SEO Strategy: Make a Game Plan

Are you intending to fail or failing to plan? An SEO plan provides a framework against which you can measure your SEO efforts, allowing you to view the larger picture. We’ll go through several key steps of an SEO strategy in this article. (If you don’t have the time or resources, we can also provide strategic support through our SEO services.)

What is an SEO strategy or plan?

Your Search Engine Optimization actions will be guided by an SEO strategy or plan. It’s a long-term strategy for attracting pre-qualified traffic, increasing conversion rates, and increasing online revenue. Although SEO is viewed as a medium to long-term strategy, a well-executed SEO plan can have a favourable impact on exposure within the first few months (dependent on the industry and targets).

Initial Analysis

An SEO strategy’s initial step is to do a thorough research of the website and its competitors. The consultant can see firsthand the strengths and weaknesses of the current technical infrastructure of the site, what keywords have been targeted previously, the on-page content, the link building profile, and competitor analysis during an analysis (or when it is a top-to-bottom analysis with a reporting component, an SEO audit). It’s critical that clients tell optimization professionals everything they know about the strategies they’ve utilised in the past.

During this process, the SEO consultant will look at considerations such as:

• Site structure and page trees
• Internal and external linking
• Inbound links or “backlinks”
• Metadata, including metatitles and meta descriptions
• Header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
• Content length and quality
• Content update frequency
• Infrastructure files and code, including scripts, tracking codes, redirects, robots.txt, sitemap.xml, and more
• Competitor data (including an analysis of the above for competition)

Analysis and Recommendations

An SEO consultant analyses particular weaknesses on the site, as well as potential for targeting new search traffic, based on the first study, and creates a report for a search engine optimization campaign. This report will include suggestions for both on-site and off-site approaches that will help you achieve your overall SEO goals. These recommendations will be provided to you so that you may begin improving your website, or the SEO will implement them herself (often with the assistance of a qualified web developer). A reputable firm should be able to provide SEO services that are targeted to your specific needs. This will vary depending on the size of the site, whether it is in a competitive or saturated market, whether it is a new website, whether it is focused on growth or continuous upkeep, and so on.

Keyword Research

The quantity of keywords targeted is usually determined by the size and scope of the SEO operation. The analyst will have a better understanding of the quantity of keywords once an SEO strategy plan has been drawn out, and a plan can be made for how those keywords fit in with the optimised pages and link submissions required to make progress in the SERPs. Analysts begin by analysing keywords and creating a shortlist that is acceptable to both the agency and the client. This could include a variety of tactics, such as keyword suggestions from the client, customers, and suppliers, surveys, and the use of keyword research tools, among others.

Keywords also differ greatly in terms of search purpose and length. Short tail keywords such as “Indian restaurant” may have a high search volume, however long tail keywords like “Indian restaurant serving breakfast in Chicago” may have a lower search volume. The objective of the SEO analyst is to find a balance between the different sorts of keywords and the quantity of search volume they generate.

SEO Implementation

The exciting element of SEO strategy strategies is this. The agreed-upon modifications to your website are deployed on your pages by your consultancy, either directly if you have a content management system (CMS) or by liaising with your web developer to have the changes coded. Off-page optimization, such as link building and choices like enhancing Google Places pages, is also carried out at this crucial stage. The on-the-ground effort that helps to boost your site’s exposure in search engines is at the heart of an SEO plan.

Reporting

The SEO professional you engaged should provide you with progress reports throughout your campaign. Keep in mind that Search Engine Optimization is a long-term plan that will not yield immediate benefits. Clients should expect monthly updates from agencies as a rule. Although communication is encouraged throughout the process, now is your chance to address any questions you have about the campaign or make minor changes. It can take anything from 3 months to a year for the outcomes of an SEO strategy to show up in reports.

Ongoing Maintenance

Once you’ve achieved good search engine rankings, talk to the professionals at your SEO firm about whether you should broaden your keyword portfolio and target other keywords, or stick to maintaining your site’s optimization. This, too, will be determined by criteria such as the number of pages on your website, the competition in your market, the amount of traffic directed to your site, and your conversion rate.

Others in the business will most likely be keeping continuing SEO on their sites, so it’s usually a good idea to keep track of, alter, and develop your SEO approach as time goes on. The idea goes that if you don’t act on your own search visibility while your competitors do, you’ll eventually lose any hard-won ground in search engine ranks.

Reviewing SEO Plan

SEO strategies must be adaptable, and they must be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that optimizations are working and that goals are being fulfilled. If you work in a highly competitive business, you should think about what competitors are doing and what you might need to do to outrank them in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). To ensure that your SEO approach can be consistently updated, an SEO specialist should watch changes and trends in the sector.

Need help with your SEO strategy?

At Stridec, we offer SEO services that are tailored to each company’s needs, from small to medium-sized businesses to major corporations. Get in contact with us to learn more about our SEO experience and how we can tailor an SEO plan to your current and future requirements.