Because traffic without traction is just noise
Let’s get this out of the way:
SEO is not a growth strategy.
It’s a channel. A lever. A function that works beautifully when — and only when — the business behind it is ready.
But what I see far too often?
Brands chasing SEO like it’s a shortcut to scale.
Founders asking for 100 keywords before their product-market fit is solid.
Marketing teams measuring success in impressions while the checkout page still leaks users.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most brands don’t need SEO. They need to rethink how they grow.
Traffic is not traction
SEO is seductive.
It promises “free” traffic, long-term compounding growth, and a way to get discovered without paid ads.
But if you don’t know who you’re serving, what your real hook is, or why people should trust you — traffic is just vanity.
You don’t need more people landing on your site.
You need more people understanding your value and taking action.
And no keyword cluster can do that for you.
SEO is a delivery vehicle — not the engine
Let’s put it in perspective:
- SEO can’t fix your broken value proposition.
- SEO can’t explain your product better than your landing page.
- SEO can’t convert users who don’t trust you.
- SEO can’t build loyalty with people who bounce right after reading your blog.
In other words, SEO delivers — but it doesn’t decide.
Your offer, brand story, pricing, experience — that’s what drives growth.
If that’s not right, SEO will just amplify the wrong message.
The SEO mistake I see most often
Founders come to me saying:
“We need to rank on Google for [X keyword].”
“We want 10 blogs a month.”
“Our competitors are winning in search.”
But when I ask:
- What happens after the click?
- Who are you trying to attract?
- What are you doing with the leads?
- How does this tie into your growth model?
…silence.
That’s because SEO, for many teams, is a checkbox — not a strategy.
They chase visibility before clarity. Keywords before conversion.
And then they wonder why they’re not seeing ROI.
Rethink your growth loop first
Before you invest in SEO, ask:
- Do I have a clearly defined ICP?
- Is my product/service sticky and differentiated?
- Am I solving a real problem that people search for?
- Do I have strong messaging and content that educates and converts?
- Do I have a system to track, nurture, and close leads?
If you can’t answer yes to most of these, SEO will burn money and time.
Instead, build a real growth loop:
- Identify your strongest acquisition channel
- Tighten your messaging
- Strengthen your onboarding or conversion path
- Build retention hooks
- Then — and only then — layer in SEO as a scaling engine, not a searchlight
When SEO does make sense
To be clear — I’m not anti-SEO.
I’ve seen it work brilliantly for:
- Brands with a strong content moat
- DTC businesses with high intent demand
- SaaS products solving well-defined pain points
- Agencies or consultants with a clear niche and POV
In these cases, SEO isn’t guesswork. It’s fuel.
But only because the machine underneath it is already working.
TL;DR
If your growth strategy starts with “rank on Google,” you’re probably starting in the wrong place.
Don’t chase traffic before fixing your message, offer, and funnel.
Because real growth isn’t about getting found — it’s about getting chosen.
And if you’re not sure what’s really holding your growth back…
Just Ask Maddy.