Can you ever stop doing SEO?

You’re crushing it with SEO, reaching the top for your targeted search terms. Should you call it quits? In other words, have you crossed the finish line — and should you stop doing SEO?

The answer is no. SEO requires continuous attention and nurturing, and we’ll show you why.

Let’s discuss the importance of ongoing SEO, paired with tips for making your strategy stronger than ever.

A quick introduction to ongoing SEO

New to the term ongoing SEO? In a nutshell, it means continually optimizing your website to improve performance. It’s SEO that never stops.

For a closer look at what it is and how it works, head here:   

Ongoing SEO: The secret to outperforming your competitors

Why can’t you ‘just stop’ with SEO?

Well, you can, but you shouldn’t. Ongoing SEO is important for every apartment marketer. (If you’ve heard set it and forget it, know it’s a misconception.)

Here’s why it’s crucial to keep your SEO moving forward, all the time:

The competition isn’t going anywhere. When you stop doing SEO, your competitors keep optimizing. They can show in search results for those valuable keyword queries. All else being equal, fresher content will consistently outrank stale content. Competitors showing in search results when you don’t = more opportunity to attract (and convert) customers, while you fall behind.

You’re up against algorithm shifts. Search engines continuously update their algorithms. These shifts impact your website’s SEO. If you’re not paying attention and adjusting accordingly, you’ll face penalties (like your site getting filtered out of the Google index).  

Renter behavior is always changing. This one’s inevitable. People change, so their search habits change. When you stop doing SEO, you miss out on new search term opportunities. This past year was no different, by the way. We saw multiple shifts in search patterns.

It impacts your website’s traffic. Halting SEO efforts negatively effects your site’s traffic. There are a few reasons, one being that — as we alluded to earlier — search engines favor sites that regularly publish fresh, relevant content. When you aren’t creating and optimizing (and dominating the SERPs), fewer customers will visit your site. That means fewer low-cost conversions, too.

You can’t pick up where you left off. If only it were that simple! If you stop doing SEO, your progress with SERPs doesn’t carry over. The longer you leave your site untouched, the harder it will be to catch up and reclaim your place when you want to optimize again. And that might mean an expensive overhaul. Your best bet for success is ongoing SEO.

Hear from an SEO expert

Our team is all about SEO, all the time. We help clients reach their marketing goals with a solid strategy in place, which you guessed it, prioritizes ongoing SEO.

Take it from Gretchen Walker, our senior manager here at REACH:

3 SEO tips to consider

Confident that ongoing SEO matters, but not sure how to get there? Consider these tips:

1. Prioritize quality content: This appeals to search engines. Our next-level marketing analytics solution, Marketing IQ Genius, can help! (Say hi to AI content generation.)   
2. Conduct regular audits: Do this quarterly. When you work with our team, you get monthly reports that make auditing easier.  
3. Monitor algorithm updates: These happen often (sometimes even daily). It can be time consuming to keep track on your own, so partnering with an agency like us is worth exploring.

We’ll put the SEO effort in for you

We get it. “SEO requires constant attention” might sound daunting. What if you don’t have time to continuously monitor, adjust and optimize your SEO approach?

Luckily, we do! Our team has the time and the expertise, and our results speak for themselves.

Reach out to see if an agency partnership makes sense for you. Either way, know that without ongoing SEO efforts, your marketing can’t reach its full potential.