Why consider SEO for your website? First, assess whether search traffic can help you reach your goals

SEO is worth considering because improving website quality can help you gain visibility in search results and attract organic traffic. But whether it is worth the investment depends on whether those visitors help your website achieve its goals—not just on rankings. The supplied iThome article notes that SEO requires considerable time and effort, and may allow you to reduce your advertising budget only once it delivers results. SEO should therefore be evaluated against your website’s needs, rather than treated as a priority for every website.

Decide what your website should accomplish before choosing keywords

An answer on Webmasters Stack Exchange starts by asking, “What do you want to achieve with your website?” before discussing keywords. This order matters: a website selling products and a blog focused on a particular topic have different expectations of visitors, so their results cannot be judged by the same traffic metrics alone.

• First, identify your products, services, or content topics, then find search terms that match what your website actually offers.
• Compare traffic opportunities among relevant terms. If your website sells products, also consider which terms could lead to purchases.
• Do not treat a top-ten ranking as the finish line. A forum comment by Trafficstorm points out that you also need to ask whether the term itself is worth targeting for the traffic it could bring.

For example, a website devoted to a particular kind of canned fish should not prioritize “food” simply because it is a broad term. Matching keywords to content is more consistent with these keyword-selection principles than simply pursuing broad exposure.

Content should earn readers’ trust, not just serve search engines

In a 2023 article, yesharris recommends that content creators first answer four questions: Who are you writing for? What do readers want to know? What terms will they search for? And is the article credible? This takes SEO beyond keyword selection and brings the focus back to whether a page provides valuable information.

The article argues that readers’ recognition of content’s value can help build brand trust and earn backlinks. That does not mean every article will receive links or rank well. The useful principle is to center content on readers’ needs and credibility, rather than assume that extensive content guarantees rankings.

Low search traffic is a starting point for assessment, not a mandate to invest more

In a 2018 article, awoo suggests comparing sources such as search, social media, and direct visits to understand how each channel performs. If most visitors come from social media and search traffic is low, investing in SEO may be worth considering. This is a recommendation for evaluation; it should not be interpreted to mean that a low share of search traffic necessarily indicates poor website management.

The same article also makes a distinction: if a website serves only as a showcase and its operator is not concerned with performance metrics, analytics tools may offer limited value. Before deciding whether to invest in SEO, consider:

• Does the website need more visitors who find its content through search?
• Would traffic or purchases from relevant keywords support the website’s goals?
• Can you accept a longer investment of time rather than expect immediate results?

Considering goals, traffic-source performance, and the commitment required together provides a basis for deciding SEO’s priority, rather than following others simply because they are doing it.