How to Plan an SEO Campaign

You’ve undoubtedly heard the term SEO, or search engine optimization, so many times by now that you’ve lost track.

Whether it’s to attract more organic visitors, rank at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs), or raise income, digital marketers and online businesses have been relying on a great SEO strategy like crazy.

The challenge is, how can you create an SEO plan that works? How can a novice like you come up with a strategy that would increase your site’s visibility and searchability?

Fortunately for you, we’ll be with you every step of the way on your SEO journey.

But First, What Is an SEO Strategy?

Simply put, an SEO strategy is the act of creating and implementing an SEO plan aimed at attaining your SEO objectives, such as increasing traffic or boosting search engine rankings.

If you don’t have an SEO strategy in place, you may find that you’re not receiving the results you want. If you already have one but it isn’t succeeding, you’ll need to step up your game and use the advice we’ll give you.

With that in mind, here are seven stages to putting together an SEO strategy that can help you succeed:

1. Assess Your Current SEO Performance

First and foremost, evaluate your SEO approach and check how well it is working.

Examine your keyword rankings, organic exposure, and the difference between branded and non-branded visitors. You’ll find it easier to put together a strategy that will advance you to the next level this way.

One of the most popular tools for gathering these insights is the Semrush Organic Research Tool, which allows you to track the success of your keyword rankings and organic traffic over time. It provides you with a clear picture of your site’s visibility, current performance, and changes over time.

Understanding the difference between branded and non-branded traffic on your website can help you spot opportunities, especially if the majority of these branded searches come from people who are already familiar with your company. Increasing non-branded traffic, on the other hand, helps you gain new users who may not have heard of you previously.

Taking these measures into account, along with data from Google Analytics, will give you a rough picture of how well your website is performing in terms of SEO. You’ll also be able to see where you need to improve for your next SEO campaign.

2. Study and Analyze Your Competitors’ SEO Strategies

You may now conduct an SEO competitor study after reviewing your SEO performance.

Analyzing the search engine optimization tactics of your competitors will show you what is and isn’t working for them. You can include their failings or strengths into your own SEO strategy plan once you’ve determined which areas they shine at.

When you’re analysing your competition, make sure to ask yourself the following questions:

• Do they adhere to SEO best practises?
• What are the most common types of searches they conduct? Are you looking for something transactional, navigational, or informational?
• What are the keywords or searches for which they are ranked?
• What elements enhance the usability and content of their website?
• What do users have to say about them based on their social media accounts or review sites?
• How do they get their content in front of their intended audience?
• Do they have a large number of backlinks?
• You’ll have to put in a lot of effort:
• Determine what type of content your website should have by looking at which of their sites receives the most traffic. Examine their keyword rankings to discover whether they are ranking for keywords that you aren’t. This aids you in identifying areas where you may increase your keyword ranks. Examine their link profiles to learn more about the sources of their backlinks. At the same time, you’ll be able to identify the link gap between their site and yours, which will aid you in developing your own link-building plan..

3. Research Your Target Audience

In order to create an SEO strategy, you must first analyse your potential audience. Many businesses are guilty of neglecting this stage, which explains why they aren’t seeing the expected outcomes.

A comprehensive SEO strategy plan necessitates more than simply a list of customer personas. It should be able to comprehend how people search and engage on the internet so you can determine which keywords to utilise and what content to create.

Answer key questions like these to gain a deeper understanding of your target audience:

• What platforms do they use to find answers?
• What do they expect from a product or service provider?
• What are their pain points in terms of products or services in my industry?
• What questions do they typically have about our industry, products, or services?
• Who in the industry do they trust when searching for answers?

So, where do you go to get this information? You can use social media, conduct online surveys, search industry forums, or question your sales team or customer service representatives.

Understanding who your target audience is and what they want makes developing a competitive SEO strategy much easier. For example, you may create appealing material that will pique their interest, and you can find keywords and searches that are relevant to them.

4. Use the Right Keywords in All the Right Places

Because keywords are at the centre of SEO, they should be at the heart of everything you do as well.

You must optimise your website for the correct keywords in order for relevant leads to reach you. Use free keyword research tools like KeywordsFX and Keywords Everywhere to get started.

Concentrate on long-tail keywords as much as possible. These are more specialised keywords that contain three or more words, as opposed to short-tail keywords. They not only have less competition, but they also have a better chance of reaching your target audience because they are more specific.

Take a look at these two terms: “Reebok shoes” and “Reebok Crossfit shoes for women near me.”

Someone looking for “Reebok shoes” is probably not in the market for them. It’s far too broad. Are they seeking running shoes, powerlifting shoes, or just a pair of casual Reebok sneakers?

A search for “Reebok Crossfit sneakers for women near me,” on the other hand, indicates that the person is serious about purchasing as soon as they figure out where to acquire them.

You now understand why using long-tail keywords is essential for a successful SEO strategy. If you’re a larger, more established firm, your SEO strategy may include short-tail keywords because you already have a strong web presence.

Once you’ve gathered all of the relevant keywords, incorporate them into your site’s metadata and anchor text. To prevent impacting the readability of your material, incorporate them naturally. Make sure you don’t overdo them. 

5. Optimize On-Page Elements

On-page components are what Google uses to determine whether your page is relevant to a user’s search. In other words, they have an impact on the ranking of your website.

The following are three of the most important on-page items to optimise:

• ‍Title tag

When people search online, the title tag is the clickable headline they see. It provides readers with a preview of what they can expect from a page.

Because search engines utilise title tags to establish the relevance of a page, it’s critical to optimise yours to reach the correct audience.

Use your keyword near the beginning of the title tag as a general rule. This convinces your visitors that your page is both relevant and trustworthy.

Make sure your title tag isn’t more than 60 characters. Otherwise, the search results will be shut off.

• ‍Meta description

Short blurbs that provide searchers a sneak peek at your material are known as meta descriptions. They can be found just below the title tag.

Meta descriptions, like title tags, assist search engines to decide whether a website is relevant to search results.

Within the 150-character restriction, your meta description should highlight the most relevant aspects of your post. Don’t forget to include your core keyword as well.

Another thing to keep in mind is that an engaging meta description has the power to attract your ideal customers and increase your organic search results’ click-through rate!

• ‍URL

Your on-page optimization technique relies heavily on the URL. The more relevant it appears to search engines, the more you optimise it.

While it’s best to keep your URLs short, you should also make sure that they give your viewers a sense of what your page is about. Use strange letters and digits sparingly, as they can be perplexing to both humans and search engines.

And, in case you’re wondering, yes, you should definitely include your page’s keyword in your URLs.

6. Build Quality Links

Link building is an important part of enhancing your website’s authority, traffic, and SERP rating. This is accomplished by obtaining links from other websites to your own.

Links are used by Google and other search engines to establish a site’s authority and where it should appear in search results. Crawlers find content by following links to subsequent sites and determining whether they are related to a search query.

Here are some simple link-building tips to get you started:

Inquire about backlinks. Anyone with a respectable site or blog relating to the material, product, or service you provide qualifies. Send them a simple email informing them that you’re attempting to develop links.

This is a guest blog. Write a blog post for another site in your niche with a link back to your own. Choose a site that does not accept every request to publish.

Collaborate with a well-known blogger. Look for influential bloggers in your niche to collaborate with. You can utilise Followerwonk, a Moz tool that helps to find trustworthy bloggers easier.

Make and share infographics. Infographics have become quite popular for link building because of their appealing images and easily accessible content. Many people can’t help but share a fascinating infographic.

Utilize social media to its full potential. Add your links to all of your social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on.

Above all, focus on creating content that will keep your audience interested and attract new visitors.

Building links may appear to be a difficult endeavour at first, but if you’ve amassed a substantial following via your consistent efforts, it won’t be as difficult. Furthermore, you can always seek expert assistance and choices from a West Palm Beach SEO firm.

7. Keep Your Website User-Friendly

Trust us when we say that no one enjoys a website with bad navigation. Frustrated users will depart after a few seconds of understanding out how the site works. This is why prioritising user experience (UX) in your SEO approach is critical.

People will spend more time on a site that is easy to use. This tells search engines that your website and pages are relevant, and you’ll get a good ranking in the results.

Follow these best practices to guarantee that your site provides a seamless experience for everyone:

Reduce the time it takes for your page to load. According to a Google study, 53% of mobile site visits are abandoned if a page takes more than three seconds to load. Avoid this by optimising your photos, selecting the appropriate hosting choice, setting compression, and caching your web pages.

Pay attention to call-to-actions (CTAs). A strong CTA (call-to-action) on your website will inspire visitors to do the steps you want them to take, whether it’s signing up for your newsletter, ordering a product, or downloading free software. Make sure they’re easy to understand, direct, and conspicuous.

Make content digestible. When feasible, use plain language and avoid industry jargon. Use headings, bullets, and other formatting strategies to make it easier for readers to scan through your information.

Enhance the website’s navigation. Limit the number of menu items to seven, keep sidebars separate, make hypertext clear, and avoid dropdown menus. You’ll also want to make sure that your navigation is completely mobile-friendly.

Make good colour choices. Your website should have the ideal balance of clarity and aesthetic appeal. Aside from sticking to your company’s colour scheme, the background and text colours should be in stark contrast.

Creating an SEO Strategy Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated!

In the end, having a great SEO plan will assist you in achieving your digital marketing objectives. You’ll be a step ahead of your competitors if you follow the advice we’ve offered. You’ll get more visitors, rank higher in search results, raise brand recognition, and see a boost in sales in no time!