We have all been there once or twice, maybe a few more than that even. You just launched a site or a project, and a few days pass, you login to analytics and webmaster tools to see how things are going. Nothing is there.
WAIT. What?!?!?!
Scenarios start running through your mind, and you check to make sure everything is working right. How could this be?
It doesn't even have to be a new project. I've realized things on clients' sites that needed fixing: XML sitemaps, link building efforts, title tag duplication, or even 404 redirection. The right changes are made, and a week later, nothing has changed in rankings or in webmaster consoles across the board. You are left thinking "what did I do wrong?"
A few client sites, major sites mind you, have had issues recently like 404 redirection and toolbar PageRank drops. One even had to change a misplaced setting in Google Webmaster Tools pointing to the wrong version of their site (www vs non-www). We fixed it, and there was a drop in their homepage for their name.
That looks bad. Real bad. Especially to the higher ups. They want answers and the issue fixed now ... yesterday really.
Most of these things are being measured for performance and some can even have a major impact on the bottom line. And it is so hard to tell them this, even harder to do, but the changes just take ...
Patience
That homepage drop? They called on Friday, as of Saturday night things are back to normal. The drop happened for 2-3 days most likely, but this is a large site. Another client, smaller, had redesigned their entire site. We put all the correct 301 redirects for the old pages and launched the site. It took Google almost 4 weeks to completely remove the old pages from the index. There were edits to URLs that caused 404 errors, fixed within a day, took over a week to reflect in Google Webmaster Tools.
These are just a few examples where changes were made immediately, but the actions had no immediate return. We live in a society that thrives on the present, immediate return. As search marketers, we make c-level executives happy with our ability to show immediate returns on our campaigns. But like the returns on SEO, the reflection of changes in SEO take time.
The recent Mayday and Caffeine updates are sending many sites to the bottom of rankings because of the lack of original content. Many of them are doing everything "right" in terms of onsite SEO, but now that isn't enough. The can change their site all they want to, but until there is relevant and good content plus traffic, those rankings are not going to return for long tail terms.
There has also been a recent crack down on over optimized local search listings. I have seen a number of accounts suspended or just not ranking well because they are in effect trying too hard. There is a such thing as over optimizing a site, and too many changes at once can raise a flag with the search engines.
One Month Rule
Here is my rule: Make a change, leave it, go do social media/link building, and come back to the issue a month later. It may not take a month, but for smaller sites, 2 weeks is a good time to check on the status of a few things. A month is when things should start returning to normal if there have been no other large changes to the site.
We say this all the time with PPC accounts. It's like in statistical analysis, you have to have enough data to work with to see results. And when you are waiting for a massive search engine to make some changes, once they do take effect in the system, you then have to give it time to work.
So remember the next time something seems to be not working in Webmaster Tools or SERPs:
- If you must, double check the code (although you’ve probably already done this 15 times) to ensure it’s set up correctly. But then,
- Stop. Breathe. There is always a logical explanation. (And yes, Google being slow is a logical one)
- When did you last change something to do with the issue?
- If it's less than 2 weeks ago, give it some more time.
- Major changes, give it a month. (Think major site redesigns and URL restructuring)
We live in a world where you can get a tree cut down, and turned into a rocking chair in two days flat. So try telling someone not SEO savvy in a company to wait for things to happen over a period of a month? It's not going to happen. Unless of course you are taking the 'Montgomery Scott' position on saying how long things are going to be to get things fixed, it's always worked in the past for me, well before Is started working for myself ... (lets see how many people get the geeky Star Trek referrence).
Back to having a rocking chair made from the tree, nobody ever thinks to remember that the tree took over two hundred years to grow before being cut down, and that you could still be rocking on that same chair in your eighties, if done right ...
Patience is indeed a virtue ;)
Good analogy.
Managing expectations before the project starts is key and a little bit of education goes a long way. Clients are more receptive to the "patience" message after learning a bit about the behind the scenes details as to why it's a slow moving process.
I also like to slow things down as a matter of process. If I implement three different sets of changes at once, I have no real idea what worked and what didn't. I prefer to do one thing at a time and evaluate the results from each change.
thx Kate.....this exact thing just happened to one of my clients...a small site...60 to 70 pages. they went from page 2 and 3 for some major terms to pages 9 and 10 for about 2 weeks. Now back higher than they were previously. Thanks for the confirmation on the Google dance ;~)
tony
It kills me when it happens, but I always remind myself that I can gain/lose 5 lbs in a few days too. Just water weight. Sometimes movement in rankings is just water weight. ;)
Well said Kate! Things would be much smoother if every SEO, client, boss and marketing director were to read your post on an annual basis. Mark it on the calendar!
Hmm, maybe I should add it to our welcome packets from now on? ;)
You said "There has also been a recent crack down on over optimized local search listings." This was a new one for me. I am getting ready to do local search optimization for a friend's site. Could you provide some more information or point to a resource about what is "over optimized."
Thanks!
P.S. I agree with the patience advice. Doing SEO can feel like playing a board game that is located on the other side of some sort of jumbled "spacetime" portal and you have to communicate over a dialup connection that has intermittent static.
I'm not the patient type by nature and have had to do some serious Zen mastery to be in a good head place for the 'patience' aspect of of internet marketing.
My own site's recent redesign, for example. It launched, it's percolating along nicely and most new pages are indexed and thus far I have good local rankings for important key terms. But I had to stop doing two things, things I know NOT to do with client accounts:
Most important, I have to keep in mind the experiment I set for myself. I am targeting an entirely new, extremely niche client base and my SEO strategies and design reflect that. Patience is going to be HUGE right now, as I will need to sit back and watch how new key terms and strategies play out. As much as I (like any client!) want instant gratification, I have to remember the cardinal rule. 'Wait. Tweak. Wait.'
This post was timely for me and I enjoyed reading and being reminded to take a chill pill and do some needlepoint or something!
Just think of all the great content you could be developing to bring in new traffic (and presumably revenue) if you reallocated all that checking/editing time to researching/publishing!
Yes, I completely agree, Kate. We live in a very segmented, I-want-it-now society these days. I've heard that people now have something like a three-second atten--ooo! Someone just brought in donuts! ;)
And even the time spent on preparation (not just waiting for the results to kick in) for a project such as writing a keyword-rich article for link bait can take a month or more, if you have to do a lot of research and if you're still trying to break into the writing market for guest posting or submitting articles.
I always make sure my boss knows that there won't be immediate results because of the time it takes to prepare. And I also let him know that people I've pitched for links almost a year ago are just now getting back to me, so that takes time as well.
I've heard it said time and time again that link building is a very long and tedious process; it's regularly not something that will happen inside of a week. So very true....
Donuts? Where? *looks around*
Thanks - this is a very reassuring post.
Happy to help ;)
I have to admit, I am one of the people that panic and wonder what I have done wrong, or not done at all for my sites to not be performing better than before I worked on them.
In the past I have had a few clients really getting at me because their stats were dropping and then I have gone back into the site and changed it again (obviously now I realise that all I was doing was prolonging the experienced even more!)
But thanks, realising that it is not my fault is great, in future, explaining to the customer that they may notice drops for a short period is normal and should not panic if this happens. This should ensure everything running smoothly! Hopefully.
Kate,
You couldn't have said it better. Don't expect to get to the top overnight. Patience is the key. This was a great post. I'm on top in my area. I'm still learning something new everyday. I learned from your post.
seo is like love.
love is patient and kind.
and the rest will be history. =)
Great post, I always find myself doing this!
Simply put, great post.
But sadly, I know I'm not a very patient person, although I try!
Love the images by the way, hilarious!!
Lovely post Kate. I recall that years ago when i first started playing around with SEO, with some of my sites, the homepage / or any other important page for that matter, would just drop out of sight in SERP's in some occasions. After a while i learned not to go "OMG where did i do wrong!!" and making vital changes on the page in a state of panic :P
But seriously i sometimes see that if it's about huge links or some big changes on your site, Google sometimes takes her time to reflect those changes to your SERPs. For example, i recall having the perfect backlink for a site with a not-so-stable link profile, it took about 3-4 weeks to actually make any changes at all in the SERPs.
Patience is indeed an SEO Virtue, because if you change things so rapidly even before search engines get a grip of them, you just might even screw things up.
I am trying to learn patience. Right now I need to tie my hands behind my back after I make changes. Great post. Thanks.
Catherine, https://www.lagrandedame.com
You couldn't have posted this at a better time. I'm in the process of moving domains and it so hard to be..... Patient.
Thank You.
In my experience, Google is so unpredictable. Sometimes a brandnew website appeared on page 1 or 2 after a week or so, and others seem to hide somewhere far behind, for no apparent reason (I'm talking about B&B websites, all in Norfolk, similar title tags, similar SEO).
Why? I've got no clue!
Patience is indeed a virtue. I've made numerous changes to site content and seen first page rankings drop.. and come back a week later. It's easy to get stressed out when the drop happens, but you really have to think of the solution, not the problem, and often things just sort themselves out.
Once you complete 1 month SEO training program,you will become eligible to appear in the SEO Exam at your preferred testing center.Following are the exam details-
Black Hat SEO TOOLS
Video Ranking/Marketing Tools
SEO BLACK HAT TOOLS 98% Discount
Senuke/Market Samurai 99% Discount
Backlink creator tools disocunt
Know more from https://www.botresell.com.
Nice food for thought. Every SEO really needs patience especially in the field of their work where you'll have to wait until Google and other search engines ranks you to the top of the page.
I find that ever time I write a solid article and add it as a new page to my site my SERPs increase on Google within a week. This is the only time I have ever observed what would be considered fast increase in ranking. Adding backlinks is important but the results are even slower. If you want to increase your ranking try adding an extremely well written article ever two weeks.
This is great advice, though it can be difficult to explain to clients.
Patience does pay off. In fact, constant whiplash type of optimization could hurt you.
Search engines are simply not *that* smart and if you're constantly changing things they never fully understand what you're trying to communicate.
If you think of a search engine as a five year old, you need to give them consistency, repetition and clear direction. In time, they begin to really understand what you're trying to tell and teach them.
Conversely, if you aren't consistent, they get confused, or they essentially start from scratch again. Just when they were starting to 'get it' you change it on them.
There are times when you know something has gone awry and immediate action is necessary, but knowing when to take a step back and let things ride is vital.
hey thanks for the article. Educating the clients and employers should be an ongoing effort and also I consider myself more of an Marketing specialist so I usually advise my clients don't put all their hopes on Google organic.
I like sports analogies. They're easy to conjure up and almost everyone 'gets' them. To me, this lesson of patience in search marketing is dead on with patience in athletics.
Everyone knows how to run and could likely run a mile without dropping dead. However, that doesn't mean we are all 'runners'. Really, most of us are just running. To be a real runner, you have actually learn proper technique and master those skills. This involves proper body position, gait, breathing, pacing, and many other variables. At first, this is going to feel awkward and is likely to be less efficient leading to slower, more painful performance.
It takes time to train our bodies to handle a new running style. However, with patience, new muscle memory is developed and new efficiencies are gained. Over time, this focus on proper technique will lead to faster, more efficient running allowing us to set personal bests and achieve new levels of competitiveness.
I am constantly tweeking and changing things on my site. By the time one change has affected the SE's I've already implemented another and can't tell what changes affected what.
Recently, I listed 14 pages for google to take off their indexed list of pages because I had deleted them from my site. About one week later my traffic literally doubled. Was that the reason? Don't know.
I try not to second guess with the SE's just keep working and building new content and building links.
IT is not only about our patience but on managing expectations of the c-level people.
That would make for a good post on how to make average estimates on possible down turn times and managing c-level expectations during this.
As prompted and prepared communication will make them more patient and will stress you less as this weight is of your shoulders too. In result making you more patient, at list IMO.
I agree... finally, when it comes to clients, most of the communication issues comes out being a question of education.
The problem is when the client contracts an SEO Service with the not so hidden conviction that is going to a fast-as-a-flash resolution for all his online marketing deficiency.
Totally
- but that phenomenon is not peculiar to just clients, directorial level teams expect the same kind of instant impact from in-house SEO's as well.
Yes... I know that.
That is why is so important - imho - to make weekly training sessions with all the dpt. and with Marketing upper levels.
Great post.
Time is key in our field.
Great post, couldn't have put it better myself! It's a pain that in an age where everything is getting faster and faster, we have to wait so long for results! But patience is a virtue after all, clearly one i need to take up! haha
Well said. Sometimes it's hard for them to hear but I always spend the early phase of any project explaining to the client that changes take time and the search engines can be slow to react. I too always leave any on-page or structural changes for at least 2 weeks before reviewing any impact, longer for Bing!
Kate,
Great post! What I want to understand is how do we tell when to just wait versus when it's an emergency?
Dennis
By emergency I take it to mean penalty, right?
In this case, you have to take a real hard look at the SEO practices you have been implementing. Especially any recent site changes encompassing, well, everything!
Having a good finger on the pulse of your strategy (or an ear to the ground on what your client is up to) will give you an idea of any potential red cards that might be coming your way too.
Also, Google will sometimes drop you a message in WMT tools if there is an issue or will send an email to a generic address at your domain i.e. admin/webmaster/spam/etc.
Then you have to clean-up any potentially messes that might be out there, submit a reinclusion request (Bing has this too) and wait anywhere from 3 weeks to two months (clutching a rabbits foot).
But, waiting those two weeks before freaking out is always smart. The algorithms are constantly changing and the search engines (especially Google) test A LOT! So, patience is key to an SEOs sanity.
"In this case, you have to take a real hard look at the SEO practices you have been implementing. "
Dead on Matthew. The site owner or SEO is really going to be the one to know if there is something penalty worthy. The key is to not freak out if you are sure you've done nothing wrong. :)
Are you suggesting that freaking out and raising red flags may hamper your return to Google's good grace?
Yup, been there.
Although, it is nice to now that SEO efforts are appreciated when the C-levels come down with a 'need the fix yesterday/what's taking so long/should we PPC our way out of this' attitude.
I find patience in addition to a healthy level of expectation re-setting is key in this biz.
And I love the dog with the hot dog photo. Classic.
I'd have to disagree on the very last point about major site changes taking at least a month.
I've completely redesigned sites, and had clients redesign sites and see indexing and recacheing of changes go from 30 days to 2-3 days. This is comparing minor things like title tag and content tweaks on low-traffic sites. To boot there is a Google Webmaster Help video that talks about how Google determines caching schedule based on the significance of change in code.
But in the end, this is really arbitrary and your mileage may very.
Yes, it really does depend on the site, but I did work with a client that did URL restructuring for the entire site, and it took them over a month to be fully reindexed and get all of their traffic back. But they knew it was coming, thankfully.
Nice sharing.Provide useful information.
Thanks.
Sigh.
Yes.
Nuf said.
That's a long month with many clients.
It really is, but it's one month of letting things happen, and getting years of great return versus many months of mediocre returns because things were changed too fast. :)
I don't have as much problem with patience myself. My problem lies in trying to convince the higher-ups that patience is neccessary and immediate results are rare if even existant. It's hard to produce an argument for patience when our job involves so much complexity; sometimes explaining our side brings up more questions than answers.
Good post, though. It's good to know that there's someone else in the same boat :)
This is very interesting reading for me. I am new to all this SEO. I am struggling to get to grips with this as my site is very slow at getting on to google and for my blog posts to actually get some traffic.
Maybe someone can have a look at my source code and see where I'm going wrong? https://www.boxingnews247.co.uk
Your title tags are all exactly the same! That'll be $250
LOL! That was classic :-)
Nice one Clark! Where do I send the cheque to?
I will have a look at those title tags. I've never really thought too much about SEO but reading some of the blogs and the information on Seomoz, it is a real eye opener to see what a science it really is!
I just thought you'd put a site live and people will just find it.
How stupid am I! What a novice!!
Thanks once again.
Sorry just one more thing, do you mean that my title tags say boxing too many times? I've changed it now so have a look. Sorry about this. If you don't mind that would be great! If not I'll take my sad ass away from here.
No. It looks like the title tag for your homepage has been copied to every page.
Here is a good article...old but still looks relevant:
https://www.seomoz.org/blog/best-practices-for-title-tags