A successful SEO strategy needs continuous adaptation to align with your company’s changes and the ever-shifting digital environment. Regular annual assessments are vital to ensuring your approach remains current and effective.
This piece highlights crucial aspects—both internal and external—that demand evaluation when revitalizing your SEO strategy. It covers the essentials for a comprehensive review, from website modifications to competitive dynamics and algorithmic transformations.
You can evolve your SEO strategy through ongoing adjustments in priorities via a dynamic SEO roadmap or opt for a more structured annual or semi-annual approach.
In this article, we’ll operate under the premise of an annual review to ascertain any shifts in priorities over the past year. This approach follows a more sequential, waterfall methodology, catering to those who prefer a structured framework rather than an agile one.
Reviewing Internal Components
Over a year, internal dynamics can undergo significant shifts in processes or priorities.
Before altering our SEO strategy based on external factors, it’s crucial to assess whether the brand and the company can support these changes—and, more importantly, whether these alterations align with the business’s overarching objectives.
The Implementation of Your SEO Strategy
Commence by conducting an audit to assess the successful execution or approval of projects aligned with the initial iteration of your SEO strategy, translated into actionable tactics via an SEO roadmap. Simultaneously, evaluate any initiatives that faced challenges or encountered obstacles.
If feasible, endeavor to gauge the impact stemming from these alterations. This evaluation will enable you to begin mapping out the specific elements influencing your website and shaping the dynamics within your industry.
Analyzing Your Website
Your website is a pivotal element in your SEO strategy, demanding a thorough understanding of any backend modifications.
Ideally, you’re already well-acquainted with these changes, either as an integral part of the development team or closely engaged in their workflow, maintaining positive relations with the product or program owners.
Beyond backend adjustments, comprehending alterations in website content is imperative. Several enterprise-level SEO tools encompass change records within their software. Alternatively, Visual Ping, Hexomatic, or Sken.io can aid this analysis. Without these tools, utilizing the “Last Modified” or “Last Edited” history within your CMS, if recorded, can provide valuable insights into content changes.
Your Products/Services
Your company’s offerings are subject to evolution. This year, we have witnessed a fundamental transition from prioritizing Product A to launching and supporting Product B.
Alternatively, the business’s goals, targets, or mission might have shifted. It might be less about acquiring new customers and retaining existing clientele.
Such fundamental changes could significantly impact your website’s content strategy and technical orientation. Consequently, these shifts inform the evolution of your SEO strategy to ensure alignment with the revised company objectives.
Your Operational Procedures
A process may have undergone enhancements, clearing bottlenecks that previously hindered productivity—or, conversely, encountered setbacks.
Though not an exhaustive list, examining these areas serves as a solid starting point to comprehend the shifts within your realm of influence over the past year. This understanding becomes instrumental in predicting probable changes over the upcoming 12 months.
Examining External Dynamics
To grasp external shifts, delve into evaluating elements beyond your direct influence. It’s crucial to gauge whether immediate action is imperative or if preemptive measures can prevent issues from escalating to critical levels.
This assessment might catalyze broader business discussions, potentially necessitating approval from leadership. Expect this process to consume significant time and preparation potentially.
Google Algorithm Updates or Feature Modifications
It’s evident, yet essential, to highlight SEO strategies, to some extent, that will always respond to changes.
While a robust SEO strategy strives to remain resilient against alterations in Google’s algorithms, its evolution lies in anticipating and adapting to forthcoming shifts in search behaviors. It involves identifying aspects that might seem insignificant presently but hold the potential to evolve into significant factors, like the emphasis on “Experience” in E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) or Google’s SGE (Search Guidance Engine).
Observing Competitor Activity
While I advocate for the infinite game in business, it doesn’t negate the importance of monitoring your market. The key is to not define your success solely by comparing it to others.
If you notice a prevalent shift in your market towards producing comprehensive, thought-provoking content, it’s worth acknowledging and storing that information for future reference. However, whether you adapt your SEO strategy to align with this trend depends on your broader objectives.
Understanding the market landscape differs from merely reacting to it. Any evolution in your SEO strategy should stem from a precise, up-to-date comprehension of the market dynamics within your industry.
Embracing Uncertainty
One valuable recommendation echoed in Ian Lurie’s diverse strategy documents is to embrace chaos.
Consider scenarios where a new channel disrupts the market, a global pandemic arises, or your brand receives exceptional media coverage. Ponder on hypotheticals such as split launches for iconic products like the iPhone or significant recalls for brands like Samsung.
Engaging in this thought exercise serves to flex your strategic muscles, allowing you to explore edge cases and evaluate the resilience of your processes and tactics. Take note of how these extreme scenarios might demand a shift or a complete overhaul of your strategy.
Anticipating Tomorrow’s SEO Strategy
The evolution of your SEO strategy involves several key steps:
- Revise SEO goals and targets to align with current objectives.
- Adjust strategic pillars, considering both internal and external factors.
- Introduce new strategic pillars, leveraging insights from the evolving market landscape.
With this current and comprehensive information, you’re primed to adapt and future-proof your SEO strategy. Keeping the strategy alive and continuously refining it ensures its relevance and effectiveness. If navigating these changes feels overwhelming, explore our monthly SEO packages, where our experts can assist you in achieving your goals.
