In the realm of digital marketing, there’s more than a few ways to get your name out there.
You’ve got social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, content marketing, search engine marketing, and - as you might have guessed - SEO, also known as search engine optimization.
While many options allow you to reap the benefits rather quickly, such as putting together a social media campaign overnight and seeing the results just a mere week later, search engine optimization is different.
SEO is a long-term game that takes time, dedication, hard work, and, above all, patience.
And yet, so many business owners, CEOs, and high-level managers ask the question, “how long will it take for XXX to rank #1 in Google?”
Many fail to realize that SEO is like a 401k -- the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. And, ultimately, the value will increase overtime.
By understanding why SEO is a long-term game and an investment, you can take the appropriate steps to maximize your results from this potentially lucrative marketing tactic.
5 Reasons Why SEO is a Long-Term Game:
Algorithms are Always Changing
It’s safe to say that it’s impossible to even remotely understand search engine algorithms. Although, there’s no point in even trying to figure out the best way to rank by understanding them because they’re literally changing every single day.
In fact, rumor has it Google changes its algorithm 500-600 times a year. But why does this matter in the long-term game of SEO?
Because even though you might have figured out one tiny snippet of the algorithm that might help you rank higher, it’ll likely shift the next day -- which is why you need to focus on continually monitoring and improving your website for all factors, such as mobile responsiveness, fresh content, and evolving keywords.
SEO Tip: Don’t focus on learning the algorithms (as mentioned, it’s nearly impossible anyways). Focus on discovering what keywords you can successfully rank for, create great material your audience will love (with the keywords in mind, of course), and optimize your site with SEO in mind.
Fresh Content is Best
While nothing is set in stone when it comes to algorithms, one thing is certain -- search engines love fresh content. By consistently publishing and updating your website with fresh content, such as in a blog section, this pushes for search engine bots to crawl your website on a regular basis.
Why is this important?
Because when you tell Google (and other search engines) know you’ve added new content, it lets them know your evolving to meet customer expectations. It shows them your brand isn’t stuck in the dinosaur age with stale information that might be outdated or irrelevant.
SEO Tip: Always be creating new content your audience will love. This can be in the form of a regularly updated blog section or an online monthly newsletter. Whatever you choose, make sure it aligns with your business’s mission and your audience’s expectations.
You’re Not the Only One Doing SEO
Just like you, your competitors are doing (or are considering) SEO. And more likely than not, their digital strategies and marketing budget will include a hefty chunk of it.
To stay at the top of the SEO game and stay competitive in your industry, you have to be doing a better job at it than your rivals. This means keeping an eye on what keywords your competitors are targeting, taking the right steps to outrank them, and ultimately providing value to your target audience with relevant information.
SEO Tip: Use an in-depth keyword analysis tool (such as KeySearch or Ahrefs) to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing, as well as help you uncover what keywords you can successfully target.
Continuous Strategies are Key
Unlike pay-per-click advertising, which can be set up in just a few hours and the results can be seen the next day, your SEO strategies and approach must continuously evolve and improve to experience compounding results.
For example, a key strategy in carrying out a great SEO campaign is undergoing link building. This means contacting or reaching out to higher DA (domain authority) websites and having them include a link to your website on theirs (also known as a backlink).
Why does this need to be continuous?
Because while getting 10 links from high DA sites in just a couple days is great, it’s not a one and done strategy. By consistently receiving new backlinks to your website overtime, you show Google your website is still relevant in your industry.
Not to mention, if you build links too fast and stop abruptly, it might send Google some alarm bells, as it could give off the impression your getting these backlinks through Black Hat SEO strategies (which isn’t good!).
SEO Tip: Always keep the bigger picture in mind and don’t only focus on doing the nitty gritty things (such as backlinking). While backlinking is great, it should be part of a bigger strategy that ties back to your brand’s overall mission.
For example, a good SEO strategy includes continuous creation of fresh content, new backlinks, checking your site for broken links, keeping an eye on your site’s bounce rate (and doing what you can to decrease it), and more.
Ultimately, it Takes Time
So many business owners and high-level officers would love to see the results of a great SEO campaign in just a few weeks but that’s just not how this marketing strategy works.
Ultimately, an exceptional SEO campaign takes time -- sometimes up to 6 to 12 months to see results from.
But, like any other good investment, results can compound. As time goes on after you’ve carried out and continuously improved your SEO strategies, the results will only get better as your website climbs through the rankings for keywords you’ve targeted.
SEO Tip: Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results after the first few months. The worst thing you could do as far as SEO strategies go is quit before you’ve even taken part in this game. Plus, as we both know, time is money and if you stop your SEO campaign prematurely, you’ve just wasted hard-earned dollars.
Interested in scheduling a Free SEO Strategy Session with us? Book yours here: https://calendly.com/wix-my-website/seo-strategy-session