Pros & Cons of SEO: Is It Right for Your Business?

What’s Taylor Swift’s net worth? What’s the weather today? Why does my lower back hurt?

If you’ve come here to find the answers to any of those questions, then I have bad news for you. 

I’ve tricked you.

Those are all key phrases that auto-populate on Google because many people search for them. (To be honest, that last one might be based on my own search history. I think there’s something wrong with my mattress.)

By including popular search terms in this blog, I’ve engaged in search engine optimization (SEO). Though, as we’ll see, those terms probably won’t help much because search engines are smarter than that. Let’s find out how SEO really works.

Understanding Search Engine Optimization

SEO is the strategy of increasing a website’s visibility in search rankings by using relevant keywords. By using phrases people frequently search for, marketers and content writers can get websites to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). This strategy works for numerous search engines, including Bing, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and Google.

SEO is fundamentally different from other forms of marketing, but it is integral to an overall digital strategy.

The Role of SEO in Digital Marketing

Before we get into the pros and cons of SEO, it might help to explain its role in a digital marketing strategy. SEO is effective at bringing people to your website who might be interested in your products or services. Effective SEO gets people to look at a marketing asset, whether that’s a blog, a landing page or anything else.

Here are five key facets of SEO:

• Technical SEO: Technical SEO is the “under-the-hood” part of SEO. It focuses on the mechanics of how your website functions, such as site speed and mobile responsiveness.
• Keyword research: Using tools such as Ahrefs or Semrush, you can find keywords and phrases that people often search for which relate to your business. 
• Content marketing: Stuffing aimless articles with keywords is unlikely to impress your audience or a search engine. Quality content marketing is a creative process that blends valuable information, good writing and keywords to boost website traffic. 
• User experience (UX): UX concerns creating a welcoming and enjoyable environment for a website. Intuitive navigation, logical content and pleasing aesthetics all help create a positive UX.
• Link building: By forging relationships with other websites, you can increase traffic to yours and show search engines your site is worthy of their SERP. External links are essentially endorsements from other websites, while internal links are connectors within your own website that encourage logical navigation.

Top 7 Pros of SEO: Why It’s a Powerful Strategy

Search engine optimization wouldn’t be as popular and well-known as it is if it didn’t work. Here are some advantages you can enjoy by executing an effective SEO campaign:

1. Increased Targeted Traffic

The goal of SEO content is to increase traffic to your website. In theory, you could do this by just writing a lot about Taylor Swift. But unless you sell something the Swifties want, that traffic won’t be very valuable. True SEO success comes from increasing targeted traffic. Including local SEO efforts helps you find leads in your area.

via GIPHY

2. A Better Conversion Rate

If you include popular search terms in your content that relate to what you sell, then you’re receiving traffic from visitors who are likely to be interested in your products or services. Such visitors are much more valuable because they’re easier to convert than someone who’s just emotionally invested in Taylor’s relationship with that football man.

3. Measurable Results

As part of a digital campaign, search engine marketing offers a lot of data. With SEO marketing, you can track how your search engine ranking changes over time, fluctuations in website traffic and the correlation between that traffic and sales. A platform such as Google Analytics can provide a wealth of information, even at a detailed level. You can see a customer’s journey, from the keywords they searched to the pages with which they engaged.

4. More Authority

Ranking high on SERPs can create a positive feedback loop. If your site is high on a SERP, there’s a good chance that the search engine judges your site to be credible. People know this, even if just intuitively, so they respect your brand and consume the content you produce. This helps to further increase your domain authority.

5. Cost Savings 

The traditional way of increasing brand awareness costs money, e.g. paying for an advertisement. SEO can be much more cost effective. Indeed, if you opt for a DIY SEO approach and use a free SEO tool, it doesn’t cost you anything. Except time.

And time is valuable. In fact, some might even say time is money. Thankfully, professional SEO services don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Even paying the best SEO business writers will still probably cost less than a far-reaching ad campaign. 

6. Integration with PPC Campaigns

Of course, there’s no rule saying you can’t combine SEO efforts with a paid campaign. Indeed, this is often a winning strategy.

Most of what we’ve covered so far concerns organic SEO. This is when you create content that Google or another search engine ranks high on its SERPs based on its own merits. But sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes you want to secure some paid ads at the top of SERPS.

Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns dovetail wonderfully with unpaid SEO. This is a common tactic for large enterprises, but PPC can work for small businesses, too. Paid advertising appears atop a SERP, ideally boosting credibility and increasing clicks. Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) has many options for how often and where Google shows your ads, and at what cost.

7. Improved Website Usability

SEO, especially technical SEO, often has the side benefit of increasing usability. With faster loading times, more engaging content and a logical site architecture, your website experiences UX benefits as well as more visitors.

5 Cons of SEO: Challenges You Should Know

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and roses in the land of search engine optimization. Here are some common drawbacks of SEO:

1. Can Be Unpredictable

A well-executed SEO strategy is a solid way to get your content in front of more eyeballs … usually. The whole truth is sometimes SEO is a capricious mistress. This is partly because we humans are forever changing, so what we search for changes, too. The topics that generate the most traffic in 2025 may not be as relevant in 2026.

Furthermore, while we have a fair understanding of the algorithms search engines use to rank results, there’s still a lot of opaqueness in how they operate. Google is especially consistent in how it updates its algorithms. A minor algorithm change can bust your page down four spots on a SERP, and that can precipitate a major decrease in your traffic.

2. Doesn’t Offer Instant Results

It takes time to climb up those SERPs. You can’t just publish three blogs with good SEO scores and expect to see your results at the top of the SERP. You may need additional strategies in play to jump-start your success, such as PPC or email marketing.

3. Is Time-Intensive

SEO is also a time-sensitive practice. You have to consistently churn out new content to stay relevant. Additionally, you should also re-optimize and update old content so it keeps showing up and continues to provide value to your audience.

4. Involves High Competition

This may surprise you, but SEO isn’t exactly a secret. It’s likely the big players in your industry already have SEO strategies. High-volume or high-difficulty keywords make it especially hard to crack the top 3 positions on a SERP.

5. Changes Depending on Who It’s For

Enterprise SEO differs from local SEO. Varied regions and audiences search different terms, so it’s valuable to have separate strategies for numerous areas and demographics. Layering approaches — such as having a local SEO strategy in place right alongside your international SEO strategy — can help earn you the wins you’re after.

SEO FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about SEO and integrating it into broader digital and content marketing strategies:

Why Is SEO so Difficult?

SEO is difficult because it’s the bridge between technical algorithms (which, again, are fairly opaque in terms of how they work) and human psychology (which, arguably, is also quite opaque). Between these obstacles and its continuously evolving nature, it’s hard for any marketing manager to keep up. But these challenges are surmountable. SEO can seem daunting at first, but with an open mind and SEO management, you can see positive results in a few months.

What Are the Risks of Relying Solely on SEO for Website Promotion?

SEO is a great tool, but if it’s the only tool in your belt, you won’t get very far. Relying solely on SEO for website promotion will likely result in a whole lot of nothing … no brand awareness, traffic or conversions. Social media marketing, email marketing and traditional advertising can reach a broader group of people than those searching relevant keywords.

Where Does SEO Fit Into Your Marketing Strategy?

This is a question only you and your business can answer. But for many brands, the answer is “prominently.” There are many affordable SEO options out there, so there’s a low barrier to entry.

SEO and Content Marketing: The Perfect Match

For many brands, SEO and content exist in a kind of symbiotic relationship. If you’re not going to optimize your content for SEO, then how much value is there in making that content? And if you want to engage in SEO, what will your vehicle be for driving traffic if not content?

Looking at common keywords can inspire you and give you ideas for what to write. So go out there and get inspired! And while you’re at it, get your content in front of more people, stretching your brand’s cultural footprint. And while you do that, I’m going to stretch my lower back. I really need a new mattress.