The hard truth about SEO isn't complicated, but it's one many business owners don't want to face. If you're putting in less effort than your competitors, you'll fall behind them in search rankings.
When business owners come to me with concerns about their website's performance, they often hope for a magic fix – something quick, easy and cheap that will solve their ranking problems overnight.
And yes, when a website hasn't been properly optimised or SEO has been neglected, there are usually some immediate improvements that can be made that will show results.
But here's the reality. Search Engine Optimisation is like training for a marathon. You might work hard initially and pull ahead, but if you stop training while others keep going, they'll eventually catch up and whoosh past you. Everyone understands this principle in sports, yet somehow expects different rules to apply in digital marketing.
The most successful businesses don't view SEO as a one-time project but as an ongoing commitment. You don't need to be the absolute best in the world – you just need to be better than your competitor.
No YouTube "hack" or quick fix can replace consistent, strategic effort. There can only be one top result for each search, and it's typically the business that maintains a steady, multi-faceted approach to their online presence.
SEO is more than fixing a bit of code and you're done. A whole SEO strategy includes:
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Technical & On-Page SEO - Crawlability and indexability issues, page speed, mobile responsiveness, security (SSL certificate), analysing title tags, meta descriptions, headers (H1, H2, etc.), keyword usage, and URL structure.
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Content Quality - Is content relevant, original, well-written for the target market, and keyword-optimised without keyword stuffing.
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User Experience (UX) - Evaluating navigation, readability, internal linking, and overall usability.
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Backlinks Profile - Working to improve the number and quality of inbound links, which affect the site's authority.
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Competitor Comparison - Benchmark against competitors to identify strengths, weaknesses, and potential SEO opportunities.
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Local SEO - Google My Business optimisation, local citations, and location-based keywords.
This doesn't mean you need to throw money after money at Search Engine Optimisation, once you have everything in place, it's a few hours a month to keep on top of and stay in that first position.
SEO is still the most cost-effective solution to drive traffic to your website. Done properly, it's much cheaper than PPC and ADS, with the bonus that you're not perpetually paying the big boys for your traffic.
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