The effectiveness of SEO is admittedly waning.
However, the death of SEO is still greatly exaggerated–at least in the short term.
And, even though SEO cannot be as reliable a source of 90% of your digitally-fed leads as it once was, it still should remain a key pillar of your company’s digital visibility.
As such, every company that has even an inkling of tangential reliance on the internet for leads and growth should be an SEO company (or at least treat themselves as one).
Said differently, every company, whether they realize it or not, relies on SEO to succeed.
That means every company needs to learn SEO and have at least one person internally that can serve as the DIY contact for technical SEO with an SEO agency as a backstop.
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SEO is Still Not Optional
For the most successful online companies, organic search (still) drives a significant percentage of website traffic, even if the overall numbers are declining.
And, according to every search platform out there, YOY searches continue to increase.
And, Google still commands 90% of market share worldwide.
SEO has been a critical component of companies that operate online for decades.
Every Company is Already Doing SEO (Even If They Don’t Know It)
If your business has a website, blog, Linkedin page and does PR, you’re already doing SEO, even if you don’t know it.
Here are some specific examples of SEO activities that your company is already doing that are helping your SEO even if you may not know it:
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Content Creation: Businesses produce blogs, landing pages, and product descriptions—whether optimized or not, they impact search rankings.
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Website Experience: Site speed, mobile-friendliness, and user experience all influence SEO.
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Brand Mentions & Reputation: Online reviews, PR, and social signals affect rankings.
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Local SEO & Listings: Any business with a physical presence relies on Google My Business, Yelp, and local citations.
If your team is already doing many of the tasks that an outside SEO agency is doing, then it could be rightly assumed your business IS, at least in part, an SEO business.
The Competitive Edge of Proactive SEO
As a team, we can consistently show through direct SEO case studies that the revenue and growth prospects of those who actively manage their SEO are consistently higher than those who take a passive approach.
Even those who rely wholly on managed SEO services to do all the work will not experience the growth of companies who take internal ownership of their SEO seriously.
Because there are so many ranking factors, internal as well as external eyes on content strategy, link building and technical improvements are essential for guaranteeing long-term growth.
And while there is a cost to perform SEO, the cost of neglecting SEO can have a much larger negative impact on revenue and company sustainability in the long run.
And, what is that cost?
In part, it is the cost of acquiring leads via paid channels–which can be much more expensive and lead to a major squeeze in profitability.
Embracing an SEO Mindset Across the Organization
In order for your organization to adopt an SEO mentality and thereby succeed online, every silo of your company should become versed in the nuanced aspects of SEO–not just your marketing team!
It starts from the top down:
- Leadership: SEO starts from the top down. If leaders, owners and other C-level stakeholders are not “all-in” on SEO, then pushing the concept of “our company is an SEO company” is an impossible sell. In addition, understanding the ROI of SEO and investing in long-term organic growth is something only top-level leadership have authority to do. There needs to be more than just mental buy-in; there needs to be ample budget to move the needle, and that comes from leadership.
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Sales & Customer Service: Sales and customer service reps can and should leverage SEO insights to address customer pain points and provide the proper feedback loop to content marketers and UX designers to ensure there is alignment for what people are finding via SEO and how they are treated once they connect with a member of the team.
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Developers & IT: Your technical staff needs to ensure websites and web properties are technically optimized for search engines. This means sites need to load quickly, include the right entity and LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords, include the right title tags, and have the right sitemap structure. And, when changes need to be made, there should not be too many communication layers to get to someone in the IT department that can fix an issue. Ideally, the IT department itself will be monitoring for SEO issues and preemptively take action before a marketer finds something.
- Marketing Teams: Internal marketing teams align SEO with a broader branding and content marketing strategy. The marketing team should be more attuned to driving the messaging that aligns with SEO keyword strategies.
The strongest digital-first companies will be those who treat their organizations like their own internal SEO company.
They will have more than just managerial buy-in.
Your entire organization should be trained in the technical nuances of SEO.
Old dogs need to be taught new tricks.
In many ways, because today’s ranking factors and digital flux are causing many businesses to lose out, it’s more important than ever to not be an ignoramous when it comes to running SEO campaigns as part of your digital marketing strategy.
It also means your organization will be better equipped to spot SEO fraudsters who are simply out to make a buck and not necessarily drive revenue for your business!
Why SEO Agencies Still Matter
While every company is, in some way, an SEO company, that doesn’t mean they can—or should—handle all aspects of SEO on their own.
Specialized expertise is still essential.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex, ever-evolving discipline that requires specialized knowledge, the right SEO tools, and ample experience.
Here’s why partnering with an SEO agency is still essential:
1. Keeping Up with Algorithm Changes
Google’s search algorithms change constantly, with major updates rolling out multiple times a year.
Daily flux in search rankings has been more volatile than ever before in the last couple of years.
What worked for SEO six months ago might not be effective today.
SEO agencies stay ahead of these changes, ensuring that their clients’ strategies remain effective and compliant with Google’s guidelines.
They can also help educate your internal staff on the latest SEO best practices.
2. Advanced Technical SEO Expertise
SEO isn’t just about keywords and content—it also involves technical factors like site architecture, schema markup, page speed optimization, and Core Web Vitals.
Many companies lack in-house expertise in these areas, which can negatively impact their rankings.
An SEO agency brings specialized knowledge to optimize the backend of a website for better performance.
3. High-Quality Link Building
Earning authoritative backlinks remains one of the most challenging aspects of SEO.
Link building also happens to be one of the more difficult aspects of SEO.
If done poorly, it will hurt your website more than help it.
While companies can create great content, securing quality links from reputable sites requires outreach, relationship-building, and PR strategies that most businesses don’t have the bandwidth to manage.
In short, having an SEO company in your back pocket can help you better scale your efforts in a white-hat way.
SEO agencies have established connections/contacts and proven strategies to help businesses earn powerful backlinks.
4. Data-Driven Strategy & Competitive Analysis
SEO agencies leverage advanced analytics tools to track performance, identify opportunities, and analyze competitors.
The best SEO companies use data to refine strategies, helping businesses outperform their competition in search rankings.
Without this level of analysis, companies may miss critical, timely insights and search engine optimization opportunities.
5. Scalability & Efficiency
For many businesses, managing SEO in-house is resource-intensive and takes time away from core operations.
An SEO agency allows companies to scale their efforts without needing to hire and train an entire internal team.
Whether a business needs local SEO, enterprise-level optimization, or eCommerce SEO, agencies offer flexible solutions that align with their goals.
6. Integrated Digital Marketing Strategies
SEO doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it works alongside content marketing, PPC, social media, and conversion optimization.
The best SEO agencies provide a holistic approach, ensuring that SEO efforts are aligned with broader digital marketing objectives.
This integration results in better ROI and a more cohesive online presence.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter whether you sell widgets or consulting services.
At your heart, your organization is an SEO company.
You should treat your business as such.
While every company must think like an SEO company, true SEO success often requires expert guidance.
Agencies provide the technical expertise, strategic insights, and hands-on support needed to drive long-term organic growth.
Whether it’s staying ahead of Google updates, executing complex link-building campaigns, or fine-tuning website performance, SEO agencies remain a vital partner for businesses that want to dominate search rankings.
Need help optimizing your site for better search visibility?
Contact SEO.co today to get started!
- How SEO Agencies Can Mitigate & Minimize Client Attrition - April 1, 2025
- Every Company is an SEO Company - March 26, 2025
- AI is Killing the SEO Agency - March 20, 2025
