‘How to Win at SEO’. ‘How to Build a Winning SEO Strategy’. ‘Quick SEO Wins You Can Make’. We’ve all seen articles with these sorts of headlines. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the biggest driver of traffic to websites, and 60% of marketers say it’s their highest-quality lead source. It’s worth striving for SEO victory, whatever that looks like for you, whether it’s number one on the front page of Google or skyrocketing sales. But you can’t stay at the top forever. After you’ve “won” SEO, the next thing you need to consider is how to maintain SEO rankings.
SEO is the process of improving your website so that it ranks highly in search engines. Potential customers search for products you sell, services you offer or questions you can answer. They type a query into Google or another engine, and a search engine results page (SERP) shows up. The higher you are on the SERP, the higher the likelihood the user will trust the quality of your page and click on the link.
When an SEO campaign gets you ranked at number one for your keywords of choice and drives growth and traffic to the business, what’s next? The fact is, an SEO “win” doesn’t last forever. Without taking concrete action to maintain your SERP ranking, it’s very easy to start sliding backwards.
As a full-service creative marketing agency, Anchor has helped many purpose-driven businesses achieve and maintain consistent SEO results. Here is the Anchor guide to how to maintain SEO rankings, including actions you can take even while you’re still holding position 1 in SERPs.
Next Steps after Reaching Position 1 in Search Engine Result Pages
Congratulations! You’ve reached the highly sought-after position of the number one spot on Google. But once you’ve taken some well-deserved time to celebrate your victory, what should you do next?
Set new goals
When you’ve finished a successful Google campaign and reached a prime position on search engines, one question you’ll probably ask yourself is, “Where do we go from here?” While ranking at the top of Google is a tremendous accomplishment, it’s important to maintain your momentum. It’s a good idea to set new goals while you’re still holding position 1 in SERPs, focusing on how to maintain SEO rankings for the long haul.
Keep building links
When you’re at the top of Google’s rankings, it’s not the time to stop link-building and rest on your laurels. It’s the time to leverage what you’ve already achieved to your advantage. By persevering with the same strategies that have already been driving your search engine success, you can win even more links and referrals from reputable other sites. Don’t neglect the benefits of internal linking for your site's success as well.
Keep your site fast and responsive
You’ve probably heard the harrowing statistic that a majority of web users abandon a site if the page takes more than three seconds to load. In the competitive environment of the internet, speed and responsiveness are key. If your page speed is too slow, particularly on devices like smartphones and tablets, it won’t be long until one of your competitors overtakes you in your rankings.
Keep producing fresh content
Bloggers who publish fresh content two to six times weekly are more likely to report strong results in areas like website traffic, brand awareness and lead generation. Producing fresh content regularly keeps your organic visibility high and helps position you as an authority in your field. But don’t forget to review and update popular older blog posts, too.
Tips on Maintaining SERP Ranking
Search engine results pages (SERPs) are the pages of results that appear when you type a search phrase into an engine like Google or Bing. While achieving a high ranking on SERPs can be a make-or-break factor for boosting a business’s visibility and click-through rate (CTR), maintaining your SERP ranking is as important as achieving it in the first place. If you’re wondering how to maintain SEO rankings on search engines, here are some tips:
Conduct keyword research
Keyword research is integral to any good digital marketing strategy and one of the most effective things you can do to improve and maintain your SERP rankings. Keyword research involves finding and choosing the keywords that are most relevant to your business while also considering search volume and competition. By monitoring your performance and analysing your competitors in order to spot gaps in your own approach, you can use keyword research to keep your own SERP ranking high.
Optimise for SEO
Once you’ve reached the top, you still need to continue refining your SEO strategy in order to avoid going backwards. Optimising for SEO means continuing to make it easy for search engines to find and index your content through measures like sitemaps and header tags.
Promote your content
It’s always easier to maintain your SEO ranking when people are seeing your content. Social media marketing, email marketing, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising all help put your posts and pages in front of more people and, if done well, increase your clicks and conversions.
Prioritise user experience
Together, user experience (UX) and SEO are strategies for real marketing magic. Positive UX will increase your conversions, reduce your bounce rate and encourage repeat visits. SEO provides answers to users’ queries, while UX gives them a more pleasant experience with seamless navigation.
Why SEO Is a Continuous Process
SEO is not a set-and-forget process. To maintain your place at the top of the search results, your strategy needs regular attention. Here are some of the biggest reasons you need to maintain SEO rankings over the long haul:
Algorithms change
Google has a history of regular algorithm updates, with the March 2024 core update being the most recent example. Google algorithm updates are designed to crack down on spam and low-quality content, and you can use this opportunity to audit your website, improve user experience, remove duplicate content, and focus on E-E-A-T (expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness).
Your competitors are making moves
Competition is fierce for that number one spot, and many of your competitors are trying the same things that you are, sometimes very skillfully and successfully. If you want to maintain page 1 SEO, avoid getting complacent.
You might rebrand
Sometimes, a rebrand is necessary to grow your business, discontinue certain products, or expand into new markets. Fortunately, you can rebrand without losing SEO value by adjusting your hyperlinks, setting up redirects, updating your Google analytics, and creating new content to match your new image.
Traffic doesn’t always convert
Sometimes, your SEO strategy can drive traffic to your site but not necessarily result in higher sales or conversions. The issue could be any number of things: content quality and relevance, keywords, or user experience. Continuing to focus on your SEO strategy will help you adapt to and overcome these challenges.
Start Ranking with Anchor Digital
If you’re interested in “winning” SEO but recognise it’s an ongoing process rather than a quick victory, the Anchor Digital team can provide you with a long-term strategy.
Our SEO approach isn’t about optimising everything just because we can but taking decisive and personalised action for the best possible results. We know what to publish and where to get you where you want to be. With a level of keyword research you’d be hard-pressed to find from other agencies, we take an integrated approach to channels like social media, link building, content marketing and more.
Our content marketing service will provide you with regular, fresh content to enhance your visibility using services like copywriting, content strategy, and social media. Our content will not only improve your visibility but also drive your conversions.
If you’d like to start improving your rankings for the long haul, contact the Anchor team.
