The Most Impactful Lessons We’ve Learned in 2021
As 2021 comes to a close our team of SEOs and Web Designers have taken the time to reflect on what they have learned this past year, the areas they have been challenged to think differently about, and how it will inspire their work moving into the New Year.
From personal loss to catastrophic floods in our local community to the ongoing pandemic, there have been no shortage of challenges to face as individuals and as a team. The resilience and determination displayed by our team and our clients has been nothing short of inspirational.
We are in a constant state of learning and hope that this time of reflection helps to solidify where we’ve come from and the next steps we need to take in order to better ourselves and our community.
It Takes a Village
(Provided by Keiran Griffiths – Managing Director)
This year it became more evident to me than ever that we cannot do everything on our own, no matter how hard we try. Having the right team of people around you can make the most difficult tasks so much easier to accomplish.
We often hear “It takes a village” in reference to raising children but the same can be applied to many more aspects of life, from work to relationships to health to accomplishing any goal you set out to do.
This village principle also applies to planning and executing Digital Marketing plans of all sizes for our clients. The most successful client projects from my point of view (and based on results achieved) are ones that involve a combination of several people’s input and work. From educating and setting expectations to organizing the administrative aspects of the project, to executing the specific project-related tasks and reporting on the outcome, it takes a number of people’s time and talent. It is truly a team effort that makes the best projects come together.
In a year of much change and growth I am thankful for my village that supports my professional and personal life.
Inspired to Use 80/20 to Better Shape Decisions
(Provided by Sherman Hu – SEO, AdWords & Digital Marketing Specialist)
On a professional level, the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) applies to strategies, approaches, and use of time. 20% of my SOPs deliver 80% of the results. And 20% of what I invest my time in delivers 80% of the outcomes I desire.
Unfortunately, this means 80% of the time planning, organizing, designing, and executing campaigns produce less than 20% of the benefit. As the year is coming to a close, I’ll be revisiting my strategies, actions, and outcomes from this year, and bringing into 2022 the 20% that achieved the best ROI in 2021.
On a personal note, amidst a pandemic, I’ve been sensitive to self-care and how I’m guarding inputs into my conscious or subconscious mind. It’s very convenient that the new home we moved into has a full-sized gym in the garage so I’ve enjoyed that convenience for my physical fitness. And I’ll be setting up an infra-red sauna in our home to enjoy the benefits of IR and heat therapy, and it’ll be a treat during our colder months.
Change is Inevitable & Unpredictable
(Provided by Tony Hutchcroft – Senior SEO Project Manager)
If there’s one thing that 2020, 2021, and the whole Pandemic has taught us is that change is inevitable and unpredictable. I’m sure we all know of many people (and businesses) that were dramatically, and in many cases negatively, affected.
That said, I am continually impressed at how resilient people and businesses have been. Many have since become exceptionally entrepreneurial, reinventing, and applying latent passions to build amazing opportunities for themselves and their future.
Cause and effect indeed. Thoughts are things…steppingstones as it were, giving power and strength to what we envision. The mind is the builder in character, nature, morality, and spirituality; and continuous to the extent that it is constructive . . . and that which is constructive and good is continuous.
All the best to everyone for 2022!
Listen to Others; Care and Connection Matter Greatly
(Provided by Carissa Krause – Marketing and Project Specialist)
This has been a year of learning how to truly listen to others with the purpose of connection and growth. It is hard work to put aside my own assumptions and judgments so that I can really hear their story, learn what shapes their perspective, and understand how they’ve arrived at the place they are at. This shift is occurring in my own personal life but it can also be applied professionally to working with our clients and helping them better connect with their potential audience through website messaging and SEO.
Earlier this year I was able to attend SMX and wrote a couple of recaps of my big takeaways. In the first recap, I said, “We are all guilty of making assumptions even at the best of times. We need to use data to become acutely aware of our exact audience and then develop the right voice and personas to speak to this audience’s needs.” How many times have my assumptions caused me to miss the mark, either with a close friend or family member, or with a colleague or client? What can I do to always be sensitive to others and their needs?
In my second recap highlighting what I learned about User Experience specifically, I shared this quote by keynote speaker Carolyn Lyden: “Website visitors that feel cared for and connected are visitors that convert time and time again.”
This has stuck with me. In a year of so much change in our personal and professional lives, it comes down to care and connection. If we can nail those two we are on a path to making a lasting impact. As we head into 2022, what assumptions do we need to lay aside? Where do we need fresh, accurate perspective to do our jobs better?
Google My Business Processes Matter
(Provided by Neeraj Varma – Senior Local SEO Project Manager)
I learned how tricky it is to do an address change on your own when it comes to Google.
When your company moves to a new location or adds a new location there are a series of steps you need to go through, in sequence. If you don’t do this, Google will get confused and take your business profile off their servers. Then, it can take months to get the listing back, if you can get it back at all.
Google may do a number of rigorous confirmations to make sure your business is real and the new address is real. The process is especially stressful because Google doesn’t respond to messages even if you are going through the process they recommend.
To top it off, they may not reinstate your Google Business Profile (GBP) even after they have accepted your documentation and sent you an email saying all the documentation you sent checks out.
At the end of the day, Google is a computer. If there is the slightest detail that doesn’t quite fit their algorithm, your GBP can sit in limbo for a long time.
A Google Business Profile listing can send as much as 30-50% of your customers when everything is properly optimized. Having Google remove your listing can be very expensive. So, be very careful when moving your company or adding a new location.
Keep Your Head Down and Focus on Your End Goal
(Provided by Tania Gelineau – Customer Service Coordinator)
I think that the most important reminder that I have seen in my personal and business life as well as have seen with our customers (by looking at the improvements in their reports) is that no matter how dark our surroundings can get, the most important thing is to keep your head down and focus on your end goal.
I have seen people crumble throughout 2020/2021 with more mental health issues and deaths I’ve ever witnessed but I have also seen the persistence in others where although they were on the brink of breaking they’ve come out better than they were prior to the pandemic. I’ve seen the traffic with many of our clients reach new levels with better traffic results than they had in 2019, with some doubling or tripling in traffic. I’ve always known that persistence is key but it has never been more clear as to how much persistence is worth!
Tania Gelineau – Customer Service Coordinator
What’s Your Biggest Takeaway from 2021?
Once you finish reading, we’ve love to hear your biggest takeaways of the year!
Send us a message at [email protected].
If you are looking at the New Year wondering where you can improve and excel, let’s have a conversation. You can contact our SEO Team to set up a time to chat with us.
