There’s an excuse for everything – from why we didn’t go to the gym, to why we still haven’t updated the company website since 2015. But few excuses cost businesses more in lost leads, lost trust and lost growth than the ones made to avoid SEO (search engine optimisation).
Search engine optimisation isn’t a quick win or a one-off checkbox – it’s the difference between being found online and being invisible. And yet, so many businesses convince themselves it’s not for them. Let’s unpack a few of the classics.
“It takes too long”
It does take a while, we’re not disputing that. But that’s exactly why it works.
SEO is not fast-food marketing. It’s more like growing an orchard – you plant the trees today, nurture them carefully and soon, you’re picking fruit year after year. The businesses that get results are the ones who invest consistently and trust the process, not the ones chasing “page one in 30 days” promises.
If someone tells you they can get you ranking at the top of Google overnight, that’s not confidence – it’s a red flag. Proper SEO takes time to compound, because Google values authority, trust and consistent content. Those aren’t things you can fake.
“We don’t have the budget”
If you think good SEO is expensive, try bad SEO.
Many businesses hesitate to invest in SEO because they don’t see the immediate return, but the truth is that SEO isn’t a cost – it’s an asset. It builds equity in your website, creating ongoing visibility that doesn’t vanish the moment you stop spending, unlike paid ads.
The companies that cut corners early often end up paying more to undo poor work later. We’ve seen sites riddled with spammy backlinks, duplicated content and broken pages that took longer (and cost more) to fix than doing it properly from the start.
A good SEO strategy can bring in organic leads for years. It’s not just about traffic; it’s about long-term credibility.
“It’s too technical”
SEO can sound like wizardry when you first hear about things like “canonical tags” or “schema markup”. But a good digital marketing agency won’t hide behind jargon – they’ll help you understand what’s being done and why.
If your SEO provider can’t explain what they’re doing in plain English, that’s a problem. You deserve to know how your investment is working for you.
That’s why we always recommend learning the basics. You don’t need to become an expert, but understanding the language of SEO helps you make better decisions. You can start by downloading this free jargon-busting eBook, on the house.
“We’ll just use AI”
Ah yes, the modern favourite. “Why hire an SEO agency when ChatGPT can write a blog in 20 seconds?”
AI (artificial intelligence) is incredible – it’s reshaping how content is produced and found – but relying entirely on it is like giving your apprentice the keys to the business and hoping for the best.
Google and tools like Perplexity, Gemini and Claude are changing how people find information. Search is becoming generative, which means it’s not enough to churn out robotic content anymore. Your site needs generative AI SEO – content that earns trust, authority and citations from AI-driven engines.
If your blogs read like they were written by a toaster, they won’t perform.
To appear in Google’s AI Overviews, you’ll need to demonstrate expertise, originality and relevance. In other words, you still need a human touch.
AI can support your strategy, but it can’t replace one. The businesses that will win in the new search landscape are the ones combining human storytelling with smart, AI-aware SEO.
Stop making excuses and start building visibility
Every business has a reason to delay SEO, but none of them hold up when you look at what’s really at stake – your future customers, your reputation and your growth.
If you’re tired of watching competitors outrank you, it’s time to act. We help businesses like yours get seen online with human-led SEO strategies built for the AI era. Whether you’re curious about AI SEO, GEO (generative engine optimisation) or just want someone to explain things in plain English, we make it simple.
Get in touch today to talk about how to get your business found online.
- The real cost of avoiding SEO - October 21, 2025
- Voice, visual and local search: how GEO is rewriting the rules of local SEO - October 15, 2025
- Social media links and SEO: small icons, big signals - October 13, 2025
