Whether you’re running a small blog or trying to launch the next Amazon, eventually any site will have to consider hiring a search engine optimization company. SEO is a method to drastically improve a site’s rankings in results for search engines such as Google or Bing. A high ranking in these search engines can obviously result in a lot of free traffic, or traffic that is at least cheap compared to the cost of placing ads. Let’s take a look at a few scenarios where SEO may be necessary.

One of the most common times where websites need SEO is when a website is either being launched as a brand-new venture, or is being rebuilt from the ground up. In either instance, the site is a new presence on the internet. It will be targeting a new audience or, in the case of rebuilt websites, an audience that is larger than the old one. This is a perfect time to optimize a site for search engines, since it can be built from the ground up with search engines in mind, resulting in optimal rankings. At this point, webmasters might choose to consult with or hire a SEO firm. A company with experience in optimization can provide more insight than a webmaster who isn’t experienced in SEO. Even though the do-it-yourself approach is cheaper, getting it right the first time can save webmasters time and frustration.

Growth that falls short of targets is another instance where a webmaster would want to go back and optimize his or her website. If a website has been launched but doesn’t have as much traffic as expected, then it’s time to re-examine why this is the case. A site that wasn’t built with optimization in mind should be retooled to a certain degree in order to be friendlier to search engines. If a site was built with SEO in mind and still isn’t hitting goals, then at that point it may be necessary for the developer of the site to reconsider whether he or she has all of the answers. More often than not, this is a scenario will developers will find that hiring a SEO firm will be a worthwhile investment.

Yet another instance where SEO should be considered is when an established site sees its traffic start to decline. This can come from a number of factors. If a site’s hits are decreasing because of declining quality or infrequent updates, then that’s something that SEO won’t be able to resolve. However, in many cases, a site that is already built for SEO might still see its hits from search engines decrease because other websites have encroached on their keywords. It’s an unfortunate truth that optimization isn’t something that just takes place once. Instead, websites need to be aggressive in maintaining their position in the search rankings.

One way to combat this effect is to anticipate. By constantly tailoring the site’s SEO properties and trying to have the page rank higher against certain keywords, any lost position in the search engines will be made up for by gains in other areas of the same search engines. Another method to fight this effect is for developers to be proactive in checking their site’s rankings. At the smallest dip in ranking, action must be taken in order to reverse the process, thus warding off any long-term decrease in traffic from search engines.

Of course, the problem is that both of these methods are time consuming. A developer who has to constantly monitor and update a site for SEO is a developer who won’t have time for other projects. In the case of a webmaster who is only managing one site, this may not be such a problem. In instances where constant SEO means missing more lucrative opportunities, though, a SEO firm should be considered. This lets developers take care of more important matters while leaving their site’s search engine ranking in the hands of trusted professionals.

The goal of any website is meant to be traffic and, in most cases, revenue. By optimizing a site for search engines, this goal can be achieved rather swiftly and without the great expenses normally associated with marketing campaigns. While a do-it-yourself approach can be effective in many cases, developers shouldn’t shy away from hiring a SEO firm if the situation calls for it.