Many business owners ask the common question, “Do I need SEO?”  When I’m asked, I’m likely to recite any of the following.  Plus, since top 10 lists are SEO link bait, here’s my obligatory submission:

1. Because the internet demands you sync it with other online/offline marketing initiatives. What are you missing if you spend $1m for a Super Bowl commercial about a monkey jumping out of a car trunk and beating up a thief if you can’t find “monkey super bowl commercial” in Google?
2. Because the ROI of SEO is that you’ll be around in a year. Sound like hype? Well, you’re competitors who are heavily focusing on SEO hope you take it that way.
3. Because what a user sees and what a spider sees can be very different. Google has a sixth grade education, and you may not be teaching them anything in a language they can understand.
4. Because you’re only rock stars in your own mind.
5. Because if I see your listing in the top 5, and it looks like cheap promotion to me, I’ll skip.
6. Because your paid search quality score will likely improve. Maybe you could actually afford bidding on those non-brand terms and introducing your site to brand agnostic visitors. Remember advertising?
7. Because Google owns your site, not you. This goes for even the biggest brands. Think about it – even if someone knows your URL, they’re still probably going to type it into Google to find you for the first time (check your analytics). It would be a damn shame if you didn’t show up.
8. Because without SEO, you won’t know the missed opportunities. Search is a function of demand. With a little R&D, you’ll be able to not only develop functioning landing pages, but create products. Remember marketing?
9. A fuller semantic web is the future of SEO, and I don’t mean just mean programmatically.  Semantic indexing!  I personally believe the hype, and I write for it.  I think it at least helps my readers, so that’s a good thing.
10. Because SEO bloggers need something more substantial to write about over, and over, and over again.

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