They told me "search engine optimization" is a must — do I really need it for my small site?

That marketer was just trying to lock in their own monthly recurring revenue. A factory owner looking for an accountant isn't going to hand over their books to someone just because they showed up first on Google. Paying 15,000 TL in SEO every month for a 20,000 TL site is a totally pointless cost burden.

Refuse to pay the agency monthly. Instead, ask for a one-time 'technical on-page SEO check'. If page titles, mobile speed, and the contact page are configured properly, let the site sit organically for 6 months. Focus on your map listing, you'll get way more phone calls.

We're a similar 3-person law firm in Bakırköy. Back in the day we paid 12,000 TL a month for 8 months of SEO. Out of 50 incoming calls, 48 were totally irrelevant people trying to get free advice. We dropped the agency, just kept our map rating high, and the quality of incoming work went way up.

just say no thanks to the guy pitching 15k a month and move on. add the ofice to maps, put kadikoy accounting firm on the site and youre good. keep your money in your pocket.

When taking delivery of your site, check the following for search engine optimization: Does the site have an SSL certificate (https), is Google Search Console set up and the sitemap (sitemap.xml) submitted, and do pages load in under 3 seconds on mobile? If those are covered, you do not need monthly optimization.

You're accountants your clients already come to you through trust. When someone recommends you, people only look to check 'does this office actually exist'. As long as your website looks sleek and professional and your phone is reachable, that's enough. Don't waste that kind of money on SEO.

Within the framework of professional regulations and advertising bans applicable to practitioners, creating an informative, locally focused digital presence that reflects corporate identity—rather than aggressive digital marketing activities—is the most compliant approach.

you mentioned the map listing, but do we have to pay Google to add the office to Google Maps? the kid who made our website said they'd charge an extra fee for that too.

thanks that was the answer I was looking for. the harder it is to reverse a decision the slower you should make it.

proveen by experience.

I'm writing this so you don't make the same mistake. Any comment made without a control group is just a guess.

The answer varies greatly by industry; there is no one-size-fits-all rule. This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

The discussion got scattered, let me summarize. Everyone rushing into search engine optimization gets stuck at the same point.

Proven by experience.

Thanks a lot, I'll try it today. The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

If you're going this route, sort this out first. When making a decision, first look at what data you have on hand.

We need to make a distinction here. Processes without records never improve because you don't know what to fix.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Same here. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

I went through the same thing two years ago. Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

Map listings bring more business than blog posts for most local businesses.

There's a common mistake people make when doing this. Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right.

Just leaving this note, it might be useful.

The answer above hits the nail on the head. Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.