Whenever we worry about being number one on search engine results for a specific keyword, we usually think about optimizing the on-page and off-page factors involved in SEO. But we usually don’t stop to think what we should not do after optimizing a website. Here are 4 things you should not do after SEO Implementation:
1. Don’t expect results instantly.
Good SEO takes time. Don’t trust any company or individual that guarantees your site will be #1 in a week or a month. They might be using inappropriate short cuts that will only get your website penalized by search engines in the long run. Generally speaking, you should look for improvements after 30 days, but it can take up to 6 months for you to actually see SEO results.
2. Don’t expect for SEO to be a one-time activity
Google changes its algorithm 500+ times per year. So there is always a new factor to optimize or an existing factor that needs constant attention like fresh content.
3. Don’t think you should only rely on a third-party to do SEO.
Whenever Perficient has a client interested in PPC or SEO, one of our main goals is to educate. We not only say “this is what we are going to do” but we explain why we are doing it and why it is important. I always say that SEO is a way of thinking, because it should be incorporated in everything we do. For example whenever you write a blog post, a tweet, a Facebook status update, a press release or a newsletter, you should always be thinking about
- How can I make the content valuable and informative to increase the chances of people sharing the link?
- How can I incorporate keywords that I already use in my website to this content?
- Which webpage on my site should I link the content to?
- If my company decides to sponsor a local charity, event, or organization, how can I get backlinks, integrate social media, and drive traffic to my site?
- Don’t think that SEO is limited to the on-page and off-page factors.
There are SEO best practices for different decisions and activities. Here are some examples:
- Have you ever thought about SEO implications during the downtime caused by site maintenance? During this time both search engines and visitors will get a 404 error that shows that the website was not found. This can result in search engines eliminating your site from their index (which will make it disappear from search engine results), because the website seems to not exist anymore. Including a 503 “service unavailable” error page instead, will solve the problem.
- Do you have the same text in your social media profile description and the “About” or “Company” page in your site? It is very common to just copy and paste company information from your website to your Facebook or LinkedIn profile; however search engines consider this duplicate content and they could penalize you for it.
