Is SEO Really Free?
Imagine this: Super Duper announces free burgers at their shiny new location. Excited, you drive 20 minutes, pay for parking, grab a soda, and endure a three-hour wait in line - Is that burger really free?
Just because you're not paying per click to appear on Google doesn't mean it's free. SEO efforts demand a significant investment of time, money, and internal resources. From developing landing pages to enhancing site core vitals, creating valuable content, building quality links, hiring SEO experts, and utilizing tools – all of these elements come at a cost.
On the other hand, many businesses hesitate to invest in acquiring high-intent traffic that can provide immediate results, valuable data, and an opportunity for quick testing and learning.
Users don't differentiate between organic or paid results; their primary concern is finding what they're looking for. Furthermore, Google has been shrinking organic real estate on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Even if you manage to secure the 1st organic position, you're still overshadowed by paid results and Google features like Google Flights, landing you in the 4th or 5th position overall.
Let's take an example: I'm planning a trip to Portugal to savor some delicious sardines. I search for "cheap flights Lisbon" on Google (I'm based in San Francisco), and TAP (the Portuguese airline) appears in the 13th position (10th organic). Having traveled this route frequently, I can confidently assert that TAP is the top choice for flying to Lisbon from San Francisco - it's actually the only airline offering a direct flight to Portugal.
TAP has the potential to dominate with SEM, leveraging its higher revenue per booking compared to OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) and travel metasearch engines. With complete control over pricing, availability, and amenities, TAP, being the sole provider of direct flights to Portugal at reasonable prices, can anticipate a relatively high conversion rate. Surprisingly, despite introducing this route in June 2019, TAP continues to rely solely on SEO efforts instead of seizing the opportunity to appear at the top of the page through SEM, with a cost as low as $0.71 per click.
Don't wait 4 years only to end up in the 13th position on Google. Consider SEM / PPC as an investment, not a cost, and a powerful lever to accelerate your business and maximize revenue with a healthy ROI that aligns with your business goals.
While organic traffic may be free, SEO certainly is not.
