4 phases of search engine optimization process
September 9, 2010 – 2:24 pmThis is a simple guide to search engine optimization process. I usually go throw all those phases then undertake a SEO project. Many clients have being asking me to define what exactly I am going to do to their website, so there you go. Enjoy!
Phase I - Keyword Research and Identification
First, I collect information on client’s nature of business and his (her) industry (what kind of keywords are we dealing with here?). Second, I get search volume of each keyword using statistics from search engines (how many times was a keyword queried per month?). And third, I define competition level for each keyword. Basically, the amount of web pages competing for the same keyword. This can be discovered by the number of results returned on a given keyword. After all of these steps are done and I have a list of keywords I let client pick top keywords that most relevant to his (her) business and with highest search volume meanwhile with reasonable keyword competition level (KCL).
Phase II - Competition Analysis
In phase 2 I identify WHO is competition WHY the competition is where they are and WHAT needs to be performed on client site in order to get to the same level with competition. I analyze on-site factors such as keyword/content page ratio; and off-site factors such as amount of backlinks and their quality. I relate everything to the top players, simply because what they got is the best, because they are first.
Phase III - Optimization Process
Phase 3 is there I have fun, because it’s all technical. This is there I execute all my knowledge and proven techniques. This is there the magic happening. I don’t want to give out my prestige, but just would want to share a general step I perform:
- Content generation
- Keywords insertion
- Content prioritization
- Image tags, link titles and link names optimization
- Meta tags implementation and modification (Title, Description, Keywords)
- Site map development
- Massive link development from all sources
- Social media optimization
Phase IV - Patience and Improvement
The final phase is dedicated to the monitoring of my SEO results and adjusting those steps done in phase 3 to improve website positioning. It usually takes a few months until client get to see first results, so this step requires patience. I also continue content growth and continuous link development depending on overall SEO performance.
Organic Search Results vs Sponsored Links
Go to Google Image Search and search for "Google’s golden triangle"