When clients come to us for help on the web, they often know a little about SEO but it’s mostly general ideas. Almost everyone by now knows it’s the way to get your site ranked but many still think it’s a one-time thing and once it’s done, we’re done. While SEO is partly about fixing what may currently be wrong with your site, its also about ongoing work to prevent potential issues and set your site up for continual ongoing improvement.
Since the beginning of search engines, people have been trying to game the results for their own benefit. That’s just human nature. And in the beginning, many “SEO specialists” would engage in tactics that tricked the search engines into ranking their clients higher. You may have heard of these tactics being called “black hat.” And they actually worked pretty well at one point – a long, long time ago.
Google and the rest of the search engines continually make hundreds of tweaks to their search algorithms specifically to stop anyone who is trying to game the system. Google has put out best practices on how your website should be built and what it should consist of. Forget hidden pages, link wheels, keyword stuffed content, and other spammy attempts to get better rankings. Those are pure poison. Instead, you do the right thing by doing the right thing – building your site into the most helpful and engaging experience for people in the market for your product or service.
Never Stop Practicing SEO
Like exercising, buckling your seat belt, and, er…safe sex, SEO is something you should never stop doing. If you get in great shape and then suddenly stop your exercise routine, your fitness is going to be replaced with flab. If you stop practicing safe sex, we all know what could happen. The same goes for SEO – and we have see this first hand. If you stop your valuable SEO and search marketing tactics, eventually you will lose your hard earned rankings and reputable authority.
Think of it from Google’s perspective. You and every one of your competitors want to rank on page one, and Google’s job is to determine who deserves to be there. If you stop developing new content, stop connecting on social media, stop updating your site to make it more user friendly, and generally stop paying attention, why do you deserve to stay on top? Most certainly your competitors will continue to invest to make their sites better and better.
In It for the Long Haul
Long term – this is the goal everyone needs to be thinking about. It’s not a sprint here, it’s a marathon. Search marketing is about setting a long term plan in place to get search engines to acknowledge you over time, and continuing to work that plan each and every month. Some SEO tactics are about troubleshooting. It could be that a tactic Google once favored is now being devalued and considered spam. As Google adjusts its algorithms, you may need to adjust your SEO focus. But the core idea of providing the most valuable experience to your site visitors will never change.
SEO also isn’t just about your web team doing their job. The most successful businesses coordinate the effort of developers, writers, office staff, IT support, and others to make sure that everyone is working together toward the success of your website. Today, it’s about a whole lot more than managing a keyword list you want to rank for.
SEO is an ongoing effort to keep you in the good graces of the search engines. So keep going to the gym. Stay buckled up. Oh, and always wear a condom. 😉