A good SEO company should be able to describe their process to you. That process should
be understandable and logically sound. Without knowing anything about search engine optimization you can usually tell if the SEO company knows what they’re doing and what they’re talking about. Here’s how we approach SEO.
Keyword Research
SEO is an iterative process, the foundation of which should begin with excellent keyword research. We have the client submit to us keywords they’d like to show up for that are based both on their industry, their services, and the geographic areas they serve. For example, Attorney in Orange County, NY. Or “snow plowing in Monroe, NY”. Once the client submits us their keywords we’ll do a full analysis on them, run them through our keyword research software, and come up with a list of terms that they should be targeting. We then run the keyword list by the client, discuss it, and get their final approval. One thing the research does is eliminate time and resources being invested into keywords that aren’t going to produce much traffic. It also helps us determine other ways people search. For example, a client may tell us to optimize them for the phrase ” yoga studio”. However, the phrase “yoga classes” gets 150% more search volume and so depending on the situation we may suggest spending resources on that word instead.
Competition Research and Website Analysis
Once the keyword research is done and a keyword list is agreed upon we then research the competition to start putting together a strategy for how to outrank them. In the case of SEO competition is defined as those who are ranking where you want to rank for the keywords you want to rank for. Once the competition analysis is over we begin looking at the clients website and doing an analysis of where it stands and formulating an initial plan of what to do first in order to get the quickest results the fastest. This is important because there is almost an unending number of actions you can take in order to improve a website’s search rankings. You want to start with the ones that are going to have the biggest impact first.
Accountability and Work Process
Once the keyword research, competition research, and website analysis is complete we install a powerful tracking and analytics software to glean all types of statistics about website traffic, which keywords people are using to get on the site, how long they’re staying, where they live (down to the city) and more, as we progress through the SEO campaign. Using this software supports the iterative process and we use the info it provides us at the end of each SEO period (usually monthly) to determine what impact what we have done has had and what direction to take our SEO work during the next period. At the end of each period we submit an SEO work report to the client with three sections: This is what was done, This is what we found, This is what we’ll do during the next period. This report will include any changes in search engine rankings that has occurred.
Finally, we continue work in the next period to continue improving search engine rankings for all of the keywords we’ve agreed upon until the client has excellent search engine placement for the words that are going to bring them new traffic and new business.
Summary of our SEO Process
1. Research and Analysis – We compile and research the keywords that will be most profitable for you to begin the campaign with. We research the competition and analyze your website to put a battle plan together.
2. Implementation – Using our research and analysis as our guide we begin implementing changes to the website to improve it’s ranking. This includes both areas within the code that visitors do not see (but search engines do) as well as written content on the website (with clients approval). We may add articles related to the customers industry, products, or services.
3. Analyze Results & Plan – Using an analytics tracking software we analyze the results of the work we’ve done to determine the effects it is having. We may continue our original plan or tweak it a bit depending on the results of our analysis.
4. Work Report – Send client a report containing three section: This is what we did, This is what we found, This is what we’ll do during the next period
5. Iterate – We begin work again moving our clients further toward their goal and repeat the process.
