Why I hate SEO

Feb 13, 2025

Now, before I get into why I cannot stand SEO, let’s start with a brief summary of what it actually is. In the simplest terms, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is just following a set of guidelines—primarily dictated by Google—that businesses must adhere to in order to compete for higher search rankings than their competitors. Sounds straightforward, right? The problem is, these guidelines are never the same. They’re constantly shifting, evolving, and changing, often with little to no warning.

As a matter of fact, the majority of SEO businesses and agencies have no concrete idea what it actually takes to secure optimal rankings for their clients. The industry is filled with millions of so-called “digital marketers” pushing their own theories about what it takes to get to the top. And I emphasize the word theories because if you put 10 SEO professionals in a room and asked them how to rank higher on Google, you’d likely get 10 different answers—each with their own “secret” strategies and “proven” techniques.

But I digress. Rather than completely throwing the entire SEO industry under the bus, let’s just focus on why I believe that monthly SEO services are often a waste of money for small businesses.

The SEO Myth

One of the biggest misconceptions is that writing more content with well-placed keywords will automatically boost your website to the top of search results. While having strong, well-written content is important, it’s just one small piece of the puzzle. By itself, it won’t create any significant movement in your rankings. To better understand how SEO actually works, it’s crucial to break it down into two core categories: on-page SEO and off-page SEO.

On-Page SEO: This covers everything on your website that aligns with search engine guidelines—your copywriting, page structure, meta tags, image optimization, headers, and so on. Essentially, it’s about ensuring your site is structured properly and has high-quality, relevant content. If done correctly, on-page SEO can pay off, but the key word here is time. It’s a long game, requiring consistency and patience.
Off-Page SEO: This is where things get expensive. In the simplest terms, off-page SEO is all about acquiring backlinks—getting your website linked on large, reputable sites. That’s it.

For example, let’s say you’re a lawyer in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Your website’s domain authority (a score indicating how reputable your site is) is likely low. But imagine you somehow manage to get a guest article or a mention on a massive legal website like LegalZoom—a nationally recognized company with high domain authority.

When Google sees that LegalZoom is linking to your site, it essentially gives you credibility points. Think of it like The Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings—Google is constantly watching, monitoring, and evaluating everything on the web. If it notices you being acknowledged by a major, trusted player, your rankings (especially in your local market) will improve.

And this is where the SEO industry becomes a racket.

The SEO Hustle

Most monthly SEO services revolve around the constant grind of off-page SEO—which, again, is the process of getting your website’s links placed on high-authority sites. The truth is, anyone can do solid on-page SEO, and once your website is structured correctly, it doesn’t take much effort to maintain it month to month.

But the reason SEO services are so expensive—and, to be fair, why they should be expensive—is because real off-page SEO requires actual work. It means manually reaching out to high-domain authority websites, negotiating placement, and securing quality backlinks.

However, the dark side of SEO is that many so-called experts aren’t actually doing this work. Instead, they charge businesses a monthly fee and then flood them with reports showing links to their site from low-quality, irrelevant websites—directories, forums, or spammy blog networks that no one ever visits. In some cases, these tactics can even hurt your rankings instead of improving them.

So What’s the Solution?

I’ll be honest—I hate SEO.

I hate the constant rule changes.
I hate the overpriced, under-delivered services.
I hate the endless stream of “experts” selling snake oil.

That said, I do believe SEO has value when done correctly, and I do think there’s a place for it. But Bahlr does not offer SEO services.

Instead, what we do is build the foundation that actually makes SEO worth investing in. We focus on:

Branding – Because a strong, recognizable brand is what truly builds authority.
Website Design & Development – Because your website needs to be functional, fast, and user-friendly before SEO even matters.
Video Content & Design – Because engaging, high-quality content is what earns attention, shares, and—ultimately—backlinks.

Once we’ve established these pillars for our clients, if they decide they want to invest in SEO, we simply refer them to trusted partners who actually know what they’re doing.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article provides some clarity on SEO, how it works, and why it’s such a convoluted industry. If you have any questions—or if you just want to talk about branding, website design, or video content—reach out to us at Bahlr.

We’re here to help. We just don’t care about SEO.