One of the most common refrains in business is “time is money”. It’s sustained the test of time because it’s true, especially when you’re dealing with something as important as your website’s SEO. Because SEO is such a vital component of ensuring your business’s success, it’s worth dedicating the time and resources to ensure that your website is as SEO-friendly as possible. Before the COVID-19 quarantine orders were put in place, I had the chance to meet and speak with Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land and Search Engine Roundtable about some of the SEO automation processes I’ve put in place as well as the importance of continuously optimizing your XML sitemaps.
Take a look at the interview below:
SEO Automation
In the 15 years I’ve been working in the SEO/PPC/e-commerce industry, I can attest to the fact that there are some truly time-consuming SEO tasks that, while necessary, can eat away at your profit margins if you’re an SEO management company or consultant, or balloon your budget if you’re a client looking to revamp your website’s SEO. Automating some of the more mundane and repetitive SEO tasks can be a win for both your agency as well as your clients.
Because SEO is both a science and an art, I’m hesitant to completely automate any SEO process. However, by creating Python automation scripts for some of the most time-consuming tasks, I’ve been able to significantly decrease the time I need to dedicate to necessary, yet mundane tasks, such as performing primary and secondary keyword research, and allocate that time to auditing and optimizing my clients’ websites. After all, keywords are only helpful if they’re utilized correctly.
XML Sitemap Optimization
In addition to automating mundane, time-consuming tasks, auditing and optimizing your website’s XML sitemap is also important to ensure your SEO strategy is a success. It’s a common misconception to think that your XML sitemap is a set-it-and-forget-it task. Sitemaps need to be managed and modified over time, especially if your website’s been around for a while.
The easiest way to optimize your XML sitemap is to read through it to see what’s actually in it. While you’re reviewing the content and features indexed on your sitemap, check to see the post types being pulled from your website. You only want Google to see your website’s most valuable content, so pushing all of your URLs into your XML sitemap can actually harm rather than help your SEO.
Once you’ve reviewed and cleaned up the content and post types in your XML sitemap, you should log into Search Console to ensure that your sitemap has been submitted successfully and to make sure everything has been indexed appropriately.
Looking for Help with SEO Automation and XML Sitemap Optimization?
We know how important having an SEO-friendly website is to the overall success of your business. At Pam Ann Marketing, we believe that business owners have the right to be aware of what their SEO company is doing to their site. That’s why we’re always 100% transparent with everything we do for your business. We will even teach you how to do what we do! Our SEO services are “white hat,” i.e., completely in line with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, and our SEO Technical Audits are consistently referred to by web developers as “the most comprehensive and detailed” audits they’ve ever seen. Contact us today to discuss your specific SEO needs!
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