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> Search engines use site performance as a search ranking signal, which makes good performance crucial. So this is probably wildly naive, but I find myself won

> Search engines use site performance as a search ranking signal, which makes good performance crucial. So this is probably wildly naive, but I find myself wondering why SEO is so important still in 2023. Like, how much traffic is coming from Google that converts to paying customers or clients? I suppose it's industry specific, but for my friends that have sold product on e-commerce sites, the best way to make money seems to have been find a way to post on reddit for a given niche community without getting banned, and Instagram ads. Maybe Facebook ads. For a SAAS, I'm really curious how much converted traffic comes from Google. When I need a SAAS I usually first ask all my friends, then start searching "service_i_need reddit sysadmin" to see what other people are using and their experience. Maybe I'll read a listicle from an aggregator i trust. Also, you can just pay Google to be at the top of whatever search results, so you can Optimize by just giving them money.

sacnoradhq 4y ago
If no one can find you, then all of your effort is meaningless and you will make $0. That's why SEO exists. It's impossible for shoestring apps to give Google money. They would fail at being businesses if they funneled money they didn't have to Google.
- komali2 4y ago
  Sure, but I'm asking, who's being found these days on Google? It seems to me people are being found on listicles, reddit, instagram, facebook, and various word of mouth channels.
sophiabits 4y ago
The exact data on how much search traffic converts varies wildly from business to business so it’s hard to give a ballpark figure. The big win from SEO traffic that I’ve seen is that CAC for these customers tends to be a lot lower than for customers coming in via ads. Paid advertising and posting on social media has its place, but there are a LOT of people using Google and getting to rank 1 for important keywords usually works out cheaper than paying for the ad space.
- sidewndr46 4y ago
  As long as you don't count the SEO cost in the acquisition of those customers, it is much cheaper.

sacnoradhq 4y ago

If no one can find you, then all of your effort is meaningless and you will make $0. That's why SEO exists. It's impossible for shoestring apps to give Google money. They would fail at being businesses if they funneled money they didn't have to Google.

komali2 4y ago
Sure, but I'm asking, who's being found these days on Google? It seems to me people are being found on listicles, reddit, instagram, facebook, and various word of mouth channels.

sophiabits 4y ago

The exact data on how much search traffic converts varies wildly from business to business so it’s hard to give a ballpark figure. The big win from SEO traffic that I’ve seen is that CAC for these customers tends to be a lot lower than for customers coming in via ads. Paid advertising and posting on social media has its place, but there are a LOT of people using Google and getting to rank 1 for important keywords usually works out cheaper than paying for the ad space.

sidewndr46 4y ago
As long as you don't count the SEO cost in the acquisition of those customers, it is much cheaper.