In the ever-shifting landscape of search, a static SEO Performance strategy quickly loses its edge. If you’re wondering when to update your SEO plan, the answer lies in understanding how search engine algorithms evolve, how your competitors change tactics, and how your own business priorities shift. Staying ahead requires a dynamic approach.
Below, we explore the six key triggers that should prompt an SEO update—and recommend a review cadence to keep your site consistently optimized.
1. After Major Google Algorithm Updates
Google regularly rolls out core and page-experience updates that can dramatically affect rankings. When you hear of an update:
- Audit performance metrics: Compare organic traffic, impressions, and average positions before and after the change.
- Identify impacted page types: Are blog posts, product pages, or category listings most affected?
- Prioritize fixes: If Core Web Vitals issues spike, tackle mobile-experience optimizations first; if relevance drops, enrich or expand your content.
Pro tip: Subscribe to trusted SEO news feeds (e.g. Google Search Central Blog, Search Engine Journal) so you can react within days of an update.
To understand the impact and learn how to respond, see our guide on how Google Core Updates affect SEO and how to recover.
2. When Traffic or Conversions Plateau or Decline
Even without algorithm shifts, plateaus or declines over two to three consecutive months signal a stale strategy. In response:
- Reassess keyword targeting: Use tools like Google Trends or your keyword platform to spot emerging queries.
- Refresh underperforming pages: Add new insights, visuals (charts, images, video), and stronger calls-to-action.
- Optimize internal linking: Ensure your highest-authority pages pass link equity to priority landing pages.
Metric alert: Set automated notifications for a >5% month-over-month drop in organic sessions or goal completions.
Need help reenergizing performance fast? Try this 30-day SEO plan to increase website traffic.
3. During Quarterly Business Reviews
Align SEO with evolving business goals at least every three months:
- New products or services? Create or update landing pages around their target keywords.
- Market expansion? Localize content and adjust schema or hreflang tags.
- Seasonal campaigns? Refresh your content calendar to match industry events and peak demand periods.
Best practice: Include an SEO performance slide in your QBR deck to demonstrate organic contributions toward revenue targets.
4. Following a Comprehensive Content Audit (6–12 Months)
A periodic content audit reveals thin, outdated, or underperforming pages:
- Consolidate or remove content that cannibalizes other pages or no longer aligns with user intent.
- Expand pages with new research, FAQs, or user testimonials.
- Fill gaps by targeting topics where competitors rank stronger.
Tools: Use Screaming Frog to identify thin content and Google Analytics to measure engagement metrics like bounce rate and time on page.
5. When Competitors Shift Tactics
Monitor your core keywords for sudden ranking changes:
- Analyze competitor content: Are they publishing richer media—interactive tools, infographics, or video?
- Review their backlinks: Identify new referring domains and outreach opportunities.
- Adapt your playbook: Match or exceed their content depth and pursue similar link partnerships.
Quick win: Set up rank-tracking alerts so you’re notified immediately when a competitor overtakes you on priority terms.
We help businesses benchmark competitors and outpace them—get in touch for a free consultation.
6. Any Time You Redesign or Migrate Your Site
Site migrations, URL restructures, or CMS switches can disrupt your SEO footprint. To protect rankings:
- Pre-launch: Document existing URLs and baseline rankings/traffic.
- Launch: Implement 301-redirects for every changed URL, update XML sitemaps, and verify robots.txt.
- Post-launch: Re-audit in Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to catch any 404s or crawl errors.
Pro tip: Run side-by-side crawls before and after migration to ensure no redirects or pages were missed.
If you’re redesigning or replatforming, involve SEO from the start—our team at Reliqus helps ensure your gains aren’t lost during migration.
Recommended Review Cadence
- Monthly: Quick health check on top-10 pages, Core Web Vitals, and any sudden ranking shifts.
- Quarterly: Business alignment, competitive gap analysis, and keyword refresh.
- Biannually: Deep content audit, backlink cleanup, and full technical SEO review.
Bottom Line
Your SEO plan should be as dynamic as the search ecosystem itself. By updating your strategy after algorithm changes, performance plateaus, business pivots, content audits, competitive moves, and site migrations—and by adhering to a structured review rhythm—you’ll ensure your website remains competitive, visible, and continually optimized for long-term growth.
Ready to revisit your SEO game plan? Contact Reliqus to schedule a review or performance audit.