When Is SEO Essential and Do I Really Need It?

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Does organic traffic actually grow sales?

The overall answer is yes, it can grow sales but usually it does not grow sales quickly and also not directly. sometimes and more often than not with proper lead nurturing.SEO does influence and support a number of other marketing efforts but direct sales from organic traffic is typically very low. SEO campaigns can cost effectively grow a website’s presence and brands visibility by targeting industry specific and non-brand related search terms. 

For any company that spends significant amounts of money on marketing, SEO is an incredible way to back up other significant efforts to overall marketing strategy such as website UX, social marketing, traditional, and pay per click. So while the vast majority of organic traffic a company acquires will not turn into a sale, they can quickly turn into a warm lead that can be nurtured. 

While the majority of customers who find you through SEO may not know who you are before landing on your site, with the right impression you can come across as extremely qualified to meet their needs and get the chance to create a customer. This means with the right strategy every visitor to content optimized for SEO is someone with qualified interest, having automation in place to start gauging that interest and solicit a connection is related but often not the best.

How do you nurture leads from organic traffic?

Unfortunately this can be a complicated process that requires more sophisticated methods of integrating marketing efforts and automating lead nurturing processes. If a customer is required to research particular information related to what you offer or if there is a steep learning curve to your industry’s buying or sales process these queries can be seen as essential real estate, especially for companies with evergreen offerings or ecommerce stores. 

When is SEO Absolutely Essential?

While a company’s ability to control what a search engine results page are an important part of customer experience near the middle to bottom of marketing funnels and brand integrity

So while every organic visitor has some interest it is not likely they are completely qualified or even ready to buy without your ability to sell. A brand will strategize how to use tactics like email lists, limited time offers, whitepapers and resources to create customer lists from organic traffic. While you may not be able to convert organic traffic right away with the right strategies in place you can build interest in your brand with these visitors very quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

SEO is a long-term strategy. While some technical improvements can show quick wins, it usually takes 3 to 6 months to see significant changes in rankings, traffic, or conversions—especially in competitive markets.

Yes. Content remains a key driver of organic visibility, trust, and conversions—especially when it's aligned with user intent and supported by solid SEO and distribution strategies. In the AI era, original insights and helpful content matter more than ever.

Organic traffic comes from unpaid search results, while paid traffic is generated through advertising (like Google Ads or social media campaigns). Both have value—organic is better for long-term growth, paid is useful for speed and targeting.

Look at your KPRs (Key Performance Results)—not just vanity metrics. These might include pipeline contribution, conversion rates, cost to acquire, return on ad spend (ROAS), and lead velocity. Marketing should clearly tie back to business outcomes.

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The Author

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Zach Jalbert

Zach Jalbert is the founder of Tek Enterprise and Mazey.ai. Learn more about his thoughts and unique methods for leadership in the digital marketing & AI landscape.

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