5 key reasons SEO efforts fall short of business expectations

SEO is widely recognized as a long-term investment, which creates pressure for businesses to translate performance into measurable revenue.

Early on – or even over time – disconnects can emerge between expectations and actual ROI.

One major disconnect lies in understanding what SEO truly means in terms of strategy and tactics.

Another, often magnified if left unaddressed, is the time it takes to see meaningful results.

If the goal of SEO (or any digital marketing effort) is to drive return on investment (ROI), then identifying and addressing the root causes of the SEO-to-ROI gap is critical.

Failing to do so can lead to compounding issues, making it harder to justify continued investment in SEO.

This article explores the key reasons behind the SEO ROI gap and how to approach SEO with intention and high-value outcomes in mind.

Issue 1: Not understanding what SEO entails

SEO is changing by the day.

If you knew what best practices and strategic approaches worked in your vertical or business 10 years ago, you might not recognize them today.

Any baggage or history can be more harmful than helpful if outdated concepts and theories shape the expectations of those buying, overseeing, or being held accountable for SEO in an organization from the top down.

Knowing what still works today, what to test for what’s coming tomorrow as AI continues to change the game, and having a sound strategy are all critical.

To build a strong foundation for success in the current era, you need a base-level common understanding among all stakeholders and a set of aligned goals and strategies.

Dig deeper: How long SEO takes to work

Issue 2: Lacking clear goals for SEO

Speaking of goals – they are critical.

Without them, it’s easy to get lost chasing every new shiny object or distraction that comes along, whether it’s a fresh set of insights from search experts, a new AI Overview feature, the latest LLM to explore, or changes in analytics data (like the removal of trusty reports in GA4).

You’ve got to have clearly defined goals for SEO and for all digital marketing channels.

Without them, reporting becomes subjective, making it difficult to determine:

How deep to go.
How fast to move.
How much to invest in the technical, content-driven, and authority-building aspects of SEO.

Goals can be channel-specific, such as driving traffic or conversions, but those alone leave a gap between performance and actual ROI.

The most effective goals go beyond what happens on a website – especially in lead generation-focused marketing organizations – ensuring SEO efforts contribute directly to measurable business outcomes.

Issue 3: Shallow or siloed reporting

I want to challenge you to close the gap between marketing KPIs and what happens next – where a lead, contact, or prospect either becomes a customer (or doesn’t) and the revenue impact that follows.

I have great respect for finance teams and the C-suite (being a CEO myself), but if you’re an SEO and leaving it up to executives to determine whether SEO is working, you’re not doing yourself any favors.

Dashboards, third-party marketing reporting software, and GA4 “out of the box” won’t calculate ROI for you.

If you’re only reporting on SEO as a marketing channel, you’re likely facing attribution challenges or battling over which channel gets credit for a conversion.

And beyond conversions:

What happens with that lead?
What actions do they take?
Do they close as a deal that justifies the SEO investment and contributes to ROI, or not?

Break out of the silo and ensure your reporting ties SEO performance to real business outcomes, not just marketing conversions.

Yes, it may take you into some uncomfortable territory, but it’s necessary – because if you don’t connect the dots, someone else will.

Dig deeper: What stakeholders should expect from SEO

Issue 4: Unavailable resources

SEO isn’t just done by SEOs.

Twenty years ago, when I started in this field, I could handle about 90% of the work myself.

That’s no longer the case – and that’s a good thing.

Today, SEO requires collaboration, leading to better-quality experiences for users.

Other resources – copywriters, analysts, IT professionals, web developers, and more – are often needed to support SEO efforts.

Their availability (or lack thereof) directly impacts the cost of implementation, as well as the speed at which SEO strategies can be executed and start delivering ROI.

If resources aren’t accounted for upfront – both in terms of cost and timing – the challenges only grow.

Misalignment in planning can delay implementation and weaken results, making it harder to justify SEO as a business investment.

Issue 5: Outdated thinking

I know I mentioned AI earlier, but it’s worth doubling down.

While Google still dominates search, we can’t rely on old habits – creating personas, publishing content, and expecting audiences to find us.

That’s no longer enough.

We need to deeply understand our audience:

Their behaviors.
Their challenges.
How they seek solutions.

Today, they may still be coming through Google.

Tomorrow, they could be using a specific LLM, a different social media platform, or even technology that doesn’t exist yet.

There’s no “set it and forget it” strategy – not that there ever was.

Staying ahead means keeping up with change, knowing where to gain a first-mover advantage, and assessing the risks of going all-in on emerging tech like LLM-based search.

Or, if you choose to ride out what’s working now, at least do so with an eye on the future.

Don’t get left behind. And worse, don’t waste resources on tactics that no longer work!

Dig deeper: Why SEO often fails before it even begins

Close the SEO-to-ROI gap and drive better results

I hate hearing “SEO doesn’t work” when I first talk to a business.

While that may sometimes be true, more often than not, it’s a matter of misaligned expectations.

SEO wasn’t approached as an investment with a clear goal of generating ROI.

I often hear frustration about agencies, internal teams, or software that didn’t deliver expected results.

In many cases, the real issue is that the partner they’re frustrated with never shared the same expectations – or expectations weren’t clearly set from the start.

My hope is that by unpacking these common issues, you’ve found something useful – whether to proactively address challenges in your organization or diagnose existing problems.

With the right approach, you can course-correct and set SEO on a path to real, measurable success.

Dig deeper: 4 SEO practices with diminishing returns