This is a question that often gets asked. It’s like asking whether a happy, long-term relationship can be guaranteed by going on a single date! While getting more traffic might be considered a short-term possibility, how likely is it that a one-off communication will actually gain quality leads on a constant basis? SEO is just like a long-term relationship requiring consistent investment over time. In other words, there is some hard work involved. Is seo a one-off job? No. Nothing of value comes easily. 

The truth, please… is seo a one-off job?

SEO could be described as a modern take on traditional advertising. It is a lot more than that in terms of how we communicate, but it’s still valuable to take a moment to consider what advertising has always worked to achieve. Attracting viable, potential customers for a business to sell to.  A good example would be advertising for a traditional small-town furniture store. In the past, the company would almost certainly use the local press. It’s true – they would occasionally highlight one-off events, such as sales and stock clearances, but would also wish to build both a reputation in their community and familiarity with their products, services and attitudes.

In doing so, they would hope to gain more in-store traffic, and their sale ads might well achieve that if perhaps only on a short-term basis. From this footfall, it would be the task of the people working in the store to assess which are the worthwhile leads from among the jostling crowds, and then spend the most time working to convert them. Success would mean a sale, but not, in real terms, a long-term customer (yet). Further advertising would encourage them to return and even to pass information on to interested friends. This would then generate more customers with potential.

We are now increasingly in a digital, more than a print, world. Your potential customers might be more interactive online than in person. But your SEO activities still need to identify who they are, and know exactly what needs to be said to attract their attention and interest. This means that your SEO content needs to be an ongoing part of your communications strategy; both reaching for new contacts, as well as strengthening current ones.

So, is SEO a one-off job? Here’s a final comparison, if you don’t know the answer yet: SEO isn’t like those one-hit wonders from the music charts, burning brightly and then disappearing; it’s like the artist with the solid body of work who remains in the public consciousness over years and even decades. This is the real purpose of professional SEO services.

Get in touch with us if you want to start investing in a long-term SEO strategy.