Millions of people make New Year’s resolutions every year, and most failure during the first month. This is no different than the SEO work we hoped to do last year, but didn’t.
Well-intentioned companies often find that there is more work than they bargained for when they embark on their SEO journey. Therefore, they fail for different reasons: lack of commitment, effort, etc.
In 2023, decide to implement SEO so you really have a chance to compete in search results. Here are five resolutions to overcome common obstacles to SEO success.
SEO Solution 1: Have a vision you can share
Pointing to an SEO audit and saying “we need to do this” is not a strategy. You need to be able to discuss the high-level vision of your SEO program.
This can include things like:
Why you want to make SEO a key initiative
What trends are happening that show SEO as a key marketing activity today? Maybe the fact that there are 5.9 million searches on Google every minute?
The bottom line: It’s not really a matter of Yes You should be on a platform used by almost the entire US population, but do you want to beat the competition and win? your fair share of organic search revenue?
What goals and KPIs will you set?
Show that you’ve thought about the goals you want to achieve and the KPIs you’ll measure along the way.
How will you get there?
What exactly are the steps required to get the program up and running? And who will you need support from?
SEO Solution 2: Get real engagement
you really Are you committed to SEO? Like the kind of purchase where the CEO would say it’s a key initiative? Without that kind of “all-in” attitude, it can be difficult to move the needle beyond your department.
I remember a few years ago when my company delivered over 100 pages of an SEO audit to one of the largest research and review sites in the automotive industry.
We proposed radical changes and told them that if they implemented them all, they would see a massive influx of traffic.
It was a big risk for the client. They knew they would need everyone on board to make it happen, from marketing to IT. So the chairman of the board called a company meeting and said that SEO would be a key strategic initiative from that point forward.
And guess what? They worked together to implement all the recommendations and saw a 900% increase in traffic within the first week after launch. They remain competitive to this day.
Achieving this type of purchase requires preparation. If you want to promote SEO on your business site, there is some work to be done.
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SEO Solution 3: Build relationships
After all, a company is not made up of departments or roles, it is made up of people. Strong relationships can go a long way in business and getting things done.
Once you’ve identified the critical people needed to do SEO, you can begin by meeting with them individually or as a team to:
Show them how SEO can align with their goals: There is rarely a business goal that cannot be achieved with SEO in some way. Do a needs assessment of your goals and see how SEO can support them.
Show them that they are a critical part of the process to make it work: Most people won’t initially know how their day job can affect SEO or vice versa. How can they be part of SEO success?
SEO Resolution 4: Educate about SEO
When trying to get everyone on board with SEO, you have to remember that most people (outside of your immediate team) will have a limited view of what SEO is. Make it simple.
Whenever possible, you want to validate your SEO advice against Google’s recommendations (see Google Search Central help files, Google Search Central videos, etc.).
This helps make the connection that SEO is a partnership with Google, not something you do to game the system.
And SEO training can be key. When I started my agency, I quickly realized that the best way to get clients to implement SEO was to train them in SEO. It was a big catalyst for launching our SEO training course in 1999.
Since then, we’ve put all of our clients through our SEO training so we can have smart conversations that help move the needle.
Consider SEO training for everyone who will need to be involved (I’m also talking about your web developers and IT people). I find that when companies open up cross-team SEO training, it creates a shared understanding and motivates people to get things done.
SEO Resolution 5: Make the effort
Not everyone will see a 900% increase in traffic in the first week, like the company I told you about earlier. In fact, it can take up to six months to start seeing big results, depending on factors like the health of the website, the competitive landscape, and more.
Some businesses may give up when they don’t immediately see the results they were hoping for. This is obviously a mistake and the result of not understanding how SEO works (see the education section above).
Businesses must invest in SEO throughout the lifecycle of their site to stay competitive. Remember, though, that once you invest in it, it’s yours (unlike PPC, where if you turn it off, you disappear from search results – no offense to PPC, you need both!).
That said, there they are ways to make quick money and see results to get people excited about SEO. For example, consider a pilot project that might look like:
A plan to prioritize the most impactful SEO tasks first and then track and share your results. A small SEO initiative with a key team within the company.
With a few smaller wins under your belt, you may be able to gain momentum. Remember, though, that sometimes a website’s biggest SEO issues are technical in nature. And solving them can be a serious effort.
At the very least, you need IT people, website developers, whoever is responsible for making changes to the website, on your side.
A tip here: You can always submit technical changes to the site as “bug fixes”. Developers and IT professionals care about fixing bugs and want to stay ahead of the curve.
Make 2023 count
It’s not always easy to get an SEO program up and running.
If this is a challenge for you, start small, do the most impactful moves first and celebrate each victory. You’ll see how these steps can build momentum over time.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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