Why you should never stop your SEO efforts
By Bruce Klaic Monday, October 24, 2022
Suppose you're one of the business owners who has achieved success with SEO, congratulations! But don't think your job is done yet - effective SEO requires continuous effort. As the competitive landscape is constantly changing, you need to stay ahead of the curve. Semantically-related keywords, image optimisation, predictive search, and Google Analytics 4 are just some of the factors shaping SEO as we know it. There are many other reasons why you should keep up the good work and we will detail them in this piece.
Don’t become the business that falls into the trap of thinking your SEO efforts have run their course. Keep learning, adapting, and improving to stay ahead of the competition and see continued success in your search rankings. Here’s why you should never stop your SEO efforts:
1. SEO has many strategies
On-page, off-page, technical and local SEO should all be considered for the most effective results.
- On-page optimisation includes optimizing the title and header tags, meta descriptions, images, and other elements affecting how a website ranks.
- Off-page SEO includes building backlinks to your site from other websites.
- Technical SEO optimizes your website for search engines to earn better rankings and more traffic- it covers the non-content areas of your site like speed and mobile friendliness.
- Local SEO helps to ensure that your website appears near the top of search engine results pages for relevant queries in your area by using local keywords and filling out your Google My Business profile.
- Enterprise SEO is a large-scale method of SEO that considers business goals, target audience, and competition and uses multiple optimization strategies.
- Even if you don’t have time for a complete SEO overhaul, you can still see results by implementing a minimalist SEO plan.
By covering all types of SEO and following best practices, you can greatly improve your website’s visibility and attract more visitors.
2. Your Competitors can overtake you
Maintaining your SEO results is a continuous process that takes time and effort.
Just as you must continually produce high-quality content, increase your website’s authority, and optimise your site for the latest search engine changes, you must also track your competitors and keep tabs on their moves.
If you don’t have an SEO strategy in place, now is the time to put one together. And if you already have a plan, it’s important to revisit it regularly and make sure it’s still effective.
- The ever-evolving and updating Google Algorithm
Maintaining your SEO results is essential for any business owner who wants to stay ahead of the competition. But with Google constantly tweaking its algorithm, it can be difficult to keep up.
That's why it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest Google algorithm news so you can adjust your SEO strategy accordingly. Here are a few tips to help you maintain your SEO results:
- Keep an eye out for major updates, like BERT and MEDIC, that may significantly impact your website's search rankings.
- Look for small changes and updates that occur on a daily basis and determine how they could affect your strategy.
- Make sure your website's content is relevant and high-quality to meet the standards set by updates like BERT.
- Stay away from shady techniques, like keyword stuffing and buying backlinks, that can get you penalized by updates like Penguin.
By staying on top of the ever-changing Google algorithm, you can stay ahead in the game of search engine optimization and see continued success for your website.
4. New Content Optimisation
If you're a business owner who is looking to maintain your SEO results, then you know that creating new content is essential. But even fresh content needs optimisation if you want it to reach your ideal customers through search engines.
Luckily, there are many ways to optimise your content - from including keywords and covering topics in-depth, to managing keyword density and focusing on technical elements like meta tags. And while social media plays an important role in getting traffic to your pages, search engines still deliver the majority of website visits. So make sure you're optimising your content for optimal SEO performance
5. Search Intent changes
As a business owner, you know that your success depends on being visible in search engines. But what happens when the searcher's intent changes?
John Shehata, VP of Condé Nast, asked Google’s John Mueller what the search engine views as a valid query, and Mueller came back with this:
“From that, we can assume that searcher intent can often be seasonal.”
So how do you adjust your SEO strategy when things start to change?
One way is to consider the seasonal changes in search intent and adapt your plan accordingly. For example, you might change your keywords to ‘seasonal short breaks’ (location) or similar. Another option is to keep an eye on Google Trends to see which keywords are on the rise (and fall).
Being aware of changing search intent can help boost your visibility and keep your business thriving.
Remember: stay adaptable and always be willing to change your approach as necessary. It’s the key to staying ahead in the ever-evolving world of SEO.
6. SEO Compliments other Efforts Including Paid Marketing
As a business owner, you may be looking for ways to maintain your SEO results. However, SEO is not something that can be done in isolation. Effective SEO is part of an overall strategy designed to optimize your results.
When used together, paid marketing, outreach, and other efforts create a balanced online marketing plan that delivers both short-term and long-term results.
Paid search and SEO work together to create a comprehensive online marketing strategy to help you achieve your business goals.
SEO can help you create quality content that attracts attention online. This content can be used for paid advertising campaigns, resulting in more leads and sales. By using SEO alongside other efforts, you will be able to maintain your desired level of success.
7. SEO Still Does Drive Results
If you're a business owner who is looking to maintain your SEO results, you'll be glad to know that SEO is still alive and well. However, like everything else, it's ever-changing, so you need to keep working at it if you want your SEO to be effective.
We're not the only ones that think SEO is still worthwhile - Search Engine Journal thinks SEO is more relevant than ever. And according to a survey by Tech Behemoths, 80 percent of businesses surveyed were familiar with SEO tools, and 67 percent employed a dedicated SEO manager. Further, 89.3 percent said they'd conducted an SEO audit in the last year. So whatever sector you're in, SEO can work for you, getting you fresh leads and improving conversions.
But it's important to note that SEO is not a one-time effort. It takes ongoing work and attention, both from yourself and an experienced agency if you choose to go that route. Keep up with algorithm updates, generate fresh content, and use targeted keywords - all of these will help drive results for your business. And don't forget about the importance of local SEO, particularly for brick-and-mortar businesses.
So don't underestimate the power of SEO - it's still a major player in driving results for your business. Stay on top of best practices and continually work at improving your strategy to see the best outcomes.
Are you ready to get started? Let us help you create a plan that considers how your customers think and drives sales through SEO.
Reach out today.