When your business doesn’t need SEO

While SEO can be highly effective, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for all businesses.

SEO might not be the immediate answer to your digital marketing needs.

Here’s why SEO may not be the best fit for a business, with alternatives and insights into when it may be a more valuable investment.

1. You require fast results

Do you need fast results for your business and a way to attract tons of visitors to your website in no time? Then SEO may not be your best course of action. 

SEO takes time to work.

New websites can take at least three to six months to rank on Google. Even then, 95% of pages don’t enter the top 10 positions within a year, per an Ahrefs study. 

Results will vary depending on your strategy, but data suggests that you must wait to see an impact. That’s why this path is not for everyone. 

For example, if you are hosting a one-time event or concert, or it’s the first time you are organizing it, you are limited in time. 

You can’t just wait for search engines to index your website or for people to start searching for your event. You need to make them aware of it and get them excited. 

That’s when paid search or social media ads are more effective in promoting your event and getting people to buy tickets or register.

Or let’s say you have a new solution, such as a CRM or a mobile app, that you want to introduce to the market. You want to show people how awesome your solution is and how it can solve their problems. 

Here, you can’t rely solely on SEO. You’ll need to use other marketing methods to grab your audience’s attention and convince them to try your solution. 

PPC advertising is key in this case. After you build up some traction and reputation, you can start investing in SEO, as people will search for your solution independently.

So, SEO is not always the best option if you need to quickly generate interest around a new topic or when launching a new product to the market. 

You’ll need marketing methods that will help you reach your target audience instantly, such as social media ads or other types of paid advertising, and drive them to your website or landing page. 

2. You operate on a tight budget or limited resources

SEO

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Danny Stoffman and the baby boomer book that changed Canadian business

Stoffman, who co-wrote bestseller Boom, Bust & Echo, and died in July, helped bring demographics into boardrooms

Published Sep 11, 2023  •  Last updated 2 days ago  •  5 minute read

David Foot, left, and Daniel Stoffman, right, with a re-release of their best-seller Boom, Bust & Echo in 2006. Photo by Handout/Vancouver Sun files

David Foot was squirrelled away in a corner of the University of Toronto economics department when journalist Daniel Stoffman called him up to do a story on a Canadian real estate bubble that, at the time, had only recently popped.

The housing crash of 1989 caused chaos and plummeting prices, and left a bunch of homeowners wondering why they had paid so much, what had gone wrong and why they didn’t see it coming.

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But Foot saw the end coming plain as day. Demographics, he theorized, provided the explanation. The population bulge born between

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A Lack Of Sales Will Kill Your Business

Maximizing profit and growth should be top priority for businesses, along with client care. But profit cannot be achieved in your business without making sales. Sales are the lifeblood of a business, and without revenue, your business crumbles.

Many business owners fall into the trap of thinking that a lack of sales means a money problem. While yes, not meeting your sales targets will turn into a money problem, I most often see small business owners not know how much needs to be sold each month to keep their business afloat.

Knowing how much you need to sell to turn a profit is critical to the survival of your business. Without this critical information, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day without realizing if your efforts are actually moving your business forward or just treading water.

When you take the time to crunch the numbers and understand your business’s break-even point, you’ll have a much better chance of not only surviving, but thriving in the long run.

Let’s discuss why a lack of sales is a significant problem for businesses and what you can do to avoid it:

1. Lack of sales affects cash flow

There is little to no cash flow when there are few or no sales. This can cause many problems for your business, including an inability to pay bills, rent, or purchase inventory. Without cash flow, it will be impossible to invest in your business or expand. All these issues can create a dangerous cycle that could eventually lead to the death of your business.

2. Poor marketing strategy

Often, a lack of sales can be attributed to poor marketing strategies. Your marketing initiatives should be aimed at reaching the right target audience. This includes using the right communication channels, appealing to the right customers, and ensuring your message is aimed at solving their problems. When you have a poor marketing strategy, you won’t meet your sales targets, and your business’s life expectancy shortens.

3. Competition

Businesses face competition from other companies that are in the same industry. When your competition performs better than you, the pressure is on to keep up. To stay ahead of the competition, you must be innovative and always looking to improve your products or services. If you cannot meet customer demand and expectations, they will seek other alternatives,

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James Pauk Photography shuttering after 54 years in business

Peter Street location could close by end of year; ‘I think what we will miss the most is the interactions with customers,’ says Greg Pauk

One of Orillia’s oldest businesses is set to close.

James Pauk Photography opened in 1969. It was started by the late James Pauk, who immigrated to Canada in 1951 from the Netherlands. With an interest in photography, he landed a job as reporter and city editor with the Packet & Times.

“He was a self-taught editor and reporter at the Packet who basically ran the dark room,” explained his son, Greg Pauk. “When his time was done there, he decided to do wedding photography, and then he had the opportunity to buy a business, which became his dream.”

Pauk recalls his father learning at the New York Institute of Professional Photography before opening in downtown Orillia.

“It’s been an interesting journey,” he said. “Not too many businesses in town remain from that time frame.”

He says the photography industry is vastly different today with digital cameras and cellphones.

“A lot of things are online now,” he said. “Interactions with clients are different now, too. Sometimes they come into the store to talk to you and sometimes they will just send an email.”

Around 2003, digital photography changed the way the business went about a lot of its production.

“The so-called black room where film was developed and prints were made was gone,” Pauk said. “Now we use digital files and a desktop computer to edit and print with high-end inks and digital paper.”

The industry has continued to change at a fast rate over the years, leaving Pauk feeling it’s time to make a change and reinvent how his business operates.

“I think what we will miss the most is the interactions with customers day in and day out,” he said.

He plans to continue his work as a photographer on a part-time basis once he closes the storefront at 25 Peter St. S., which could happen by the end of the year.

The complete photography studio and retail business has photographed family portraits, weddings, and special occasions all while doing custom framing and selling equipment.

“I think being so diversified was the real secret to our success,” Pauk said. “Memorable moments have given us a lot of opportunity to photograph some interesting people throughout the years.”

In 1967, his dad photographed the Los

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20 Things To Not Forget About In A First-Time Founder’s Business Plan

Amid all the excitement of starting a business, first-time entrepreneurs sometimes inadvertently overlook key elements of their business plan as they prepare to launch their company. Unwittingly sidestepping seemingly minor yet critical components of a business plan can majorly impact a new company’s trajectory. So, as founders craft their visions into actionable strategies, there are some important things that should not be neglected.

Here, Forbes Coaches Council members share ways entrepreneurs can ensure they don’t ignore pivotal aspects they should be integrating into their business plans. Check out the insights below to learn how to create a business plan that leads to sustained growth for a new venture.

1. The Route To Money

You have a marketable product—great! You have key people in place. That’s wonderful. But how are you going to survive the first 12 months without cash flow? Make sure your business plan proves how you will get customers to “put money on the table.” Unless people are going to pay for what you’re selling, your business plan isn’t a plan for business, and you’re dead in the water. – Mark Hayes, SalesCoachr

2. Customer Touch Points

It’s not that first-time entrepreneurs forget to include customer touch points; it’s more that they’re rarely aware of how necessary it is for mapping a comprehensive customer journey. Understanding your customer touch points—the areas where your customers will go from awareness to advocacy—is how you will come to implicitly understand your customer’s needs and values and how to create a trusted brand. – Aileen Day, Aileen Day Advisory

3. Self-Leadership

First-time founders often overlook the significance of their leadership in the business plan. Prioritize regular reflection and intentional planning around self-leadership, influencing others and overall mindset. Neglecting these crucial elements limits the business’s potential, even with the best business plans. – Brian Houp, ReZone Coaching

4. Market Analysis

Don’t overlook market analysis in your business plan. It identifies your target audience, competition and market trends. Ignoring it risks product misalignment, inefficient resource use and lack of competitive strategy. This can lead to low sales and poor performance. Include it for strategic decision-making and competitive advantage. – Farshad Asl, Top Leaders, Inc.

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?

5. Scalability

First-time founders must prioritize scalability in their business plan. Neglecting this crucial aspect will hinder growth and

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