Implementing SEO strategies within your digital marketing plans can elevate your site’s performance to achieve better results than ever. But here’s the thing, SEO isn’t a one-time wonder. It requires constant work and a flexible approach. With SEO, you need to continually adapt. 

And sure, that means putting in extra effort and extra time but trust us, it’s worth it. In fact, if you don’t remain flexible and updated when it comes to SEO, you might risk harming your site’s performance, and in turn, your business. 

The question you might have is, why? Why is it so important to continually adapt your SEO strategy? And how can you go about doing so? Let’s get right into it!

Reasons SEO is a continual process:

  • The algorithms never settle

Search engines are constantly updating themselves and learning so that they can deliver the best results possible to their users. This means that the subtle tweaks in algorithms that help sites rank can switch at a day’s notice. Sometimes, even a small change can lead to a drastic reduction in traffic for your business, meaning it’s vital that you stay on top. 

  • Search behaviour isn’t static

The world doesn’t stop turning, and the way consumers behave is, likewise, always moving into new trends and trains of thought. This means that search behaviour is continually changing, which affects the efficiency of implemented SEO strategies. For example, keywords might become irrelevant or outdated over time, according to the new ways in which consumers search for things.

  • Business ‘needs’ evolve and change

As your customers’ behaviour changes, so must your business approach. After all, it’s evolve or die! Meeting the needs of your target audience is vital to continual growth, and this applies to any SEO strategies used within the overall marketing plan. It’s particularly important to adapt your SEO to specific aspects of your business needs that might lead to change, growth, or expansion. 

  • The bar is continuously raised

SEO isn’t just about getting your site to the top search results. It’s also about getting above your competitors, who are in turn also trying to get their own site to rank as high as possible. Basically, the bar is continuously raised, because your business isn’t the only shark in the pond. This means your SEO strategies have to adapt and evolve so that they are always pushing for improvement and growth. 

  • SEO is needy

At the end of the day, one of the biggest reasons why you have to continually adapt your SEO strategy is that SEO requires constant attention. It’s always changing, and your approach needs to change with it, or else it stops being effective (and potentially starts being detrimental). 

Tips for staying up to date with SEO strategies: 

Having to constantly adapt your strategies can be a daunting concept. How are you supposed to stay up to date with the right SEO strategies, if they’re evolving non-stop? 

Here are some of our top tips:

  • Be flexible. It sounds simple, we know, but being willing to quickly adapt your SEO approach is half the battle, and it will stop you from implementing overly static or rigid techniques. 
  • Monitor SEO updates. Any changes or tweaks in search engine guidelines and algorithms should quickly be taken into account for your ongoing SEO strategies. Make sure to follow the latest official announcements from Google Webmaster Central Blog and similar. 
  • Regularly analyse performance. Not just your own, but your competitors too. This will allow you to be aware of what’s working and what isn’t, so you can adapt your strategy accordingly. 
  • Keep up to date with SEO experts and news. Interacting with a community of SEO professionals is one of the best ways to be one of the first to find out about any changes, whether it be through social media, forums, or even in-person conferences. 
  • Keep learning. You will never know everything about SEO, because it is constantly growing.
  • Experiment! Trial and error will help you test different approaches and strategies, giving you valuable insights into how to best proceed. 

There is no denying that adapting your SEO strategy to the continuous changes and updates is key to achieving the desired results. Being flexible in your approach is, therefore, essential. It’s clear that SEO isn’t a one-time solution, but rather, a constant key part of your digital marketing. 

To read more insights about all things SEO and digital marketing, check out the It Works blog. Alternatively, to find out how our team can help your business, get in touch today!