Are You Ready for SEO? The Question You Should Be Asking

The default questions business owners and marketing directors often find themselves asking when looking at bringing in an external marketing resource are usually ‘Do we need SEO’ or ‘What does that do for us?’. And although these are good questions to ask – they are missing the mark.

Instead, companies need to be asking themselves: Are we ready for SEO?

Investing in digital marketing and a well-thought-out SEO strategy can be the catalyst for an online transformation of your business. However, if you don’t know the results you’re looking to see, who you are as a company, and the language digital marketing professionals will be speaking, then you may not be ready for these strategies.

Before your business dives into the world of SEO, consider these factors: 

Do You Know Which Products/Services Matter Most? 

SEO is most effective when it’s laser-focused on the products, services, or solutions that drive the most value for your business. If your priorities are unclear, constantly shifting, or in a transition phase, your SEO strategy will lack the direction it needs to generate meaningful results.

Before investing in SEO, your stakeholders need to determine:

• Which offerings generate the highest revenue or profit margins?
• Which services are the most scalable or have the highest growth potential?
• Are there products or solutions that differentiate your business from competitors?

If you don’t have clear answers to these questions, your SEO team will struggle to develop a strategy that aligns with your business goals. Without a well-defined focus, efforts will be spread too thin and the definition of ‘success’ will be impossible to nail down.

Additionally, businesses undergoing major shifts such as launching new services, expanding into new markets, or refining their positioning should take the time to solidify their priorities before diving into SEO. Otherwise, you risk investing in optimizations that may not align with a future direction.

SEO isn’t about throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. It’s about strategic targeting – zeroing in on the areas that will bring the greatest return on investment. When you have clarity on your top priorities, SEO can become a powerful tool for driving sustainable, long-term growth.

Do You Know Who Your Ideal Customers Are?

This is where things can quickly get off the rails.

For B2B businesses, SEO isn’t about driving website traffic, it’s about attracting the right users – intent is the name of the game. If your strategy isn’t aligned with the decision-makers and organizations that need your solutions, you risk wasting resources on traffic that never converts.

The challenge? Buying decisions are rarely made by a single person. Instead, they involve multiple stakeholders with different priorities. A procurement manager may focus on cost and compliance, while an IT director is concerned with security and integration. If your SEO strategy doesn’t account for these varying perspectives, you risk missing the mark.

To build an SEO strategy that drives real business outcomes, you need a clear Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). This means understanding:

1. The industries, business models, and company sizes that best fit your products or services
2. The decision-makers involved in the buying process—whether it’s CEOs, IT directors, or procurement teams
3. The challenges these businesses face and how your offering directly addresses their priorities
4. How they conduct research—whether they’re searching for technical documentation, competitive comparisons, or industry insights
5. The language they use when looking for solutions, whether they focus on specific product features, ROI, or pain points

When SEO is built around a clear ICP, you’re not just increasing website traffic, you’re attracting the businesses that are most likely to convert.

Do You Have the Patience to Play the Long Game?

SEO isn’t a quick fix. It’s not a marketing tactic that delivers instant wins or overnight success. It’s a long-term investment in your business’s online visibility, built on consistent effort, strategic optimizations, and a commitment to sustained growth.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is assuming that SEO is a one-and-done process—something that can be set up and left to run on autopilot. In reality, search engines are constantly evolving, competitors are optimizing their own strategies, and customer behaviors shift over time. The traffic you have today isn’t guaranteed tomorrow, which is why an ongoing SEO strategy is critical to maintaining and growing your visibility.

Real results often take 12 months or more. This doesn’t mean you won’t see progress along the way, but meaningful, lasting growth requires consistency and patience. If your business expects immediate results, SEO may not be the right approach—at least not yet.

However, if you’re willing to commit to the long game, SEO can become one of the most valuable and cost-effective marketing channels for your business. The companies that invest in SEO for the long haul are the ones that see sustained traffic, stronger lead generation, and long-term revenue growth.