P
Paulo A. José
Guest
Ignoring SEO might seem like a strategic decision — until your traffic starts to vanish.
Photo by SumUp on Unsplash
Sounds familiar? You’re not alone.
In times of budget pressure or shifting priorities, SEO is often the first to go. The results feel slow, the investment seems structural, and the impact is harder to measure than ads.
But what actually happens when you stop SEO?
You don't save money — you slow growth.
1. Stopping SEO feels logical — but it’s a strategic risk
SEO isn’t a switch. It’s an hourglass.
The impact takes time — but once it starts, it compounds.
Cutting SEO can feel “rational” when paid media delivers faster results. But plugging gaps with ads is like filling a leaking bucket. You're still losing ground.
Research from SearchPilot shows that pausing SEO leads to a 10–20% yearly decline in organic traffic. Why? Your competitors keep optimizing while you stop.
2. The real loss is invisible (and expensive)
We usually measure SEO in traffic and revenue. But its real value goes deeper.
Consider:
- What would it cost to buy your current organic traffic?
- Every search you miss shows your competitor instead.
- SEO strengthens your social, email, and direct traffic.
- Less SEO = smaller remarketing pools.
- SEO often initiates journeys that convert later — on other devices.
If your organic traffic is valued at €40,000/month, that’s your ad replacement cost.
Screenshot by the author. Organic traffic after SEO activities were paused
3. SEO compounds. Paid ads disappear.
I use this metaphor with clients:
- SEO is owning real estate.
- Paid ads are renting.
SEO demands upfront work — content, links, technical fixes — but it continues working long after.
With ads, the moment you stop paying, you vanish.
CPC rates also rise yearly. WordStream reports 10% average CPC inflation, with up to 133% in retail and finance.
Screenshot by the author.
If you get 20,000 visitors monthly via SEO and CPC is €2 — that's €40,000/month in media value.
Still want to pause?
4. Cutting SEO looks profitable — but it's actually loss-making
Let’s do quick math.
Suppose your SEO spend is €5,000/month = €60,000/year.
Cutting it saves you that money.
But if traffic drops 40%, and you lose 8,000 monthly visitors…To buy them back at €1.50 CPC = €12,000/month in ads.
So your €60K "saving"? Now costs €144K/year. And that’s without factoring:
- Lost retargeting audiences
- Worse ad quality scores (raising CPCs)
- Less branded and referral traffic
- Higher SEA team pressure
5. While you pause, your competitors keep optimizing
SEO is a zero-sum game.
Every ranking you drop is one your competitor claims. Even if rankings look “stable,” they’re not. Google changes constantly. Featured snippets, AI summaries, new SERP formats — staying still is falling behind.
- No new content?
- No updated links?
- No optimization?
Then expect crawl rates to slow and authority to fade.
Screenshot by the author.
6. Yes, you can restart SEO — but at double the cost
Stopping SEO feels reversible. But it’s not simple.
SEO is like fitness:
Stopping breaks:
- Top keyword rankings
- Content production habits
- Google’s crawling patterns
- Domain authority and trust
Restarting requires:
- Fresh backlinks
- Content ramp-up
- Time to re-earn trust
Recovery could take 6–12 months. In some niches, you may never catch up.
7. SEO fuels your entire marketing machine
SEO doesn’t operate in isolation. It strengthens every other channel.
- Google Ads: better landing pages = higher quality score = lower CPC.
- Social Ads: SEO traffic grows retargeting audiences.
- Email Marketing: many subscribers first discover you via SEO.
- Conversion Rates: SEO-aligned content brings high intent visitors.
It also gives you unmatched insight into what your audience searches, asks, and wants. A well-ranking page is more than traffic. It’s a sales asset, a customer education tool, and a brand moat.
Final Thoughts: SEO is Growth Capital — Not an Expense
Yes, SEO costs time and money.
But the real cost begins when you stop.
Without SEO:
- Organic traffic shrinks
- Ad spend rises
- Remarketing fades
- Competitors gain ground
- Brand reach suffers
SEO is no longer “just another channel.”It’s your growth foundation.
In a world of AI answers, CPC inflation, and search clutter, SEO is your anchor.
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The Silent Decline of Organic Traffic: An Analysis of a Website That Abandoned SEO was originally published in Better Marketing on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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