How to Whip Your SEO in to Shape

By Russ Ward (@russcward)

In recent weeks I have been looking for a very direct analogy that describes search engine optimization. Well I grappled with ideas like car maintenance, custodian duties, dental care and social networking as basic analogies for SEO.

But then I was running on a treadmill this morning during my usual daily workout and I realized that SEO is like fitness. Yes, physical fitness.

OK, so a web site is not a living entity or a living organism nor is it a surrogate for a real relationship.

However, SEO is like physical fitness. We are able to get fit and maintain fitness by working out consistently and regularly.

SEO needs to have regular and consistent work or exercise to maintain peak fitness!

It is a fact that we cannot save fitness we can work out and if we stop, our fitness level declines quite quickly in the following days and weeks.

This is also true of SEO workouts. If we stop performing SEO work on a daily or weekly basis, then our web site rank will fall away and loose fitness. In turn we will have less traffic and less success.

All of the training we do to get fit will be lost and require us to start all over again.

SEO needs to be more than a New Year resolution SEO needs discipline and commitment to be successful.

So here is my 6 point SEO fitness strategy:

1. Consult with an SEO expert to determine your current state of SEO fitness.
2. Discuss the objectives and plan for an SEO fitness program with the consultant. Where are you and where do you want to be?
3. Explore your options what level of commitment are you prepared to make (time and budget)?
4. Be prepared to make a sustained effort (remember no pain, no gain).
5. Check your performance against your goals. Make sure you have metrics in place to measure your progress.
6. Have regular strategy planning sessions to adjust your SEO fitness program, to maximize your effort and be like Nike¢‚Ǩ¬¶ (errrr ¢‚Ǩ¬¶ “Just do it).

Ultimately, SEO fitness is your personal choice and commitment. It requires you to make the effort and keep at it.

One more thought. If you have trouble getting it together, perhaps a Personal Trainer would really help.

Get yourself an SEO Personal trainer and get fit!