Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) an Investment or an Expense?

Search engine optimization (SEO) sounds like a great idea. After all, who wouldn’t want tons of visitors coming to their website day and night looking for exactly what you’re offering. Of course, SEO isn’t free.

Whether you hire someone or do it yourself there are costs for SEO – both money and time.

In this Search Engine Optimization Frequently Asked Questions (SEO FAQs) video blog, I address the question, Is SEO an investment or an expense?

(The article below is a summary of the video, but you’ll get more details and examples if you watch the video.)

Is SEO an Investment or an Expense?

First of all, let me be honest with you.  This is not really a Frequently Asked Question.  Nobody actually calls or emails saying, “Hey Paul, I have this burning question… do you think SEO an investment or an expense?”

What happens is people contact us because they’re interested in SEO, we discuss the financial aspect of an SEO service, and some of them say, “I can’t afford it.”

This response indicates they have an expense mindset.

The key distinction between investments and expenses lies in what we expect back in the future.

Expenses typically cover consumable items like rent or electricity. Once you’ve spent the money on them, it’s gone. But investments involve dedicating your time, effort, or money to something with the expectation that it will yield greater returns down the road.

All marketing is an investment.

Whether you’re promoting your church, school, ministry, or business, the goal is to raise awareness and connect with more people.

If you’re a business owner, you should aim for a substantial return on investment (ROI) for your SEO, at least 5 to 10 times your initial investment. We’ve seen numerous clients, especially those in high-end industries like lawyers, home builders, and pool builders, generating significant revenue because they wisely invested in SEO. Their improved search rankings brought more people to their websites, which translated into substantial earnings.

Now, for churches and ministries, financial gain might not be the top priority. If you’re a church or ministry leader, you are likely investing in SEO to reach and engage your community, spreading your message, and drawing people closer to your faith.

However, it’s still important to recognize it as an investment, one that benefits your community, both spiritually and, often, financially. In fact, for many churches, all it takes is one new tithing family to join and offset the cost of SEO.

The Return on SEO is not Immediate

One unique aspect of SEO compared to other marketing methods is that it doesn’t provide an immediate return. When you start your SEO journey, there are initial stages like technical SEO, keyword research, on-page optimization, and setting up your Google Business profile. During this period, you won’t see an immediate ROI, but it’s building the foundation for future success.

The power of SEO lies in its compounding returns over time.

Did you know… the organization that ranks number one in search results typically receives about 25-30% of all clicks, while number two gets 10-15%, and it decreases from there.

When your website is outside the top 10, you won’t receive many visitors at all.

But as you invest in link building, content marketing, and optimization, your search rankings improve. Once you break into the top 10, you’ll start seeing more visitors. And when you crack the top five, top three, or even grab that coveted number one spot, your site’s visitors will grow exponentially.

It’s important to note that all of this takes time and ongoing effort. Building links, producing quality content, and optimizing your website are continuous processes. Imagine if you create a couple of dozen blog articles targeting various keywords within a year. With increasing authority and higher rankings for those keywords, the ROI from SEO starts to grow exponentially.

To sum it up…

Don’t think of SEO as an expense but as an investment that will produce a positive return on investment in the future. -Kurt Steinbrueck

Want to invest in SEO that produces a high ROI?

Often we see organizations that want to keep their costs down, so they try to learn about SEO and do it on their own.  There’s nothing wrong with this approach, per se, but it’s important to factor in the cost of your time.

DIY SEO is not “free” if you’re spending 5-10 hours a week on it.  And if you dabble in SEO, end up doing it poorly and inconsistently, that can leave you with 0 ROI on your most precious resource, your time.

If you are interested in investing in church SEO or Christian SEO for your business, school or ministry, because you want to experience better search rankings, more website visitors, and more customers or ministry impact, we’d love to talk with you.

Fill out the consultation request form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a call.

Comment and Discuss…

• Do you see SEO as an investment or an expense? Why?

Read or watch more SEO FAQ articles and videos!