SEO progress is mostly linear, but is there an upper limit to what you can achieve?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy built on growth. The more time and effort you invest in SEO, the more payoff you’ll see. You’ll earn more traffic from search engines, gradually at first, and potentially exponentially as your strategy grows. But once you hit a certain point, you’ll notice your growth rate slowing down.
So is there a hard limit to how much progress you can make in SEO?
The Nature of Plateaus
On the surface, it seems like there are hard limits; anyone who’s spent more than a few months on a campaign knows that eventually, the tactics you’re using will start to taper off in terms of effectiveness. This is what’s known as a “plateau,” and fortunately, plateaus can be overcome. All you have to do is change up your tactics in some significant way, which may include writing more content, targeting different keywords, or investing in entirely different peripheral strategies.
Beyond Plateaus
You’ll probably experience a handful of different plateaus throughout your SEO campaign, but is there one final plateau that will keep you from making any further progress?
The simple answer is—not really. You’ll see declining returns in terms of growth, but there’s no upper limit to what you can achieve with the strategy. If you’re unsatisfied with one area of development, you can always pivot to another, and the side benefits of producing more content make it worth moving forward even if you aren’t moving up in ranks.
Ongoing Maintenance
There aren’t any hard upper limits to SEO progress, and there’s even value in continuing SEO when you’re in a plateau. Continuing with your strategy ensures that you maintain the rankings you currently hold, which in most cases will yield you a positive return on your investment. Keep pushing for more progress if you can, but rest assured knowing that your efforts are worthwhile.
If you’re interested in learning more about SEO or starting your own campaign, contact us today!
