Why is SEO a Process and Not a One Time Gig?

Table of contents:

Why is SEO a process?
Why is SEO a process? The takeaway

Why is SEO a process?

Google is constantly implementing new modifications and in the vast majority of cases, these modifications aren’t announced beforehand. Neither site owners nor SEO specialists know what to expect. And even if such information is provided, it frequently turns out that updates are implemented on different days than suggested. If you want to fully benefit from the possibilities offered by Google, you need to constantly act in accordance with the requirements of the search engine algorithm - otherwise, you may gradually lose visibility. That's why SEO is not a one time gig! And should you invest in Google SEO? Without a shadow of a doubt! This search engine is the real tycoon that dominates the online world in the vast majority of countries across the globe.

SEO is a process that takes time and requires regular investments. If you don’t want to lose the results you have already achieved, you shouldn’t resign from SEO activities, that will lead to a situation when your visibility decreases.

SEO takes time

Starting cooperation with an SEO agency doesn’t mean that your website will rank high just after a few days. SEO is a process that brings results gradually. First, you’ll notice increased page visibility. Your website will be displayed in the search results for more and more keywords, including long tail phrases. Next, you can even reach positions in the TOP10 which may translate directly into organic Google traffic. It’s easier to rank higher for the abovementioned long tail phrases, whereas more generic keywords require more time and patience. The effects of the conducted SEO campaign should be more and more noticeable each month. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be any temporary decreases. Time is crucial in SEO. Even if you publish hundreds of articles or links in one day, it won’t bring you the intended results (because such activities may be seen as an attempt to manipulate the rankings). Your website should be developed naturally and gradually, to ensure that Google perceives it positively.

Remember that even when you reach your dream positions, they aren’t given to you forever. If you don’t continue working on your page, your market rivals will quickly outdo your results. That's why SEO is a process!

Algorithms are constantly updated

Your website has been tailored to the current requirements of Google's algorithm by an SEO agency. Meanwhile, even thousands of modifications are made to the search engine each year. A post that appeared on Google's blog in 2019 indicates that the search engine implemented 3,234 modifications in 2018. Although only some major changes are visible to users, it's still worth taking into account that the reality and requirements are continuously changing. [caption id="attachment_47229" align="aligncenter" width="951"]

Source: https://www.blog.google/products/search/how-we-keep-google-search-relevant-and-useful/[/caption] This makes it necessary to constantly adapt your site to current requirements. There have already been updates like Penguin in 2012, which impacted sites with a very low-quality link profile. It caused complete havoc in the search results. SEO specialists need to keep an eye on Google's algorithm requirements and readjust websites to meet the standards. In August 2021, Google announced that it was changing the way of generating website titles in the search results. The effect? More than 70 percent of titles have been rewritten by Google and have the form of the H1 header (at least that's what SEMrush's study found). [caption id="attachment_47231" align="aligncenter" width="604"]

Source: https://www.seroundtable.com/semrush-data-titles-google-32004.html[/caption] As you can see, SEO experts need to face a new task and optimize titles to meet new requirements. And this is what SEO campaigns look like - new changes are implemented all the time, so you can't treat SEO as a one time gig. Speaking of the aforementioned update - if you want to see which pages have had their titles changed, install the Keyword Surfer plugin for Chrome. Then your search results will look like in the screenshot below:

SEO trends and search methods change

First of all, activities that worked great a few years ago may not bring the intended results today. At the same time, it’s crucial to adjust campaign strategies to the search trends. The search intent is a perfect example - modern page content is supposed to answer users’ queries. As a consequence of this change, you may frequently encounter summaries and rankings, reviews and opinions, as well as FAQ sections with the most important keyphrases.

Keep in mind that content optimization in SEO never ends - this is why SEO is a process. You should analyze queries in Google Search Console - here, you can find phrases that aren't available in other tools.

Have you noticed that your page generates traffic and is ranked in the TOP50 for specific phrases even if the content hasn’t been optimized? It’s a sign that you should optimize your content and try to get the highest position for these phrases. Check which queries generate the most impressions and take action if some of them have the potential despite distant positions.

New content is created

Google likes websites that have freshly created content. This informs the search engine that the site is up-to-date. Thus, it’s worth showing it to users, who enter queries related to the page content. Updates are also important - most content needs updates over time. If the algorithm sees that the content is being updated, it displays it higher in the search results. Remember that additional content means additional chances for internal linking. By publishing articles and linking to other page elements, you also improve your visibility.

You don’t obtain backlinks forever

An SEO agency has built a quality link profile for your site, which is one of the factors that translate into visibility in Google. Perhaps, these links also generate some traffic to your website. However, remember that backlinks aren’t obtained forever - the pages may stop existing or their owners may remove links. It’s natural that some of the links disappear, but creating new ones and investing in expanding your link profile is the key to keeping high positions for longer. Otherwise, the number of domains linking to your site may continuously decrease. You can monitor this parameter with tools such as Ahrefs, which enable checking lost/damaged backlinks.

Ahrefs graph shows that the number of backlinks to your site is growing, despite the lack of your actions? It may be caused by automatically generated links from pages like the one below - these aren't valuable backlinks.

Your offer is modified

Very few companies sell the same products all the time. Usually, the product range changes and new solutions are implemented. Even if your page is optimized, it doesn’t guarantee that newly created product or service pages will be displayed high in the search results. It’s necessary to saturate them with unique, quality content, optimize titles and headers, place new URLs in the page structure, create links and many more. Otherwise, new products and categories may not generate satisfactory organic Google traffic. This is a very important reason why SEO is a process - think about it every time you add new products to your shop.

Your market rivals invest in SEO

Your market rivals are waiting for you to stop your SEO activities. If you don’t invest in content, link profile and website optimization to ensure that it meets Google requirements, your visibility will start decreasing. It's very likely that your competitors will continue on-site activities and will acquire valuable links to be displayed higher for the most important keywords. You may drop from the 1st position to the 2nd or 3rd. [caption id="attachment_47246" align="aligncenter" width="605"]

Source: https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/visibility[/caption] You may think that dropping a position doesn’t have much of an impact. Falling from the 1st to the 2nd position may mean significant changes in the CTR (click-through rate) by over 7 pp and from the 1st to the 3rd by almost 13 pp. Calculate how such changes may affect the number of users visiting your site and keep in mind that your page will be probably outdone by other portals from the industry.

Why is SEO a process? The takeaway

To see the results of the SEO process, you need to work continuously, so you can't treat SEO like a one time gig. Month after month your actions should bring better and better results, but don’t stop your activities when you manage to achieve the expected results - your market rivals are only waiting for that. Keep developing your site to ensure that it meets the requirements of the search engine and users.