If you’ve ever tackled a DIY project, such as painting your house, you know how great it feels when you’ve finally finished. You stand back, take stock of the fruits of your labors and admire your achievement. Over time, however, reality begins to take hold.
As the seasons change, you start to notice things about the quality of your work. Perhaps the house paint has begun to fissure in some spots or peel away in others, a sign of poor surface preparation. Maybe the brushstrokes were haphazard and grime has settled in raised surfaces that should have been applied flat. Overall, from a distance, the paint job looks very amateur and may actually be decreasing your home’s appearance and value.
That is the moment when some homeowners realize they either should have done their homework prior to opening a paint can or hired a professional instead. Worst yet is the ultimate realization that the project will not stand the test of time. It will have to be repainted sooner than later to protect your biggest investment — your home.
Some business owners approach their online enterprise’s SEO campaigns the same way. They believe that website optimization initiatives are implemented only when the site launches and that the benefits reaped from these initial tactics will be evergreen and never require updates.
Ignorance about SEO and its value to online enterprises was underscored recently in a survey that found that 20% of respondent small businesses do not have an online presence. Additionally, 54% of this group stated they do not have SEO in their marketing budget. In time, not implementing an SEO campaign will likely cause an online business to fail.
Websites Without SEO Are Like Brick-And-Mortar Businesses Without Doors
Think about it. Compare an online business to one that has just opened on Main Street, in Anytown, Any State, without signage that would include a phone number or even mention what the store sells. Initially, there may be some walk-in trade in response to the “Grand Opening” banners hung in the windows.
Weeks later, these same shoppers will be walking past the store as if it wasn’t there. And soon it won’t be. That’s because businesses that thrive are not only highly visible to consumers but also continuously ask for their business in the form of marketing and promotions. How do successful online businesses get and stay that way? Primarily through SEO initiatives.
SEO thrives on facts in the form of analytics. These are the metrics that indicate where a site stacks up at a given time against its competitors and industry parameters. Metrics such as rankings, page and domain authority and the number and quality of internal and external links are among numerous performance indicators that will be tracked and measured routinely.
Next, primary SEO campaign strategies are derived from a comprehensive initial site review. These observations become the benchmark for future success. Based on these findings, goals are set, such as increasing form submissions by 25% within the first year or making site changes to increase the duration of site visits which are known to facilitate the sales funnel.
To be most successful, an SEO campaign must also be continuous. Why? Because the internet is fluid, not static, so constant changes are a given. Matt Cutts, the respected former Google Search guru, has stated that Google changes its algorithm about 350 to 400 times a year. In addition, hundreds of thousands of websites are launched every day. That means new business competitors enter the online arena every day. Therefore, due diligence to retain and grow market share must also be constant. That is the purpose of a solid optimization campaign: to make a website or brand more visible to those who are using the internet to find specific products or services.
What should savvy online enterprise owners be doing to ensure that they remain competitive and in business? For starters, lose the mindset that SEO is a “one and done” to-do list task. In fact, search engine optimization should be the foundation of a complete digital marketing plan that includes routine client cooperation and involvement. The campaign must be trackable, measurable, analyzed, adjusted and fully accountable for all outcomes. Clients should expect to be made aware of proposed and current website optimization tasks, initiatives that have been implemented and how successful each is and has been.
As a shareholder in their SEO campaign, you also need to make clients aware when key site metrics trend downward and inform them of the efforts underway to remediate these issues. Having a stake in their SEO campaign not only builds a lasting business relationship but also allows clients to have greater control over their own online business success. They can make their SEO campaign professionals aware of their business goals, and the digital marketers can then chart the best and most effective means to achieve them.
To summarize, a solid SEO campaign is a given for every online business that wants to achieve, maintain and grow its market share. The playing field changes daily and varying competition levels are a major consideration. Regardless of the nature of the online enterprise, as a lead generation, e-commerce or informational site, SEO initiatives should be flexible, measurable and accountable.
Mastery of these factors will mean the difference between success and failure for any business that derives its customer base via the internet. Lastly, SEO campaigns must be ongoing to enable online businesses to “go with the flow” and continue to grow and thrive.