Shocking as it may be, the one-time deal is true. Well, at least partially. Perhaps a more accurate statement would be, “search engine optimization (SEO) for your website is a one-time deal.”
When you think about it from a technology standpoint, it’s pretty amazing SEO remains the gold standard for getting your website “seen” by search engines. Though some adjustments have been made because of changes in search engine algorithms, the standard practice of SEO has been in place since the late 1990s!
As a Cuppa SEO reader, you probably know that. However, did you also know once your website is optimized with rich keywords, no monthly “tweaking” of them is necessary? Yep, it’s true. Unless you add a new page or image, etc., once your website is optimized, that’s it.
Unfortunately, you’d be amazed at the number of SEO service providers who charge monthly retainers to keep clients’ website keywords “fresh.”
You see, SEO is both a one-time setup and an ongoing process. You apply it to your website first and then bump up your traffic and search results through blogging and social media activity. As an example for the website part of the picture, we audit a client’s website and identify every page, image, URL, nook and cranny for search engine optimization opportunities. A keyword report is generated to identify which keywords will pack the most punch for your business, and we use them to get the attention of search engine crawlers. Think of it this way: search engine crawlers are “blind” and keywords are the braille allowing them to “see” what needs to be indexed for a search engine results page (SERP). So, this means you want the keywords on your website to remain fixed, to make sure search engines recognize your site as a credible source to be displayed on a SERP. It also means you need to generate ongoing, keyword-rich content to attract even more attention from the search engines.
Now, to some readers, this information may not be all that new. But, when thinking about the many customers who have come to us after experiencing retainer-based “freshening” that did more harm than good to their site’s authority — not to mention depleting their budget with no results to show for it―a quick SEO recap seemed appropriate. In fact, you may want to pour it into your mental cup and drink up.