When I excitedly shared with my colleague that I’d pulled off something many only dream of – driving 100K organic users to a website I was optimizing for search visibility – he was quick to ask if this was the ultimate proof of my SEO prowess. But, my answer wasn’t as straightforward as he might have thought!
To shed some light, I opened up about how I boosted the website’s organic user count from a humble 20K to a whopping 100K visits from search engines (visits per 3 months). Sounds like a pretty big deal, right? But instead of being showered with confetti for this seemingly epic win, I was surprisingly asked to step down from my position.
SEO success isn’t just driving traffic of organic users
To make sense of this mind-boggling twist, we need to take a closer look. See, excelling in SEO isn’t just about packing the house with organic users. It’s also about tuning into the website’s unique goals, understanding the competitive lay of the land in its industry, and most importantly, bringing measurable value to the table.
Let’s play this out. Say you’re tasked with boosting visibility for an e-commerce site where each user is worth roughly $1000. If you reel in 1000 organic users, you’d be pumping a juicy $1,000,000 into the business’s revenue. Sounds like a big win, doesn’t it?
But what if the tables were turned? Imagine you’re working with a site where each user only brings in $1. Even if you pull 100,000 users, you’d only be adding a modest $100,000 to the business’s bottom line. So, despite the big numbers of visits, your impact on the business’s profitability isn’t quite as glamorous.
This just goes to show that while attracting a lot of organic users is something to be proud of, the real victory in SEO lies in the tangible value you deliver to the business. The value each user brings and how your efforts align with the website’s specific goals are key in determining your SEO stardom.
What makes an SEO superstar?
So, circling back to my buddy’s question, I’d say there are several things to consider when sizing up an SEO whiz.
The biggest question is: did the SEO specialist hit or even exceed the specific goals they were hired for?How fierce is the competition in the website’s industry or niche? What’s the search volume for the website’s product or service, and how does it stack up against demand for similar products or services in the market? and as our earlier example showed, how much value does each user bring to the business in terms of revenue or growth opportunities?
And, of course, does the SEO specialist play it safe? Do they avoid risky gray-hat tactics that might offer quick wins but could harm the website or damage the business’s reputation down the line? Are they always on their toes, staying in step with the latest trends and updates quickly to keep their competitive edge sharp?
So, how would I describe an SEO superstar, you ask?
Reflecting on my journey in the field, I’ve realized that the role of an SEO specialist can be pretty flexible, depending on what each unique business or project needs. Far more than just a “traffic driver”, an effective SEO specialist is a crucial part of any business strategy. They align their efforts with the unique goals of the website and understand just how much value each organic user can bring.
A great SEO specialist is all about meeting objectives. Whether it’s boosting website traffic, climbing up the search engine result pages, or making the user experience even better, an SEO specialist has got it covered. Plus, they’ve got a finger on the pulse of the website’s industry, keeping up with the competition, search volumes, and trends, which can change at the drop of a hat.
What’s more, a top-notch SEO specialist always sticks to safe and ethical SEO practices. Not only does this help the website’s reputation in the long run, but it also saves it from any penalties that might come from non-compliant practices. And with search engine algorithms constantly changing and improving, an SEO specialist is always ready to adapt and keep up with the industry. It’s this ability to roll with the punches and stay ahead of the game that really sets the best SEO specialists apart from the crowd.
What is Your SEO Success Scale?
An SEO specialist can be a real game-changer for certain niches or websites, using their unique skills and know-how to drive traffic and boost rankings. But for other niches or websites, his impact might not be as huge as you’d expect. So, you might be wondering, what exactly determines how effective an SEO specialist can be for your unique needs?
Well, that’s not an easy question to answer. Honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all scale or ranking system that can tell you the effectiveness of an SEO specialist.
It’s more of a fluid scale that changes a lot based on how you view the optimization process and what you specifically want to achieve with your website. A whole lot of things can influence how well your SEO specialist performs, each with its own level of importance.
And these levels of importance might change based on your specific needs, goals, and the niche of your website. So, the next time you’re looking for an SEO specialist, remember not to judge them solely on their ability to boost rankings and drive traffic. Make sure to also evaluate how well they understand and can adapt to your specific needs and objectives.