SEO is something that most new website owners struggle with. You start off wanting traffic but many aren’t sure how to get it. After a little while, most website owners start learning a bit about SEO and dabbling with some search engine optimisation methods.  The thing that many find perplexing is that the more you learn about it the more you realise that there is to still learn about it. How much time and how much money should you spend on SEO to make it work optimally? Setting an SEO budget isn’t easy. Why?

It all depends.

SEO isn’t a one size fits all solution. Various factors will come into play, including:

• What sort of business you are in
• How competitive your industry is
• And so on…

The best way to approach your SEO budget is with an open mind and flexibility. Of course you can’t have an open budget but you’ll want to periodically review things so that if need be, you can allocate more time and more money to ensuring that your SEO strategy will work for you.  If things aren’t happening the way you hope, you may need to devote more time and more money.  And if things are going exceptionally well, you may also want to allocate more time and more money, too, in order to maximise the potential of your success.  There may be times, too, when you opt to scale things back or to take them in a different direction.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you embark on finding the right blend of time and money for your search engine optimisation and online marketing strategies:

• Think about your customers and potential customers when developing your SEO strategy. Quality always wins over technique in the world of SEO. Illustrate your expertise and commitment to your customers first and foremost over keyword density and other factors. If you have a good foundation in place, you’ll have a better chance of your SEO campaign can work well for you.
• Continually review results so you can see which efforts are bearing fruit and which ones are not.
• Use a diverse strategy. Don’t put all your SEO eggs into one basket!
• Be patient. It doesn’t happen overnight. Building online success is like building a brick house — it must be built one brick at a time.
• You shouldn’t focus on SEO alone. Also integrate your customer acquisition strategy. It’s not just about rankings; it’s also about connecting with customers and developing relationships with them, too. The internet provides many great ways to help you do that!
• You don’t have to do it all alone. In fact, if you can get help, you should.  SEO can feel like a full time job and it can be one if your company gets big enough. If you spend all your time achieving your rankings are you going to have time to service those new-found customers properly? There are SEO companies (like ours) that can help you. (We’d love to give you an SEO consultation to help you grow your business in 2013)

Whether you spend a lot of money and time on SEO or a little bit seems to go a long way, one thing is for certain — attaining good organic online rankings can make a big difference in helping you reach your business goals. It can take effort and money but it can be extremely worthwhile!

(Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net/Phaitoon)