Anyone who’s trained for a marathon knows these three facts: 1) It’s best to start training ASAP; 2) You can’t run a few 5Ks here and there and expect to conquer the big race; and 3) There are multiple facets to training that help build the endurance needed to go the distance.

Marathon training is more than just running a lot every day. You have to gradually build endurance over many months to be successful. The same is true for a strong home care SEO strategy.

Marathons are competitions, and so is SEO. In fact, 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, which means if you’re not doing everything you can to get your website found, you can be sure consumers will find your competitors instead. Here are a few other things that SEO has in common with marathons:

The Long Haul

If there’s anything that the old adage, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” applies to, it’s SEO. The ability to run a marathon doesn’t happen overnight, and neither do SEO results. Home care SEO is not something you do once; it takes long-term, ongoing effort to see results. Most companies just starting SEO want to know how long it will take to see results. While there’s no set answer, at minimum it will take 3-6 months of consistent link acquisition, keyword research and implementation, meta data work, user experience analysis, blogging and content creation, etc. before you start to see the fruits of your labor. Just as all runners respond differently to training, all companies see a different response to their senior care SEO efforts based on the competitiveness of their market. In short, SEO is not a sport of instant gratification. You must be in it for the long haul and willing to evaluate and adjust as you go.

Improving “Health”

Many people begin marathon training in order to improve their health. Similarly, companies that embark on an SEO strategy are seeking to improve the health of their businesses and ensure their websites get found online. Today, the number one goal of search engines is to show consumers the highest quality websites, and good SEO focuses on just that: improving the overall quality of your site. Quality is judged by looking at multiple measures – content relevancy, backlink authority, mobile responsivity, site speed, meta tags, review signals, etc. – not just one. SEO improves your site’s quality by:

• Increasing your ability to be found online
• Getting more qualified visitors to your website
• Improving the overall user experience and buying journey
• Showcasing your business as a relevant thought leader in the industry and a resource to consumers and referrers through blogging and social sharing
• Improving your site’s long-term authority and keeping it up to date with Google’s best SEO practices to avoid blacklisting

All of these aspects together contribute to the health of your website and your online marketing strategy. Make sure any SEO firm you work with understands this and works to improve all aspects of your site’s SEO.

Adapting to Changing Conditions with Ongoing Training

Just as marathoners train for the big race, so do real SEO experts. As with most things, there are a number of ways to cheat the system, and you’ll find many SEO firms using black hat tactics to prove they can get faster results, but buyer beware. Like a runner who takes a taxi to the finish line, if you use black hat tactics for SEO, you will get caught and your site could get blacklisted by the major search engines. Additionally, SEO is like the weather in Chicago: wait 15 minutes and it will change. The rules of SEO are constantly morphing as Google alters algorithms, and what worked a year ago might not work today. Look for a home care SEO partner like corecubed who trains consistently, has a deep understanding of marketing home care services, stays up to date on best practices, and plays by the rules to ensure you get the best results.

The Finish Line

For the majority of marathon runners, crossing the finish line doesn’t mean they are done running. Marathoners are lifetime runners because they know the benefits. And yes, you guessed it – SEO doesn’t have a true finish line either. SEO is an ongoing, vital part of a strategic marketing effort. The only question is, who will your running partner be?

There are hundreds of SEO firms to choose from today, but few that have as much home care industry marketing experience and expertise as corecubed. With decades of experience in the industry, the corecubed team has a mastery of home care SEO that few can match. Our experts stay on top of the latest SEO practices and Google algorithms to ensure that our clients’ websites are optimized in all of the best possible ways. We also help our clients keep up with the maintenance and security of their websites to avoid compromises that can occur via robot hacking and viruses. Run with our award-winning aging care marketing team and find out how we can help your agency get on the podium. Contact us today!