SEO isn't just about optimizing your website to rank higher in search engines—it's about understanding your audience’s needs and delivering the right solutions through your website or landing page. With Google processing over 100 billion searches every month, the opportunity to attract new customers through search is vast, but only if you get your strategy right.
However, the landscape is constantly shifting. The introduction of generative AI in search has revolutionized how users interact with search engines, making it more essential than ever to keep up with the latest developments. SEO is not a one-time task but a dynamic strategy that requires continuous attention and adjustment to remain competitive.
This guide will show you how to build a robust SEO strategy that is not only in tune with search engine algorithms but also tailored to meet user expectations. By following these key steps, you can create an SEO plan that works effectively in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Aligning your SEO strategy with broader business objectives is essential to ensure your efforts are focused and impactful. By defining clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), you’ll be able to track your progress and measure the effectiveness of your SEO initiatives.
Your SEO goals should support your core business objectives, whether that’s increasing brand awareness, driving traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales. In this phase, you’ll need to pinpoint the KPIs that will guide your strategy and help you evaluate success.
Some important SEO KPIs to track include:
● Visibility in search (segmenting by search features like AI Overviews, featured snippets, Local Packs, etc.)
● Organic traffic (traffic driven by search)
● Keyword rankings
● Branded searches
● Quality backlinks
● New vs. returning users
● Leads and conversions
● ROI from organic channels
● Pages per session
● Engagement metrics (e.g., time on page, bounce rate – but remember, bounce rate is not a one-size-fits-all metric, and its importance depends on how you’ve set up your tracking)
● Core Web Vitals
● Crawl errors
These KPIs give you an internal view of your SEO performance through analytics platforms. However, executives may be more focused on how SEO contributes to broader business outcomes, such as customer journey attribution and its impact on sales.
A common mistake among those new to SEO is expecting instant results. Unlike paid advertising, SEO is not a direct-response marketing strategy, and achieving noticeable outcomes can take time.
Because of the many variables involved—such as competition, backlinks, and content quality—it’s nearly impossible to guarantee a specific timeframe for ranking improvements. SEO requires patience, especially when targeting competitive keywords.
Managing stakeholder expectations is crucial. From the beginning, it's important to explain that SEO’s impact is gradual and incremental, and emphasize that the level of competition in your industry will directly influence the time it takes to see significant results.
Furthermore, SEO is integral to the entire customer journey. A user may discover your site through organic search, then see a paid ad, and ultimately make a purchase. Alternatively, they might encounter an ad first, then search for your brand and find you through organic results.
This is where multi-touch attribution comes into play. Tools like Triple Whale can help you understand how various marketing channels contribute to conversions and assist in tracking the full impact of your SEO efforts across different touchpoints.
With your SEO strategy aligned with business goals and expectations in place, it’s time to assess where you currently stand. The first step in this process is to perform a comprehensive SEO audit.
An SEO audit acts as a diagnostic tool, providing a clear overview of your site’s current health and serving as the foundation for your optimization plan. By performing this audit, you can benchmark your site’s current SEO performance and identify areas for improvement.
Key elements to examine during the audit include:
● Domain details: Age, history, and domain authority.
● On-page SEO factors: Headlines, keyword targeting, and user engagement.
● Content quality and structure: Organization of your content and image quality (avoid stock photos whenever possible).
● Duplicate content: Ensure no content overlap that could negatively impact rankings.
● Backlink profile: Evaluate the quality and relevance of your backlinks.
● Website architecture: Analyze the user experience and site navigation.
● Technical SEO: Examine aspects like sitemaps, image optimization, and robots.txt configurations.
● Multilingual site setup: Ensure proper use of hreflang tags.
Performing an SEO audit will give you a clear view of where your website stands and inform your strategy moving forward. After the audit, plan your timeline and allocate your budget and resources. While it’s tempting to look for quick fixes, effective SEO requires investment, both in time and money. A well-funded and carefully timed SEO initiative will yield far better results than trying to cut corners.
Search engines use complex algorithms to rank websites, considering a variety of factors to determine how well a site answers a specific search query. Keywords play a significant role in this evaluation, as they signal to search engines the topic of your content.
However, adding keywords isn’t simply a matter of inserting product names. Keyword optimization requires research to ensure you’re targeting the right terms without causing keyword cannibalization.
Here are the key considerations when performing keyword research:
● Search Intent: Keywords often have multiple meanings, so understanding search intent is crucial. For example, if you sell hats, ranking for "bowler" may attract people interested in bowling or cricket rather than customers looking for bowler hats.
● Relevant Keywords: Once you understand search intent, focus on keywords that align with what your target audience is searching for. By matching your keywords to user intent, you can create content that ranks well in search results, enhances user satisfaction, and improves conversions.
● Keyword Research Tools: Brainstorming is a good starting point, but to refine your keyword strategy, use research tools to gather data on search volume, competition, and related terms. These tools provide valuable insights and suggest alternative keywords you may not have thought of.
● Search Volume: The search volume of a keyword is a key metric in determining its potential. While high-volume keywords can drive significant traffic, they may also come with high competition. If your brand is new or in a competitive market, consider focusing on long-tail keywords that have lower search volume but also less competition.
● Long-Tail Keywords: These are more specific phrases, often consisting of three or more words. Long-tail keywords tend to attract users further down the conversion funnel, making them more likely to convert. For instance, a search for "vegetarian restaurants in San Antonio" is likely made by someone ready to make a decision.
Remember that keyword research tools provide aggregate data, which means they may report zero search volume for long-tail keywords. As AI assistants and voice searches become more prevalent, search behaviors are evolving, and certain niche keywords may still generate valuable traffic despite being labeled as low-volume. If a keyword is relevant to your industry and you know there’s demand for it, don’t dismiss it based on the tool’s data. You may find that these terms attract highly targeted traffic that is more likely to convert.
Every website has pages that serve as the backbone of its SEO strategy—these are your Most Valuable Pages (MVPs). These pages play a key role in driving traffic and engagement, and optimizing them is critical for maximizing your SEO impact.
For non-ecommerce sites, MVPs often include:
● The home page
● Services pages
● Any pages that feature demos or offers
For ecommerce sites, MVPs go beyond just the homepage and service pages to include:
● Category pages
● Product pages
To identify your MVPs, think about what your brand stands for:
● What industries do you operate in?
● What specific problems does your brand solve?
Using the insights from your keyword research, identify the pages that are performing well in terms of traffic and conversions. These are likely the pages you need to focus on optimizing for SEO. By giving these pages the attention they deserve, you can boost their visibility and ultimately drive more organic traffic to your site.
Content has a shelf life, and over time, even your most valuable pages can become outdated. Search engines prioritize fresh, relevant content, so it’s essential to regularly update your MVP pages to ensure they remain competitive.
Content decay is a natural phenomenon where older content loses its relevance and rankings. To combat this, you should implement a continuous process of content updates. Regularly revising your pages to reflect the latest industry trends, data, and best practices will help maintain their relevance and performance.
However, avoid relying on automatic content updates powered by AI chatbots. While tempting, this approach can lead to spammy, low-quality content that might harm your SEO efforts and result in a drop in organic traffic.
Instead, focus on adding value to your content by:
● Updating statistics, facts, and figures.
● Adding new insights or industry developments.
● Refreshing outdated calls to action and offers.
A technically sound website with excellent content won’t yield results if the user experience (UX) is poor. If visitors find your site frustrating to navigate or encounter broken links, they’ll likely leave without engaging with your content, resulting in missed opportunities for conversion.
Key considerations for optimizing your site for a positive user experience include:
● Site Architecture: Ensure your website’s layout is intuitive and that users can easily find what they’re looking for. A well-structured site makes it easier for both search engines and users to navigate.
● Mobile Optimization: Given that 62.15% of total web traffic and 77% of retail website traffic comes from mobile devices, your website must be fully optimized for mobile viewing. This includes fast loading times, responsive design, and easy-to-use navigation.
SEO isn’t done in a vacuum. You must be aware of what your competitors are doing to stay competitive. If you’re not keeping tabs on industry trends and your competitors’ strategies, you could miss out on valuable opportunities. Key steps for conducting a competitive analysis include:
● Content Gap Analysis: Identify the areas where your competitors are outranking you and figure out how you can improve your content or target untapped keywords. This allows you to capitalize on gaps in your competitors' coverage.
● Backlink Analysis: Assess your competitors’ backlink strategies to identify potential opportunities for you to earn high-quality backlinks.
● Site Structure and Performance: Review how your competitors structure their websites and optimize their technical aspects to boost search rankings. You can use these insights to improve your own website’s structure.
● AI Chatbots: AI is becoming a competitor in itself. As more users rely on AI chatbots for direct answers, you need to find ways to stand out. Offer unique insights, personal experiences, and authoritative content that AI cannot replicate. Focus on building your brand’s authority and providing in-depth, valuable content that keeps users coming back.
SEO is not just about optimizing your website; it’s about building your brand’s credibility and authority in your industry. While improving your website’s content and structure is important, you also need to focus on brand marketing to stand out in search results and gain valuable backlinks. Backlinks from authoritative sites are a key ranking factor and signal trustworthiness to search engines. Here are several steps to help establish your brand authority and earn natural backlinks:
● Build an Email Newsletter List: Regularly share valuable insights and content with subscribers to keep them engaged and spread your brand message.
● Share Research and Insights: Publish valuable research that others in your industry want to reference. These pieces are more likely to attract links from reputable sources.
● Attend and Sponsor Conferences: Position yourself as a thought leader by attending relevant conferences and sponsoring them if possible.
● Participate in Interviews and Speaking Engagements: Seek opportunities to be interviewed or speak at events. This builds your authority and provides valuable backlinks.
● Host Webinars and Live Sessions: Share knowledge and engage directly with your audience in real time, while generating more awareness and authority for your brand.
● Engage in Online Discussions: Participate in industry-specific conversations on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, and others to build your presence and brand recognition.
● Collaborate with Industry Experts: Contribute to content alongside other experts to benefit from their authority and gain backlinks.
● Engage Influencers: Invite influencers to try your products and share their experiences, generating credibility and exposure for your brand.
● Offer Excellent Customer Support: Exceptional customer service can lead to brand mentions and positive reviews, which indirectly impact SEO and brand authority.
Even unlinked mentions of your brand can help build awareness. For instance, if someone hears your brand mentioned on a reputable site or a TV show and searches for it online, this branded search can improve your rankings. While unlinked mentions themselves are not a direct ranking factor, they can still help your brand gain visibility and recognition in the market.
SEO doesn’t exist in isolation; it impacts various parts of your business, from marketing to sales to IT. To achieve the best results, SEO must be integrated into your company’s workflows and processes. Consider how different teams can support SEO efforts:
● Sales Team: They know which products or services resonate most with customers, which can help with lead generation and target keyword development.
● Marketing Team: SEO provides valuable data on which content types are most effective, enabling marketers to create better campaigns.
● Copywriters and Designers: These teams can craft content and visuals that align with SEO strategies, boosting your chances of ranking higher.
● IT Team: SEO should align with website design, structure, and development cycles. Your IT team will ensure that your website is optimized for SEO best practices.
A successful SEO strategy goes beyond driving traffic to your website. It should be designed to support each stage of your customer’s journey, from awareness to post-purchase, and ultimately drive sales.
Here’s how SEO aligns with each stage of the customer funnel:
● Awareness: Many customers first encounter your brand online via search engines. At this stage, your goal is to increase brand recognition. Blog posts, articles, and engaging content focused on high-level keywords can help introduce your brand and raise awareness.
● Interest: At this stage, potential customers begin researching their options. They’re looking for detailed information, solutions to their pain points, or insights into your industry. Offering in-depth resources like guides, eBooks, white papers, and informative blog posts will meet their needs and foster interest in your products or services.
● Decision: Now, the customer is narrowing down their choices and comparing your brand with competitors.
● Purchase: When it’s time for customers to make a purchase, your website must provide a smooth and easy experience. Optimized product pages, clear calls to action, and a streamlined checkout process are essential to convert visitors into customers.
● Post-purchase: SEO doesn’t stop once a sale is made. Retaining customers is key to long-term success, and SEO can help by delivering valuable support content such as FAQs, troubleshooting guides, or loyalty programs.
To truly understand the impact of your SEO efforts, you need to define and track your success metrics. Identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) and regularly reporting on your progress helps you stay on track, make data-driven decisions, and optimize your strategy.
Here’s how to approach measuring and reporting:
● Define KPIs: KPIs should be aligned with your business goals and objectives. Examples include organic traffic, bounce rates, conversion rates, and keyword rankings. Make sure your KPIs are specific, measurable, and achievable.
● Use Tools: There are both paid and free tools that can help you track and measure your SEO performance. Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and other SEO platforms provide valuable insights into your website’s performance and can help you identify areas for improvement.
● Measure Progress: Track the metrics on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, etc.) to identify trends and areas where you need to adjust. Measuring progress consistently allows you to evaluate your strategy’s effectiveness over time.
● Create Reports: Regular reports give you an overview of how your SEO efforts are performing. These reports should include clear insights, not just raw data, to inform your decision-making. Be sure to focus on metrics that directly tie into business goals, such as conversions, sales, or lead generation.
SEO may not be easy, but it’s undeniably essential for any business aiming to succeed online. With a well-crafted strategy, continuous learning, and consistent effort, even beginners can boost their site to the top of the search results.
The 12 steps we’ve covered are just the start. To truly stand out, you need a strategy that’s customized to your business and goals.
Luckily, FoxAdvert is here for you.
We’re here to help you develop and execute an SEO plan that drives real results.
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