SEO still gets tossed around like digital fairy dust ... sprinkle a little here, shift a few keywords there ... and poof, results.
Right? Not even close.
If you’re a B2B industrial company banking on SEO but seeing zilch in measurable ROI, you’re not alone. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard some version of: “We invested in SEO, but it didn’t work.” It’s maddening ... because more often than not, SEO didn’t fail ... expectations, execution, and alignment did.
Let’s cut through the noise.
You want SEO to contribute to business outcomes ... real, bottom-line results. To make that happen, you’ve got to face some uncomfortable truths. Here are the key reasons your SEO is missing the mark ... and what to do about it.
1. You Don’t Actually Understand What SEO Is (Anymore)
If your mental model of SEO is stuck in 2012 ... it’s time to reset.
What worked 10 years ago in your niche won’t cut it today. AI is transforming search behaviors in real-time. Google’s algorithm shifts monthly. The SERP landscape is noisy and competitive. If your team is still clinging to outdated best practices ... or worse, winging it based on what your nephew told you at Thanksgiving ... you’re burning budget and time.
SEO today isn’t just about content or keywords. It’s technical, strategic, cross-functional, and heavily reliant on smart data interpretation. If you’re not aligned internally on what SEO is ... and what it isn’t ... you're laying a shaky foundation.
You need strategic clarity. Not SEO hacks ... strategy. As in: How does organic search tie into lead gen? Where do conversions actually happen? What will your buyers search for six months from now ... not just today?
2. Your SEO Goals Are Flimsy or Nonexistent
Let’s get real. If your SEO goal is “get more traffic,” I’ve got bad news. That’s not a goal ... that’s a wish.
You wouldn’t run a sales team without quotas or metrics. So why let your digital marketing team fly blind? SEO needs concrete, outcome-oriented goals ... and they must be aligned with your broader business objectives.
Your goals should clarify how SEO contributes to:
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Pipeline growth
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Revenue attribution
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Lead quality
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Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
Don’t get stuck measuring vanity metrics. Rankings are nice. Traffic is fine. But if you can’t trace SEO performance to real business results, you’re setting yourself up for skepticism and budget cuts.
3. Your Reporting Is a Siloed Mess
Most marketing dashboards are pretty ... and pretty useless. If your SEO reports stop at impressions, clicks, or MQLs, you’re missing the point.
Here’s the truth: SEO doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a cog in your larger revenue machine. You need reporting that connects SEO efforts directly to dollars ... or at least to a serious pipeline.
That means ditching the "channel wars" mindset. Stop fighting over attribution credit. Start collaborating with sales, finance, and ops. Get into the CRM. Follow the lead. See where it lands. Only then can you say, “Here’s what SEO actually did for the business.”
You’ve got to own that narrative ... or someone else will write it for you ... and it won’t be flattering.
4. You’re Under-Resourced and Over-Expecting
Let’s talk capacity.
Back in the early days, one SEO pro could manage most of the moving parts. Not anymore. Modern SEO is a team sport. You need writers, devs, IT, data analysts, CRO experts ... maybe even legal if you’re in regulated sectors.
If your SEO budget doesn’t account for these moving parts, expect frustration. Strategy without execution is just whiteboard daydreaming.
Stop assuming your agency or internal team can “figure it out” with zero bandwidth and vague direction. Instead, bake in the true cost of SEO into your digital roadmap ... time, tech, people, and process.
Otherwise, your timelines stretch, your outcomes suffer, and the ROI conversation gets real awkward ... real fast.
5. Your Thinking Is Stuck in the Past
You can’t just publish blog posts, build personas, and cross your fingers. That worked ... once. Now? Not so much.
You’ve got to meet buyers where they are ... not where you wish they were. That might be on Google today. But what about tomorrow? What if your audience starts using ChatGPT-like tools to solve problems instead of typing questions into search engines?
If your SEO playbook is static ... you’re toast. There’s no “set it and forget it.” You’ve got to experiment, adapt, and reassess constantly. That doesn’t mean chase every shiny tool ... but it does mean you better know where the puck is going.
In B2B industrial, staying current isn’t optional ... it’s survival.
So What Now? Time to Get Intentional
Here’s what I tell clients: SEO does work ... if you work it like a serious investment.
It needs:
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Defined business outcomes
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Cross-functional accountability
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Modern strategy
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Ongoing iteration
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Resources to match the ambition
Otherwise, stop calling it an “investment.” You’re just doing digital busywork.
I’ll leave you with this: Misaligned expectations are the #1 killer of SEO ROI. Most companies aren’t clear about what they want ... or what it takes to get there. Then they blame the channel. Sound familiar?
If you’re ready to course-correct, get honest about the issues above ... and start building an SEO engine designed for today’s realities and tomorrow’s opportunities call The Repp Group.
Want to know more, go to What We Do or Contact Me in the menu above. Or give me a call at 269-375-0349
