E148 Goldilocks SEO

The Goldilocks SEO Problem—Why Consistency Beats Constant Hustle

When it comes to SEO, many website owners fall into one of two traps: doing too much too fast, or doing too little and expecting big results. In this insightful and refreshingly honest podcast episode, Meredith and her husband unpack what they call the “Goldilocks problem of SEO”—the tendency to either overcommit or undercommit, and how both extremes lead to burnout or disappointment.

Too many people treat SEO like a New Year’s resolution at the gym: they go all in, blogging daily, updating pages constantly, and trying to do everything at once. But just like fitness goals, SEO doesn’t reward a short burst of energy. It rewards a sustainable, long-term rhythm. In fact, as Meredith's husband notes, the key to SEO success isn’t constant work—it’s consistent work.

He shares the story of a student who thought she had to be working on her SEO “constantly,” and how that mindset leads to stress and burnout. Instead, he advises finding a realistic pace—whether that’s blogging once a month or optimizing one thing at a time—and sticking to it. One helpful benchmark: aim for one quality blog post per month. Not only does this maintain an active appearance for visitors, it signals to Google that your site is still alive and worth revisiting.

Another standout moment is the baseball analogy. A classmate without much talent outperformed more gifted peers simply by showing up every day and putting in steady effort. The same applies to SEO: Meredith’s husband explains that in 20+ years, he’s never seen someone show up consistently over time and not get results.

Key Takeaways:

• SEO doesn't need to be done constantly, just consistently.

• Overcommitting leads to burnout; undercommitting leads to no results.

• Find a rhythm that works for you and build from there.

• One high-quality blog per month is better than daily low-quality content.

• Consistency is the single biggest predictor of long-term SEO success.