The sooner the better – when to start SEO.
There is plenty of advice and articles online about positioning itself, and one of the factors that affects its results is when we implement it. When should you start SEO? The sooner the better? Yes! If we start positioning a website from the very beginning of its existence, it will be far more effective than positioning a site or store that has been neglected for a long time.
In short
In SEO, time works in your favour — the earlier you start, the sooner your site builds up "seniority", content and links that drive rankings. SEO delivers results after weeks or months, so any delay is a real loss of traffic and customers to competitors who are already higher up. You don't have to do everything at once: the key is to start with the fundamentals (technical setup, indexation, the most important subpages) and stay consistent, rather than waiting for the "perfect moment".
Why is timing so important?
We all know the saying "time is money". And indeed, when it comes to positioning, it is absolutely spot on. With today's competition present in every industry, it is not worth deliberating for a long time over when to start SEO, because only those who secure good online visibility for their companies will make money. And they'll do it quickly.
Do SEO agencies overcharge clients?
Clients who order a website or store are usually offered a positioning service straight away. And this is done not in order to overcharge them, but because it is simply an effective move. A website's good performance always goes hand in hand with positioning that was started early.
Popularity isn't free
Many business owners hold back from positioning, thinking that the site alone is enough. But the truth is that every single company that only has a website/store without positioning loses traffic, because customers don't reach it and therefore don't buy, so you don't earn. On top of that, you've wasted the money spent on hosting, building the store, setting up the site, and your own time… Are you still wondering when to start the SEO of your store or website?
How much businesses pay for SEO
There is one TOP 10 and ever more companies. Millions of websites and online stores. In this situation it is hardly surprising that those who want to earn through high positions will spend significant sums running into thousands of pounds.
Unfortunately SEO in the region of £60–80 ended a good year ago, because every branch of business is loaded to the maximum. That is why investing such small amounts is a waste of money, simply burning through your budget.
You have to catch up with the leaders
The fight for the top spots in search results can be compared to a race. If your competition has already set off and you are still on the starting line — because you are only just beginning to position your store or finishing opening it — you have to put in real effort to catch up with the leaders. You will need professional positioning.
The SEO budget – what should it be based on
The amount you set aside for positioning should be based on the pace of your competitors' development, not on the margin a particular SEO agency wants to make on the service it runs for you.
Let's illustrate this:
Companies in industry "X" sitting in the TOP 10 pay £400 a month for positioning their stores. Compared with the company YOU run, paying £80 a month is wasting your budget, because you won't even catch up with the leaders, and being in the TOP 20 or 30 you won't earn anything anyway.
If you want to start working with an SEO agency and you don't begin investing amounts in the region of £300 net right from the start, then if you want to catch up with the competition in about 2–3 years you will have to pay over £1,000 a month to gain any meaningful position!
When to start SEO and how much to pay for it
Campaign costs are what they are. To achieve a result higher than the TOP 20 you have to spend a minimum of £200–300 net per month – because there is no such thing as sales in the TOP 20. If you neglect SEO and keep putting it off, then in just 2 years you will be left to choose between living off paid ads, opting for broad-scope positioning – and with it a high price of, say, several thousand – or possibly closing the business down due to a lack of customers.
How to judge whether SEO is cheap or expensive
If positioning is to be handled by a company that employs 50 specialists and doesn't have a super-fancy office in the trendiest location in the capital, then the stated cost may genuinely be realistic. But if your research reveals that the company's CEO is a fan of expensive cars and long trips abroad, renting an office in the most expensive district of the city, then with a service costing £80 a month don't expect miracles. Positioning your store will most likely involve setting up an automated link generator (and poor-quality links at that) or simply pretending that the activities being carried out are really a great SEO campaign. And be wary of praise about hugely multiplied sales and fairy tales about quickly striking gold.
