7 things to consider before spending too much time (or money) on SEO

Over the past couple of years, we’ve had hundreds of enquiries from small Norfolk businesses looking for marketing support. The most common question by far is about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The second most common is about social media algorithms (which we’ll explore in a future blog).

It’s easy to understand why SEO is appealing. For sole traders and microbusinesses, marketing is just one of many hats you’re already wearing alongside running the day-to-day business. On paper, SEO sounds like the perfect solution: tweak your website, rise up the rankings, and watch the customers roll in.

But the reality is more complex. For most small businesses, SEO is definitely worth understanding and implementing at a basic level. For many though it isn’t necessarily the golden ticket it’s made out to be. Before investing significant time or money, here are seven important things to consider.

Everyone has access to the same advice

One of the challenges with SEO is that it’s not a secret formula. On one level, that’s a good thing. There’s loads of freely available advice, ranging from in-depth developer guides from Google to step-by-step blogs written in plain English like this one by MailChimp. 

The downside is that your competitors have access to the same information. There’s an even greater challenge in competitive industries like hospitality or retail. Larger businesses can afford entire teams or agencies dedicated to SEO and digital marketing. That level of resource makes it difficult for small businesses to keep pace.

Implementing SEO basics is sensible for everyone, but beyond that, trying to “out-optimise” bigger players with more budget is often a losing battle. The smarter approach could be to focus on areas where you can make a difference, such as showcasing your local expertise or building a strong Google Business Profile.

Moving up the rankings isn’t always a win

SEO success is often measured by where you appear on Google’s results pages. But ranking higher doesn’t always translate into meaningful outcomes. Moving from page 20 to page 11 might sound like progress, but very few people scroll that far. Even reaching the top of page two won’t have the same impact as appearing on page one.

There’s also the issue of keywords. You might be ranking highly for a phrase that nobody is actually searching for, which means all that effort won’t deliver any new enquiries or sales. This doesn’t mean low-volume searches are worthless (in some cases, niche keywords can bring in highly relevant leads) but it does highlight the need to define success carefully. The goal should be more than “climbing the rankings”; it should be about attracting the right kind of visitors who are likely to become customers.

Keywords are powerful (but tricky to get right)

Keywords are the words and phrases people type into search engines when they’re looking for products or services. Having the right ones on your website can make you more visible, but using them well is an art as much as a science.

Tools like Semrush or even ChatGPT can help identify possible keywords, but simply sprinkling them throughout your site isn’t enough. Poorly written, keyword-heavy content can turn visitors away or fail to convert them into customers. Worse still, overusing keywords (sometimes called “keyword stuffing”) can lead to penalties from Google that actually damage your rankings. The balance is in weaving keywords naturally into authentic, useful content that reflects your brand voice and meets the needs of your audience. 

Good content beats clever tricks

Google’s algorithms are designed to reward websites that provide value to users. That means a site that’s logically structured, loads quickly (especially on mobile), is accessible to people with visual impairments, and contains clear, authoritative content will always perform better in the long run than one that relies on shortcuts or gimmicks. Backlinks from other reputable sites are also a signal to Google that your content is trustworthy.

For small businesses, this can actually be an advantage. You may not be able to compete with big brands on scale, but you can compete on quality and relevance. A well-written blog post that genuinely helps your customers, or a clear and easy-to-navigate site, can often achieve more than technical tricks designed to “game” the system.

SEO takes time (and usually, money)

SEO doesn’t usually deliver quick wins. It’s a long-term investment that requires patience. Even after optimising your site, results can take months to show, and Google’s algorithms are constantly changing, meaning your rankings may fluctuate over time.

If you decide to hire an expert, be prepared for the costs. A reputable local provider will usually charge around £500 a month, often on a six- or twelve-month minimum contract. For some businesses, that’s money well spent. For others, especially those with tight budgets, the return on investment may not be as strong as putting the same resources into other marketing channels like email campaigns, social media advertising, or community networking. It’s important to weigh up whether SEO is the right place to allocate your limited marketing spend.

The search results page ain’t what it used to be

Even if you do manage to rank first for a keyword, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll appear at the very top of the search results. Increasingly, Google gives priority to things like Google Maps listings, Google Business Profiles, AI-generated overviews, and paid ads. This means that traditional SEO can only ever get you so far.

Consumer behaviour is also shifting rapidly. Over half of product searches now start on Amazon, and nearly half of young people are using social media instead of traditional search engines. Add in the rise of voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, plus AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, and the way people discover businesses is changing fast. For many small businesses, investing in a strong Google Business Profile or building a presence on the right social platforms may deliver more impact than chasing website rankings alone. These are two topics we’ll cover in blogs over the next couple of months. 

Make SEO part of a balanced strategy

The truth is, SEO has always been just one piece of the puzzle. Don’t forget that even in its prime, it only ever reached those customers who were actively searching for your product or service. For small businesses, it’s essential to view SEO as one tool in your marketing toolkit rather than the whole strategy.

A balanced approach might include maintaining a basic level of SEO best practice, but also investing in other areas: building a loyal audience through email newsletters, developing a local reputation through networking, or engaging customers via social media. These channels can often deliver more tangible results for less cost and with greater control.

The bottom line 

Search still matters, but it’s not the magic bullet it’s sometimes made out to be. Before committing large amounts of time or money, consider how SEO fits into your overall goals, whether it’s realistic in your sector, and what other channels might give you more immediate results.

If you’re a small Norfolk business feeling overwhelmed, we can help - from training courses to Navigator (our monthly email newsletter), to free monthly meet-ups and workshops in Cromer. We’ll also be covering loads of the topics covered here in future blogs so follow us on socials or subscribe to Navigator to be among the first to get them. You can find out more on the Community page of our website.