co-founder and CEO of Hawk SEMFor over 12 years, we’ve helped brands “succeed” through ROI-focused, results-driven digital marketing programs.
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The phrase “good things come to those who wait” probably wasn’t referring to the concept of search engine optimization (SEO), but it applies just as much.
The truth is, cultivating and maintaining great SEO takes time, thought, and consistency. Here are 6 reasons why SEO is a long game and worth your time.
1. Building page authority takes time.
Unsurprisingly, search engines are pretty opaque when it comes to the exact parameters that influence the ranking of organic search results. Our experience has shown that while a new website is not necessarily worse than an old one, there are some advantages to being around for a while.
In other words, the longer your site’s URL exists, the more you can build brand authority, quality content, and backlinks. Backlinks (links from other websites to your site) from credible and trustworthy sites tell search engine bots that your content is trustworthy. The more backlinks you can get, the better, but there’s no shortcut to getting there other than creating quality content that’s worth linking to.
2. A brand’s overall SEO is influenced by several factors.
SEO has multiple pillars. On-page, off-page and technical. His balanced SEO strategy takes all of this into account.
On-page SEO refers to page titles, meta descriptions, and other aspects of your website. Off-page SEO includes your brand’s social media profiles and backlinks. Technical SEO refers to crawling and indexing (information a search bot can gather by scanning your site), user experience (such as page speed and mobile readiness), and site architecture (including navigation, internal links, and URL structure). increase.
Pro Tip: Conduct quarterly, semi-annual, or yearly SEO audits to monitor your overall SEO. This gives you and your team a complete picture of how your efforts are being measured.
3. Competition for organic rankings is fierce.
With billions of websites online, it’s no surprise that search engine result page (SERP) competition is no joke. Climbing up the ranks takes time and depends on several factors, from your competitors’ budgets to how you use your keywords.
That’s why many marketing experts say content is king. These days, it’s not enough to just touch on the keyword topic you want to rank for in a short blog post. Those who do it know very well that their content must be complete, accurate, up-to-date, easy to read, and optimized for search engines.
4. Algorithms are smart and getting smarter.
Ultimately, the goal of algorithms is to show searchers the most relevant, helpful, and accurate content. So the brains behind search engines are constantly working to optimize and update the factors that go into rankings.
That’s why it’s important to stay up to date on both the latest algorithm updates and how to track your SEO performance. Did you notice your rankings plummet? It could be due to the rollout of new search engines. One easy way to keep up with the ever-changing search landscape is to sign up for one (or several) industry newsletters to have the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
5. I don’t think I’m going to win any time soon.
Unethical or “black hat” SEO tactics are certainly attractive. They promise big SEO results in weeks instead of months. These methods seem too good to be true. Even if the algorithm doesn’t recognize these shady tactics right away, if it does, it will penalize the site and start over.
Black hat techniques include keyword stuffing (repeating an exact match or variation of a keyword over and over), cloaking (presenting different content or URLs to search engines and users), and adding “invisible text” to your website’s code. It involves hiding.
6. SEO improvements are not “done”.
SEO is a never ending project. One of the biggest mistakes brands can make is ranking high in the SERPs and then resting on their laurels. If you want your SEO to be on an upward trajectory, you have to keep working on it.
Ranking status is not guaranteed with changing algorithms and competitors for the same keywords. The best way to continuously improve your SEO is to consistently prioritize and work towards your SEO goals.
Takeaway
After years of working in the digital marketing space, I’ve learned that there are no shortcuts to success if you want to deliver lasting results to your brand’s SEO strategy. In fact, those who prioritize speed over quality usually end up hurting themselves.
The good news: what you’re doing now to make your SEO top notch could pay off for your brand in the months and even years to come.
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