The Importance of Consistent SEO Efforts: Do You Need to Do SEO Every Month?
In an increasingly digital world, Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is the backbone of your thriving online presence. It’s the art and science of helping your website rank higher in search engine results and getting more leads.
Online statistics support this fact. According to Backlinko, the #1 result in Google’s organic search results has an average CTR of 27.6%. That’s 9X the average CTR of 3%, which is considered good for SEO. Moreover, 44% of customer journeys start with an internet search via Google or another search engine. This underlines the importance of implementing carefully crafted SEO strategies.
But the question is, do you need fresh SEO strategies every month, or is it more like a set-and-forget thing?
Let’s find out.
Why Do You Need SEO Every Month?
The digital ecosystem is dynamic, with search engine algorithms evolving like the tides. And if you want to pass each tide successfully, your SEO strategies will also need to change. In other words, SEO is not a set-and-forget strategy.
Here’s why you need fresh SEO efforts every month:
1. Improved Organic Traffic
Regular SEO efforts ensure your website remains aligned with the latest search engine algorithms. It helps you attract a steady stream of highly targeted visitors through organic traffic. It’s like fishing in the open sea. The more frequently you update your baits (SEO strategies), the more likely you are to catch fish (attract leads).
2. Better Brand Credibility
Ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs) is a must. It boosts your brand’s credibility because 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. Continuous SEO efforts can help maintain this rank and credibility, ensuring your brand remains front and centre in the minds of potential customers.
3. Enhanced User Experience
Providing users with a seamless and enjoyable experience is one of the crucial SEO best practices. Keeping your UX updated comes with huge benefits. For starters, every $1 you invest in UX can result in a return of $100.
So regular updates and optimisations to your site’s layout, speed, and content are necessary. Think of this as keeping your shop spotless and welcoming. It will encourage your would-be customers to stay longer and keep coming back for more.
Related article: How to Optimise Site Structure for Search Engines
4. Competitive Edge
In SEO, standing still means moving ten steps backwards. You will lose your search engine rank if your SEO efforts are inconsistent. Meanwhile, your competitors are likely investing in monthly SEO. You must do the same to keep pace or outsmart them. Consistent SEO efforts can help you identify and capitalise on new opportunities, adapt to market changes, and secure your spot in the search engine spotlight.
5. Long-term Cost Savings
Monthly SEO can lead to long-term cost savings. While pay-per-click (PPC) advertising offers immediate visibility, its costs can quickly add up. Besides, it’s not meant for long-term SEO goals.
Consistent organic SEO efforts, on the other hand, deliver sustainable growth at a fraction of the cost over time. Like a well-maintained garden that yields fruits long after the planting season, your well-optimised website can provide lasting results. Thus, monthly SEO tasks can reduce the need for expensive advertising.
Related articles:
7 Reasons Why Your Website Isn’t Showing on Google + Quick Fixes
Prepare Your Monthly SEO Checklist
As you can see, monthly SEO tasks are critical for maintaining and improving your website’s visibility and performance in search engine results. Including these five essential SEO best practices in your monthly routine can help you maintain a steady flow of organic traffic.
Here’s what you should do:
1. Keyword Analysis and Optimisation
Contrary to popular belief, keyword analysis and optimisation is an ongoing process. It should be on your monthly SEO checklist because keyword optimisation helps your website stay relevant and visible.
Each month, you need to evaluate the performance of your existing keywords and scout for emerging trends or phrases your target audience might be using. It involves using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify keywords gaining traction but not yet targeted on your website.
Remember, search intent can shift. What users searched for six months ago might be different from their current queries. Regularly optimising your keywords ensures your site meets the current needs of your users.
2. Content Creation and Updating
The next on your monthly SEO checklist is content creation and updating. Whether website or social media accounts, you need fresh, relevant, and insightful content to keep engaging your target audience.
This monthly SEO strategy serves two purposes:
- One, it keeps your website fresh and ripe for returning visitors.
- Two, it expands your reach to new potential customers.
But you will need to plan everything to the tee. Make sure to use the latest keyword research to optimise your fresh content. Use only original, actionable, and informative content, as it helps attract organic traffic.
Your content can range from blog posts and articles to infographics and videos. Be sure it meets your audience’s needs and interests.
Equally important is updating existing content. According to Ahrefs, the average Top 10 ranking page is 2+ years old, and those ranking at position #1 are almost 3 years old. This means you will need to refresh stats, include new insights, and improve the SEO of older posts and pages to keep them ranking higher.
Consistently adding and updating content tells search engines that your site is a current and valuable resource, which can positively impact your rankings.
Related article: How to Write Great SEO Content
3. Technical SEO Audit
Technical SEO ensures that your website’s code is clean. It focuses on improving the performance of your website. A monthly technical SEO audit helps you identify and address potential performance-related issues.
It typically includes:
- Site loading speed
- Mobile-friendliness
- Secure connections (HTTPS)
- Broken links
- And crawl errors
Tools like Google Search Console can help you spot these issues. Including this SEO best practice in your monthly routine offers a dual advantage: it boosts user experience and helps search engines crawl and index your site more effectively. For instance, keeping your website mobile-friendly can help you tap into ever-increasing mobile traffic, which accounted for 58.67% of global website traffic in the last quarter of 2023.
Regular technical SEO audits keep your website running smoothly, making it more likely to achieve and maintain high search rankings. So, make this a part of your monthly SEO efforts.
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4. Backlink Analysis and Building
Backlinks are still a critical ranking factor. Pages with more high-quality backlinks tend to rank higher. In fact, the #1 result in Google has an average of 3.8x more backlinks than positions #2-#10.
This means backlink analysis and building should be on your monthly SEO checklist. You can use a suitable tool to review and cleanse your backlink profile every month. Get rid of harmful links.
At the same time, focus on acquiring quality backlinks through guest blogging, forum participation, and content creation. Remember, the quality of backlinks outweighs the quantity. Reputable backlinks can significantly boost your site’s credibility and rankings.
Related article: How to Make Your Website SEO-Friendly
5. Performance Monitoring and Analysis
Your SEO efforts would be a waste without performance monitoring and analysis. Every month, take a closer look at your SEO strategy and make the necessary tweaks.
Monthly assessments help you identify high-performing pages, traffic sources, and effective keywords. You can also address any urgent issues affecting your website rankings or traffic. This data allows you to refine your SEO approach, whether adjusting keywords, enhancing pages, or focusing on successful content types.
Regular analysis ensures your SEO efforts are data-driven. It optimises your investment and maintaining a robust digital presence.
Let’s Get Your Monthly SEO Going
We live in a digital age, where change is the only constant. And in this age, consistent SEO efforts are not just beneficial, they are essential. Monthly SEO is the backbone of your online presence. It boosts your organic traffic, brand credibility, and not to mention user experience. Besides long-term savings, it gives your business a competitive edge in this digital landscape.
In other words, your monthly SEO efforts need to speak for themselves. Nobody is asking you to become an SEO expert. But you do need to focus on keyword optimisation, content creation, technical SEO, backlink building, and performance monitoring – the five pillars of consistent SEO efforts. Do this, and you will see your online presence flourish – slowly but steadily.
Sounds like a lot of work? Don’t worry, that’s where we come in. Your customers are looking for you, and we know how to keep them coming to your website. Let’s get your monthly SEO essentials started right away!
JILLIAN BRANDON
About the Author
Jillian has over 30 years of experience in technology, programming, and digital marketing. Her work with the stock exchange in Australia, as well as other large corporations, has given her invaluable business expertise.
At Manifest Website Design, she helps goal-driven entrepreneurs build their business, regardless of size and industry, using the power of the internet. She’ll walk alongside you every step of the way, making sure that your website is running smoothly, and most importantly, generating leads. Connect with her on LinkedIn.