issues can severely hinder your website’s ability to rank well in search engines, making it critical to address them promptly. Google Search Console provides some reports on various technical issues, such as pages not being indexed, mobile usability errors, and slow page loading speeds.

Additionally, a sudden and unexplained drop in traffic could indicate a technical problem. If your website was previously driving leads but isn’t anymore, this is a clear sign that technical SEO issues might be at play. In these cases, if quick fixes don’t resolve the problem, investing in professional SEO services to diagnose and fix these issues is essential to restoring your website’s performance and ensuring it continues to generate valuable leads.

When Your Website Lacks Authority

A website’s domain authority plays a crucial role in its ability to rank for competitive keywords. Tools like Moz, SEMrush, and Ahrefs allow you to compare your website’s domain authority against your competitors on a scale of 1 to 100. If your domain authority is significantly lower than your competitors, it’s possible that this is holding your site back from ranking well in search engines like Google. In this scenario, investing more in SEO (and specifically link building or digital PR) may be key to boost your website’s performance.

One of the most effective ways to improve domain authority is through link-building or digital PR campaigns. These campaigns aim to secure high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites, such as online news outlets or industry blogs, which positively impact your site’s credibility in the eyes of search engines. It’s advisable to start with a comprehensive backlink audit to determine if links are indeed a problem and then work with SEO professionals to build a strategy that improves your site’s authority.

When Your Website Isn’t Ranking for Relevant Long-Tail Keyword Opportunities

Long-tail keywords are often less competitive but highly specific search phrases that users make when they are looking for answers to questions or more in-depth information on products, services, or issues related to your area of expertise. Ranking for these keywords can be a great way to capture the attention of target audiences early on the customer journey or when they are doing product research.

Creating long-tail editorial content also helps to build “topical clusters” of related articles or content assets around a specific topic or service area related to a keyword pool you want to target. This can support search rankings for long-tail keywords and enhance your website’s overall relevance in search engines for key topics. To identify these opportunities, use Google Keyword Planner to find long-tail keywords and then check Google Search Console to see how you’re currently ranking for them. If there are lots of relevant long tail keywords you should be ranking for, it may be an opportunity to invest more in on-page SEO and content production.

When There Isn’t Intense Competition for Your Target Keywords

If there are lots of high-volume, high-intent keywords related to your products or services with relatively low competition, this represents a prime opportunity for SEO investment. 

Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner will allow you to conduct keyword research to find this out, while tools like SEMrush can provide a gauge on the competition level for keywords and identify areas where your business can easily gain visibility.

Investing in SEO when keyword competition is low can help you establish a strong foothold before your competitors catch on, especially if the search volume and user intent is correct.

When You’re Relying Too Heavily (or Only) on Paid Ads

Paid advertising, such as PPC, is an effective way to generate immediate traffic and leads. However, over-reliance on paid ads alone can become costly over time. 

If your PPC campaigns are driving significant traffic for particular keywords, this may also indicate that ranking organically for those keywords could be highly lucrative.

Investing in SEO to improve your organic rankings for these keywords reduces dependency on paid ads, improving your overall ROI and cost per acquisition. In the long term, this also frees up your PPC budget to be used more strategically elsewhere, such as for targeting new markets or launching more targeted digital marketing campaigns.

When the Data Shows That Organic Traffic Already Converts into Valuable Leads

Google Analytics allows you to track how organic traffic is driving conversions on your site (if you have the right goals set up). If you find that even limited organic traffic is already generating a decent percentage of your conversions, this is a strong indicator that further investment in SEO could be highly beneficial.

Enhancing your SEO to attract more organic traffic can lead to a proportional increase in valuable traffic or leads, making it a wise area for further investment. Prioritising SEO in this context can significantly boost your overall business performance by capturing a larger share of the market.

When You Can’t Find Your Business on Google

It may seem basic, but if your business doesn’t appear in Google search results, there’s likely a significant issue with your website’s SEO. This could be due to technical issues, such as improper indexing or a Google penalty, that are preventing your site from being visible in search engines.

In such cases, it’s crucial to invest in a technical SEO audit to diagnose and fix the underlying problems. Ensuring that your website is discoverable on Google is fundamental, even if your business primarily operates offline. Potential customers or partners searching for your company’s brand name, location, contact details, or services need to be able to find you easily, or you risk losing valuable opportunities.

When Your Target Audience Goes to Google for Products or Services First

If market research or keyword analysis shows that your target audience frequently turns to Google to find products or services like yours, it’s a clear sign that you should consider investing more in SEO. Understanding what keywords your potential customers are searching for and the search volume associated with them will help you prioritise your SEO efforts.

When the data confirms that your audience relies on search engines for purchasing decisions or service inquiries, enhancing your SEO can lead to significant growth in traffic, leads, and revenue. Failing to invest in SEO under these circumstances could mean missing out on a substantial portion of your market.

When Not to Over-Invest in SEO

While SEO is often a worthwhile investment, there are situations where over-investing may not be the best strategy. For instance, if your target audience isn’t searching for your services in search engines, or if your product or service is so new that consumers don’t yet know they need it, SEO might not yield immediate results. In these cases, focusing on more proactive marketing strategies, such as paid social media advertising or PR, may be more effective.

Additionally, if your market research shows that your audience doesn’t use search engines for the products or services you offer, you may not wish to over-invest in SEO. According to research, 51% of shoppers use Google to find new products. However, if your product doesn’t fall within that category, it may be better to allocate resources to other marketing channels, such as PR.

The Bottom Line on When to Invest in SEO

Deciding on when to invest more in SEO requires a holistic analysis of multiple factors, from keyword opportunities and technical issues to competition levels and audience behaviour. You may also want to consider how far your resources or budget could stretch when it comes to SEO. Ultimately, the decision to invest more in SEO should be guided by comprehensive data analysis. Consider all the points discussed in this article collectively rather than in isolation to make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals.  While SEO can provide long-term benefits and substantial ROI in most cases, it’s also essential to recognise when other marketing channels, such as PPC, paid social media ads or PR, might be more suitable.