What Is the Value of Understanding Search Engines and Investing in SEO?

Understanding search engines helps website owners learn how content is discovered, indexed, and ranked, so they can make informed improvements rather than blindly follow advice. Investing in SEO may bring organic search traffic, visibility, and conversions, but whether it is worthwhile depends on whether search demand is relevant to the business, which website issues need addressing, and whether the time and effort invested can achieve the intended goals. Organic traffic does not mean zero cost, and rankings do not equal revenue.

Understand how search works to identify what your website needs to improve

Semrush’s 2025 introductory article recommends first understanding how search engines discover, index, and rank web pages, then moving on to keyword research, content creation, and on-page adjustments. This knowledge does not guarantee rankings. Instead, it helps answer questions such as: Does the content address readers’ questions? Does the website provide enough information for search engines to understand its pages?

Reviews should also focus on specific issues. Semrush’s 2019 article on SEO audits lists broken links, slow-loading pages, and missing information that search engines need to understand content. These are items to check, not a formula that guarantees a place on the first page once everything is fixed; the original article only states that addressing these issues may improve performance.

Traffic is valuable when it aligns with readers’ needs

Semrush’s 2025 article lists organic search traffic, visits that often become more consistent once a site ranks well, and the trust that sustained visibility may build as reasons businesses value SEO. Searchers looking for products or services you offer may also go on to make a purchase or sign up. However, these are reasons to invest, not direct evidence that every website will make a profit.

Keyword research therefore involves more than finding search terms; it also requires understanding needs. Semrush’s 2020 article recommends analyzing search results pages to understand what searchers want. Combined with its introductory advice, this suggests checking the following first:

• Whether target terms are relevant to the website’s main content, rather than merely attracting visibility.
• Whether the content answers likely questions and solves real problems.
• Whether the intended visitor action is a purchase, a sign-up, or another clearly defined action.

Assess both inputs and outcomes when evaluating the investment

The iThome material notes that SEO requires considerable time and effort, and that reducing advertising budgets and generating organic traffic may only become possible once results emerge. Thus, “search traffic is essentially free” should not be taken to mean that content creation, website improvements, and ongoing analysis require no investment. Nor should SEO be assumed to be an immediate replacement for advertising.

Evaluation can begin by defining outcomes and then tracking progress. In an interview published by Tenten in 2019, SEO consultant Tom Shivers advocates setting key performance indicators based on each client’s circumstances, assessing landing pages, and looking for opportunities to improve conversions. This is the interviewee’s approach, not an official search engine rule.

For budget decisions, Semrush’s 2022 article suggests using historical data to forecast the results of an SEO strategy and reduce the risk of investing in ineffective activities. However, the article also explicitly acknowledges that forecasting is difficult. Forecasts can help assess and adjust investment; they do not guarantee returns.