What Every CEO Needs to Know About SEO (and why it’s more crucial than you think)

Posted on by Ela SEO

SEO isn’t just about getting found. It’s about driving revenue, building brand authority, and achieving key business objectives.

As CEO, you’re responsible for the overall vision and strategy and you need to know how SEO directly impacts every aspect of that vision.

Imagine doubling your organic traffic and sales while decreasing your ad spend. Sounds impossible? I just did it again in the past 3 months for an already successful e-commerce company.

Want to improve your brand image? What could be more cost-effective than leveraging your meta tag impressions on Google to communicate your brand message? Talk about “free.99”!

With SEO, you can:

  • Increase profits without scaling your team or infrastructure.
  • Elevate investor confidence by demonstrating consistent growth in organic visibility and online revenue.
  • Maximize ROI by focusing on cost-effective organic growth strategies.
  • Enter new markets and expand globally.
  • Drive sustainable traffic that doesn’t rely on paid campaigns.
  • Build brand awareness, increase brand authority and enhance your company’s reputation.
  • Establish thought leadership in your industry by ranking for educational, in-depth content that builds trust and authority.
  • Attract top talent by showcasing your company’s expertise and leadership in your field.
  • Improve user experience and website performance, leading to better engagement and higher conversion rates.
  • Improve customer retention by providing helpful, valuable content that addresses their needs and pain points.

But Wasn’t SEO Dying?

There’s a common misconception that SEO is dead. The first prediction that SEO was on its way out appeared in a 1997 publication, just after it was born. And while you might wish for your competitors to believe this, the truth is far from it.

This misconception arises from a few factors: constantly evolving algorithms, the rise of the zero-click trend, AI, increasing reliance on paid advertising, and the dominance of social media platforms. However, despite the growth of these alternative platforms, search engines remain the dominant way users discover information, products, and services.

The way search engines work will evolve, and how answers are presented will change, but people have had search needs as long as they’ve been thinking. The demand for answers isn’t going away. Search is not going away, and in reality, SEO is not only thriving but is more critical than ever for businesses that want to stay competitive and visible.

The Risk of Relying on Google Ads

While Google Ads can provide quick visibility and drive immediate traffic, it should be seen as a short-term or complementary solution until the “leaky bucket” is fixed.

Successful Google Ads campaigns show how many people are searching for your products on Google, and highlight the opportunity you’re missing by not fixing your SEO.

When your site’s SEO is lacking, Google Ads can help you reach your audience quickly, but it won’t offer sustainable growth unless you’re willing to keep increasing your bids for every click to maintain your website’s top position.

Ideally, your Google Ads campaigns should be used to target the terms you can’t cover through owned media, test search intent, identify which terms drive conversions, discover emerging trends, and evaluate how people engage with different types of content.

While there’s a chance of not seeing immediate results with SEO, it is 100% certain that the moment you stop paying for ads, your paid ads revenue will disappear. Your visibility vanishes, and so do your results.

With Google Ads, you get quick results, but you’re constantly indebted. SEO is like building equity in your own home, a long-term investment that pays dividends for years to come.

Are You Giving Your SEO the Fuel it Needs to Succeed?

To make SEO truly effective, you don’t just hire an SEO person or agency. You need to invest in a strategic SEO partner and provide them with the resources and support to thrive.

No matter how skilled or strategic an SEO professional is, they must first deeply understand your business, products, industry, target audience, and overall goals.

Providing them with the right resources goes far beyond just having access to tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and others.

They need to:

  • Be given the necessary authority to lead teams and implement actions to drive changes within the organisation.
  • Have access to other teams to gather insights and integrate strategies across different areas of the business.
  • Have obstacles or friction removed from their path so they can execute strategies efficiently and effectively.
  • Align with performance marketing goals.
  • Understand market segmentation.

By focusing on these areas, CEOs can create an environment where their SEO teams can thrive and deliver exceptional results.

Your SEO expert is a valuable asset. By investing in them and their success, you’re investing in the future of your business.