SEO—it’s something digital marketers dream about, possibly have nightmares about. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the rules change. You’re left scrambling, trying to put a new SEO plan together.
At its base, SEO is a straightforward process. Use a variety of techniques such as keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building to create, optimize, and promote content for better visibility in search engine results. Yet it might not be as easy as it seems.
Let’s talk about the constant algorithm changes. Search engines like Google try to stay on the cusp of their industry, and to do so, they update their algorithms to give their customers better-quality results.
Or maybe the high amount of competition. With millions of websites vying for search engine results, how do you stand out? It takes significant effort and innovation to do it consistently.
Whether you have a current plan or are starting from scratch, 2024 is a whole new world. Here are the steps for a robust SEO plan in today’s market.
Step 1: Where Do You Want to Go?
Before you develop a comprehensive SEO strategy, you need to understand where you’re going. Do you have a clearly defined marketing plan? Are you happy with your current direction?
With your future goals in mind, you can perform an SEO audit to see where you currently are and compare it to your goals. This will help you define a roadmap that will benchmark your current site and give clues for how to grow.
A good SEO audit will examine a variety of aspects, including:
- Domain history
- On-page factors like headlines, keywords, and user engagement
- Website factors like architecture and schema
- Inbound link analysis
- On-site factors like sitemaps and image optimization
This is also a time to define your key performance indicators (KPIs). Common KPIs include:
- Leads and conversions
- Bounce rate
- Pages visited per session
- Page load time
- Top exit pages
This is where you can start building a plan for success and define what qualities you’ll look for as you grow.
Step 2: Discover Your Keywords
Search engines have the goal of giving searchers exactly what they want. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Yet through consistent analysis, they refine results to provide better answers. As a searcher restructures their input, search engines attempt to get closer to the target goal.
This is subjective and changes frequently. A lot goes into ranking, but much of it starts with search intent. How closely can results match what the user wants?
Keywords play a large part in that process. Most marketers have a general idea of their main keywords. Over time, your keyword can be refined many times.
Long-tail keywords get specific. Instead of “pizza,” searchers add more detail: “pizza restaurants near Santa Monica.” They’re longer, without as many search results yet provide a greater chance of being clickable.
To find your keywords, you can use one of many tools available. Or start with Google. Start typing a keyword into Google’s search field, and it will start populating a list of suggestions. These make great keywords because they come straight from Google.
Step 3: Identify Your Competition
If no one else were doing what you’re doing, you’d appear on every page. However, a quick search using your main keyword will tell you that isn’t so.
This is your starting point. When you know which major players are using your keywords, you can analyze them and see where you can make changes.
There are lots of ways you can do this. A quick search will help you build a list. Click through to the competition you’re interested in and browse their sites. You can also use competitor analysis tools that give you insight into their website traffic.
Step 4: Keep User Experience at the Top of Your List
Throughout the years, there has been an ebb and flow of maximizing design for both users and search engines. Both are important; both should be considered at all times.
With too much emphasis on SEO, users may abandon pages quickly as they find your website frustrating. With too much focus on user experience, your website may never be found.
Careful analysis will ensure your technical issues, like broken links, slow load times, and bad site schema, are found and fixed. The human element can be monitored by tracking your KPIs closely and ensuring people get the content they are searching for.
Step 5: Build Online Authority
There isn’t a solidified way to build authority because, in effect, authority is everything. It’s also not something you can build overnight.
Online authority is about building a level of trust, credibility, and influence. It’s proving your worth. And that can only happen over time. You can do so with:
- Content: A consistent stream of high-quality content addresses readers’ needs and interests.
- Backlinks: Links from reputable and authoritative websites signal that you are trustworthy and credible.
- Social: Engagement on social media platforms shows interaction with an audience and proves your worth.
- Industry recognition: Being recognized and mentioned by other authoritative figures, websites, or publications.
- Up-to-date information: Keeping your content accurate, well-researched, and regularly updated with the latest developments and trends.
The Google algorithm is smart and growing all the time. It can cross-reference hundreds of thousands of sources to see where you stand in your field.
Step 6: Set Realistic Expectations
One of the most common mistakes marketers make is expecting immediate results. With so many variables involved in SEO, it’s nearly impossible to establish a solidified timeline.
Instead, make an SEO plan part of your regular marketing goals. It takes time to reach the top, and even longer to stay there.
Step 7: Measure and Document Your Strategy
You’re in! You’ve reached top results, and they’re impacting your business. But you’re not done yet.
Now is the time to generate reports on how your SEO strategy is working. Use metrics to prove your results. Document what it took to get there and what it will take to continue the journey.
What’s Your SEO Plan?
What works leaves clues. Getting to know your customers is the best way to continue giving them what they want. Then adjust along the way. While your SEO plan isn’t a definitive guide, it is a start to get you where you’re going.
What’s your SEO plan? Can we help you make it stronger?
