The importance of an SEO plan

Once you have a good grasp of Search Engine Optimization, SEO, you're ready to optimize your website.

We're going to take youthrough the process step-by-step.

You'll learn to develop, prioritize, and adjust your plan to suit your goals.

But first, let's see how important having a good SEO plan has been for Mike'shot air balloon business.

What I've learned over the yearin which I've been trading is to really pin-down and to come upwith a more structured plan.

It means I'm able to target and focus and put my efforts in a much moreconcentrated and effective way that delivers better results.

Things like, I didn't know before that Google filters words, so misspelling of wordsor variances on words or themes– I can cut downon a lot of that chatter, if you like, or that wasted effort.

I'm also using things like Maps to target localized business which I want to try and attract.

I've really been able to see the benefits.

For example, my listing has improvedon the organic Google sites.

And, of course, because I'm meeting the passengers, I'm meeting my customers, I'm able to getthat direct feedback from them.

Let's say you want to reach new customers for your fresh-from-the-farmfruit and veg online delivery service.

Your first stepshould be keyword research.

That means finding out what yourpotential customers are searching for.

Are they looking for organic produce? Weekly fresh vegetable deliveries? By the way, if you want to learn moreabout keyword research, check out our lesson about choosing keywords to focus on.

Next, consider related topics.

Are vegetarian diets popular? Do requests for gazpacho recipes come up? This will help you makeyour keywords more specific, and a better matchto what your customers are looking for.

You should do this at least once a year as part of your SEO plan.

Once you've identified good keywords, take a look at how you're doingin search results for those words.

How many of these words and phrases bring up your website on a search engine? Are there specific topics that don't bringmuch traffic to your site? This info will help you figure out what's working for you, and what's not.

If a popular phrase like”fresh farm vegetables” isn't pointing customers to your site, you can address thosemissing pieces in your SEO plan.

Once you've discovered the gapsin your SEO performance, your next stepis to think about how to fix them.

Maybe none of the content on your site mentions that you can arrangeregular seasonal deliveries.

Is no one linking to your site? Perhaps, you can invite food bloggers to check out your farm in a hope that they'll mention you in a future blog post.

Make a list of anything you thinkmight improve your SEO performance.

Okay, so now you have quite a To-Do list.

But don't worry–it's just time to prioritize.

It's natural to want to tackle the items that will give you the biggest bang first, but be realistic.

Adding an entire section about sustainablefarming methods to your site, might require hiring a programmer to help, which might cost a fair bit.

In the short term, you could post a quick article about the topic on your blog.

The next step? Give yourself a deadline for each task so you're working through your SEO plan steadily throughout the year.

Okay, once you've set this plan in motion, don't just forget about it.

Your SEO plan will change over time.

But how do you knowwhen it needs updating? Well, one easy way is to check-in when you're makingother changes to your business, like introducing a new product, or redesigning your website.

Also, remember that search engines release new featuresand improve their algorithms.

For example, many have made adjustments because so many peoplenow search on mobiles.

Finally, adjust your plan whensomething isn't working.

Is there a web page that's notgetting much organic traffic? It may need a refresher.

Are you attracting visitors to your site but not making sales? Perhaps, you needstronger calls to action.

Review your results regularly, and shift focusto the areas that need help.

And that's how you build an SEO plan.

Let's recap: Start with keyword research to understand whatyour customers are looking for, then use that info to assess your successes and failures.

Brainstorm solutionsto improve your weak spots and prioritize them, and never be afraid to redo your SEO plan based on changes in your world and the world of search engines.

Be sure to check out our lessonexplaining the SEO process that has more helpful information to get your plan in motion.

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