Want Better SEO Results? Do Less.
Every marketing channel can turn into a full-time job if you let it.
This is especially true for SEO.
That's why today I'm going to show you how to get better SEO results without spending tons of time on it.
First, let me start with the most obvious question:
Why would you want to spend LESS time doing SEO?
Well, first it’s going to depend on what your role is. If you’re an in-house SEO you’re paid to do SEO and that should be your focus.
Now although you're paid to do SEO, it doesn't mean you should shoulder all the micro and low-impact tasks.
As an in-house SEO expert, you need to focus on what’s going to get the company or your client’s the best results possible. If you’re spending your days writing meta descriptions, then your time isn’t utilized in the best way.
You should focus your effort on high-impact SEO activities.
More on this in a second.
If you’re a business owner or founder, then you should be spending very little time in the trenches doing SEO.
That's because it can take away from critical activities that a leader must focus on.
I’ll be the first to admit that this is challenging for SEO agency owners.
Like me, you’ve become accustomed to doing the SEO work and it feels “right” to do.
But let's face it:
You can't perform minimum wage activities if you want to grow your company.
With that said, let me explain some tactics you can use to spend less time doing SEO.
The first thing you need to know is that many SEO tasks are nothing more than data entry.
Here's the good news:
You can systemize and outsource many of these tasks.
A few tasks that I recommend you build systems for and then outsource are the following:
- Finding keywords
- Finding technical issues
- Finding link prospects
- Finding contact information
- Sending outreach emails and following up with link prospects
There’s almost no reason to do these tasks yourself.
You can save a massive amount of time by outsourcing these tasks alone.
That said, there are many SEO tasks that are challenging to outsource such as:
- Site architecture development
- UX optimization
- SEO content strategy (read this guide on how to create SEO content)
- Content development (writing, graphics, design, and video editing can be outsourced)... applies to both on-site and guest posting
But at the end of the day, you can outsource or delegate any task if the right system is in place.
That brings me to the next point:
You must develop systems, procedures, and policies for SEO.
Think of a system as the 30,000 foot view of a particular process.
For example, let’s say you wanted to develop a system for acquiring blogroll backlinks.
It may look like this:
- Change your Google search settings to show 100 results
- Download Data Miner Chrome extension
- Find blogroll opportunities
No system or procedure is perfect and you shouldn’t have that expectation when you create them.
Think of your systems as Minimum Viable Systems.
You must get feedback from the person who’s attempting to complete the task. As someone goes through it you’ll start to see the holes in your process. THIS IS GOOD because you can then iterate on your systems to make them better and more efficient.
I recommend running through every new procedure yourself. Fix the holes you can identify and then hand it off.
Don’t be obsessive about creating the perfect system because that’s not possible.
You will see what’s wrong with your system when your team member is firing questions at you.
That brings me to another point which is to be patient during this process.
Although a process may seem straightforward to you, it may seem complex to someone else.
That’s only because it’s a new experience for them. They need time to digest it and get clarifications.
If you’re bombarded with questions, then you need to improve your system.
Now what happens if you improve the system based on the feedback, but there are still blockages?
You may need to assess the competency of the person going through the system. Some people have a hard time following instructions or being self-sufficient.
You need people on your team that you can rely on.
If a person isn’t the right fit, then you need to replace that person (or move them into a different role).
But always go back to the system before looking at the individual.
It’s much more likely that your system is the problem.
Okay guys, so this was a pretty hardcore rant on building systems, but I hope you got some value out of it.
Here are the main takeaways:
- Avoid minimum wage activities
- Develop, test, and iterate on your systems
- Take advantage of your newfound time and focus on higher impact activities. Activities that can push your business or clients forward.
Hope you enjoyed this article!
Please share it and leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Listen to the podcast episode about this topic here: https://www.gotchseo.com/episode-1/