SEO Maintenance | Search Engine Optimization Maintenance
When it comes to SEO many people make the mistake of thinking that search engine optimisation is an action. They are wrong. SEO it is a process that must be continually maintained for as long as you wish your website to competitively rank for certain keywords.
Imagine you had purchased a car with the intention of racing. You then spent a great deal of time; money and effort in upgrading that car competitively. After many performance upgrades you take it to the tracks and enter it to compete against millions of other cars of varying performance and experience. You do not however invest in a pit crew or a maintenance crew. Would you realistically expect your car to come in first place? You do not get new tires, or fuel or any of the other equipment and services needed to keep your car operational let alone competitive. You do however continue to enter your car in the race. Months later, when you check on its performance how surprised would you be to find out that its doing even worse in those races then when it started?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) works the same way. The car is your website, the performance upgrade is SEO and the pit crew is progressive Optimisation .
SEO maintenance is the continued Optimisation of your search engine marketing campaign. The internet is constantly undergoing changes as is the algorithms used to prioritize websites rankings within the search engines.
There are many factors used by search engines to determine ranking. A major factor is the relevancy and authority of a subject related to keyword phrases. If your content is not being upgraded or updated then it stands to reason that your site content is less relevant then a competing site with up to date information.
Once you do obtain high ranking within the search engines, it is essential that progressive Optimisation is performed to keep those rankings. Make no mistake, your rankings will change. The search engines are constantly making changes to their algorithm which will affect the rankings for your keyword phrases. Sometimes this change will have a positive effect, often it will result in lower ranking. Sites have been known to disappear from search engine results entirely after an algorithmic change. It is important be aware of any such algorithmic changes and be prepared to counter any drop in ranking.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you and your competitors are all striving for the same rankings within the search engines. Your increase in rank comes at the expense of a competitors ranking. Remember your competitors are also trying to regain or improve their own search engine rankings as well. Without continually optimizing your own site, your competitors will overpass you and push your ranking results off of the first page, then off the second and so on.
Listed are just a few of the main points that should be looked at when performing SEO maintenance.
1. Monitor your Rankings Your rankings will change. Monthly ranking reports can be generated to view any change to your listings.
2. Watch the Search Engines Be mindful of any changes within the search engine algorithms and be prepared to make necessary changes to maintain good rankings.
3. Observe the Competition In order to improve or keep your rankings you need to watch and understand what it is your competitors are doing to keep or improve their own rankings within the search engines. As new competition enters the market you need to be prepared to expand your own SEO strategies to meet and exceed your competition.
4. Keyword Research The value of a keyword or keyword phrase may change. Keywords that were generating traffic in the past may no longer be the most popular search term. There may be new products or new keywords that should be optimized for. Continue keyword research is a necessity for the growth of any web site.
5. Update and Add Content A web site that is constantly adding or updating content can often experience an increase in rankings. New product pages based on new keyword research should be added. New articles to promote existing pages and products can boost traffic and rankings
6. Increase Link Popularity Quality web sites that link to your own web sites determine your link popularity. The more web sites of quality that are related to your own website the higher the changes of increasing your ranking on the major search engines. Categorized directories that link to your site also bring value as well.
7. Analyze your Web Site Web Analytics should be used to monitor your website for visitor tracking and content performance. While not technically part of search engine Optimisation ; it is a valuable factor in search engine marketing. Your ultimate goal is to convert your visitors into sales or leads. Knowing where your visitors are coming from, what they are looking for and how they respond to your web pages is essential to your success.
8. Keep up to Date with SEO Keep up to date on the latest search engine information, especially in regards to search engine Optimisation . The search engine algorithms change and priorities may be moved. SEO techniques that have worked in the past may not work in the present or the future, and can even bring negative repercussions if not changed.
If your website depends on incoming traffic from search engines in order to succeed, then ongoing SEO maintenance is not be an option, it is a necessity. Search engine Optimisation requires long-term dedication. A website should be considered as an investment in time, money and effort. SEO is the best way to increase traffic to your business while staying competitive in your market with the highest return on investment (ROI).
Progressive Optimisation ensures that the time and effort is being put into maintaining and increasing keyword rankings within the search engines. This will in turn attract more customers to your website, and increase your online succes.