What to Do After Achieving Success in SEO?
You’ve finally achieved success in SEO. Your website ranks for the keyword you promised everyone you would get in the top 10 this quarter, and it’s driving traffic and growth for your business. Congratulations! But before you kick back and relax, there are a few things you should know.
First of all, you never truly win at SEO. This can be both a good thing and a bad thing. On the positive side, it means job stability. As long as you stay on top of your game and adapt to changes in the industry, you can build a sustainable SEO program that drives growth and exponential success over time. On the negative side, it can take a toll on your mental health. The constant pressure to maintain and improve your rankings can be overwhelming. But fear not, with the right approach, you can defend your position at the top and continue to thrive.
Building a Moat: Defending Your Position
Achieving success in SEO is like building a moat around your website. Once you’ve reached the top positions on Google for your target keywords, it becomes difficult for competitors to move in on your territory. This is because you’ve invested time and effort into building trust and equity with both Google and the searchers who find your site.
Unlike paid media, where you can simply increase your budget to gain momentum, SEO requires a different approach. Once you’ve built your moat, success can be self-perpetuating. A higher position means more clicks, more authority, and more opportunities to strengthen your position. You can leverage your ranking to expand into related content, different types of content, targeted digital PR outreach, and even CEO Reddit AMAs.
By reaching the top positions on Google, you’ve not only gained traffic but also clout. And having a plan to wield that clout is crucial in maintaining and improving your ranking. Doubling down on your successes and leveraging your authority can help keep the momentum going.
Scenarios That Can Tank Your SEO Wins
Even with a strong defense strategy, your work is not done. There are three common scenarios that can potentially jeopardize your rankings or job security.
1. Getting complacent: Resting on your laurels and not staying on top of the game can be detrimental. New competitors, algorithm changes, and SERP changes can quickly knock you off your throne. It’s important to be prepared to pivot and adapt to maintain your position. Collaborate with other teams such as paid search, social, email, and PR to share insights and double down on what’s working. Stay in tune with larger business goals to ensure you’re targeting the KPIs that matter most to the executive team.
2. Rebranding or site changes: Rebranding or making significant changes to your website can have an adverse effect on your rankings. It’s important to communicate with your client or management about the potential impact on SEO rankings and engagement. Take a maximalist approach when making SEO adjustments, trying to preserve as much language and keywords as possible. Have a comprehensive approach to site redirects and replacing/updating internal links.
3. Traffic not converting: Pulling in huge traffic numbers is great, but if that traffic isn’t converting, it could raise concerns from your boss. To address this, test conversion rate optimization (CRO) on the page itself. Look for ways to make quick gains in data collection, lead generation, or product sales. Build a retargeting pool of people who reach your site. Develop proxy metrics to show the value of non-converting content, such as brand search and ranking against direct competitors.
Sustaining SEO Success
Achieving a strong keyword ranking is challenging, but it’s important to remember that getting there doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s crucial to keep your most important business KPIs as your North Star and leverage the equity you’ve built. Stay on top of the SEO landscape as it shifts and adapt to changes. With the right approach, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to celebrate your successes with your colleagues.
In conclusion, SEO is a never-ending journey. It requires constant adaptation and staying ahead of the game. But with the right strategies in place, you can defend your position at the top and continue to drive growth and success for your business. So, cheers to your SEO achievements, but don’t forget to keep pushing forward.
