Here at Driven Digital, we’ve always emphasized the importance of SEO (search engine optimization) to your manufacturing website. Achieving success in SEO is like winning in an Olympic event. You compete for the top spot to receive the highest price – increased conversions and sales. If compared to an Olympic event, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.
Like with any sport, SEO is not based on pure luck. Those who are more prepared and appropriately trained are most likely to be more successful. And like a marathon, the road to SEO success is never a short distance you can finish in a flash.
Setting unrealistic SEO goals is a common mistake by many businesses. Many are too eager to collect all the high ROI benefits of SEO in one go. SEO does not work that way. It takes intricate planning and execution to achieve success in SEO.
Check out these reasons why SEO is considered a marathon, not a sprint.
1. You start SEO with research, a lot of research.
SEO can get complicated, especially for first-timers. There’s a need for research, from thorough competitive analysis to strategic keyword research. The beginning stage of SEO can already be time-consuming.
An in-depth competitive analysis gives you an idea of the status of competition when it comes to local search rankings. With the information you gather, you can then create a plan for how you can rise above the competition.
You also need keyword research to give you an overview of high ranking keywords to target. An intricate keyword research can also make you see small openings you can take advantage of – keywords your competitors are overlooking.
Are you on the same ground as your competitors? Are you ahead? Or are they actually leaving you behind? Effective SEO research gives you an idea of where you stand in comparison to your competition. You or your SEO specialist must be careful not to miss any opportunity and vital points.
2. Content is king, especially with SEO.
Spiders or the crawlers search engines use to index a website gather information from a website’s content. Search engines store this crawled information in a database which they use in their search rankings. This proves how important content is to your website. Without content, there’s nothing to crawl and nothing to rank.
Content is the strongest foundation of any website. And it should not be just any content. These spiders are intelligent and meticulous. They want consistent, high quality and credible website content.
We understand how content creation can be hard for some. Coming up with blog topics for your business can already be a hard task. Aside from quality and credibility, there are a lot more to consider – keywords, industry relevance, your target audience, timeliness, etc.
Bonus tip: Refine your content, always. Prioritize quality over quantity. Don’t expect long substandard content to rank high. Produce concise, clear and easy-to-read content.
3. You need to build connections.
You have to prove search engines how credible your site is. Link building is one of the most effective ways to enhance your website credibility. You must find ways (legal ways mind you, don’t participate in black hat SEO) for other sites to link back to yours. And they should not be just any random sites. Aim for high authority sites.
Start with the websites your competitors are using and see if they can link back to your site as well. Then reach out to other websites your competitors are not liked to as well.
But link building requires great time and effort but you’ll realize it’s worth it when your effort starts paying off. More credible links to your website can help you achieve a higher rank in search engines.
4. SEO can go on forever.
SEO is a never-ending process. Search engines update their standards and algorithms to constantly improve user experience. Google alone records an average of 500-600 algorithm updates each year. Trends and SEO techniques continue to evolve too. You must keep up with these changes.
You and your SEO specialist should always be updated on the latest SEO updates and trends. Keep track of your keywords and update them if needed. Rework your competitive analysis every now and then. There would be new competitors threatening to take over you. And make sure you always have a search engine optimized website and content.
With its long-term and high ROI benefits, SEO is proven essential for businesses like yours to succeed in the digital world. You can’t achieve online visibility, website credibility and increased website traffic in just a snap of your fingers.
Just like in any sports, if you want results in SEO, you work hard for it. Success with SEO does not happen overnight. Sometimes it may take a while to reap its benefits. Learn to wait, it’s worth it.
In need of a specialist for your SEO strategy? Contact Driven Digital today! We can help you reach the finish line and achieve SEO success.