Effective 6-Step SEO Strategy for 2022

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Understanding the Three Quadrants of SEO
   • What is the SEO Process?
   • The Importance of SEO Audit
3. High-Impact SEO Opportunities
   • Finding Low Hanging Fruits
   • Optimizing for Low Hanging Fruits
   • Upgrading Your Content
   • Creating More Internal Link Coverage
   • Identifying Clustering Opportunities
4. Optimizing Site Architecture
   • Improving Internal Linking
   • Dealing with Keyword Cannibalization
   • Doing On-Page SEO the Right Way
   • Bridging Backlink Gaps
5. Who Should Be Responsible?
   • Building an Efficient SEO Team

📌 Understanding the Three Quadrants of SEO

To develop an effective SEO strategy that yields long-term first page rankings, it is crucial to understand the three main quadrants of the SEO process: what, how, and who. In this article, we will dive into each quadrant and provide actionable insights to optimize your website's performance.

What is the SEO Process?

The first step in crafting a successful SEO strategy is to determine the existing SEO opportunities for your website. This can be achieved through a comprehensive SEO audit, which assesses your website's current performance and identifies areas for improvement. By examining various factors such as keyword rankings, backlink profile, and on-page optimization, you can uncover valuable insights to inform your strategy moving forward.

The Importance of SEO Audit

Performing a thorough SEO audit is the foundation of any successful SEO campaign. It allows you to identify low hanging fruits, clustering opportunities, and potential issues such as keyword cannibalization or poor site architecture. By addressing these issues, you can optimize your website to achieve higher rankings and attract more organic traffic.

📌 High-Impact SEO Opportunities

In this section, we will explore some high-impact SEO opportunities that you should focus on when developing your strategy.

Finding Low Hanging Fruits

Low hanging fruits refer to keywords that already rank between positions 2 to 15 in search engine result pages (SERPs). These keywords present valuable opportunities for quick improvements in rankings. To identify low hanging fruits, utilize tools like SEMrush to analyze your website's organic keyword rankings. Look for keywords with low competition (KD percentage) and prioritize optimizing for them.

Optimizing for Low Hanging Fruits

To optimize for low hanging fruits, there are several tactics you can employ. Start by optimizing for organic click-through rate (CTR). Analyze the top-ranking keyword for each target keyword and assess its CTR performance in Google Search Console. If the CTR is below 1%, it indicates room for improvement. Focus on optimizing title tags and meta descriptions to increase CTR. Test different variations and monitor their performance to find the most effective one.

Another way to improve rankings for low hanging fruits is to upgrade your content. Ensure that the content is long enough, but also focus on enhancing its quality, value, and user experience. Include unique images, additional visuals, dedicated videos, and improve the overall design of the page.

Creating more internal link coverage is another effective strategy. Identify relevant pages within your website and build internal links to your target pages. If relevant pages are lacking, it may be a sign that your website lacks topical authority. Address this by creating dedicated pages for specific clustering opportunities.

Optimizing Site Architecture

Optimizing your site architecture is crucial for better crawlability and indexability. Ensure that your pages are not more than three clicks deep into the architecture. Use auditing tools like SEMrush to identify pages with poor internal link coverage and address the issue by adding more internal links from authoritative pages.

Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your website target the same exact keyword phrase. This can negatively impact your SEO performance as Google may struggle to identify the most relevant page. Use SEMrush's position tracking tool to identify instances of keyword cannibalization and create dedicated pages to target specific keyword phrases.

On-page SEO is another critical aspect of your strategy. Basic optimization practices like including the primary keyword in the URL, title, H1 tag, and throughout the content are essential. Tools like SEMrush's on-page SEO checker can provide comprehensive recommendations to optimize your pages from various perspectives, including strategy, content, semantics, technical aspects, user experience, and link building.

Bridging backlink gaps is essential for improving your website's authority. Compare your website's authority score and total referring domain growth against your competitors using SEMrush's backlink gap tool. If gaps exist, create a robust backlink acquisition plan to ensure your website gains quality backlinks and improves its overall authority.

📌 Who Should Be Responsible?

Building an efficient SEO team is vital for the successful execution of your SEO strategy. While you might initially wear multiple hats, it's important to gradually fill in the necessary roles as your business grows.

An ideal SEO team consists of:

1. SEO Strategist: Responsible for developing the overall SEO strategy based on the unique needs of the website.
2. Project Manager: Ensures that deadlines are met and work is organized effectively.
3. Copywriter: Generates high-quality content optimized for SEO purposes.
4. Developer: Implements technical changes to improve website performance.
5. Virtual Assistant (VA): Offloads time-consuming tasks that do not add much value to the SEO campaign.

By filling these roles, you can create a well-rounded team capable of executing the SEO strategy effectively and efficiently.

Highlights

• Understanding the three quadrants of SEO: what, how, and who.
• High-impact SEO opportunities: finding and optimizing low hanging fruits, upgrading content, creating internal link coverage, addressing keyword cannibalization, optimizing site architecture, and bridging backlink gaps.
• The importance of conducting an SEO audit to identify areas for improvement.
• Building an efficient SEO team with key roles including SEO strategist, project manager, copywriter, developer, and virtual assistant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often should I perform an SEO audit? A: It is recommended to conduct an SEO audit at least once every six months or whenever significant changes are made to your website.

Q: Can keyword cannibalization lead to penalties from search engines? A: While keyword cannibalization does not directly result in penalties, it can negatively impact your organic rankings as search engines may struggle to determine the most relevant page for a particular keyword.

Q: Is it necessary to create dedicated pages for clustering opportunities? A: Creating dedicated pages for clustering opportunities allows you to target specific keyword phrases more effectively and improve your rankings. It helps avoid keyword cannibalization and provides a better user experience.

Q: Should I focus more on on-page optimization or backlink acquisition? A: Both on-page optimization and backlink acquisition are crucial for SEO success. While on-page optimization helps optimize your website's content and structure, backlinks enhance your website's authority. It is essential to strike a balance between the two for optimal results.