Recently I met with a company that was looking for some assistance to get their website fully optimized. As we sat down to talk about their goals, they told me that they did not believe that search engines would be a lead generator for them. They thought it was more likely that their customers would come to them because of something they read in their e-mail marketing pieces, or from a referral, or some other direct connection made with their sales representatives. With that perception, it was clear that the optimization services they had originally requested was not really the kind of marketing help they wanted.

It could be that she was wrong about the Web being a lead resource for her business, however, it is important to understand what SEO does for a site before you invest money in an SEO plan. The primary purpose of optimizing a website and working on increasing page rank through off-page SEO efforts monthly is to help increase visibility for your business on search engines. When we do this work, we are trying to help you appear at the top of search results on sites like Google, Yahoo and Bing when someone is typing a search, looking for a product or service you provide. If you think it is unlikely that someone will consult Google to find someone that is in your line of business, SEO is not for you.

However, keep an open mind before drawing that conclusion and deciding on the best lead generation efforts. If the reason you do not believe in investing in SEO is because, A: you've never gotten a lead from the Internet before; or B: because your competitors don't even have a website; or C: because you are already listed at the top of a Google search for your product or service and your competition isn't even close, then you just might actually be getting into the SEO competition just in time.

Here are some reasons to consider optimizing your site:

1. Maybe the reason you've never gotten a lead from the Internet is because your business can't be found when searching Google for your product/service. Developing a presence online could push your website to the top of search engine results and bring you leads you never expected.
2. If you're competitors don't promote their business online, you could be the first to capture leads in that area. Better to be the first than have to work to catch up later.
3. If your website is already ranked at the top for a search of your product or service on Google, that could change overnight if your competition decides to invest in SEO. It is important that you maintain that top ranking placement with ongoing SEO efforts to keep your competition well behind you. Make them work HARD to take over that top placement.

Search engines have become a very popular and acceptable way to search for products and service providers. Sometimes individuals consult Google just for references on your company, or testimonials from others that have purchased a product you sell or used a service you offer. You'll want to make sure that the information that is read on the Internet about you and your business/industry is what you WANT your prospects to be reading, so be sure to at least consider contributing to building a Web presence. SEO might be exactly what you need to build more leads in your sales funnel.

To learn more about SEO, read our white paper on How to Integrate SEO into Your Marketing Plan.