Table of contents
What Is Search Engine Optimisation?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is about making your website more visible in search results so you can drive organic traffic, attract qualified prospects, and boost brand credibility. Core activities include on-page improvements, building authority with external links, and creating quality content.
For more on where SEO fits into your overall marketing mix, see our introductory article on What Is a Marketing Channel?
Marketing Channel Strategy
Before you invest in a channel, clarify your objectives, your target customer’s challenges, and your internal capabilities. That is the core of channel strategy—do what truly matters and deliberately avoid what does not.
The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. — Michael Porter
If you are seeking a more structured approach to planning, read our dedicated guide on marketing channel strategy.
Is Search Engine Optimisation Right for You?
SEO is not for everyone. Ask yourself these questions to decide if it suits your business goals:
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Goal fit: Will rankings and organic traffic noticeably impact your revenue or brand awareness?
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Customer fit: Are customers actively searching for terms you plan to rank for?
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Founder/team fit: Do you have the SEO expertise in-house or via partners to handle everything effectively?
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Model fit (ARPU and CAC dynamics): Will your average revenue per user justify the many months and costs involved in SEO?
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Unique advantages: Can you harness proprietary data, user-generated content, or strong brand equity to set yourself apart?
Our Opinion on Search Engine Optimisation
SEO remains a powerful channel, but it is becoming more competitive. Paid ads often dominate top positions, AI-generated overviews and answer engines can lower click-through rates, and there is more content than ever. The zero-click reality is stark: SparkToro’s June 2026 study found that 68.01% of US Google searches ended without a click in the first four months of 2026, up from 60.45% in 2024, meaning more users than ever get their answer directly on the search results page. Nonetheless, if you invest consistently, building domain authority can create a strong moat that continues to bring organic traffic over time.
Keep in mind, SEO usually takes at least six months to deliver tangible results. If you want rapid returns, it may not be right for you. But if you can offer unique data, publish content at scale, or encourage user-generated insights, SEO could become a major driver of long-term growth.
SEO vs AEO vs SEM: How They Compare
SEO, AEO and SEM all fight for the same real estate on a search results page, but they optimise for different outcomes on different timelines. Here is how they compare:
| SEO | AEO | SEM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimises for | Ranking in organic search results | Being cited or mentioned in AI-generated answers | Paid placement at the top of search results |
| Primary channel | Google/Bing organic search | AI answer and generative engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) | Google Ads, Bing Ads |
| Typical timeframe | 6+ months to show tangible results | Weeks for initial citations, months for consistent visibility | Immediate, live as soon as a campaign is funded |
| How it’s measured | Organic sessions, keyword rankings, click-through rate | Citation share, brand mentions in AI answers, AI referral traffic | Cost per click, cost per acquisition, return on ad spend |
| Example tactic | Building topical authority with in-depth guides and earned backlinks | Structuring FAQ sections with matching schema and clear, direct answers | Bidding on high-intent, bottom-funnel keywords |
Most teams do not have to choose only one. SEM captures demand today while SEO and AEO compound in the background, and a well-structured page like this one can earn all three at once.
Other Growth Channels to Consider
There are numerous ways to engage and convert potential customers. As Brian Balfour, former VP of Growth at HubSpot, aptly said:
Don’t diversify yourself in too many channels; it’s like a death sentence. You should be focusing on the single and most efficient one. — Brian Balfour
If you want to explore other options, check out our guides on acquisition channels or traction channels. No matter which approach you choose, marketing success ultimately comes down to efficiency and clear return on investment.
About Growth Method
Growth Method is the agentic marketing platform for B2B teams: plan your strategy, ship campaigns, and learn what works, all in one place, for people and agents. SEO is exactly the kind of test-and-learn work our own agents are built to run. One-click integrations with Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Search Console, PostHog, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Microsoft Clarity, Webflow, GitHub and Buffer mean an agent can pull your real organic performance, draft the on-page fix, and measure the before/after impact, rather than you guessing whether a content refresh worked.
Hypothesise a change like the comparison table and FAQ section on this page, launch it as a campaign, then measure organic sessions, engagement time and search visibility against a baseline captured before you shipped. That is the plan-launch-analyse loop the whole platform is built around.
We are on-track to deliver a 43% increase in inbound leads this year. There is no doubt the adoption of Growth Method is the primary driver behind these results.
Laura Perrott, Colt Technology Services
Growth Method costs $150 per user per month, with your first month free. Get started today to turn your next SEO experiment into a tracked campaign, not a one-off content update.
Frequently asked questions
What is search engine optimisation (SEO)?
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of making your website more visible in search results so you can drive organic traffic, attract qualified prospects, and build brand credibility. Core activities include on-page improvements, building authority with external links, and creating quality content.
What is the difference between SEO and AEO?
SEO optimises for clicks on a ranked link in classic search results. AEO (answer engine optimisation) optimises for citations: being the source AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews reference when composing an answer, whether or not the user clicks through. The full AEO guide on this site covers the tactics in depth.
Is SEO still worth it given rising zero-click search?
Yes, but expectations need to shift. SparkToro’s June 2026 study found that 68.01% of US Google searches now end without a click, up from 60.45% in 2024. Organic rankings still build a durable moat and feed AI answer engines even when the click doesn’t happen, but SEO now works best paired with AEO rather than judged on click volume alone.
How long does SEO take to show results?
SEO usually takes at least six months to deliver tangible results, since it depends on building domain authority and earning rankings over time. If you need rapid returns, consider pairing it with paid acquisition or another faster channel while your organic presence builds.
Should I invest in SEO or SEM first?
It depends on your timeline and budget. SEM buys immediate visibility for as long as you keep paying, while SEO compounds slowly but keeps working long after you stop investing. Many teams run both: SEM for immediate demand capture while SEO and AEO build durable, free visibility over six or more months.