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I once took a course on Content Optimization that almost made me give up SEO writing all together.
The information I got about search engine optimization in that three hour afternoon class was so overwhelming, I was pretty sure I’d never be able to master it. I believe the official term is “information overload.”
Search engine optimization is a big, big field. There are countless experts, strategies and factors you can consider in an effort to get a little more Google love. (I’m sorry, Bing, but Google loving is still the best kind.) You have to rethink the navigation and structure of your site; every page needs to be optimized for keywords, you have to decide which keywords you should even be focusing on, and you need to mount a full scale link building campaign.
How can you possibly do everything at once to perfectly optimize your web site?
Relax. Don’t even try. (And SEO marketing agencies everywhere are shaking their fists at me, I’m sure.)
But seriously. What I’ve learned is that there is a lot to learn and website optimization is an ongoing process, not a one time project. Trying to master all facets of SEO at once will probably lead to you doing a mediocre job at best, and potentially send you on a mental health vacation.
Instead, pick one aspect or strategy to work on at a time. Maybe you need to start with properly structuring your site to make it more search engine friendly. If you’re lacking in content, focus on developing a content marketing campaign – or hiring trained SEO writers to get you started. If you have a strong content base to work from, put your energy towards cultivating inbound links. There is no wrong way to start, although a good SEO agency may be able to help you prioritize.
Remember the old adage about how long it took to build Rome. Website optimization, like multinational empires, doesn’t happen in a day. It’s not an item to cross off your company’s to do list, but should be seen as an integral part of your overall business plan.
Britt Reints is a freelance writer living in Orlando, Florida. She really hates it when people tell her life is a “process.”
Tags: content development, content marketing, content optimization, SEO, website design
