Within the online space, there are so many options for business owners to leverage when they are trying to grow their business and find more customers.

Many people gravitate early on to platforms like Instagram, where they can easily share photos and videos that show what they are all about. People in highly visual industries such as travel, fashion, creative crafts and fitness often take this approach as it feels natural.

And I’m not saying that’s a bad move at all, but sometimes a lot of time and energy is spent in this area, with very little energy given to less sexy and more technical areas such as SEO marketing and all that entails—tasks like link building, keyword research, optimisation, page speed,, etc.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for online entrepreneurs to not have a website at all. Only having social media accounts that link off to products on a Stan Store page or similar.

One word highlights why this all-in, 100% social media approach can be a mistake.

Intent.

What is intent and why is it important?

Search intent is the searcher’s main goal when typing a query into a search engine. 

This intent might be commercial, where they are looking to purchase a specific product or service. Or informational, where they are still gathering information about a future purchase.

So, if you are selling something, it is important to get your offering in front of people searching with intent. They are more likely to buy.

To get in front of them, you will need to invest enough energy into SEO so that your website appears when these people are searching.

The problem with only focusing on social media to promote your business

If you are attracted to and apply all your promotional efforts on Social Media alone, you will get your offerings in front of people.

However, these people may simply consume content and browse through post after post mindlessly when they come across your business.

It’s a very different state than a person who has deliberately Googled a product or service-related keyword. 

So you may be steadily growing your following on social media channels, but where are those people? Are they even located somewhere where they can buy your offering? Or are they just following you out of interest? Or for ideas because they run a similar business to yours?

There is no harm in having a following like that, but are you getting in front of searchers who have intent to buy from you, too?

If not, it could be time to get onto your SEO strategy.

SEO graphic created by AI.

What you’ll gain by investing in SEO marketing

We’ve already explained that if you are in an industry where your people actively search for your products or services online, SEO will help you tap into that source of potential customers. Here are a few other ways you will benefit:

  • Local reach: If you target a specific geographic area, then local SEO is a very effective way to increase visibility in your area
  • Long-term growth that doesn’t require consistent effort: SEO does take some time and effort upfront, but once you’ve started ranking well, it can drive high-quality organic traffic without continuous investment. There is no need to come up with new ideas and content every day.
  • You can identify the targets: Via keyword analysis, you can essentially map out all the relevant searches for products or services like yours. Once that has been done, you can then carry out SEO work to ensure you start ranking for all those searches. 

Keep investing in social media too

If you’re naturally inclined to churn out Instagram posts, TikTok and YouTube videos, don’t stop.

Those platforms are ideal for building brand awareness, community engagement, and real-time interaction with your audience. And there is always the possibility something you post will go viral and get your business out there in front of hundreds of thousands of people.

The targeted advertising options on social media are also great for advertising campaigns where you want to get in front of specific demographics or people with particular interests.

Just don’t forget that keyword intent! And if you aren’t already putting some effort into SEO activities, then make sure you get started and round out your strategy.

SEO and social media are complementary

By doing both, you’ll engage with customers at all marketing funnel stages, and your efforts can feed off each other.

The blog posts you create as part of your SEO strategy can be shared on your social channels, amplifying reach. 

Your relationship with your communities can be a great source of new ideas for topics you can target on your website via SEO optimisations.

I know SEO isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but please don’t neglect it. If you need help with some of the technical aspects of SEO, then we can help with audits, on-page SEO, link building, local SEO, keyword research and more. 

Discover our full range of SEO services or book a free consultation to see how we can tailor our services to your needs.