Is SEO a One-Time Thing?

Optimization for search engines should not be viewed as a one-and-done deal! If you do, you’re soon to be missing out. The market, the competition, and the rule-makers (search engines) are ever-evolving. It is a constant process to keep up and those that do get rewarded with traffic and conversions.

Search engine optimization (SEO) requires current knowledge of search engine algorithms, user search behavior, and search intent. You have to constantly update your website to show Google you’re staying on top of things or you’ll find yourself on the bottom of page 3.

So, is SEO a one-time thing if your goal is the long-term growth of your business? Probably not because even if your initial efforts pay off, it won’t be long before Google changes something or a competitor outdoes you. As soon as that happens, those leads you enjoyed will dry up and you’ll be really, really sad 😭 until you book an audit with me to get your rankings back.

In the rest of this post we will investigate if search engine optimization (SEO) is a one-and-done deal or a continuous process. I’ve also included some suggestions for improving the efficiency of your SEO campaigns towards the end.

Why SEO Is an Ongoing Process

SEO is a continuous effort due to the ever-shifting nature of the market, competitors, and search engines. You need to regularly check the functionality of your website and make all necessary improvements in order to stay current with the changes. It’s filled with UPS and downs as you’ll see in this screenshot I pulled from our own site’s data according to AHREFS:

I circled where we lost some ground over the last few weeks to show you a glimpse of the SEO struggle. We lost a link from a single domain that was sending us so much authority it’s unbelievable and now I have to go find replacements for it. Progress on this channel is measured in months and years, not days or weeks.

You also need to be aware of the most recent developments in SEO news and trends. Employing an SEO agency or consultant is common among organizations because doing this is not just a full-time job. It takes a team to be really successful in SEO.

SEO Is Not a One-Time Event

And most of the people who view it as such are trying to pinch pennies when they should be doubling down on an already successful investment. While I’m typing this, I can’t help but think back to this weekend when we booked a lead from our search engine penalty removal page.

I’ve been working on this site for about 16 months now and leads like that are getting more and more consistent as we continue to add and optimize content around the many named penalties like panda and penguin. If we tried to save on costs and cut our web publishing budget we would have never gotten to this point and I’d be forced to spend way more on our own PPC efforts.

As any seasoned SEO will tell you, there’s a customer type that starts asking about reducing budgets the minute they get an ROI from their website, but that’s the worst possible move anyone can make. There’s a million different keyword combinations a customer might type in to find you and it can take years to fully unlock them all, even with the most aggressive SEO budgets.

So you can’t cut your SEO budget and expect to continue enjoying the same leads and traffic you’ve already achieved. Instead, that’s the time to take things to a new level and explore new keyword opportunities you haven’t gone after yet.

Search Engine Algorithms Constantly Change and Update

While a good SEO can often make predictions on where things are headed, search technology is constantly evolving. What worked yesterday may land you a penalty tomorrow. That’s why it is important to stay on top of the latest search engine updates and trends, so you can make sure that your website is optimized correctly.

In addition to the changes, it is important to note in this section that content freshness is one of the many ranking factors. What that means for you is that the more often you add or update content, the higher chance you’ll have of ranking in the SERPS.

Is SEO a Monthly Thing?

This is the part of the post where I get to say IT DEPENDS and it annoys so many of you! SEO can be a daily, weekly, or monthly activity depending on the niche you are in and your business goals. How fast do you want to move and how many keywords are you targeting? If you are targeting a few dozen keywords, then monthly SEO may be the best option for you. But if you have hundreds or even thousands of keywords to target, then weekly or daily activities might be necessary to ensure success.

Tips for Effective SEO

Aside from hiring us, there are a few things you can do to make the most of your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts each month. I’ll cover several below, starting with the most important thing you can do no matter what niche you’re operating in.

Publish, Publish, Publish!

The old saying that content is king is still true to this day. If you’re not updating your website at least once a month, you’re going to fall behind and lose ranking to competitors that do. The more content you produce, the more keywords you have an opportunity to rank for.

Monitor your website’s performance regularly:

You must keep a close eye on how well your website is performing and make necessary modifications on an ongoing basis. This involves keeping an eye on things like the website’s traffic, ranking, and conversion rate. If you have not already, connect Google Search Console to your website so you can keep up with organic clicks and impressions. You can also use Google Analytics, both of which are free products.

Keep up with the latest SEO news and trends:

As we previously stated, it’s critical to stay current on SEO news and trends. You will be informed of any changes that might have an impact on how well your website performs in this way. You can follow our blog or keep up with news from leading sources like Search Engine Journal.

Hire an SEO agency or consultant:

If you lack the time or resources to perform SEO on your own, you can employ an SEO agency or expert to assist you. An SEO agency can also help with other digital marketing services, such as content marketing, pay per click advertising, and social media marketing.

How Can SEO Help My Business?

The most obvious way SEO can help your business is by driving qualified leads to your website. Your company could also benefit from SEO in a variety of ways that you might not have thought of yet. These are the following:

Improve your website’s visibility in the search results:

You may increase your website’s visibility in search results with the use of SEO. This is accomplished by making your website optimized for the pertinent keywords and phrases that users are using to search.

Increase your website’s traffic:

SEO can also assist you to enhance the traffic to your website. This is accomplished by having your website rank higher in search results for relevant keywords and phrases.

Improve your website’s conversion rate:

You can increase the conversion rate of your website with SEO. This is accomplished by making your website optimized for the pertinent keywords and phrases that visitors are using to search, as well as by giving them the information they require when they arrive at your website.

Blake’s Final Thoughts:

Wrapping up this post, I want to reiterate the importance of SEO in today’s digital world. SEO is not something that you can do once and forget about; it requires ongoing effort and diligence if you want to experience success. Make sure you are up-to-date with current trends and updates, keep your website fresh and optimized regularly, monitor performance closely, and consider hiring an experienced SEO agency or consultant for assistance when the time’s right. If done correctly, SEO can give your business a major leg up in its digital marketing efforts!