Can you get away without SEO in 2013?

You might think it’s a little strange for an internet marketing company to be writing about whether you need SEO or not. However, at Artemis we’re always completely honest when it comes to helping our customers, and the reality is that there are some businesses that don’t need an SEO campaign. However, these are relatively unusual, so we’re going to give you a quick overview of the types of business that will and won’t benefit from SEO.

In actual fact, the simple way to establish whether you should be using SEO is your attitude towards your business. If you want your business to grow online, SEO is for you. However, we’re aware that there are some very small, usually family-run businesses that are happy with things the way they are. Often, these businesses don’t even have a website, and are able to make a living from their regulars who are loyal enough to carry on returning over the years. Word of mouth may be enough for these businesses, and SEO may simply overwhelm them with more new business than they can handle.

However, at the other end of the scale, there is no real limit to the size of a site using SEO. Even the biggest brands in the world with a vast global presence, such as Coca Cola and McDonald’s, make use of SEO. Just because they are internationally recognised brands, this doesn’t mean they can rest on their laurels and rely on their status to keep them at the top of the rankings. While they will get many of their searches from their own brand name, McDonald’s want to make sure that if someone searches ‘fast food restaurant’, they find the Golden Arches rather than a rival such as Burger King.

All other businesses in between, if they are interested in expanding their online presence and driving traffic to their website, need to get involved in SEO. Even if you’re part of a niche market or have naturally ended up in the #1 spot of the search results by luck, the internet is always changing, and as your rivals take up SEO services, they could easily leapfrog you and leave you behind. It’s better to stay ahead of the game and prepare a killer SEO campaign to see off your competitors and hold your spot at the top of the rankings.