Undoubtedly, SEO optimization is needed for any site, though ... Are there any cases when SEO is a waste of time? Let's think about it!
1. No one is looking for your product or service
For a new product on the market, it is quite difficult to start promotion with SEO, as SEO implies some kind of user experience that was looking for a particular product, service, information. If this experience is not, then SEO promotion is impossible. For example, one of the businessmen invented a special frame for a backpack, thanks to which the backpack turned into a chair, in addition, it was comfortable to wear, as it provided the owner with additional support to prevent back injuries.
The problem was that no one was looking for a backpack with a seat. Most people did not know that something like that exists.
The client really wanted SEO promotion, but in this case this tactic would not have worked.
Therefore, an awareness campaign was launched that combined paid social advertising with content marketing. Today, these backpacks are sold at major manufacturers of sporting goods, and now, after creating demand, you can connect SEO, which will work.
2. Your company needs results quickly
SEO usually provides a good ROI, but SEO is slow.
Anyone who has ever launched an SEO campaign knows that, although we can quickly see some results, the campaign usually does not reach profitable levels within 6 months. And this is not an option for some campaigns.
If you need to sell something quickly, it is best to invest in a paid advertising campaign.
3. You are a huge and slow company
Performing high-quality SEO-work on a large corporate website requires special skills.
Not only do you need to understand SEO, you also need to be able to push solutions and convince people who often have no idea about online promotion.
Correcting or adding something to the site in such companies is not easy, especially in organizations where there is a 4-month queue and four statements are required to change the meta tag.
The good thing is that companies usually have the money to spend on a powerful advertising campaign - even if they can't tie their shoelaces when it comes to SEO.
4. You want to advertise events, constantly changing inventory or one-time offers
It's hard to do SEO for things that change quickly.
If you have a promotion event, traditional SEO will not help you sell tickets - especially if this is an SEO event for the first year. By the time the event is indexed and ranked in the main index, the event is likely to end.
The same applies to sites that have a different inventory, which is constantly changing. Getting an indexed product that you are not going to sell in a month is a waste of time and effort.
SEO is not an ideal way to promote contests.
Facebook, support for influential people, public relations and paid advertising (AdWords, Content Network, Programmatic) are much better suited to promote in such situations.
5. You have little money and even fewer resources.
You should not start SEO promotion with small budgets. It is better to spend them on something that will give a quick return, and then save up for SEO, which will bring dividends only in a year.
In the long run, this will be the best investment you will ever make.
Remember that SEO is an investment, not a free product.
And you need to invest in proven companies that are professionally engaged in SEO promotion.