The whole art / science of search engine optimization (SEO) can be distilled down to the following:
“Do the right things, consistently over time, to make your web pages show up more often in relevant searches.”
From an outsider’s perspective, spending time every day tweaking the words on your website may look like wasted effort. The bottom line, however, is that people do SEO because showing up better in search results almost always results in more traffic to your website, which results in more sales (or more of whatever you use to measure success).
One of the biggest problems that we see people having with SEO is that they do the right things, but they just do them once and call it complete. To be effective, SEO must be an ongoing process. It takes a commitment and patience.
What is patience?
Patience is defined as the ability to tolerate delay or trouble without getting upset. Numerous studies have linked patience to positive outcomes, and most people would agree that impatience in others — whether a child or a coworker — is generally unflattering.
But, still, patience doesn’t come naturally to most.
How do you learn patience?
- Practice. Incorporate waiting periods into your life. Start with seemingly small decisions – dessert or no dessert? Wait a few minutes to make your decision. You’ll either appreciate the dessert more because you waited and anticipated it, or you’ll decide that you don’t need the extra calories.
- Take the time to fully consider and write down your goals. Simply being patient for no reason is much more difficult than knowing exactly why you’re practicing patience and keeping it in your head.
- Breathe deeply. When you find yourself feeling impatient, slow down and act like a patient person.
- Just accept that some things take time, and some things take time plus a consistent effort. Be ok with that.
Whether it’s the patience required to make it through winter, or the patience required to learn a musical instrument or improve your website’s SEO, being patient results in better decisions, less stress, and ultimately a better outcome.