MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

Many SEO specialists have, over time, put their own twist on the fascinating events that make up the lifecycle of their niche market – Search Engine Optimisation. Jessica Bowman of Business.com continually compares the SEO lifecycle to the stages that make up a marriage.

According to Bowman’s marriage analogy, there are four phases that form the framework of a company’s SEO lifecycle. Firstly, there is the Courtship phase, which requires that the right SEO specialist be sourced from the ocean of SEO fish to lead your company’s website to the very top of the SERPs. This can be a daunting task and may take a few attempts to find the right one for you. This is similar to the process of finding a life-time partner, but the difference here is that you pay financially for each failed attempt.

The next phase is the Honeymoon. This is pretty self-explanatory, in that the SEO is secured in place and well-intentioned recommendations come in from all angles. Life is good and this 3-6 month period should be embraced for all that it can offer the company. It appears to be a bit longer than a regular honeymoon, but I don’t think that anyone would complain at having his or her honeymoon extended to 6 months, would you?

The third phase is Reality, and this is where the challenge begins. There is a disorderliness to this period that reflects the nature of the company, their culture, and how prepared they are for dealing with the mishaps that occur along the way. In more traditional companies, where SEO is a bit of a legacy, rather than a common topic of conversation, the challenge tends to be greater. However, when a company includes SEO in their business model and are somewhat educated about the market, things tend to run more smoothly and efficiently. The relationships that were formed in the honeymoon phase need to be nurtured at this time in order for success to take a strong hold later on. The beginning may prove rough, but good times lie ahead, so it’s worth sticking it out.

The last stage in this lifecycle is the Synergy Phase. At this time the company should be seeing results, and the beginnings of a synergistic relationship between all parties should have been established. Miscommunication may occur every now and again, but being able to deal with some knocks along the way only makes you stronger and more capable in this ever-changing environment.

This detailed lifecycle sounds rather congruent to the fundamental elements that make up a marriage. Despite the fact that the majority of marriages these days end in divorce, SEO specialists will continue to do their valuable work for a long time to come, well at least for as long as the search engines are around to dictate to them.