In an earlier blog, we discussed the website design process at our online agency. We shared how we’re different and how we build SEO into ALL website designs.
This article discusses how we “do” search engine optimization (SEO) for SMBs. We apply our proven SEO process for SMBs that improves organic “free” search traffic.
As you may know, thousands of SEO attributes can affect how and where your site ranks on search engine return pages (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo) for SEO.
Other companies will give you a “free” audit and a flat rate of $550 to $1000 monthly for SEO. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all strategy. No cookie-cutter approaches.
Instead, our proven SEO process always starts with an SEO “audit” or assessment. From there, we customize an SEO strategy to your business needs.
SEO Process Step 1: Collect Data for Your Website Checkup
To know where we can optimize your site, we’ll conduct a thorough SEO review, also called an SEO audit.
Don’t be afraid of the word audit!
It’s simply a checkup, just as your doctor might look at your bloodwork and vital signs—or your mechanic looks under the hood of your car. An audit is simply a series of diagnostics. We need to determine what’s working well and what’s not. To do this, we’ll:
Step 1A: Meet on Zoom to discuss your business and website.
We’ll learn more about your prospects and customers and the purpose of your website. We’ll also explore how your current marketing efforts are working for you.
What’s more, to conduct a comprehensive audit, we’ll ask for the following:
- Access to your Google Analytics 4 (GA-4) – if you have it. If you don’t, we’ll set it up.
- Access to Google Search Console – if you have it. If you don’t, we’ll set it up.
- Names of 3-4 local competitors – if you don’t know who they are, we’ll help you find them.
- 5+ keyword phrases or topic ideas that you believe might drive website users to your website. In other words, these are the phrases that people “Google” to find you. These are called “seed” keywords.
- Your logo (.jpg) format. If you don’t have a logo, we can help you develop one (separate scope).
- Your name, address, and phone number (NAP) as you want them to appear across the internet.
Step 1B: Advance the SEO audit process.
We’ll access or set up your free Google tools: Google Analytics, Google Search Console. and your Google Business Profile (separate scope). We’ll gather the information you provide and also:
- Conduct keyword research based on the information and seed keywords. We’ll generate up to 100 keyword phrases.
- Complete our proprietary NAP document with you. This includes not only your name, address, and phone number but also much more.
For example, we’ll write your business descriptions in various lengths (200 characters, 500 characters, 750 characters) that differentiate your brand and include keyword phrases. You’ll have the opportunity to review and approve these descriptions.
Step 2: Run the SEO audit.
Once we’re aligned on the NAP document, isolated four competitors, and identified 100 keyword phrases, we’ll run the audit. This is akin to your doctor’s office collecting all the diagnostic tests you’ve had. We’ll collect these data to see how your site is actually performing.
Among many other factors, we’ll discover:
- Keyword research
- How you’re ranking for Google and Bing platforms for 100 keyword phrases
- Other keyword phrases that Google might be using to send people to your site
- Number of links you have to your website
- Your most heavily trafficked pages
- Amount of total traffic you’re getting to your website and how it’s been trending
- Quality of your content
- Breakdown of your traffic in terms of how much is from SEO, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.), and other sources
- Broken links
- Whether your site is mobile friendly
- Whether your site has an SSL certificate
- How your metadata is stacking up for SEO
- Content of your metadata (title tags, descriptions, image alt tags, etc.)
- Speed of page load and your Core Web Vitals
- Directory listings and your local SEO presence
- Internal linking between your pages
- Content length per page
- Use of headings and subheads
- Crawling and indexing errors
- URL structure/nomenclature
- Structured data markup
- Alt tags on your images
- How you compare to local competitors
The audit includes numerous reports from a variety of free and agency-purchased tools.
These include reports for Local SEO, National SEO, Ranking, Keyword Phrases, and many more.
We typically generate 10+ reports and always write a customized overview report.
SEO Process Step 3: Write Your Customized SEO Summary Report
At this phase, we gather all the diagnostic data and write a customized, confidential SEO summary report that combines the relevant data points. We also apply our expert knowledge of SEO to customize a plan for you.
There are also many SEO mistakes, optimization myths, lies, and outdated practices. To stay current with today’s best SEO tips, we follow Google Search Central on YouTube and other reputable SEO sources.
We develop a customized plan with SEO recommendations and our next steps.
That plan prioritizes the least expensive and most impactful SEO practices.
Your customized Summary Report includes SEO recommendations.
We’ll encourage you to implement the least expensive and most impactful recommendations first.
Step 4: Present the SEO strategic plan and take next steps.
We’ll meet with you via video conference to review your report and next steps. From there, you can determine how you want to proceed.
If there are SEO changes that you or your staff would like to implement internally? Great! Do you simply not have the bandwidth? Or the knowledge? Not a problem.
We can do it for you.
Step 5: Execute the plan.
We implement the plan for you. Sometimes people know up front that they will not have the time, talent, or resources to make changes. If you are an expert at implementing part of the plan (eg, a web developer enhancing site speed), that’s fine, too. Our experience has shown us that most people do not “get” SEO, and it’s best if we execute the plan for them. (It’s more efficient and delivers an ROI more quickly, because we have the expertise to make it happen.
SEO Process FAQs
Why do we make a customized SEO plan?
If you don’t assess where you are, you don’t know how to get where you’re going. For instance, if you want to go to Disney World, you must know if you’re coming from Tampa or Anchorage. Your route is different. That’s why we don’t provide a one-size-fits-all plan.
Furthermore, we want to make the greatest impact quickly. Many SEO companies or agencies offer a flat rate of $500 to $1000 monthly to create SEO friendly content. Then they pass off the project to a contractor or junior member of the team. These 4 hours or so of SEO services each month are unlikely to get that boost you may need to make an impact on the business as quickly as possible.
Is SEO a good investment?
Yes. Although we never make pie crust promises (easily made, easily broken) that you’ll rank number one, SEO positively impacts most companies. (The more competitive your field and the more savvy your competition, the more challenging it will be.) For our SMB clients, we have made measurable improvements. We can’t think of a company for which that has not been true.
Read more about the return on investment (ROI) of SEO.
What does the initial SEO audit, summary report, and strategic plan cost?
At the time of publication, the meeting, NAP completion, audit, summary report, and SEO strategic plan is $750 for websites of average sizes. We believe this is an excellent value that will save you time and money in the long run. It is likely to drive “free” traffic to your site for months and years to come.
Why isn’t the SEO audit (website checkup) and strategy plan free?
The audit and plan are not free because they require time and resources to be uniquely effective. You will receive a customized report and strategic plan, not simply a computer printout. You are paying for SEO expertise and an overall understanding of digital marketing.
Furthermore, the “free reports” tend to be basic and don’t delve into the details.
Once my customized SEO plan is developed, what can I expect to pay for SEO implementation?
It depends what we need to do. If we simply need to tweak a few items, costs will be less than if the website requires an overhaul. These are typical costs:
- Increase local presence: $475 (once)
- Monthly analytics, reporting, recommendations, and 1 hour of SEO updates: $425 per month (after the initial audit)
- Implementation alone: $125 per hour
If you do not have enough content or the wrong type of content on your pages, we will rewrite or write your content to be web and SEO friendly:
- Rewrite short-form content: $375 per page/blog (fewer than 500 words)
- Write short-form content: $425 per page/blog (approximately 600+ words)
- Write long-form (eBook, blog >1000 words): $900 each
If you prefer to pay a set monthly fee, we can do that. We often adjust payment terms for our clients. We want to begin generating more relevant traffic (and increase your revenue) as soon as possible. We often offer plans of $625 per month.
Is SEO a "one-and-done" process?
No. First, we recommend monthly monitoring of your analytics to see how you’re progressing and if additional implementation needs to occur.
Second, the algorithm changes daily with larger changes occurring at irregular intervals (usually quarterly or so). For that reason, it’s important to stay abreast of changes.
Nancy Burgess
