There exists a misconception among many business owners that SEO is a process that once done is done forever. This can lead businesses to fail to extract the maximum benefit from their online presence. If we truly consider search engine optimization a continuous process, businesses might be losing out. Their competitors likely have a more aggressive and nuanced approach. These competitors are refining and adjusting their strategies constantly. Consequently, the businesses with a less dynamic approach risk falling behind.
We’re going to take a look at three major reasons why business owners should consider SEO as an ongoing part of their marketing and promotion.
First we should define our terms. In this article we are conceiving of SEO as not just optimizing for keywords and traditional link building. Since the Panda and Penguin updates, high-quality content has become the bedrock of effective SEO strategy. SEO and content marketing go hand-in-hand.
As Business Priorities Change, So Should SEO
Content production and optimization plans should be firmly rooted in overarching business goals.
A business’ priorities can change for numerous reasons. This is especially true when marketing resources are limited. Often, implementing a comprehensive SEO and content marketing strategy for every possibility isn’t financially feasible. Therefore, businesses must focus and prioritize specific goals.
For example, a young business may choose to focus most of its effort on gaining new clients or customers. This often involves filling the top of the purchase funnel with people who had previously been unaware of the brand. Doing this requires a different approach to optimization, content production, and social media marketing compared to scenarios where the business prioritizes customer retention or already has a well-known brand.
Markets Develop and SEO Should Reflect The Current Market Context
Any SEO strategy should always start with competitor and customer analysis. Businesses need to understand their target audience. They also need to know who else is selling to these potential customers. This understanding is crucial before they start producing content and optimizing their site.
Both of these factors are in constant flux as competitors, customers, and technology develop.
If, based on an initial audit, a company discovered a weakness in their competitor’s SEO and content marketing strategy, and exploited it, they can expect to see increased search traffic. But, we have to assume that those competitors are also watching their own competitors. They are likely evolving their strategies to match. Strategies that once gave a business an edge over its peers in the market may be commonplace a year later and no longer bestow the same benefit.
Search Engines Change
As every site owner whose rankings have tanked in recent months because of Google’s algorithm changes knows, search engines are not a constant and reliable factor. Tactics that have been very successful in the past can today result in no benefit at all or even a penalty in extreme cases.
If your SEO employed a tactic that was successful in the past, but now Google has decided to ignore those incoming links, then your SEO needs updating. This sudden change means something has pulled the foundation out from under your site.
These factors and others make SEO the exciting pursuit that it is. A constantly shifting landscape faces us. We have the mission of finding the best path for our clients. That requires a long-term commitment to constantly evolving and testing our approach.
