Pele, Maradona & Messi.
If there were any SERP rankings for the greatest footballers of all time, these three names would feature atop but the order is debatable.
Finally, Messi joined these football greats after winning the football holy grail. In SEO terms, due to the seasonality and freshness of Messi’s exploits, my educated guess is that he would rank top. For now.
However, the SEO community can gain insights from the footballing world and prepare for higher rankings in 2023.
Here are our key takeaways:
1. SEO takes time
Sometimes, doing things right isn’t enough, both in the real world.
Argentina last won the World Cup trophy in 1986 before clinching it in 2022. Most England fans dispute this win following the controversial but comical ‘Hand of god’ moment when the great Diego Maradona presumably used his hand to score. The football comical lives on.
Does it mean all other Argentinian teams have been horrible?
On the contrary, Argentina remains a football-mania country with talented players across generations. Take for instance Sergio Aguero, the highest-scoring non-English player in the Premier League who hails from the country. It’s not a country short of footballing mavericks. Add Messi and you get an out-of-this-world cocktail.
Going for big names in the SEO doesn’t guarantee any results since Argentina had such names aplenty over time but nothing seemed to yield. While talent is paramount in SEO, don’t expect an overnight turnaround.
Well, that doesn’t mean it will take almost four decades to get results. It implies that to be prudent and enjoy the process, the good and the bad.
2. Never Lower Expectations. Be Consistent
In 2023, SEO practitioners should deliver the set KPIs.
Messi never stopped winning even when the big trophy eluded him. He won 35 trophies with Barcelona and has claimed four more trophies to date. Currently, Messi has 39 football trophies as a first-team player, and still aged 36, there’s room for more.
Argentina won the Copa America in 2021, and this marked the first trophy Messi won with the national team.
Therefore, when it comes to SEO, learn to live within a specific paradigm. Perhaps, you may not crack the SERP rankings sooner but are you winning the right keywords clusters, featured snippets, and meeting set goals such as revenue increase? Consolidating these wins prepare your website for the final day of reckoning.
Before the Copa America triumph, Argentina had finished as finalists in three competitions, including the 2014 World Cup. A rational person will understand that this win is not coincidental but rather consequential of the past processes and systems.
Hold the same principle for SEO in 2023 and await your trophy.
3. The Right Organisational Culture Pays
The Argentina Football Association was grossly mismanaged to the extent FIFA appointed a committee to run it in 2016. Staff salaries and perks couldn’t be paid. The security guards hadn’t been paid for six months. Upon learning about their plight, Messi cleared their dues, and this galvanized the team.
Messi publicly called the football organisation for its unprofessionalism and this led to drastic changes, including a new manager coming in.
Lionel Scaloni came and steered the team to new heights.
Emi Martinez, the goalkeeper, said he was happier for Messi than himself after their World Cup win.
Now, that’s an organisational culture change worth emulating in 2023.
Whatever needs to be done must be done. Take a moment to pause, reflect and see what areas need improvement. Are your core web vitals on track? Content plan?
Find the weak link in your SEO strategy and act swiftly and appropriately.
4. Build Teams, not Personalities
Who actually won the World Cup for Argentina? Certainly, not Messi.
The goalkeeper made crucial saves and the team pulled together to see the win. Defense, midfield, and attack all synchronized together for a shared goal.
That’s what your SEO strategy should look like in 2023. Acquiring organic traffic in a cutthroat environment is not easy and it needs collective efforts. SEO managers must coordinate with Content strategists, who must align with the work of technical specialists. After all, everyone wants to win.
Yes, some may be more critical than the rest but this shouldn’t diminish the role and uniqueness each SEO practitioner brings to the team.
Strike a balance and communicate the value each specialist brings to the team. Let them bond, celebrate the wins and share the losses. Such teams remain durable even when pushed to the periphery as Argentina did following the France onslaught in the dying moments of the game.
5. Communicate & Define your Mission
What’s at stake?
Messi knew this would probably be his last World Cup since age was catching up to him. The title ‘Greatest of All Time (GOAT)’ was at stake. Christiano Ronaldo, his longtime nemesis, for long lay claim to this title but here was a chance to settle the debate; to silence the skeptics.
The Argentinian team knew of this long-running sporting rivalry and wished to help their teammate come out on top. Players such as Rodrigo Javier De Paul went as far as nominating themselves as Messi’s bodyguard. Such reverence keeps everyone on their toes and avoids complacency.
Success dislikes stagnation, and the Argentinian team knew only the World Cup would separate Messi from CR7. They went ahead and fulfilled their role. Indisputably, Ronaldo remains a worthy competitor but Messi moved a notch higher. Only fanatics can argue against this.
Which brand do you want to overhaul? Look at the niches and aim to take on the top brands. Be consistent and persistent until you set yourself apart through proper SEO strategies. Giants fall, and so long as you keep giving your best, you can own your field.
6. Lastly…keep learning and Adapting
Messi is a student of the game. He listened to his coaches and reaped the fruits. SEO remains an ever-changing dance with Google Algorithm updates springing surprises when least expected. That’s the name of the game.
Messi is no longer the teenager who ran at lightning speed at defenders but he acknowledged his limitations and reacted. He no longer bursts unless when necessary and reduces his defensive responsibility. In SEO terms, he remains evergreen.
The Majestic roadmap prepares your SEO journey for 2023. Grab your copy and see how best to reinvent yourself to retain relevancy and durability.
Keep Winning
Congratulations to Messi, Argentina, and the football community for giving us memorable experiences.
Botpresso aims to win the SEO race in 2023, and you can register to become part of the team. The good news is that like Messi, we keep pushing limits.
That’s what GOATs do.
