Have We Forgotten Why We Optimize?

I’m as prone to selling natural search as any SEO out there. I’m good at sales, but I’m not good at selling something I don’t believe in. I believe in SEO, but I don’t see SEO as a silver bullet for Web-based businesses or businesses that see the Web as a key part of their growth strategy.

Doing a quick scan of blogs, industry press and what not, it’s easy to notice the utter obsession with rankings and the technical ins and outs of optimization. I’m not here to de-value rankings or technical know-how but I am most definitely here to say that without making money, SEO is just a geeky hobby.

To determine if we’re making money, we need to look at all of the associated costs and benefits. After all, Profit = Revenue – Cost.

Costs
1. Pay your subject matter expert(s). Typically an agency or in-house staff.
2. Development time and resources
3. Technology costs including tools, analytics and any tracking costs
4. Opportunity cost of foregone priorities and initiatives

Benefits
1. Increased brand awareness
2. Immediate desired site actions (leads, revenue, etc.)
3. Future desired site actions (leads, revenue, etc.)

How’s your SEO P&L?

If you can honestly say that you’re generating more benefits than costs, your search engine optimization strategy is a success. If not, it’s an awfully expensive hobby.