Don’t you hate it that people are phoning you and emailing to say that you need search engine optimization, commonly known as SEO? They harass you constantly. Your instincts tell you that most of them are snake oil companies and what they are offering is bad … but still, you wonder, “Do I really need SEO?”

It is possible you don’t need search engine optimization if …

• Your customers don’t search for you on the Internet — Like drive-by establishments: gas stations, mini-marts, and fast food restaurants. Generally, folks don’t look for a gas station on the Internet.
• You have plenty of business from other marketing efforts for now and the foreseeable future — Like businesses, which are booming from referrals and other marketing endeavors. That might be you. That’s wonderful and congratulations if so.
• Your business is so small that the cost of effective SEO is too prohibitive — Like manicurists, lawn mowers, and handy men. SEO could be beneficial to them, but the cost is prohibitive. Better they should focus on networking, business cards, and flyers.

However, most retail and service companies live in a very competitive environment and getting new customers, as well as retaining prior customers is their lifeblood.

Search engine optimization — which helps your search engine listings appear higher on search results pages — won’t be a miracle cure, but it should be a high priority item in your marketing efforts. It will help get more customers in your door for a reasonable cost.

You may have already been burned by the aforementioned snake oil SEO companies, who promise high rankings for so-many-dollars a month. Good SEO doesn’t work that way. Your rankings should not go away when you stop paying a monthly fee. Good SEO is a long-term commitment and requires customized work and the building out of individual pages.

Easy Web Tip #164: I wish I could say you don’t need SEO, but it just ain’t so. If your budget is limited, you can just get started with a few pages and then keep going.