To improve your website’s SEO performance, when should you consider updating your SEO plan?

When you write a new blog post
When you have a sale or promotion
When you add a new service or product
When you employ new staff

The Correct Answer is:

When you add a new service or product

Explanation Why? Adding a new product or service to your website is like targeting a completely new audience to align with search intent. It is crucial to develop a distinct SEO plan in order to:

Conduct fresh keyword research for your new products or services, based on what customers are searching for online.
Understand customer behavior through competitive analysis of websites already ranking on the first page.
Create a new content plan.
Compile a list of keywords on which your competitors are ranking.
Develop a link building strategy.
Analyze how competitors are converting their customers.
Forecast keyword rankings based on your website authority.
Predict potential traffic, sales/conversions, investments, and return on investment for the new products/services.
Assess the additional resources required to promote the new products/services.

Therefore, it is essential to prepare an SEO plan specifically tailored to your new products/services.

When Should You Consider Updating Your SEO Plan?

Here are a couple of reasons why it might be necessary to revise your strategy:

Changes in Search Engine Algorithms: Search engines continuously refine their algorithms to offer users the best search experience. These updates can affect website rankings. Adapting your SEO plan will help you adjust to these changes and improve your chances of ranking well.

Evolving Competition: The online landscape is constantly changing, and your competitors are likely adjusting their SEO strategies. If you observe that your competitors are ranking higher or implementing new tactics, it’s a sign that you need to update your SEO plan.

Shifting User Behavior: User behavior and search trends can change over time. If your target audience’s search habits have evolved, it’s important to update your SEO plan accordingly.

Technical Issues: Technical SEO significantly impacts website performance. If your site has technical issues, such as slow page speed, broken links, or poor mobile optimization, it can negatively affect your rankings. Therefore, updating your SEO plan to address these issues is important.

Content Relevance: The quality and relevance of your content are crucial for SEO success. If you find that your existing content is outdated, lacks depth, or doesn’t align with user intent, it’s time to update your content strategy.

Declining Organic Traffic: A significant drop in organic traffic to your website is a clear sign that something might be wrong with your SEO strategy. Updating your plan can help identify and address the factors contributing to the decline.

Poor Keyword Rankings: If your target keywords consistently rank poorly or have dropped in rankings over time, it’s a signal that your SEO plan needs adjustment.

Lack of Conversions or Low Engagement: Even if your website is receiving decent traffic, if it’s not converting visitors into customers or achieving the desired engagement metrics, it’s time to reevaluate your SEO plan.

Changes in Business Goals or Target Audience: If your business goals or target audience have evolved, you should update your SEO plan accordingly.

Competitors Outranking You: If your competitors consistently outrank you in search results, it’s an indication that you need to update your SEO plan.

New Opportunities or Industry Trends: Staying informed about new opportunities or industry trends is crucial for effective SEO. If you come across new keywords, content formats, or emerging trends that align with your target audience, updating your SEO plan can give you a competitive edge.

Update Your SEO Plan in 10 Effective Steps

When updating your SEO plan, it’s important to follow a systematic approach to ensure its effectiveness. Here are some steps you can take to update your SEO plan:

Perform an SEO Audit: Begin by conducting a comprehensive SEO audit of your website. This involves analyzing various aspects such as on-page optimization, technical SEO, backlink profile, keyword targeting, and user experience. Identify any issues, weaknesses, or areas for improvement that need to be addressed.

Review Your Goals: Assess your current business goals and determine if they have changed since your last SEO plan.

Analyze Competitor Strategies: Examine the SEO strategies of your top competitors. Identify what they are doing well and areas where they are outperforming you.

Update Keyword Research: Conduct fresh keyword research to identify relevant and high-traffic keywords that align with your target audience and business goals.

Revise On-Page Optimization: Review and update the on-page optimization elements of your website. This includes optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, heading tags, and URL structures. Ensure that your content is well-structured, well-written, and relevant to the targeted keywords.

Improve Technical SEO: Address any technical issues that might be affecting your website’s performance and rankings. Optimize website speed, ensure mobile-friendliness, fix broken links, and improve site crawlability and indexability.

Enhance User Experience: User experience is a crucial part of SEO. Analyze user behavior on your website and identify areas where you can improve user engagement.

Update Content Strategy: Evaluate your existing content and identify opportunities for improvement. Update outdated content, expand on existing topics, and create fresh, high-quality content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience.

Build Quality Backlinks: Backlinks play a crucial role in SEO. Review your backlink profile and identify opportunities to build high-quality, relevant backlinks from authoritative websites.

Monitor and Measure: Implement a robust system for monitoring and measuring the performance of your updated SEO plan. Track key metrics such as organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rates, and engagement metrics.

Do You Need SEO Services to Update SEO Plan?

Remember these points when deciding whether you need SEO services to update your SEO plan or not:

In-House Expertise: If your team is knowledgeable about SEO best practices, technical optimization, content creation, and link building, you can update your SEO plan internally.

Resource Availability: Consider if your team has the time and expertise to handle the updates. If they are stretched thin or lack certain SEO expertise, consider external SEO services.

Complexity of Changes: If the updates involve technical SEO issues, website restructuring, or advanced optimization techniques, working with experienced professionals may be beneficial.

Need for Specialized Tools and Software: SEO service providers have access to specialized tools for keyword research, data analysis, performance tracking, and technical audits, which can optimize your website more efficiently.

Competitive Landscape: If your industry is highly competitive, SEO services can provide valuable insights and strategies to improve your position by analyzing and competing against similar websites.

Scalability and Long-Term Support: If you need ongoing monitoring, optimization, and support, SEO services can offer scalable solutions that adapt to your changing needs over time.