I have been involved in Search Engine Optimization for over 10 years now and one concept that clients continue to struggle with is that Search Engines and the Web are in a constant state of change. Instead of this view most clients look at SEO work as the same that they used to look at the Yellow Pages where they paid a rate and their advertisement showed up on its page.
A shift in thinking needs to occur here for a few reasons:
- Ranking on the first page today does not guarantee tomorrow
- What customers look for today will not be what they look for tomorrow
- Competitors can copy what you have done
No More Guarantees
Remember when you were a kid and your parents or some adult told you that there were only two guarantees in life? Well Death and Taxes are pretty much still the only guarantees. No one offering Search Engine Optimization services should ever guarantee you a first page ranking and once there you should not expect it to stay there. On the first point it is impossible for anyone who doesn’t work for Google or Bing to tell you that they can guarantee how those services work and apply techniques to your website to effect those changes. That is what Pay Per Click is for. Second expecting what worked yesterday to give you the same results today is a sign of madness. Everyday is new and different and you have to be prepared to change.
Web Searches and Consistancy
Ask yourself this question: How many times do you search for the same phrase more than once? For the majority of people the answer is Zero. This is because once we search on something we have answered that question and we move onto the next task. Your customers do the same thing. Researching what else they might search for that applies to your services will help you get repeat business. This might involve creating a new page or a new website.
Competitors are Watching
Competitive research is a cornerstone of any well written business plan or marketing plan. In terms of search this includes looking at what a competitor has for backlinks, content matter, META tags, etc. If your SEO consultant isn’t talking with you about your competitors then you should look for a new one.
Based on this you can bet that your competition is doing the same thing. This means that you need to adapt and modify your techniques to stay ahead of them. If you have hired a good SEO Consultant they may be able to help you maintain this edge at a reduced cost of the initial work. However if you are in a competitive landscape then you might experience a competitor putting a lot of effort into unseating you from the top spot. The more you are prepared for this reality the calmer you will be when these discussions need to happen.
