Even with your best efforts, your search engine optimization (SEO) campaign might not be helping your website rank higher on the search results. Here’s what you should do next.
First, find out why this is happening. Next, come up with a plan to address the issues in your SEO strategy.
Ideally, you should regularly do an SEO audit regardless of how well or bad your SEO project is doing. It is vital to keep an open mind when evaluating your campaign.
To help you breeze through your next audit, we’ve compiled a list of common reasons why an SEO project fails to secure results. We also added some practical SEO tips.
1. You have fallen behind in tracking Google’s algorithm updates.
While it is widely known that there are no hard-and-fast rules in SEO, keeping yourself up-to-date with the latest trends and updates to Google’s algorithm is a must. At the very least, you will have an idea of what to prioritise and what to avoid. For example, video marketing has taken center stage in recent years. After all, YouTube is the second most popular search engine behind Google. So, if you aren’t optimizing your channel and videos yet—or worse, you haven’t put up a YouTube channel, then it is high time to prioritise your video SEO.
Nonetheless, keeping up with trends does not mean you should disregard the essentials. Make sure that your website is responsive and provides an excellent user experience. Having a competent web host is integral to achieving this. Also ensure that your site is mobile-friendly. Remember, most individuals now conduct online searches via their mobile devices.
2. Your link profile is problematic.
Today, it is not enough to simply build links. In fact, getting more links does not guarantee the best results. In light of the Penguin and Panda updates, you need to pay more attention to the quality of the links you are building.
Here are a few key factors you need to check in building links.
Is your website getting links from sites with a high domain authority (DA)? Are websites from the same niche linking to your site? Have you disavowed toxic links?
If your answer is yes to all three questions, then you are in the clear. But if you aren’t sure or if you answered no more than yes, then you need to revamp your link profile. Build relevant links from your niche, disavow bad links, and provide relevant content that will get you featured in high DA websites.
3. Your content has poor quality.
To put a spin on an oft-repeated mantra in digital marketing: content is currency.
If your website features content that is inadequately researched, hastily written, and generally irrelevant to customers’ needs and interests, there will be no reason for them to read and share your content. Consequently, they will have no motivation to try your products and services.
So, dedicate enough time, effort, and resources to researching and writing your articles and producing other online material for your brand.
Beyond writing useful and interesting content, you also need to invest in marketing your content. In a world where thousands of websites and companies are competing for customers’ attention and loyalty, content marketing is vital. Your blogs, videos, and social media posts should not only be tailored to promote your company explicitly but also to generate interest in your offerings.
4. You have not figured out a good keyword strategy.
Keyword research is integral to an SEO strategy. The internet is composed of millions of websites, and differentiating yourself from every brand out there who offers similar products. Find out which keywords are best suited to your industry. Another important part of distinguishing your brand is to focus on local competition first before casting your net wider.
Focusing solely on ranking for long tail keywords is outdated advice. Today, the algorithm seems to favor big brands over websites that provide detailed information about a super-specific long tail keyword.
So, what should you do?
Establish yourself as an authority through guest blogging and producing brilliant content. Having a guest post published on the websites of industry leaders will give you a much-needed boost. Additionally, if your content satisfyingly answers customers’ questions, then they will trust and be loyal to you.
5. Your conversion rate is low.
Getting thousands of people to visit your website is only a step towards the ultimate aim of selling. Analyzing visitor’s activity on your website goes a long way and it starts with knowing your clients’ needs and purpose of visit. Take advantage of tracking tools that can give you a simplified analysis of where your visitors stop reading and start looking for the “X” button.
Your visitors want a straight answer for their questions. Having articles providing simply that and a website that is user-friendly would definitely convince clients to subscribe and buy your product. Clear calls to action, trust signals, and social proof can also help convert your visitors to customers.
6. You are not leveraging the power of social media.
78% of the UK’s population is on social media as of January 2021. If you do not have a strong presence on social media, that translates into a loss of about 80% of your potential customers.
Significant research is needed to optimise your social media strategy. Depending on the nature of your business and industry, there are social media channels that would elevate your company better than others. For instance, if your brand is visual-focused (e.g., fashion), then having profiles on Instagram and Pinterest should be your priority. Meanwhile, you can also choose social media networks based on your target market. Younger generations are most active on Instagram and Tiktok.
Publishing content on social media gives your brand increased visibility and opens up a world of possibilities. If users love your content, your post will be read and shared widely, generating traffic to your site, and helping you bulk up your leads. A number of them might even place orders.
7. You have not waited long enough.
How long have you been implementing your new SEO campaign?
On average, it takes a couple of months before you can determine if your SEO strategy is effective. However, you should expect to see a negative ROI in the first few months. As you invest more time and gain more insight into your chosen strategy, you will be able to improve your ROI and ranking. There is no shortcut to finding a strategy that works, so be ready to do trial and error as well as some fine-tuning every now and then.
Do not fall into the trap of having tunnel vision. Having prospects and conversions are great but that is not the end-all and be-all of SEO. Increasing brand awareness and enhancing your company’s reputation will pay off in the long run. So, it would not be fair to discount these gains when looking at analytics.
Wrap up: Fixing your SEO Campaign
SEO is a dynamic and sometimes unpredictable field. To be on top of your game, there are key actions you can take:
- Reading updates on Google’s algorithm
- Building the right links
- Publishing great content
- Developing a good keyword strategy
- Boosting conversion rates
- Leveraging social media
- Being patient while awaiting results
Do you have other questions about improving your SEO campaign? Tell us in the comments so we can help you. You can also get more information here: Top 10 Most Important SEO Tips You Need to Know
