Why SEO Tends to Fail and What You Can Do About It
When you see someone else do something interesting, say juggling, you want to try to do it, too. So, you give it a try. Unfortunately, it isn’t nearly as easy as it looks, and it doesn’t quite work out the same way for you as it does them. You fail, but you give it another go. Yet, you fail again. You tell yourself that it’s just too hard. However, it isn’t. You just need to learn how to do it the right way and then practice.
It is the same exact way with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If you don’t know how to properly do it, then you are going to fail. In many cases, you will fail remarkably well. In fact, here are a few ways in which SEO tends to fail and what you can do to stay on top of things:
1. Having a Low Ambition.
Due to the fact that SEO can cost quite the pretty penny, it is important that you have more than just modest goals. Otherwise, the expense is hard to justify. Think about it. As a business leader, if you were to settle for less and actually accept mediocrity, do you think that this is the way to truly succeed at search engine marketing? Not at all! Over time, SEO is going to get more powerful. The more ambitious your plan is, the more of a positive impact it will have on your overall business. So, don’t just concoct a half-baked marketing plan. Go all out when creating your marketing strategy; go big and don’t hold back.
2. Not Being Up-to-Date.
When it comes to search marketing, it is crucial that you are working with up-to-date knowledge. Search marketing is one of the fastest-moving fields and without current knowledge it will be virtually impossible to outperform your competitors who are up-to-date with marketing tactics. Aside from that, though, there is also the risk of being penalized for using black hat, or spammy, marketing tactics that were once accepted by search engines. If you significantly depend on organic search engine traffic for your leads and sales, then this will have a disastrous effect on your overall bottom line.
3. Not Having Any, or Enough, Stamina.
The thing with SEO is that you can’t give up when you don’t see results immediately. Think about boxing for just a minute. Not all boxers win their first round, but it doesn’t mean that they’re not going to win the entire match. However, if they give up after that first round and throw in the towel, then there is a 99% chance that they’ll lose the match. But, if they hold out and push through to fight the remaining rounds, they may just come out the victor in the end. This is very similar to SEO. It’s all about staying the course, maintaining your budget throughout the duration of your marketing campaign and making sure that you have not underestimated your competition.
4. Not Tracking Progress.
If you’re going to take the time to head up an SEO campaign, then you need to make sure to put someone in charge of tracking its success. Everything can be measured, including your campaign’s success. However, if you aren’t tracking analytics data, then you can’t measure progress. If you can’t measure progress, you don’t know if you strategy is working. And if you are strategy isn’t working, you can’t make changes to it so that it can work for you. This is why so many SEO campaigns fail. So, make sure that someone on your team is tracking your SEO campaign and measuring progress.
5. The Set-and-Forget Mindset.
One of the hardest parts about SEO is that it is an ongoing process rather than an overnight or one-time thing. SEO is not one of those quick-fix or off-the-shelf solutions that you can make money with and never have to see again. However, as long as you maintain your SEO campaign once it is created, it will become more and more effective for you and you will see results for an extended period of time – for years even, but this is only if you nurture it.
Just remember that a good SEO campaign cannot be created and delivered overnight. It takes time to deliver something truly promising. In a nutshell, to avoid failing at your SEO campaign, stay focused and be smart.
