1. Analyze your website setup<\/h3>\n
The first check to make before launching an SEO campaign is to review your website. This is a step you need to perform once-off to ensure that your website doesn\u2019t have any major problems that can negatively affect the performance of your SEO campaigns.<\/p>\n
For example, if your website is not mobile-friendly, then it is most likely that your campaigns will fail since mobile-friendliness is a huge ranking factor.<\/p>\n
In general, before starting an SEO campaign, you need to ensure that:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Your website is mobile-friendly<\/li>\n
- It loads fast on both desktop and mobile<\/li>\n
- Has SSL enabled<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
You can use the following resources to help you:<\/p>\n
- \n
- How to perform a website review <\/strong><\/a>– a step-by-step guide on how to review your website setup.<\/li>\n
- Page Speed <\/strong><\/a>– find out how to measure and improve your website\u2019s page speed.<\/li>\n
- HTTP to HTTPS<\/strong><\/a> – learn how to switch from HTTP to HTTPS without losing your SEO rankings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
If the above checks are successful then you can proceed with the next steps. If not then it is strongly recommended to solve any issues first otherwise it will be very difficult to run a successful SEO campaign.<\/p>\n
2. Perform an SEO Audit<\/h3>\n
The next step is to review your website\u2019s SEO healthiness by performing an SEO audit.<\/p>\n
If you have recently performed an SEO audit then you don\u2019t need to do this every time you start a new SEO campaign but if you haven\u2019t done an audit yet, then this is a highly recommended step.<\/p>\n
As part of the audit process, you need to review your technical SEO<\/strong><\/a> infrastructure and in particular the following items:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Your URL structure – ensure that you have SEO friendly URLs<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
- Website structure<\/strong><\/a> – a good site structure is hierarchical (max 3 levels deep) and not flat<\/li>\n
- Check how your canonical URLs<\/strong><\/a> are defined<\/li>\n
- Optimize your txt SEO<\/strong><\/a> settings to avoid any indexing errors<\/li>\n
- Ensure that your XML sitemap is optimized<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can use our SEO audit checklist<\/strong><\/a> to guide you to make sure that your SEO is in good shape before starting your SEO campaigns.<\/div>\n3. Set your Campaign Goals<\/h3>\n
What differentiates an SEO campaign from a regular on-going SEO process is that an SEO campaign has specific goals and targets.<\/p>\n
This means that before you start a campaign, you should specify exactly what you want to achieve. Some valid use cases are:<\/p>\n
- \n
- To increase visibility on Google<\/strong><\/a> for keywords that you don\u2019t have any presence yet.<\/li>\n
- To improve the rankings of existing pages, for specific SEO keywords<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For example, before writing this guide I have set a very specific goal: to achieve high Google rankings for the term \u2018SEO Campaign\u2019.<\/p>\n
To achieve my goal, my plan included the following steps:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Write a comprehensive guide on \u2018How to build an SEO Campaign\u2019 (the post you\u2019re reading now).<\/li>\n
- Once the post is published to add internal links from older posts (this will help search engines discover the new post faster).<\/li>\n
- Promote my posts on social media (through Facebook Ads and Twitter).<\/li>\n
- Publish new posts related to running an SEO campaign and link to this post.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
As you can see the steps are precise from start to finish. This helps you stay focus on what you have to do for this particular task.<\/p>\n
Normally every SEO campaign that you run should be part of your overall SEO action plan<\/strong><\/a>. The action plan is based on your SEO strategy and can include one or more SEO campaigns.<\/p>\n
4. Perform Topic & Keyword Research<\/h3>\n
Once your high-level goals are set, it\u2019s time to make them more specific and the first actionable step is to perform a topic and keyword research.<\/p>\n
What is the difference between a topic and a keyword?<\/strong> A topic is a set of related search terms<\/strong><\/a> while a keyword is something very specific. Here are some examples of topics and keywords.<\/p>\n
Topics:<\/strong> Digital marketing, SEO, Outdoor camping
\nKeywords:<\/strong> Digital marketing courses, how to create an SEO campaign, where can I buy camping clothes.<\/p>\nThe reason you need to do topic research<\/strong><\/a> first and not go directly into keyword research<\/strong><\/a> is to learn as many details as possible about your chosen topic and in particular things like:<\/p>\n
- \n
- The total search volume for all keywords that make up a topic<\/li>\n
- Competition levels<\/li>\n
- Type of content that appears on the top of Google<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Knowing this information in advance will help you design your SEO campaign to go after keywords that are realistic to target and not waste your time on keywords you cannot achieve high rankings.<\/p>\n
Here is an overview of the process to follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- Go to Google and type in keywords you believe are related to the topic you\u2019re targeting.<\/li>\n
- Analyze the top 5 websites with your favorite keyword research tool.<\/li>\n
- Find keywords that match your campaign goals and are feasible to target.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Step-By-Step Example<\/h4>\n
Let\u2019s assume that you have a digital marketing blog (like the one you\u2019re reading now) and want to begin an SEO campaign to target keywords related to \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n
The first step is to go to Google and type in the phrase \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n
Go through the results and open the first non-branded website in a new tab. In this case, it\u2019s a post from HubSpot.<\/p>\n
Scroll down the page and notice the type and length of the content. It\u2019s a comprehensive post that coves all aspects of \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n
Copy the page URL and use your favorite keyword research tool to find out which keywords the particular page is ranking besides \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n
Note:<\/strong> I\u2019ll be using SEMRUSH for this example. You can use this link to get a free 14-day trial to SEMRUSH pro<\/strong><\/a> and follow along.<\/div>\nGo to SEMRUSH and enter the page URL.<\/p>\n
![\"Analyze](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/semrush-search.png\")
Analyze a page’s rankings with SEMRUSH<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Look at the section that shows you the most popular keywords the particular page is ranking for on Google.<\/p>\n
![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/top-organic-keywords-report.png\")
Top organic keywords for the particular page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Repeat the process for the first 5 pages.<\/em><\/p>\n
Once you study the results carefully, you\u2019ll notice three things:<\/p>\n
- \n
- \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019 is a very popular search term.<\/li>\n
- Only big and well-known websites are ranking on the first page of Google for this term.<\/li>\n
- All results are long-form and detailed guides covering all aspects of \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This information tells me that it would be difficult to impossible to rank high for this term, especially if you take into account that my blog is not an authoritative blog on \u2018Facebook\u2019 related topics.<\/p>\n
So, even If I start an SEO campaign to go after this specific term, it will fail. What is the solution?<\/strong><\/p>\n
To continue my keyword research and find out keywords that I can potentially rank for.<\/p>\n
While in SEMRUSH click on \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019. This will give you an analysis of the particular keyword.<\/p>\n
![\"Keyword](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/semrush-keyword-overview.png\")
Keyword Overview Report<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Then click on the KEYWORD MAGIC TOOL from the left menu<\/p>\n
Since my blog is targeting small businesses, click on \u2018business\u2019 from the left menu. This will narrow down the results to only include keywords that are related to \u2018Facebook marketing\u2019 and business.<\/p>\n
![\"SEMRUSH](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/semrush-keyword-magic.png\")
SEMRUSH Keyword Magic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Immediately I can spot that \u2018Facebook marketing for small business\u2019 looks like a good candidate for my campaign.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a long-tail keyword<\/strong><\/a> related to my goals, feasible to target and with a decent monthly search volume.<\/p>\n
Go back to Google and search for \u2018Facebook Marketing for small business\u2019. You\u2019ll now notice that not all the results are occupied by big and well-known websites and that the type of content is not as thorough as in the case of \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n
In other words, going after the term \u2018Facebook marketing for small business\u2019 is a better choice than going after \u2018Facebook Marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n
Yes, the search volume is less but your chances of ranking for this term are much higher and this, in turn, increases your chances of running a successful SEO campaign.<\/p>\n
5. Craft your Page Title<\/h3>\n
The next step before writing the content is to craft your page title. The page title is the most important SEO element and besides being SEO friendly, it has to be unique and enticing for the users to click on.<\/p>\n
Follow the tips below:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Perform a Google search using your chosen keywords<\/li>\n
- Look at the results that appear on the first page<\/li>\n
- Create a title that contains your target keywords but is not the same as what is already available on Google.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In our example, if you search for \u201cFacebook Marketing for Small Business\u201d, you\u2019ll notice that none of the results has this title so this gives me the green light to use this title.<\/p>\n
To make your title more interesting to users, you can add brackets and words like \u2018Complete\u2019, \u2018Ultimate\u2019,\u2019Easy\u2019,\u2019 Step-by-Step\u2019.<\/p>\n
In our example, the final title will be \u2018Facebook Marketing for Small Business (Complete Guide)\u2019.<\/p>\n
Resources to Learn More<\/strong>
\nPage title optimization<\/strong><\/a> – A step-by-step guide on how to write SEO friendly titles.<\/div>\n6. Publish Great Content<\/h3>\n
The next step is to write the content for your post, taking into account the following:<\/p>\n
Make it better – <\/strong>In order to have any chances of ranking in the top positions of Google, your content has to be better than what is already available. Carefully examine the existing content and think of ways you can make your content better.<\/p>\n
Always consider the user and what they might like to see for a particular search query. For example, if you\u2019re writing a post comparing different tools then a comparison table might be a good fit. If you\u2019re writing a \u2018how-to\u2019 article then step-by-step instructions with images may be more appropriate than just plain text.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t take for granted that what is already ranking on Google is the best type of content. In the majority of cases, there are always things that can be improved if you approach the content creating process from a different angle.<\/p>\n
Write in-depth content <\/strong>– For any chosen topic or keyword, there are probably hundreds of pages competing for a first-page ranking. Many studies have shown that long-form in-depth content, known as pillar pages<\/strong><\/a>, tend to show up more frequently in organic search<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"Pillar](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/pillar-pages.png\")
What is a Pillar Page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n This does not mean that writing more words will guarantee higher rankings, there is no ideal blog post length<\/strong><\/a>. But, writing in-depth guides that make sense and cover all aspects of a topic, will certainly help.<\/p>\n
Be transparent<\/strong> – Don\u2019t hide important information from users but be transparent. For example, if you\u2019re writing a blog post that contains affiliate links, make sure you mention this at the beginning of the post and don\u2019t\u2019 hide this info in your footer or small letters.<\/p>\n
Make it clear to users who is the author of the post and how they can find out more details or contact the author if needed.<\/p>\n
Make sure that you back-up any claims made in your content with real data or studies.<\/p>\n
Demonstrate your authority and expertise<\/strong> – For certain topics and keywords is not enough to show who wrote the post but it\u2019s necessary to mention why users should trust the advice given by the author.<\/p>\n
For example, you won\u2019t be able to rank on Google for health-related topics unless the content is written and verified by certified experts.<\/p>\n
E-A-T which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, are elements that are part of the Google ranking factors<\/strong><\/a>, and they directly or indirectly affect the position a website will appear in Google search results.<\/p>\n
Be different<\/strong> – Writing the same content in different words is not the best approach to follow. Instead, try to come up with something different than what is already on Google. This way users will have an alternative resource to learn more about a topic and Google likes that.<\/p>\n
\nResources to Learn More<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- SEO Best Practices<\/strong><\/a> – A checklist to follow to ensure that your content adheres to best SEO practices.<\/li>\n
- SEO Friendly Content <\/strong><\/a>– Tips on how to write content that is search engine friendly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Pro Tip: <\/strong>If your SEO campaign goals are to get organic traffic<\/strong><\/a> for topics that you don\u2019t already have any presence at all, then you can consider creating a topic cluster. A topic cluster is a collection of pillar pages and non-pillar pages, related to the same topic. For more information read this guide<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
7. Work on Your On-Page SEO<\/h3>\n
![\"On-Page](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/on-page-seo.png\")
On-Page SEO Techniques<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Once you\u2019re done with content writing and before hitting the publish button, you need to make sure that your content is optimized for on-Page SEO<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
SEO friendly content makes the job of search engines easier and this can potentially translate to higher rankings.<\/p>\n
Follow these simple SEO tips<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Add your target keyword in the URL slug<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>\n
- Mention your target keyword in your opening paragraph.<\/li>\n
- Mention your target keyword in your H1 Tag<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Add related keywords in your H2 and H3 tags.<\/li>\n
- Add long-tail keywords and semantically related keywords in your content.<\/li>\n
- Add images and make sure that you optimize the ALT Text<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nResources to Learn More<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- SEO tips for beginners <\/strong><\/a>– Includes examples on how to maximize your on-page SEO efforts.<\/li>\n
- SEO Blog writing<\/strong><\/a> – How to optimize your blog post\u2019s content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
8. Promote your Content (Internally and Externally)<\/h3>\n
No SEO campaign is complete without content promotion. Finding the right keywords and publishing awesome content is the first step, the second step is promoting your content.<\/p>\n
There are two ways to effectively do this:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Promote your content internally (also known as internal linking<\/strong><\/a>).<\/li>\n
- Promote your content externally (also known as off-page SEO<\/strong><\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Promote your content with internal linking<\/strong><\/p>\n
After you publish a post, find related pages on your website and add internal links pointing to the new post. Optimize the anchor text<\/strong><\/a> of your internal links to match the keywords you want to rank for.<\/p>\n
For example, after publishing this post, I will find other pages on my website that mention and words \u2018SEO campaign\u2019 and I will link to this post.<\/p>\n
From experience, this is a step that many webmasters ignore and it\u2019s a big SEO mistake<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n
By adding internal links from old posts, you help search engines discover your new pages and they also get a share of the PageRank which helps new content rank faster.<\/p>\n
Promote your content externally<\/strong><\/p>\n
This is referred to as link building which is the process of building backlinks<\/strong><\/a> from other websites. Good quality backlinks act as \u2018votes of trust\u2019 and this helps page rank higher in the search results.<\/p>\n
Sending unsolicited emails to hundreds of webmasters begging for links is not the best way to promote your content. What you should do instead is to strategically reference other websites in your content and great a list of people that would love to promote your content.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget that besides link building, there are other ways to promote your content like running paid campaigns on Facebook, sending out a newsletter, and informing your list of influencers.<\/p>\n
My previous guide on the best content promotion methods<\/strong><\/a> has all the details.<\/p>\n
9. Monitor your SEO performance<\/h3>\n
![\"Analyze](\"https:\/\/www.reliablesoft.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/performance-report.png\")
Analyze for which keywords a page is ranking using Google Search Console<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n As mentioned in the beginning, one of the characteristics that differentiate an SEO campaign from other SEO tasks is that it has milestones and certain KPIs you can use to monitor its performance.<\/p>\n
To be more precise, you can evaluate the effectiveness of your SEO campaigns using the following metrics:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Ranking position in Google<\/li>\n
- Number of visits<\/li>\n
- Number of backlinks<\/li>\n
- Number of social shares<\/li>\n
- Number of comments<\/li>\n
- Bounce Rate<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can get this information from your Google Search Console<\/strong><\/a> account and Google Analytics SEO reports<\/strong><\/a> or by using a tool like SEMRUSH<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
What is important to know is the following:<\/p>\n
The results of an SEO campaign you start now will be visible in 6 months or more. It takes a LONG time for new content to reach it\u2019s final ranking position so don\u2019t rush into making conclusions too soon.<\/p>\n
Set a reminder in your calendar to check on a monthly basis the ranking position of the content in Google. You can use a dedicated tool or the Performance report of Google Search Console.<\/p>\n
Besides promoting your content internally or externally, don\u2019t make any other changes to the content until it gets to its final positions. You can then decide if you need to adjust your title or change the content.<\/p>\n
While waiting for your content to mature, you can proceed with the next step (if applicable) or start new SEO campaigns targeting other topics and keywords.<\/p>\n
What to do after the 6-month period?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Come back and check for which keywords the page is ranking. In some cases, it might not be the same keywords as you expected the page to rank so you might have to adjust your page title and content to either match what Google believes or try to add give more signals to search engines as to which keywords you want the page to rank.<\/p>\n
- Promote your content externally (also known as off-page SEO<\/strong><\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- SEO Blog writing<\/strong><\/a> – How to optimize your blog post\u2019s content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
- SEO Friendly Content <\/strong><\/a>– Tips on how to write content that is search engine friendly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
- SEO Best Practices<\/strong><\/a> – A checklist to follow to ensure that your content adheres to best SEO practices.<\/li>\n
- To improve the rankings of existing pages, for specific SEO keywords<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Website structure<\/strong><\/a> – a good site structure is hierarchical (max 3 levels deep) and not flat<\/li>\n
- Page Speed <\/strong><\/a>– find out how to measure and improve your website\u2019s page speed.<\/li>\n
- How to perform a website review <\/strong><\/a>– a step-by-step guide on how to review your website setup.<\/li>\n