It’s no secret that SEO strategies and techniques are constantly changing. The keyword stuffing and black hat practices of the early 2000s simply wouldn’t fly today. Even some of the strategies of the last couple of years have become outdated, so the emphasis on businesses adopting flexible, adaptable SEO strategies is more important than ever. At Search Marketing Experts, we’re the local SEO specialists. We’re here to help small to medium businesses use the SEO trends of 2022 to develop a flexible, adaptable strategy that has the potential to be resilient over the long term.
Why Should Your SEO Strategy Be Flexible?
Your SEO strategy shouldn’t be set in stone. Instead, it should be a living document, open to modifications as search engines update and change.
- Keep up with the trends. According to Search Engine Land, 50% of businesses said they struggle to keep up with Google’s ever-changing SEO landscape. If you develop an inflexible strategy, you’ll make it harder for yourself when Google releases new updates. Rather than creating a whole new strategy for each update, why not leave room in your strategy for change?
- SEO takes time. You won’t see dramatic results for most on-page SEO techniques for 4-12 months. So, imagine how ineffective and inefficient it would be to scrap everything and start again if you’ve left yourself no wiggle room.
- Life is unpredictable. Not to be cliche, but life involves some pretty unexpected twists and turns. Almost no one foresaw the impact of COVID19. It threw a spanner in the works for small to medium businesses all over the world. The ones who made it through and flourished on the other side all have one thing in common; they were adaptable. They had processes in place to help them adjust, and they were able to demonstrate resilience in tough times. We can guarantee that resilience and adaptive nature trickled down into their SEO planning as well, so they were able to pivot when needed and find new ways to reach consumers online.
How To Adapt Your SEO Strategy At The Drop Of A Hat
You’ll need to think on your feet and adapt your SEO strategy quickly every now and then. Whether it’s Google updating their search engine or world events impacting how consumers search online, you need to know how to adapt.
- Historically optimise content. One of the simplest ways to adapt to new changes is to update your existing pages and content. Whenever Google releases updates, go through old posts to ensure you have everything you need to improve your ranking.
- Keep an eye on Google search trends. Search trends change every single day, and whether you sell locally, state-wide, nation-wide, or globally, you can monitor search trends to stay up-to-date on what consumers are looking for online. Having a grasp on current trends will help you adapt to changes and events far more quickly than if you come into your research with no context.
- View keyword trends as consumer interest data. Google search trends directly reflect the real-life interests of consumers, and impressions change rapidly. You can adapt your SEO strategy to new situations suddenly if you consider the sheer reality of the situation. For example, when COVID19 began and hair salons began closing, searches for ‘hairdresser near me’ plummeted. However, people still needed haircuts. Searches for ‘how to cut your own hair’ rose in popularity only to decline when salons opened again. If you think about the real-world implications of keywords, you’ll usually be able to target new phrases or those increasing in popularity.
- Invest, invest, invest. When things take a turn for the worse, it can be tempting to scale back and cut spending to certain areas of your business. However, one place you should absolutely never cut funding to is your SEO strategy. If you cut back on SEO, it could harm your business in the long run. You’ll find yourself behind the competition when the landscape shifts again. So instead, either maintain your current level of spending or, if you have an opportunity to improve your market share, invest more into your SEO strategy. It’ll pay off in the long term.
Timeless SEO Tips To Ensure Your Business Remains Resilient
While you may need to adapt your strategy every now and then, there are a few things you can do to ensure your business remains resilient regardless of updates and world events.
- Audit regularly. The only way to measure success is to, well, measure! You need to run regular audits and implement tracking, so you have a clear understanding of where your SEO sits at any given time. If you have a good grasp of your SEO strategy’s strengths and weaknesses, you’ll always be able to adapt to change at the drop of a hat.
- Focus on local SEO. Most Australians prefer to buy locally, so you really need to invest in your local SEO strategy. Make sure your Google My Business is updated, create custom localised landing pages, and use geo-specific keywords to develop a solid plan to attract local business.
- Incorporate a user-focused SEO strategy. At the end of the day, Google’s sole goal is to provide the best possible experience for the searcher. Therefore, the best way to optimise your website is to also focus on the searcher. Make sure your content, products, and website meet your customers’ ever-evolving needs.
- Understand where SEO sits in relation to your marketing goals. Unfortunately, filling a page with nonsensical keywords won’t produce traffic or results. While you want to remain flexible, you still need to have some sort of plan. Ideally, SEO should support your marketing goals, but you should adjust your strategy accordingly if required. Remember the bigger picture and maintain flexibility to achieve your goals.
If You Need Help Navigating Your SEO Strategy This Year, Get In Touch With The Local SEO Specialists At Search Marketing Experts
Your business’s SEO strategy is essential for improving your online traffic, getting leads, and converting them into sales. The team at Search Marketing Experts are ready and waiting with all the latest SEO trends for 2022, so if you’re ready to catapult your business into the stratosphere, don’t hesitate to contact the team at Search Marketing Experts today!