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The Haulers Edge

Expert tips guiding you from startup to scaling your business.

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Writer's pictureJustin Hubbard

HH #29: SEO Isn't What It Used to Be: It's Time to Rethink Your Approach

Updated: Oct 29


 

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Welcome to our latest newsletter! Let’s cut to the chase. If you’re still pouring time and money into SEO strategies, it’s time to stop. Seriously, whatever you’re doing—stop immediately. SEO isn’t what it used to be, and it’s certainly not the magic bullet that’s going to skyrocket your business into the stratosphere.

For too long, people have believed in the mythical SEO wizard—the idea that if you just do everything right, your business will shoot to the top of Google’s rankings, and the leads will pour in faster than you can handle. But let’s be real—that’s simply not the case anymore.

 

I hear it all the time from clients. They shell out big bucks to companies, believing that these SEO “gurus” will bring them better organic growth. But here’s the thing: the SEO game has changed. It’s no longer the secret sauce it once was. You’re not just up against local competitors; you’re battling the major players and lead generation giants like Angie’s List, Yelp, and Nextdoor. These aren’t your average competitors. They’re massive corporations with teams of experts who eat, sleep, and breathe SEO.

As a small business owner, you’re not just competing against these franchises; you’re up against lead generation websites that masquerade as local businesses. They’re not doing the work themselves—they’re subcontracting it out, but their websites? Oh, their websites are SEO machines, designed by teams of specialists who know exactly how to dominate the rankings in every single town across the country.

 

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But I write a blog post every week! That’s got to help, right?” Unfortunately, no. Writing a weekly blog post isn’t going to magically propel you to the top of Google’s search results. You’ll just end up frustrated, turning to online resources and agencies that promise to deliver, only to find out that the top of Google isn’t what it used to be either.

 

Here’s the hard truth: the top spot in organic search results? It’s basically the bottom of the page now. You’re sitting below the paid ads and the local listings, so that “top spot” isn’t even halfway up the page. In fact, organic click-through rates (CTR) have dropped by over 37% in the past few years. This is largely due to the rise of featured snippets, local packs, and paid ads that have significantly reduced the visibility of organic listings. Even if your site ranks well, fewer people are likely to click on it, making SEO a less effective strategy for driving traffic compared to previous years.

 

It gets worse: approximately 63% of Google's search traffic comes from mobile devices, where organic results are often pushed far down the page by ads, local listings, and featured snippets. As mobile search continues to dominate, the visibility of organic results is further diminished. On mobile devices, users often have to scroll past multiple ads and other features before reaching organic search results, making it even harder for small businesses to gain traction through SEO alone.

 

And here’s the kicker: nearly 90% of content gets no traffic from Google. According to a study by Ahrefs, a staggering 90.63% of all web pages receive no organic search traffic from Google. This statistic underscores the difficulty of achieving significant organic growth through SEO, especially when competing against well-established sites and large-scale lead generation platforms that dominate search results.

 

So, how do you compete with the big dogs?

 

It’s simple: pay-per-click (PPC). If you know what you’re doing, if you understand how to use Google Ads properly, you can level the playing field. PPC is the great equalizer. It’s the tool that lets you compete with the heavy hitters and actually win.


Let me be clear: I’m not saying SEO is dead, but it’s no longer the magic solution many believe it to be. It’s time to pivot, to rethink your strategy, and to invest in methods that actually give you a fighting chance.

 

Need help navigating this new landscape? Reply to this email.

 

Until next Sunday, keep hauling forward!


Justin Hubbard

Justin Hubbard


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