7 Best Practices for SEO Maintenence [My Favorites]

It’s easy to talk about SEO once, check a few boxes, and think you’re all set. I get it, optimizing for search can feel like an uphill climb you just want to finish.

The truth is, SEO is not a one-and-done project. It is an ongoing process that changes as search engines update their algorithms, as competitors adjust their strategies, and as user behavior shifts.

I have seen websites that neglect ongoing SEO upkeep gradually lose momentum. Problems do not appear suddenly but over time—a gradual decline with rankings dropping and traffic decreasing—until the initial momentum fades away.

That is why regular SEO maintenance matters. With that in mind, here are my seven best practices to keep your site healthy, visible, and steadily growing.

1. Regular Content Updates

Let’s start with a basic yet often overlooked task: regularly refreshing your site’s content. I have seen companies produce many blog posts, see them rank for a while, then let them fall into neglect. Not a wise choice.

Why are regular content updates important?

• Search engines value new or recently updated content. Google has a factor for freshness, meaning more current content tends to perform better for queries that require recent information.
• Updating content corrects outdated data. Industries change, statistics become obsolete, and best practices move on. Refreshing older posts keeps your site credible.
• It offers a better experience for readers. No one wants to rely on old advice.

I remember one client in the fintech space who published several investment strategy articles. They ranked well, but organic traffic dipped after a year because the examples referenced market conditions from several months earlier.

Once we updated each article with current charts and insights, traffic increased noticeably within weeks.

Every quarter I follow these steps:

• Review analytics to track posts with falling traffic.
• Update them with current examples, fresh data, or improved visuals.
• Fix broken links, add new references, or re-check the SEO title and meta description.

Multiple case studies show that updated content:

• Increases the chance for higher rankings over time.
• Signals to search engines that your site remains active.
• Boosts user engagement, which in turn improves SEO metrics.

If a piece of content remains relevant, keep it current. If it is outdated, revise or replace it to stay ahead of competitors who let quality content fall into disuse.

2. Technical SEO Maintenance

Technical SEO might not seem exciting, but it is the foundation of your site’s performance. Think of it like a plumbing system—few want to handle leaky pipes, but neglecting them leads to a big problem.

I schedule technical checkups on a monthly basis. Even a simple issue like a stray noindex tag, an incorrect sitemap, or a redirect loop can hurt your site’s performance.

These issues may not be immediately obvious.

Key technical areas I monitor include:

• Site speed: Reducing page load times is important for both visitors and ranking.
• Crawl errors: Look for broken links or problems that prevent search engines from indexing your pages.
• Mobile usability: With Google’s mobile-first indexing, major mobile issues can seriously affect rankings.
• Structured data: Using schema helps search engines better interpret your site’s content.

Data from agencies indicate that sites with routine technical SEO maintenance experience fewer drops in rankings, faster load times, and better stability in the face of algorithm changes.

The goal is to fix small issues before they become major problems.

I recall auditing a site for a mid-sized B2B SaaS company. Their site struggled with outdated plugins, oversized images, and redundant code. After cleaning up the site, we cut load times in half and saw a significant reduction in bounce rate.

Rankings for key software terms began to recover within a month—a reminder that both search engines and users expect efficient performance.

3. Ongoing Keyword and Intent Monitoring

Have you ever searched for something and later found that the keywords have shifted? User intent changes over time, and search volumes vary accordingly.

That is why I keep an eye on:

• High-performing keywords: Are they still generating traffic and conversions?
• Competitor keyword adjustments: Has someone moved ahead for your primary keyword?
• Changes in what users are asking: Have their questions or challenges shifted? Are you answering them?

I learned this lesson when one of my top keywords was displaced by emerging terms that suddenly grew in popularity. A quick re-optimization that updated the page’s copy and meta tags to include the new terminology helped that post recover.

Experts from Backlinko, Semrush, and other authorities stress the need to match your content to current user queries. If your page does not address the right question, it won’t rank well, regardless of how optimized it originally was.

Regular reviews, on a monthly or quarterly schedule, are essential so you can adjust as user behavior changes.

4. UX and Site Speed Optimizations

Many treat user experience (UX) as an afterthought, focusing only on keywords and links. But if your site is hard to use, slow, or confusing, visitors will leave quickly.

A high bounce rate signals to Google that your page may not be meeting users’ needs.

Three areas I focus on for UX are:

• Page load time: Do visitors see content quickly, or are they waiting several seconds?
• Site structure: Clear menus, logical categories, and straightforward navigation are key.
• Mobile responsiveness: Text should be readable, buttons accessible, and forms easy to complete on mobile devices.

Studies have shown that improving site speed can lead to higher rankings and reduced visitor drop-off.

I once worked with an e-commerce store with millions of product pages. The site was so slow that visitors were waiting too long for pages to load.

After introducing a content delivery network (CDN), optimizing images, and streamlining code, the bounce rate dropped by 30%. This improvement translated to better user engagement and higher rankings for important keywords.

5. Backlink Evaluation and Cleanup

There is a lot of confusion about backlinks—some assume any link is good, or that more is always better.

However, one high-quality referral from a respected site can be far more valuable than many poor-quality links from questionable sources. An excess of low-quality links can undermine your site’s credibility.

That is why evaluating backlinks is important:

• Identify low-quality or spam links and remove them if needed.
• Build stronger connections with reputable sources—reach out to see if your link can be featured on more relevant pages, or consider contributing guest posts.
• Look out for unusual link patterns. Having too many exact-match anchor texts can trigger warnings with Google.

Radyant’s SEO maintenance checklist shows that regular backlink monitoring can boost overall site credibility and help maintain competitive rankings.

I remember a local business that had purchased a package of low-quality links. Their rankings dropped within weeks, and an audit followed by removal of many bad links was necessary.

Now, monthly link audits and careful nurturing of high-value relationships have kept their site in good standing.

6. Internal Linking Optimization

Internal linking is a quiet strength in SEO maintenance. It allows you to guide visitors and search engines to your most important pages.

My approach is to:

• Connect well-established pages to newer or less visible ones to share authority.
• Use clear and descriptive anchor text while avoiding overuse of exact-match keywords.
• Check for orphan pages—those without internal links may get missed.

Regular reviews help uncover pages that are buried too deep in the site structure.

For example, a new blog post with valuable information might not get attention if it isn’t linked from more prominent pages, or a well-done product page might not see traction without internal support.

I once reorganized the internal linking for a large tech blog spanning many years.

The change led to better crawlability, a noticeable increase in organic impressions, and a more logical flow that visitors appreciated.

It is important to plan where your visitors should go next rather than linking pages without purpose.

7. Regular Competitor Analysis

SEO does not happen alone; competitors are always refining their tactics.

If a rival updates their site with faster page speeds and fresh content while you do nothing, they might outrank you.

I keep track of competitor activity by reviewing:

• Content changes: Are they releasing new guides or industry insights?
• New backlinks: Are they gaining links from respected sources?
• Keyword adjustments: Are they starting to rank for different terms?

I saw this in action when a major client lost a top keyword position to a new competitor investing in content marketing and favorable mentions.

In response, we built a resource hub, improved site speed, and sought authoritative placements of our own. Within a few months, the rankings recovered.

Monitoring competitors helps you adjust before any losses become severe and can even uncover new opportunities.

The Measurable Impact

The data shows that these practices can make a real difference. Analysts at Backlinko, Semrush, and DevriX emphasize regular SEO maintenance for lasting results.

One agency found that websites with ongoing SEO checkups had 32% less ranking fluctuation during algorithm updates, while sites without routine maintenance experienced an annual organic traffic drop of 15–20% during steady periods.

Regular maintenance also saves time in the long run. By addressing issues like site speed, broken links, and metadata on a fixed schedule, potential technical problems can be reduced by as much as 67%, saving significant troubleshooting time.

This allows more focus on strategic tasks like content planning and improving user engagement.

Key Outcomes from Implementing SEO Maintenance Best Practices

Here is a snapshot of how these practices compare: