SEO Answering 14 SEO Questions You’re Probably Asking Yourself Gregory Caltabanis SEO 12 mins read March 9, 2025 Blog SEO Answering 14 SEO Questions You’re Probably Asking Yourself Table of Contents 1. What is SEO? Other SEO Questions You’ve Probably Asked Yourself And the SEO Questions People Frequently Search For 14. Are there any other SEO questions you might have? Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? You. Sales. Online. Now. Growth. SEO. You’ve got SEO questions? Well, we have SEO answers. We have answers to the SEO question that you’re asking. And we have answers to the SEO questions that you should be asking. But before we get to those, it’s important that we establish what SEO actually means. 1. What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about targeting the most qualified users online. When you target search users, you’re targeting users who are actively searching for the products and services you have to offer them. You’re targeting users who already one step down the conversion funnel. But that’s what SEO is about, not what it is. What SEO is, is the process of making a site and its content as relevant as possible for the users you want to target. It’s understanding the keywords they search for and the intent behind them. And it’s making sure that your content speaks to that intent through different keyword combinations. SEO is analyzing search trends and keyword data to anticipate user needs, and then addressing those needs through value-added content. Of course, there are a lot of nuts and bolts to SEO, such as keyword research, on-page optimization, technical considerations, content marketing, and link building — to name just a few. But when all those come together, SEO is much greater than the sum of its parts — helping brands build equity in the SERPs and reducing their CPA. Other SEO Questions You’ve Probably Asked Yourself All that being said, understanding what SEO means tends to raise more questions than it answers. But that’s what this blog post is for. And before addressing the most common asked SEO questions, we need to address the SEO questions your business should be asking. Credit: Emily Morter 2. How do I measure SEO progress? There are many ways to measure SEO performance, but it’s important to not fall victim to Goodhart’s Law or some other measurement bias along the way — i.e. setting KPIs around vanity metrics that don’t truly mean anything. Keyword Rankings are a good starting point. They allow you to gauge how relevant and authoritative your site is for your core target keywords, and their longer-tail extrapolations. But they can’t tell you anything about your bottom-line. Organic Traffic Performance, however, can tell you what those rankings mean for your business. If an increase in rankings leads to traffic — great. If that traffic stays engaged onsite — even better. But at the end of the day (and funnel), conversions are king. And every SEO campaign should be judged on how it drives leads and/or sales. 3. How important are keyword rankings? As we said above, keyword rankings are important, but they’re not the be-all, end-all of SEO success. In other words, tracking keyword rankings is useful, but real SEO progress is measured by how much qualified traffic your site generates — and more importantly, how well that traffic converts. A rise in organic visits means that you’re ranking on keywords. But if those visitors don’t engage or take action, then you might be ranking on the wrong keywords altogether. 4. Is SEO really worth it? Absolutely! SEO is one of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies because it helps your brand build equity throughout the SERPs. Unlike paid search ads where you pay for every click or visit, SEO reduces your CPA over time because each new click costs less than the previous. Think of SEO strategies as compounding interest. Small, strategic optimizations today lead to exponential gains in visibility, trust, and conversions tomorrow. Indeed, by targeting users actively searching for your products or services, SEO not only attracts qualified leads but also nurtures them down the conversion funnel. 5. Why should I invest in SEO? Unlike other channels, SEO is an investment that keeps paying dividends well after that initial investment. Instead of relying on continuous ad or social spend, SEO builds organic visibility without the ongoing cost of paid campaigns. In doing so, SEO effectively lowers your CPA over time while also nurturing visitors further down the conversion funnel. In this sense, organic search rankings are a lot like prime digital real estate — growing in value over time with minimal maintenance and care. Credit: Jac Alexandru 6. Do rankings lead to sales? Short answer: not necessarily. It depends on whether you’re ranking on the keywords, and if you are, whether you’re able to convert that traffic down the funnel. High rankings can increase visibility, but real sales come from targeting the right keywords. For instance, ranking on transactional keywords (e.g. “buy running shoes online” instead of just “best running shoes”) will attract more users ready making a purchasing decision, and should convert at a higher rate. Focusing only on transactional keywords, however, can limit your brand’s reach. Informational keywords, such as “how to choose the best running shoes” helps your brand establish topical authority (and trust) with search engines, helping you rank on related transactional keywords. 7. What is the ROI payback period of SEO? In business as in life, a quick buck is usually a small buck. SEO represents a medium- to long-term investment and takes time to build momentum and for that equity to mature. Unlike short-term tactics, SEO tends to consistently drive, high-intent traffic and reduce customer acquisition costs over time. Typically, businesses start seeing meaningful ROI within 6 to 12 months — depending on competition, industry, and implementation. But the real value of SEO lies in its longer-term return — delivering results that compound rather than fade away. And the SEO Questions People Frequently Search For Now that we’ve tackled the SEO questions you’ve probably asked yourself from a business point-of-view, let’s dive into the most frequently searched SEO questions. After all, what better way to anticipate your SEO needs tha through search data? These are the most frequently searched SEO questions, from how SEO works to how it helps your brand reach its business goals. Credit: Tim Mossholder 8. How to do and/or improve SEO? SEO isn’t just about getting to the top of Google — It’s about ensuring your brand shows up when your audience needs it most. After all, SEO strategies are shaped not just by what users are searching for, but why they search for it — that is, their search intent. Which begs the question, how does your brand align its SEO strategies with its business objectives with its audience search intent? Well, for starters, data and analytics are crucial, but don’t tell the full story. Any successful SEO strategy begins with an in-depth understanding of your brand’s SEO gaps and opportunities — i.e. identifying where your brand is in the SERPs, where it needs to go, and what it’s going to take to get there. From there, your brand can begin to understand user intent. Indeed, keyword research isn’t just a list of search terms and queries; it’s insight into your audience’s needs, behaviors, and decision-making process. And those insights define every aspect of your SEO efforts, from onsite keyword optimization and content strategy to page speed performance, structured data, and crawlability. 9. How does search engine optimization work? SEO is a simple game: make your website (and content) valuable, relevant, and authoritative. Simplicity, however, can be difficult to achieve. As Steve Jobs puts it, getting your thinking to be clean and simple is the hard part. But it’s worth it in the end, because once you get there, you can move mountains. At its core, SEO comes down to three simple core pillars: Indexation, Relevance, and Popularity. Indexation ensures search engines can find, crawl, and understand your site and its content, so that it can determine where and how to rank that content. Relevance is about aligning your site’s content with users’ search intent by optimising it for the right keywords — including title tags, meta descriptions, headers, on-page copy, and value-added content. Popularity signals credibility. Backlinks, social shares, and mentions from trusted sources tell search engines your site is worth ranking. 10. Why is search engine optimization important? SEO isn’t just about ranking higher, it is about being found by the right people at the right time. In many ways, it is the difference between chasing customers and being the first choice when they need you. Indeed, SEO strategies don’t just drive traffic to your website. They attract users with intent, those already looking for the products and services your brand has to offer. But SEO goes beyond visibility. SEO strategies (when done right) help brands build authority, trust, and long-term online equity. Best of all, its impact compounds over time, meaning the more you invest in optimizing your site, the more stable, sustainable, and cost-effective your rankings and results become. In fact, as rankings and organic traffic improve, the cost of acquiring new customers naturally decreases. That is why businesses investing in SEO don’t just compete, they dominate. 11. How much does search engine optimization cost? SEO strategies aren’t one-size-fits-all. They depend on your business goals, competition, and the scope of work required. Industry Competitiveness: Are you in a niche market or battling for rankings in a highly competitive space? Website Health: Does your site need a technical overhaul, content updates, or both? Geographic Targeting: Are you optimizing for local search, national visibility, or global reach? Timeline & Expectations: Do you need quick wins or long-term growth? Or perhaps, both? In-House vs. Outsourced Work: What SEO tasks can your team handle, and what requires expert support? Rather than a cost, think of SEO as an investment. Unlike paid search or social media ads, where you pay for every click, SEO delivers economies of scale. Once you achieve strong rankings — especially in the Top 5 — your cost-per-acquisition (CPA) decreases with every organic click. 12. How can search engine optimization help your business? Imagine having a constant stream of potential customers finding your business exactly when they need you — without paying for every click. That’s SEO. After all, SEO places your business in front of users who are actively searching for what you offer. In other words, they are already one step down the conversion funnel. But the real magic of SEO goes beyond mere rankings and traffic. Successful SEO strategies position your brand as an industry thought leader, speaking directly to user concerns. Put simply, when your website ranks competitively, it signals credibility. And when those rankings are backed by trustworthy, high-quality, and authoritative content, that’s when user searches turn into conversions. 13. What are search engine optimization techniques? Every brand has its own distinct identity. Its USP, value propositions, pricing strategies, and market positioning — to name just a few. But when it comes to SEO, the core techniques remain the same. A successful SEO strategy blends these to enhance your brand’s visibility and attract the right (i.e. activated) audience. Technical SEO: Ensuring the website is easily crawlable, mobile-friendly, and indexable by search engines. Keyword Research: Identifying relevant terms that users search when looking for products and services your brand has to offer. Onsite SEO: Optimizing on-page elements, including, title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and content to include target keywords. Off-Site SEO: Attract high-quality backlinks from reputable websites and maintain a strong social media presence. Content Marketing: As the old adage goes, content is king, particularly value-added content that addresses user search intent by incorporating target keywords into its messaging. Executed together, these SEO tactics are greater than the sum of their parts, creating economies of scale, building equity for your brand, and supporting the long-term growth of your business. 14. Are there any other SEO questions you might have? Of course, just as SEO is something that’s much greater than the sum of its parts, it also can’t be reduced to a mere 13 FAQs. After all, Google alone has over 200 search engine ranking factors. Every industry and every market is unique, and so are the blend of SEO tactics that produce the best results. So if you have any other SEO questions, feel free to get in touch, or swing by our Free SEO Clinic for a check-up — no appointment required. Share This Article Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email