It's not always easy to say that you need to change direction when it comes to something in your business, but once you make that decision it's important to hit the ground running. A redirection means something just isn't working, and if that something is your SEO then you don't have time to waste. It takes several months before you see SEO results, so the faster you can get on track, the better.
Of course, easier said than done. Creating an SEO strategy isn't easy, so creating a completely new, redirected SEO strategy is definitely no easy road. After all, you did what you thought was right the first time. Now what?
The Pre-Redirection Plan Groundwork
It's first important to understand that you can actually redirect your pages if you are moving domains or doing maintenance on your site; however this article discusses changing your entire SEO strategy altogether. Coincidentally, this might involve some redirects.
Below are a few steps you should take as you gear up to make a change to your SEO efforts:
1. Identify what is working and what is not.
Create a list of things that are not going the way you would like, a list of things you're happy with, and then a list of things that you're unsure about where they fall on the scale. Try to include every little aspect of your SEO strategy into this list. This will help you determine in the future what you need, what you need to alter, and what you need to completely delete. Don't leave anything out!
2. Talk with your SEO staff or whoever is working with your SEO.
If you have someone or a team of people in charge of your SEO efforts or you work in an SEO department with others, don't forget to get their insight. This is where any new ideas will start to surface so you can move on to something better.
3. Research and talk with real experts about another avenue.
This is the big question. You need to take what you know isn't working and what you know is working and then see what needs to be added to create a really successful strategy. In this case, it helps to talk with an SEO company or expert who specializes in creating new SEO plans for companies that need a change. There are tons of different ways your current efforts might need to be changed, so it's tough to list them all out here, but it's all about customization. Find someone who deals with many different types of situations and let him/her help you create something specific.
Putting Your New SEO Plan Into Action
Fist, you have to know what your goals are and how you're going to get there (easier said than done). As discussed above, this is going to completely depend upon your business and what your business needs.
Second, DO NOT begin jumping into your plan without consulting an expert. Your first try is okay, but when you're doing a major redirect, it's time to seek outside help.
Third, make sure you know how you are going to measure your SEO results. Use Google Analytics to see how you are doing overall, but look into tools for more specific SEO tactics such as link building or even social media success.
The Aftermath of an SEO Redirection
Of course, even SEO changes don't always work. You need to be patient and wait a few months to see solid results (this cannot be stressed enough), but if you're finding that you're in no better shape than before, it's probably time to change your direction once again. In most cases, this simply means changing SEO companies or hiring a few new SEO brains to help.
It's also important to remember that it's very common for companies to have to change their SEO strategy. Most successful efforts follow Google Webmaster guidelines and Matt Cutts videos, but as we know, Google can change what they want at any time. As Google changes, your SEO strategies change. In other words, it's completely normal to feel like you need to redirect your strategy again and again and again.