Learn what’s involved in an SEO campaign.
Discover key strategies to boost search engine rankings and drive organic traffic.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) has become a vital component for businesses aiming to enhance their online visibility and attract a broader audience. As the digital landscape evolves, SEO has become more complex, with numerous aspects involved in a successful campaign. This article will outline what’s involved in an SEO campaign, covering the key stages, strategies, and ongoing tasks necessary for boosting website rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Defining Objectives and KPIs
The first step in any SEO campaign is to clearly define your objectives. These goals will guide the entire strategy, ensuring that the focus remains aligned with the business’s overall objectives. Typically, SEO objectives include:
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Increased organic traffic: Driving more visitors to the website through improved search rankings.
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Higher conversion rates: Turning visitors into customers by optimising landing pages and calls-to-action (CTAs).
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Brand visibility: Building awareness of the brand by appearing in more relevant searches.
Selecting keywords with high search volume is crucial as it indicates greater interest from users, leading to more potential traffic, though it also tends to correlate with higher competition among websites.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are then set to measure the success of the campaign. Common SEO KPIs include organic traffic growth, keyword rankings, click-through rates (CTR), bounce rates, and conversions.
Without clearly defined objectives and KPIs, it’s impossible to measure progress accurately or justify the investment in SEO. Additionally, KPIs serve as benchmarks for adjusting the strategy as needed throughout the campaign.
Comprehensive Website Audit
Once the objectives are in place, the next step is a thorough website audit. A website audit evaluates the current state of the site, identifying strengths and areas for improvement from an SEO perspective. It covers several critical factors:
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Technical SEO: Ensuring the site’s technical foundation is solid and search engine-friendly. This includes analysing the site’s architecture, page load speeds, URL structures, mobile-friendliness, and resolving issues such as broken links or crawl errors.
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On-page SEO: Assessing the optimisation of individual pages. This includes evaluating meta tags (titles and descriptions), heading structures, keyword usage, and internal linking.
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Off-page SEO: Checking the site’s authority and trustworthiness. Backlink profiles (inbound links from other sites) are assessed to ensure the site has a healthy number of quality backlinks.
A comprehensive audit allows for the identification of any issues that may be hindering the website’s performance. The information gathered here forms the basis for the SEO strategy moving forward.
Keyword Research and Selection
Keyword research is the backbone of any successful SEO campaign. Identifying the right keywords ensures that the website appears in search results for queries that are relevant to the business’s offerings. Effective keyword research directly impacts the website’s search engine rankings by targeting terms that improve visibility and attract the right audience.
The process of keyword research involves:
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Understanding user intent: There are three primary types of search intent: informational (users seeking information), navigational (users looking for a specific website), and transactional (users ready to purchase or complete a task). SEO strategies should align keywords with the intent of the target audience.
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Identifying relevant keywords: Tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs are used to find keywords related to the business. This includes short-tail keywords (e.g., “running shoes”) and long-tail keywords (e.g., “best running shoes for marathon training”) which are more specific and usually less competitive.
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Analysing competition: Looking at the keywords competitors rank for can reveal potential opportunities and gaps in your SEO strategy.
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Selecting primary and secondary keywords: A mix of high-volume, competitive keywords and lower-volume, niche terms is generally chosen. The goal is to strike a balance between terms that drive traffic and those that have a higher likelihood of conversion.
Once the keywords have been selected, they must be mapped to specific pages. This ensures that each page is targeting the right keywords and avoids “keyword cannibalisation,” where multiple pages on the same website compete for the same search terms.
Content Creation and Optimisation
Content creation and optimisation are crucial components of a successful SEO campaign. High-quality, engaging, and informative content is essential for attracting and retaining a clearly defined audience. To optimise content, it’s essential to conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant keywords and phrases that align with the campaign’s goals.
When creating content, consider the following best practices:
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Use a clear and concise writing style: Ensure your content is easy to read and understand, which helps keep readers engaged.
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Optimise meta tags, headings, and internal linking: These elements help search engines understand the structure and relevance of your content.
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Use high-quality images and videos: Visual content can enhance user experience and keep visitors on your site longer.
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Ensure content is mobile-friendly and accessible: With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s crucial that your content is easily accessible on all platforms.
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Use a conversational tone that resonates with the target audience: Engaging content that speaks directly to your audience can improve user interaction and satisfaction.
Content optimisation also involves ensuring that the content is technically sound. This includes:
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Optimising page speed and mobile responsiveness: Fast-loading pages improve user experience and are favored by search engines.
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Ensuring proper header tags and meta descriptions: These elements help search engines understand the content and improve click-through rates.
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Using schema markup to enhance search engine understanding: Structured data can help search engines better understand your content and improve its visibility.
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Internal linking to relevant pages and resources: This helps distribute link equity and improves site navigation.
By creating high-quality, optimised content, businesses can improve their website’s search engine rankings, drive more organic traffic, and increase engagement with their target audience.
On-Page Optimisation
On-page SEO focuses on optimising individual pages to ensure they rank highly in search engine results. This is where the bulk of keyword research is implemented. The primary elements of on-page optimisation include:
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Title tags and meta descriptions: These are the first things users see in search results. They should include the target keywords and be crafted to entice clicks.
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Headings (H1, H2, etc.): Headings help structure content and make it easier for users and search engines to understand the hierarchy of information. The H1 tag is the most important, and it should include the main target keyword.
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Keyword placement: Keywords need to be placed strategically within the content without keyword stuffing. Best practices suggest including them in the title, headings, first 100 words, and naturally throughout the content.
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Internal linking: Linking to other relevant pages within the website improves navigation, spreads link equity, and helps search engines understand the site’s structure.
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Content optimisation: Search engines favour in-depth, high-quality content. Content should provide value to the user, answer their questions, and address their needs. Longer, more comprehensive pages often perform better, particularly when they are regularly updated. Each blog post should be optimised to enhance search engine visibility.
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Image optimisation: Images should be optimised by compressing file sizes, using descriptive file names, and including alt text that describes the content of the image, helping search engines understand and index it properly.
On-page SEO is an ongoing process, requiring constant adjustments and updates to keep up with changes in search engine algorithms and user behaviour.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is the foundation that ensures a website is accessible to both users and search engines. Some of the most important aspects of technical SEO include:
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Website speed: Page load time is a crucial ranking factor. A slow website can negatively impact both user experience and rankings. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can be used to monitor and improve load times.
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Mobile-friendliness: With the increasing number of mobile users, Google now uses mobile-first indexing, which means that the mobile version of a website is considered the primary version for indexing. Responsive design and fast loading on mobile devices are essential.
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XML sitemaps: An XML sitemap helps search engines crawl and index your website more effectively. It lists all the important pages on your site and provides metadata about each one.
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Robots.txt file: This file tells search engines which pages they should and shouldn’t crawl. Ensuring it’s correctly set up prevents unnecessary pages (e.g., admin pages, duplicate content) from being indexed.
Technical SEO requires specialised knowledge and is often handled by web developers working alongside SEO specialists to ensure that all issues affecting the site’s crawlability and performance are resolved.
Off-Page SEO and Link Building
Off-page SEO refers to actions taken outside of your website to impact rankings. One of the primary aspects of off-page SEO is link building, which involves acquiring backlinks from other reputable websites. Backlinks serve as a vote of confidence, signalling to search engines that your content is trustworthy and authoritative.
There are several strategies for link building:
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Content outreach: Reaching out to other websites or bloggers and asking them to link to your content. This works best when you offer high-quality, unique content that provides value to their audience.
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Guest posting: Writing articles for other websites in exchange for a backlink. This not only boosts your SEO but also increases exposure to new audiences.
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Directory listings: Submitting your website to high-quality online directories can provide valuable backlinks, although this method should be used sparingly.
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Social media signals: Although social media shares are not direct ranking factors, they can increase the visibility of your content, leading to more backlinks.
A well-rounded off-page SEO strategy strengthens the site’s overall authority, making it more competitive in search engine rankings.
Local SEO and Listings
Local SEO is a critical component of any SEO campaign, especially for businesses with a physical location. Claiming and optimising local listings is essential for increasing visibility in localised search results and driving more traffic to the website.
To optimise local listings, consider the following best practices:
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Claim and verify Google Business Profile and other local listings: This ensures your business information is accurate and visible in local searches.
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Ensure accurate and consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) across all listings: Consistency helps build trust with search engines and users.
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Use high-quality images and videos to showcase the business: Visual content can attract more visitors and improve engagement.
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Respond promptly to customer reviews and feedback: Engaging with customers shows that you value their input and can improve your online reputation.
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Use location-specific keywords and phrases in content and meta tags: This helps your business appear in local search results.
Local SEO also involves building high-quality backlinks from reputable sources, such as local directories and citations. This can be achieved through:
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Partnering with local businesses and organisations: Collaborations can lead to valuable backlinks and increased visibility.
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Creating high-quality content that attracts links from local sources: Content that resonates with the local audience can naturally attract backlinks.
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Participating in local events and sponsorships: Being active in the community can enhance your local presence and generate backlinks.
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Building relationships with local influencers and bloggers: Influencers can help promote your business and provide valuable backlinks.
By optimising local listings and building high-quality backlinks, businesses can improve their website’s search engine rankings, drive more local traffic, and increase conversions.
SEO Tools and Resources
There are numerous SEO tools and resources available to help businesses optimise their website and improve their search engine rankings. Some of the most popular SEO tools include:
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Google Search Console: A free tool that helps businesses monitor and maintain their website’s presence in Google search results. It provides insights into search performance, indexing issues, and more.
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Google Analytics: Another free tool that helps businesses track and analyse their website’s traffic and user behaviour. It offers valuable data on how visitors interact with your site.
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SEMrush: A comprehensive SEO tool that offers keyword research, technical SEO audits, and competitor analysis. It’s a powerful resource for developing and refining your SEO strategy.
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Ahrefs: Known for its robust backlink analysis, Ahrefs also offers keyword research and content optimisation features. It’s an essential tool for understanding your site’s link profile and improving your SEO efforts.
Other SEO resources include:
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Moz: A leading SEO blog and resource that offers tips, guides, and tutorials on SEO best practices. It’s a great place to stay updated on the latest SEO trends.
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Search Engine Land: Another top SEO blog that provides news, tips, and guides on SEO best practices. It’s an excellent resource for staying informed about industry changes.
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SEO communities and forums: Online communities and forums where businesses can connect with other SEO professionals, ask questions, and share knowledge. These platforms can be invaluable for learning and networking.
By leveraging these SEO tools and resources, businesses can gain a competitive edge in the search engine rankings, drive more organic traffic, and increase conversions.
Monitoring and Reporting
SEO is an ongoing process, and success requires continuous monitoring and adjustments. Tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console are vital for tracking key metrics, including organic traffic, keyword rankings, and user behaviour. SEO campaigns are ongoing efforts that require continuous monitoring and adjustments.
Monthly reports should be generated to assess the effectiveness of the campaign. These reports offer insights into what’s working and what needs improvement, allowing SEO professionals to make data-driven decisions for refining the strategy.
Conclusion
A successful SEO campaign involves a multi-faceted approach that includes defining objectives, conducting website audits, performing keyword research, optimising on-page and technical aspects, and building off-page credibility through backlinks. Regular monitoring ensures that the campaign remains agile and responsive to the ever-changing algorithms of search engines. When executed effectively, an SEO campaign can significantly enhance a website’s visibility, drive traffic, and lead to long-term business growth.