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The first thing to understand about SEO is that it\u2019s not like other marketing campaigns that you can start and stop. In order to be effective long term, an SEO program never really \u201cstops.\u201d The search engines favor websites that remain active by posting great content and steadily increase the number of inbound links that point to it.<\/p>\n
A prominent ranking (and the high volume of organic search traffic that typically coincides with it) can be lost if an SEO campaign is abandoned. Some SEO tasks, like keyword research and on-site optimization only need to be revisited occasionally, but there are plenty of SEO items that need to be executed regularly in order to earn and maintain steady organic traffic growth such as:<\/p>\n
Every new page of content that is added to a company website is a new opportunity to rank for targeted keywords and generate natural inbound links to the website. Content marketing and SEO go hand in hand today, you can\u2019t do one without the other. New, informative content should be published regularly, but never sacrifice quality for quantity.<\/p>\n
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\nWriting the great content and publishing it on your website is really only Step 1. Sure, website visitors might navigate to it and over time (ideally!) it will generate organic search traffic, but don\u2019t you want eyes on it sooner than that? Social media activity doesn\u2019t directly impact SEO efforts or ranking but it can certainly have an indirect impact. When you take the time to build up a social following, write great content, and share it with those followers, it helps to build a brand and natural inbound links over time.<\/p>\n
Somewhere along the line \u201clink building\u201d got a bad reputation and became equated with spammy SEO practices. However, as long as you\u2019re building links from relevant sites, link building remains an important part of an SEO campaign. On a regular basis, website owners should be looking for link opportunities. Set aside time to purposely look for links by researching competitor backlink profiles and industry websites, but also be prepared to keep an eye out as you browse the web every day. Some opportunities are hiding in plain sight!<\/p>\n
The SEO industry isn\u2019t as turbulent as it was in years past, but it\u2019s still important to be up on current trends in order to follow best practices. Spend time reading reputable industry blogs like Google Webmaster Central Blog and Search Engine Land that will keep you informed.<\/p>\n