Today, I want to talk about the value of cohesion in SEO — not just in a superficial way, like saying, ‘Yeah, it’s nice when everything fits in with the rest of your marketing so the messaging is stronger.’
Sure, that’s true, but I want to approach this from a practical perspective.
Specifically, I want to share some personal experiences about creating rules for yourself over time — things that reliably lead to bad projects or bad outcomes, and conversely, avoiding those things to improve your chances of working on better projects.
One key aspect is recognizing that businesses need to view SEO as a long-term strategy.
This isn’t just because SEO doesn’t work overnight, or because it takes time to get rankings. It’s also about avoiding the bad assumption that once you ‘win’ at SEO, you’re done.
For example, I worked with a client a few months ago who insisted on a three-month SEO campaign. I had recommended at least six months, but they were adamant about three.
I’d wondered, ‘Why three months? Did they just pull that number out of thin air? Is it purely a budget thing?’ It seemed like they simply didn’t want to invest more than that. I couldn’t talk them out of that notion.
Reluctantly, I took on the project anyway, hoping to show enough results within 90 days to convince them to continue. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. It became clear that their decision wasn’t results-based—they had already decided they were stopping after three months, no matter what.
In retrospect, I could have set better expectations or simply walked away from the project initially if it wasn’t a good fit. I tried to explain to the decision maker to think of SEO like social media: you wouldn’t bust your butts on Facebook, manage to go viral and think, ‘Okay, we’re done now.’ No one would close up shop on social media when it was working like that.
Yet, for some reason, many businesses think SEO works that way — they treat it as a finite task that can be completed and then abandoned.
Even if you achieve certain SEO goals within a set timeframe, like three or six months, there are always more goals to pursue. Search behavior evolves daily, algorithms change, and new opportunities emerge. Clients I’ve worked with for five or six years never run out of things to do in SEO. For instance, after achieving success with certain keyword clusters, we leverage that authority to target more competitive keywords, expand geographic reach, or explore new topics. There’s always more to do.
Daniel Foley Carter, who I follow on LinkedIn, recently made an excellent point: even maintaining rankings requires ongoing SEO work. If you overtake competitors for a difficult keyword and reach the top spot, they’re not just going to give up. They’ll step up their efforts to regain that position. If you don’t keep pace with their improvements, you’ll eventually lose your spot.
Nothing is expensive if it works.
In marketing, something might cost thousands of dollars a month, which can sound like a lot. But if it generates well in excess of that, it’s cash positive. That’s why I challenge the mindset of clients who arbitrarily decide that SEO should take 90 days. If it’s working, why turn off that valve? Why not continue investing as long as it delivers results?
Ironically, these same companies often funnel money into social media indefinitely, even if it doesn’t generate measurable leads. They understand that social media is a branding tool, helping maintain visibility and reinforce the tone.
SEO serves a similar purpose — it’s not just about ranking for keywords that immediately lead to sales. It’s also about consistently showing up for searches relevant to your services and building trust over time. This brand recognition means that when potential customers are ready to buy, they’ll think of you.
Another critical aspect of cohesion is ensuring that all marketing efforts for a business work together seamlessly.
The best accounts I’ve worked on — both in terms of results and personal enjoyment — were with companies that had dedicated social media teams who actively collaborated with me.
Each month, we’d discuss keyword targets, blog posts, and other content I was working on, and they’d coordinate their social efforts to align with it. Sometimes, the collaboration went the other way, where they’d inform me about upcoming posts or events, and I’d adjust the SEO strategy to complement their plans. This kind of synergy produced massive growth for those companies.
Unfortunately, I’ve also seen the opposite: teams working in silos.
In some cases, designers don’t want input from SEOs about flow or content structure. Social media teams may be unconcerned with the website’s design aesthetic and disconnected from the blog, and everyone stays in their own lane.
This lack of communication often leads to poor outcomes, like messy navigation, poorly designed pages, or content that doesn’t align with the overall strategy. When conversions suffer, clients get frustrated and start pointing fingers, and as the SEO professional, I’ve learned it’s usually too late to bring up these issues. If I didn’t address them earlier, I just look like I’m making excuses.
That’s why I now insist on leading the SEO strategy when I work with clients. I welcome input, but I need to steer the ship. If a client or team isn’t okay with that, we’re probably not a good fit.
I’ve reached a point in my career where I’d rather pass on a project than be tied to one that’s going nowhere. At the end of the day, I want my work to reflect positively on me and contribute to my professional growth. Saying yes to too many ‘busy work’ tasks that don’t align with a clear strategy undermines that.
Last Thoughts…
Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of learning from past mistakes. When I find myself frustrated with a project, it’s often because I ignored one of my own rules.
Very rarely do I encounter a problem that’s truly novel anymore. Most of the time, it’s something I’ve seen before and should have avoided. Recognizing and sticking to these lessons has made my work much smoother and more rewarding over time.
I hope sharing these thoughts and experiences is helpful. Let me know in the comments if I can clarify anything or if you’ve had similar experiences from a different perspective—whether you’re a developer, designer, or social media manager. I’d love to hear your thoughts on cohesion, especially if you’ve worked with SEO professionals like me.
Brian Watkins is an SEO consultant and writer with over 18 years of experience helping businesses grow through clear, strategic content. He specializes in translating complex ideas into practical, search-driven content that connects with real people.