Modern SEO is part science and part art form. That’s because search engines aren’t static, and constantly make changes to their algorithms to deliver more useful and accurate results to their users. They also don’t go out of their way to publicize the specifics of their ranking criteria, leaving it up to SEO professionals to divine the right ways to increase SERP rankings.
That has led to a fragmented industry consisting of tried-and-true SEO methodology and momentary, trendy tactics. The latest trends in SEO though, while sometimes wildly effective in the short run, often do little to promote the long-term success of a given website. For long-term success, there’s no substitute for strong SEO fundamentals and plenty of consistent, hard work.
The Folly of SEO Trend-Chasing
Unfortunately, chasing the latest SEO trends is the norm for many business owners who don’t approach the topic with enough knowledge. Like any specialized field, learning the ins and outs of proper optimization requires time and effort, including tracking what causes long-lasting spikes or drops in traffic. That necessary work serves to help identify which SEO tactics will only have short-term effects. Worse still, sometimes business owners even treat SEO as a one-time event, investing in optimization and then assuming that the results will hold indefinitely.
Lasting Results Require Long-Term Effort
The reality of the situation is that it takes more than a one-time snapshot of activity to draft a long-term plan for drawing eyes to your content. Chasing a short-term spike driven by events that cannot be replicated is an easy mistake to make, but there are also more complex missteps that can seem like solid plans at first, only to wind up showing diminishing returns over time. Planning to release major features should always be performed according to a timeline, for example, as releasing features to chase traffic spikes often means the opportunity to capitalize has already come and gone. Instead, it may only result in rushed or unfinished components reaching the end user earlier than intended – and cause a depressing effect on traffic.
Targeted Strategies Pay Off
It’s also important to realize that SEO trends tend to suffer from a myopic focus that will only be effective in one specific region, if at all. That makes chasing SEO trends an even bigger risk for companies whose operations span the globe. Planning to draw in consumers in specific regions means turning to established local professionals such as SEO Dubai, or any number of other locale-specific vendors. They can provide the regional know-how that can often elude general-focus SEO planners, and deliver results far beyond what any of the latest trends could hope to achieve.
Long-Term Plans Mean Long-Term Profits
If making a mistake sounds frightening and the ramifications of poor planning put you on edge, it’s worth a reminder that a strong SEO plan is important even if it can be a daunting undertaking. Business owners profit most from planning ahead and putting foundational SEO to work as they establish their business and its digital footprint rather than attempting to reverse engineer an existing digital presence into a more SEO-friendly container.
Measure Twice, Act Once
Starting with a solid foundation also gives the benefit of allowing for an exact measure of how effective past and present decisions are in terms of drawing views. Measuring SEO results is all about controlling variables and keeping comprehensive records. It’s always easier to make adjustments with confidence when you know where your engagement and views stand, rather than hoping for spikes without having recent data with which to draw comparisons.
In It For The Long Haul
In short, SEO isn’t a one-time event and treating it like something to be encapsulated in the span of time you pay attention to it is a step towards certain doom. A well-executed SEO strategy must be more like a long-term learning experience. It’s crucial to not fall prey to the temptation of chasing short-term trends when your business and livelihood are at stake, especially when a far more reliable and proven methodology already exists.
