There is a reason why SEO is never one and done as a practical internet marketing strategy. It takes months to develop the right signals over time for competitive markets. Ranking factors for competitive keywords are constantly in a state of flux and thus must be carefully orchestrated in sequence to produce optimal results.
SEO is Never One and Done!
Each website represents an opportunity to synchronize the layers of events in such a way that it exceeds the benchmarks established by the law of averages. There are only 10 spots allotted for any given keyword, if your page occupies a position (for a coveted keyword) then the opportunity for converting that position into a profitable enterprise has a higher probability that the other 90% of the other websites appearing in the top 1000 results for that keyword or phrase.
Out of the 8 billion websites indexed in Google’s upper echelon, there is a vast signal to noise ratio which if embraced can reveal patterns of coherence, coupled with a vast array or techniques utilized to convey relevance. By assessing those benchmarks, you can create a tangible plan to exceed them to essentially step over your competition.
Each website has a different threshold, for some it can be toggled from new content creation, others through deep linking to specific landing pages (since they already have search engine trust); the point being, you must find the missing ingredient to unlock a websites potential.
Each time you remove a layer of obstruction through optimization, it is like finding the missing piece of the puzzle where time sensitive execution is coupled with cumulative milestones that deliver traffic to your website.
For example, getting over 40K unique visitors per month of aggregate traffic in your niche is a tangible benchmark, developing enough website authority to be viewed as a news source and appearing in Google news or attracting third party authoritative links, reaching over 10K readers in a news feed are also notable events. Any of those types of events are game changers in contention to establishing your online brand, but to get there you will need focus, planning and consistent refinement.
Before you reach those critical milestones, you will need to understand the value of keyword stemming which allows each page to acquire a specific ranking objective while simultaneously pulling other pages from obscurity into a favorable and dynamic position.
The tact is to optimize each page for a specific purpose and pour ranking factors from one page back into the rest. By using the model of building your own authority through an internal link based self referral; you can assign each page with a keyword or key phrase (long-tail, moderately competitive or competitive) and truly grasp the value of SEO as a whole.
If you are currently engaged in a keyword quest for a competitive spot, then be warned that shifts in search engine algorithms (and how they assess your content) can wreak havoc for the unprepared. There are certain things that insulate a website from temporal fluctuations, but to reach that degree of immunity could take up to a year of consistent optimization to realize a stable position.
The idea is to initiate the base layer, see what occurs on indexing, group it with other similar ranking objectives from internal linking and sitemaps, provide deep links (links specifically to that page) to expedite authority then add a topical layer such as a landing page or series of landing pages to act as the tip of the iceberg to concentrate ranking factors.
For example, with the sheer number of websites targeting a competitive keyword, their content, links and authority predate your own. In order to surpass them, you must rely on the ranking factors they overlooked or failed to implement in the optimal fashion.
If you mimic their technique then as you proceed forward they recede even further away like a vast expanse on the horizon. You must understand the process of layering multiple tactics in order to scale past the authority of others who started before you.
So, for a competitive keyword, I may need to develop 200 pages of content to use as a common thread to give that theme expression within the site, only to consolidate all of those ranking factors to one page. Another keyword may require 50 pages of content to acquire another competitive piece of the puzzle.
In order to do this for a wide array of keywords is no easy task. It is this process that requires time, energy and dedication and not just from a level of automation, it must be refined and tweaked for maximum effect (until you cross the tipping point for each threshold).
There are like three layers of SEO. The first is the foundation, as a foundation a page should be (1) supported by solid site architecture the second layer is (2) to be designated as a preferred landing page or supporting page depending on the overall theme of the website (3) have the ability to rank for multiple related keywords with the capacity to transfer that authority to another page in the website.
If any page in your website can either act as a landing page or a supporting page, it’s just a matter of developing a bird’s eye view / game plan that encompassing each for its respective role, leverages it for maximum efficiency and recycles and ranking factors that could potentially hemorrhage to eliminate topical diffusion.
If you have a page that is currently ranking in the top 10 for a given keyword or key phrase, then you can use that page to pull another page into the top 10 for a slightly different variation. This is why, SEO will never be one and done, you must constantly sift through your website to see what ranking factors have been cultivated and use them as fertile soil to plant the next layer of pages, links, keyword and key phrases that will yield the highest return on traffic, engagement and conversion based on the platform you create.
Damn Jeff. No matter where I run into your content, it’s always good. You put things in ways to help me explain to others like no other. I really appreciate this post because most people don’t understand the importance of an ongoing SEO campaign.
Many SEO companies claim that the SEO process can generate profitable traffic. I do not agree to this statement because I think that the issue is far more comprehensive and needs expertise from other professionals, persons who known more than merely the IT business
Much respect James,
Appreciate the visit, your blog is a heavy hitter as well.
Anders:
Profitable traffic is distinguished by two factors aside from relevance and (1) finding someone with the right keyword modifers such as best pricing, affordable, leading, etc. used in tandem with the key phrase and (2) that they are in the right mood to purchase.
With so many variables, sure persuasive writing is great, call to action and landing pages are all fine and dandy, but without traffic (regardless of if you PPC or use SEO) it won’t matter.
So, IT is the delivery, but yes, marketing is required once they arrive.
Thank you both for visiting…
thnaks