Ongoing SEO: Why SEO Isn’t a One-Time Thing

You’ve spent several late nights really working hard on your website’s content and layout. You may have even tried to manage your SEO, expecting to see it skyrocket to the top of the search rankings.

You get some initial traction, but suddenly, it drops. You’re frustrated, confused, and don’t understand what happened. Well, that’s because SEO isn’t a one-time thing you can just set and forget!

SEO is an ongoing process that requires ongoing effort and innovation. Imagine you plant a garden; you wouldn’t only weed and water your plants once, right? Just like a garden, your website needs continuous updating and optimization to maintain and improve its level in the search rankings. Let’s talk about ongoing SEO and why you need it.

SEO – An Ongoing Process that Leads to Success

Many of our clients who aren’t familiar with SEO have a lot of questions. One of the most common is how often they need to reassess their SEO efforts.

Our answer? It’s an ongoing process, not a “one and done.” You must roll up your sleeves and keep at it rather than letting it fall to the wayside. You need to keep up-to-date and work to boost your search engine rankings.

The digital landscape is always evolving with new competitors entering the market and search engine algorithms being updated. If you don’t keep up, you risk falling behind.

Businesses that perform well with SEO are the ones who understand that the process is ongoing. They consistently put the work in to make sure their online presence is up to date.

SEO success doesn’t occur overnight; it’s an ongoing SEO process that will come with great rewards for those who remain committed.

Why Ongoing SEO is Essential for Your Website’s Success

As we’ve discussed, search engine algorithms are always evolving. If you look at Google, it’s consistently updating its algorithm (between 500 and 600 times per year!) to make sure they’re delivering the top results to their users.

If you don’t keep up with these changes and manage your SEO strategy, you can fall behind your competitors quickly.

Another reason ongoing SEO is essential to your website is that it’s likely to change over time. You’ll add new pages, services, and products – as such, you must ensure each additional is properly optimized for SEO. That meansincorporating relevant keywords, making top-tier meta descriptions, and making sure your website is structured for ease of use on both traditional platforms and mobile.

Every industry evolves, which means your competition inevitably will evolve, too. Top spots for search engines will always be in high demand. As new, fresh competitors enter the market, everyone involved is going to have to double down on their SEO efforts, and so should you.

Make sure you don’t let those hard-earned rankings and stay ahead by regularly updating your SEO strategy.

Key Tips and Tricks for Effective SEO

What does a good SEO strategy look like? Obviously, each approach will vary based on your industry goals, but there are a few key things that should be a part of an effective approach.

On-Page Optimization

If you want to see your numbers fly, on-page SEO is your starting point. Make sure to sew your targeted keywords into page titles, headings, as well as all content – making sure to optimize your meta descriptions and images, too. You’ll notice in time that your website is ranking better and attracting more suitable traffic.

However, it’s important to know this isn’t a one-time task. Impactful on-page optimization is an ongoing process. This can include writing updated content (such as blogs) or updating current pages. Regardless, you need to keep SEO best practices in mind every time to create a new piece of content. By keeping consistent, you’ll help maintain your website and even improve its search engine rankings.

Technical SEO

This is the more technical side of things. Technical SEO involves optimizing the back-end elements of your website, such as site speed, mobile-friendly application, and crawlability. These are the elements of your website that aren’t visible to users, but that doesn’t mean they don’t significantly impact your search engine rankings.

A lot of technical SEO is like “housekeeping” – conducting ongoing and regular SEO audits to identify any technical SEO issues. This often involves tasks such as adjusting your website’s code, fixing broken links, and optimizing your website structure overall.

Link Building

Link building is another powerful element of a good SEO strategy. Utilizing high-quality backlinks from other reputable websites can completely boost your website’s overall authority, and the more authoritative you are, the more Google is likely to promote you.

Just like we’ve mentioned before, however, link-building isn’t a one-and-done effort. To maximize its effectiveness, you must seek new opportunities to get those backlinks. You can do this through guest blogging and creating valuable, informative content that is likely to attract links.

Boosting Your Business with Local SEO

When you’re a small business targeting a specific location, local SEO is your best friend. Adjusting your website and digital profiles can help you fly through the search rankings and bring in more customers from your local neighbourhood.

Some essential tricks for optimizing local SEO include claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing (once called Google My Business), encouraging your customers to leave reviews and local citations. Like other methods we’ve mentioned, this needs to be an ongoing effort to maintain and improve your local visibility.

In-Depth Analysis

Good SEO isn’t an achievement you obtain and never have to fight for again – it’s an ongoing effort. You need to make sure to measure results based on your SEO plan and metrics and balance their effectiveness. You need to adapt your approach based on your metrics.

You need to regularly measure the effectiveness of your results and adjust your strategies based on elements like organic traffic, search engine rankings, and conversations to see what is and isn’t working.

You can use tools such as Google Analytics which can give you a lot of insight into how well your website is performing while tracking your ranking in search engines. Make sure to monitor your progress based on specific keywords and phrases. Staying on top of your data and using it for your SEO efforts ensures you’re always able to adapt your strategy.

FAQ: Understanding Ongoing SEO – A Breakdown of What We Discussed

1. Why isn’t SEO a one-time effort?

SEO is an ongoing process because algorithms constantly evolve. Competitors are always going to be updating their strategies to match the shift in user behaviour. This is why you need to make regular updates to ensure your site remains visible in search rankings.

2. How often should I update my SEO strategy?

A general rule of thumb is to update your SEO strategy quarterly, at a minimum. You need to monitor key performance metrics and adjust as needed.

3. What activities are included in ongoing SEO?

Ongoing SEO involves keyword research, content creation, technical audits, link-building, and monitoring website analytics.

4. Can I pause SEO once I’ve reached the top rankings?

Pausing your SEO efforts is counterproductive because it can result in a gradual decline in rankings as competitors continue their efforts. Search engines prioritize fresh optimized content over old news. This is why consistent maintenance is required.

5. How long does it take to see results from ongoing SEO?

Results of ongoing SEO can take weeks to months. This is determined by several factors such as competition, the quality of your optimization strategy, and your website’s starting position. You need to combine patience with consistency.

6. Is ongoing SEO expensive?

The cost of ongoing SEO varies depending on the complexity of your website and your overall goals. Most agencies will work within an established budget, but you also get what you pay for it. However, it can be a cost-effective investment compared to other marketing efforts, as it has the potential to deliver long-term, organic growth, which can increase sales.

7. What are the benefits of ongoing SEO?

Ongoing SEO builds brand authority improves site traffic and boosts user experience. These efforts can also contribute to better conversions and revenue with time.

8. Do small businesses need ongoing SEO?

Yes, all businesses, even small ones, will significantly benefit from ongoing SEO as it helps compete with larger companies.

9. How does content play a role in ongoing SEO?

By regularly creating high-quality content, you can improve your SEO. It makes your website relevant, attracts new eyes, and offers opportunities for backlinking.

10. Can I manage ongoing SEO on my own?

While if you have some experience with SEO, you could manage your SEO independently. However, if you’re not very SEO savvy or simply don’t have the bandwidth to regularly manage SEO efforts, it’s more effective to outsource to an agency.

Need Help with SEO? Trust in TrafficSoda

Don’t go into your SEO strategy feeling like you’re in the dark, TrafficSoda can help. Our leading SEO and content development services can help you climb up those search engine rankings.
Contact us today.