SEO is a large subject that can cover many areas of online marketing, from website design to content creation. Due to its size and scope, SEO can be broken up into two main categories: manual and automated. Depending on the type of site you run or business you have, one may or may not be better than the other for your needs.
This article will explain the differences between manual and automated SEO so you can figure out which is best for your business.
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Manual and Automated SEO: What’s the Difference?
Before we can dive deeper into which of these two SEO strategies is best for your business, it is important that you have a proper understanding of what both SEO techniques are, and what they consist of. Let’s find out!
Manual SEO
Manual SEO refers to all of the steps that are completed by hand, one at a time, by human beings. Before Google’s Panda algorithm was created in 2012, it was possible to get away with performing only manual searches for keywords and then creating content around those words. However, this isn’t possible anymore because Panda devalued sites that used too much “thin” (low-quality) content. While it is still important to create high-quality articles on your website, these articles should also be optimized for search engines using various tools beyond simple search phrases.
Automated SEO
Automated SEO refers to all of the steps that are completed by an automated system, usually a software or software plugin. While automated SEO is much faster than manual SEO, it also takes away the level of control you would have over your content and website as a whole. Some software tools will even link keywords to each other automatically (e.g., smart internal linking), which you may not want at all depending on how well those particular phrases fit into your business model. The idea behind these automatic linking strategies can be helpful if done properly; however, there is still risk involved with this form of manual SEO because no one truly knows what Google and other search engines consider quality content/links anymore.
Benefits of Manual SEO
When it comes to SEO, manual methods are still the best way to achieve long-term success. While automated SEO can provide fast results, it’s less reliable in the long run and can actually hurt your website if not done correctly. Manual SEO takes more time and effort, but the results are worth it.
More Control Over Your Content
One of the biggest advantages of manual SEO is that you have more control over your content. You don’t have to worry about your content being changed or modified because there are no automated systems that can tamper with the information you provide.
Better Quality Content
Manual SEO focuses on creating high-quality, unique content that is relevant to your customers and their needs. When you create original pieces of work rather than using free content from other websites, you show search engines that you truly care about giving users what they want – not just getting an easy ranking so you can make a quick buck.
Benefits of Automated SEO
Automated SEO can be extremely beneficial to your business. By automating the important aspects of SEO, you can focus on other tasks while your website is working hard to improve your ranking. Automated SEO can also be more affordable than manual SEO, and it is easier to keep up with the latest trends. However, there’s a reason why manual SEO is still around: because it works. At its core, SEO is all about producing content that is good enough to appeal to the search engines and then getting inbound links from credible websites. Automating these tasks can be difficult and time-consuming, even for experienced professionals. After all, you don’t need much research to know that “SEO tips” or “SEO tools” are two of the more popular searches on any given day.
With that being said, automated SEO does have some advantages over manual SEO. You can check your rankings whenever you want at no additional cost beyond what you’re already paying through monthly subscription fees. Plus, automated systems are better at following new trends because they are easier to improve upon. With manual SEO, you’ll have to rely on your employees to implement changes while also finding time in their schedules for research.
Which SEO Strategy Should Your Business Use?
If you have made it this far in the article, you are likely wondering what the best SEO strategy for your business is. After all, you wouldn’t want to spend your precious time or budget on an SEO technique that won’t work in the end, right?
As mentioned before, both methods of SEO have some greats advantages, hence we recommend using them together for the best results. For example, automated SEO can handle small tasks like writing blog posts or changing text on your website that are relatively simple but provide value to search engines over time. Manual SEO is needed so that human beings can take care of the difficult tasks such as obtaining quality backlinks and convincing influential publishers to mention you through guest blogging services. The combination of these two types of optimization will produce excellent results if done properly. Again, though, it’s important to determine which type of SEO makes the most sense for your business, and we hope this article helped with that decision.
Get Started Today with Outreach Bee!
Well, that’s enough reading for you! It’s time to stop wishing your website had a strong SEO plan, and finally enjoy the feeling of being backed by an experienced SEO team like the one at Outreach Bee! Ana Maria and her team know the ins and outs of the SEO world and can help your business get on the right path with your SEO efforts. Contact them to get started today and explore the endless possibilities that come with both automated and manual SEO!