Navigating the Ups and Downs of SEO: A Personal Journey
Hello, dear readers! Today, I want to share my ongoing journey into the world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and the emotional roller coaster that comes with it. As a passionate participant in our family business—a hair salon that my husband runs while I handle all things digital—I’ve taken it upon myself to dive deep into the intricacies of SEO, only to find that the path is fraught with challenges.
For quite some time, we relied on an SEO agency to manage our website’s visibility. Despite their efforts, our site languished on the second page of search results for a year. Frustrated and determined, I decided to take charge and self-educate on the subject. After countless hours of research and experimentation, I implemented various SEO strategies, including improving our site’s technical performance, optimizing content, and building quality backlinks. Slowly but surely, our website climbed from the depths of the second page to the bottom of the first page!
However, it’s been several months since we reached this precarious position, and it seems we are stuck there. Our website appears as the last result on desktop searches and nearly the same on mobile. I’ve been proactive—writing engaging articles, enhancing our blog, and securing high-quality backlinks from reputable niche websites. Our technical audits reflect excellent performance metrics, with PageSpeed Insights scoring a perfect 100 in most areas.
Yet the saga continues. After recent enhancements and acquisitions of new backlinks, our site climbed up a couple of positions before plummeting back to its original spot once again. This constant fluctuation has left me feeling quite disheartened. The search engine rankings often change seemingly at random, especially in the lower sections of the first page where we compete against a couple of other local businesses. It’s worth noting that the top five results remain stable, seemingly reserved for larger brands with entrenched authority.
I can’t help but wonder—Is this instability normal for websites sitting at the bottom of the first page? I’ve noticed that mobile rankings tend to fluctuate far more than desktop results.
My experience has been overwhelmingly stressful. I find myself frequently checking our rankings, only to be met with disappointment. I’ve even lost sleep over the fear that our site might fall off the first page altogether. Organic traffic is crucial for our business model, as it directly impacts new customer bookings and our overall success.
In an effort to expand our reach, we’ve joined platforms