SEO is a Long Term Investment - Here's Why

For each search query, over 75 percent of people only scan the first page of results — and never move onto the second and beyond. Only companies featured on the first page get the impressions and clicks, making it well worth the time to rank high for all industry keywords.

Even after making it there, however, the work is not done. Search engine optimization requires regular tinkering to ensure the site ranks on the first page for all relevant industry keywords and phrases. Without it, your rankings could fall and leave your website invisible to the masses.

To stay on top, use this guide to see just why SEO is a long term investment, and then take a look at your own strategy to see where you can improve.

SEO Takes Time to Register

Although the timing varies for different industries and keyword phrases, SEO is never an instant fix. The changes you make to your website take time to register with the search engines, which have to crawl and index each page individually. And there is no telling just how much time that could take, as the process follows a somewhat irregular timeline.

John Mueller, Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, reveals that their search engine crawls and indexes URLs at various rates. Depending on the URL, they may crawl the page daily, weekly, monthly, or even less often. For that reason, SEO campaigns require a bit of good faith and a whole lot of patience.

Skilled experts will put all the right pieces in place, and then wait patiently for their desired results. They operate with the knowledge that even though it might take six months, their efforts will pay off in improved brand visibility.

Search Engines Are Constantly Evolving

Just setting up an SEO website and letting it run does not work because search engines are always changing and evolving with the times. In fact, Google alone updated their algorithm over 3,200 times in 2018 — or around nine times every single day.

Although only a fraction of these updates alter how you must approach search engine optimization, major changes can demand a full overhaul of your site. Recent updates have shifted the focus from keywords to quality, for example, encouraging website owners to provide quality content geared toward the needs of their visitors.  

With the algorithm looking for something altogether different, you have to alter your content to suit your customers’ needs or watch your rankings fall. And since major updates are always on the horizon, your continued website performance will always depend on making adjustments to suit the newest requirements.

Expertise Comes Into Play At Every Turn

As search engine algorithms evolve, they become more sophisticated and complex. Despite that, search engines do not always spell out just what has changed and how to navigate the new system. To overcome this problem, you can partner with a skilled SEO professional and receive help assessing the changes and navigating the new digital landscape.

They will need time to look at the updates, perform market research, and dial in your website to best comply with the requirements. Their changes will take time to go into effect as well, as it could be days to months before the search engines crawl your site again. All the while, they can help you watch for changes on the horizon and perform key site updates to maintain your marketing performance.

Resources Are Required for Effective SEO

Effective search engine optimization tactics require ample resources on both the web development and creative side of things. In order for the SEO tactics to work correctly, your website must have a fast, responsive design, for example. All your content should show quickly and clearly on all platforms from desktops to mobile phones. Otherwise, your site could end up penalized and rank lower across the board.  

Alongside the technical optimization of your website, you need to put just as much effort into creating quality content. Your website needs actionable content that includes all the right keywords and speaks directly to the needs of your target customers. You also need to tend to all the other SEO tactics, such as securing backlinks, creating social cards, and managing citations, to achieve excellent results.

As you dial in the technical and creative aspects, search engines can see the value of your site, making it more likely they will rank your pages higher as a result. Your efforts will then pay off, but it is often quite a journey to get there —unless you have help from a talented digital marketing team.

True SEO Demands Data and Adjustments

As with all marketing efforts, SEO demands data and adjustments that dial in the performance of every campaign. With a look at each data point, it is possible to see where and how to improve your search engine marketing results. Over the course of several months and beyond, you will want to explore:

• Page load speed
• Domain authority
• Organic visits
• Site sessions
• Bounce rate
• Backlinks

You can then alter your strategy to improve your performance in any, or all, of these areas. With that, you are back to square one in collecting and analyzing data to make future improvements. This cycle never ends, at least not if you want your SEO efforts to help you rise above the competition.

Your Competitors Are Right On Your Tail

As you work on improving the ranking of each page on your site, your competitors are surely doing the same with their own. They are likely keeping up with your efforts in trying to rank high for all the leading keywords in your industry. Let your SEO efforts grow stagnant and they will surpass your ranking in no time flat.

Even with regular effort, it may feel like a fight to the top as you push your website to great heights — and your competitors match your efforts every step of the way. Thankfully, you can make the journey much easier by partnering with our skilled digital marketing team at Marcel Digital.  

We can help you stay ahead of the changes and use SEO to your advantage in promoting your business across the digital landscape. When you partner with us, our team will provide the ideal level of service, customized to suit the needs of your company. Need help with your SEO strategy and executing it? We're here to help - give us a shout and we'll be in touch right away!