Is SEO Worth the Money?

December 21, 2021 Lauren Taylar

As not only a Squarespace website designer but also an SEO specialist, one of the questions I get asked most often is the following: Is SEO (search engine optimization) worth the money?

First, let me preface my answer with the following information: While it doesn’t necessarily cost anything to do SEO for your website yourself, hiring an SEO strategist to ensure your website is putting its best (and most optimized) foot forward will require an investment (one which will range depending on the skill level and experience of the strategist you choose.)

For this reason, today, I am covering whether or not SEO (and hiring an SEO strategist) is worth the investment—and why.

SEO results can last a long time.

One of my favorite perks of optimized content on a website over the content on Facebook or Instagram is that, while Facebook or Instagram content lasts in your audience’s feed for (MAYBE) one day, SEO results can last for years.

If you get your blog, about page, or services page to rank on the first page of Google, it’s extremely likely that it will stay there for a long time—giving people a much better chance of finding you over time.

Which sounds better: investing hours and hours into content that will vanish by tomorrow morning, or investing your valuable time into content that will last for months or years to come?

It’s free compared to ads.

As I mentioned before, the process of actually optimizing a website doesn’t cost any money. Therefore, it doesn’t cost money to rank on the first page of search results on Google if it’s SEO that got you there.

This is MUCH cheaper than paying for ads on Google or other platforms, which can cost hundreds of dollars per day—and which stop getting you leads as soon as you turn them off.

Think of it like this: hiring an SEO expert is a one-time fee that will keep your content ranking, while running ads requires payment every single time.

Ideal clients and customers are actively searching for solutions to their problems.

When someone finds your content based on one of the relevant keywords you’ve optimized your web content for, it means they were actively searching for that content—and that they want to read it.

This is extremely important because it increases the chances that the user will follow the call to action you’re presenting on said website page, whether it’s booking a call, signing up for a course, or subscribing to your newsletter.

One person who is looking for your exact content can convert much better than one hundred people seeing your content who simply aren’t interested. Therefore, when wondering, “Is SEO worth the money?” this is something major to consider!

Think about it this way: If people see your products or services on social media, they might try to find them again eventually, when they’re ready—but people finding you through SEO are ready (and looking) for your products and services right now, and are often ready to make the investment.

Even at the time of writing this, someone who I have never spoken to set up a call and said they wanted to talk because they Googled “Squarespace SEO expert” and saw me at the top of the search results. That instilled instant credibility because 1) I’m on page 1 of Google for a specific service and 2) it shows I walk my talk and actually implement SEO for my own business.

If you need to step away from your business, people are still finding you.

Another perk of SEO over social media?

You don’t have to devote time to it every day in order to stay relevant. Think about it this way—if you go even a few days without posting on Instagram or Facebook, your content is not going to be seen in any of your followers’ feeds.

However, you can step away from your website for weeks or even months, and it will continue to rank on Google—allowing people to find your content even when you’re not actively promoting it.

Of course, you don't want to go radio silent for a year and not publish a single blog post. But it allows breathing room if you need it so you can wave goodbye to the stress of showing up on social media every single day.

This makes great SEO essential to passive business models such as selling ebooks or courses, and, at the very least, takes a lot of the everyday work out of business models that aren’t as passive

While it might not seem like a huge deal, when it comes time to take a vacation or when an unexpected emergency pops up, it will be a major relief to know that your business is still working for you!

Page 1 ranking correlates with instant authority and expertise.

Websites on the first page of Google search results don’t just get more clicks—they get more trust, too. When someone sees your content ranking on the first page of Google, it gives your website instant authority and gives readers more confidence in your content.

If you are looking to establish yourself as a thought leader or an expert in your field, taking the time to get SEO right on your website is essential.

I highly recommend working with an SEO strategist in order to do this, especially if you are a course creator or professional blogger!

When free blog content is helpful, it encourages readers to take the next step with you.

Last, but certainly not least, when your blog content is easily accessible online—and helpful to your readers—your readers will appreciate it!

This can mean exponentially more conversions, whether it’s buying your products, booking a discovery call, or signing up for courses or workshops you’re offering!

In addition, readers know that if you are able to give them valuable information for free, you have much more paid valuable content to share.

Oftentimes, this will convert to investment in your products or services, as you’ve already given potential clients or customers a sneak peek into what you have to offer, and given them a reason to trust you.