The promise of instant first page results on Google by some SEO companies may work for nine word, long-tail keyphrases but the reality for long term success in search engine optimization is something quite different. What works with SEO is when it becomes a habit, an ongoing process which starts with exhaustive research and then requires constant testing, man-hours, and analysis in order to provide the best results possible.
The countless moving parts of SEO also require monitoring on an ongoing basis. These changes may include algorithm changes at the search engines, changes in the competitive landscape, the introduction of a new product from your own company, or the addition of a new search engine such as Microsoft’s “Bing”. Whatever the circumstances may be, turning the following activities into habits will improve your SEO results and increase the numbers of targeted traffic to your site, which in turn can lead to higher conversion numbers:
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Research - Any SEO effort, in order to be successful, must begin with a deep dive into keyword and keyphrase research. This advance research can determine the keywords and phrases which are highly competitive versus those which may drive targeted traffic but are being ignored or utilized minimally by competitors. This allows for resources to be directed at winnable searches versus highly competitive ones, which typically proves to be more cost effective and result in a much higher return on investment. High rankings on search engine results pages, as a benefit of going after less competitive keywords, will also occur much faster.
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Analysis - Analyzing what is happening on your site must become a habit as well, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Google provides a ton of free data and tools which provide information on several areas including what keywords you are ranking for, which keywords are driving traffic to your site and which ones aren’t, which pages have been indexed, where inbound links are coming from, and where the problems are on your site. The information allows for constant insight into what is working and what isn’t both on the site and for off-site efforts.
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Upgrading your site - Habitual site analysis will lead the ability to fix and improve the weak points on the website. For example, if a large percentage of visitors is leaving after visiting a specific page, it’s likely that there is some sort of issue there whether it’s a broken link, bad content, confusing navigation, or something else. Constantly looking for weaknesses, making adjustments, and making sure your site is maintained can make a huge difference in keeping visitors on your site, which in turn improves the chances for conversion.
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Testing and retesting - Test everything you do in your search engine optimization efforts. If changes are made, test those too. Keyword trends can change, content can get stale, and that new shopping cart may be confusing potential purchasers but you won’t know it unless you’re constantly testing and measuring the performance of your site.
Search engine optimization requires constant attention on multiple fronts to provide consistently superior results. Only by making SEO a habitual practice can a website owner maximize efforts, resources, and outcomes to keep traffic and conversions growing quarter to quarter. In many cases, the work required for habitual SEO can be too prohibitive to be done properly in-house. GMR Web Team specializes in all the areas of habitual search engine optimization, generating superior results on a consistent basis. For more information on running a successful SEO campaign visit www.gmrwebteam.com or call (714) 731 9000.
Today SEO techniques are updated frequently. Every now and then new techniques are prevailing in the market. So, it always necessary for a webmaster to keep a track on the new techniques and skills. It is just like making book reading as a habit.
Comment by Peter Dan — May 3, 2010 at 1:55 am