SEO gets sold hard, which makes it tough to tell whether you actually need it or whether someone just wants your monthly retainer. Here's the honest version.
Let me start with the thing most SEO pages won't tell you: not every business needs to pour money into SEO. So before we talk about why it's valuable, let's be clear about when it matters and when it doesn't.
What SEO actually is
SEO, search engine optimisation, is the work of getting your website to show up when people search Google for what you offer. When someone types "plumber near me" or "accountant in Stoke-on-Trent", the businesses near the top didn't get there by luck. Their sites are built and written in a way Google trusts and understands.
That's the whole game: being visible at the exact moment someone is looking for what you sell.
When SEO is genuinely worth it
SEO pays off when people are actively searching for what you do. If your potential customers turn to Google to find a service like yours, then ranking well puts you in front of warm, ready-to-buy people. That's about as good as marketing gets.
It's especially powerful for:
- Local services — tradespeople, salons, garages, clinics. "Near me" searches are huge, and local SEO is very winnable.
- Businesses with high-value customers — if one new client is worth a lot to you, ranking for even a few searches a month can pay for itself many times over.
- Anyone competing on Google already — if your competitors are showing up and you aren't, you're handing them work.
The honest caveat: SEO is a slow build, not an instant switch. It typically takes months to gather momentum. If you need enquiries this week, Google Ads or social will move faster, and SEO is the long game running underneath.
When it might not be your priority
If almost all your work comes through word of mouth, repeat custom or referrals, and nobody really searches for your type of business, then aggressive SEO may not be where your money is best spent. The same is true if you're so new that you don't yet have a clear sense of who your customers are. Get the fundamentals right first, then invest in being found.
The bare minimum every business should do
Even if you never pay for ongoing SEO, there's a baseline worth having, because it's mostly one-off work:
- A website that loads fast and works properly on phones.
- Clear page titles and descriptions that tell Google what each page is about.
- A Google Business Profile set up and filled in, which is free and enormously valuable for local visibility.
- Honest, useful content that answers the questions your customers actually ask.
Get those in place and you're already ahead of a surprising number of competitors.
My take
For most local and service businesses, SEO is one of the best long-term investments you can make, precisely because it brings in people who are already looking for you. But it should be sold to you honestly, with realistic timelines, and only when it actually fits how your customers find you. If someone promises you page one overnight, walk away.
If you're not sure whether it's right for your situation, I'm happy to give you a straight answer rather than a sales pitch.
Not sure if SEO is worth it for you?
Tell me what your business does and how customers find you now. I'll tell you honestly whether SEO is worth your money.
Ask me about SEO