SEO is a big discipline. Without structure and planning, a lot of time and money can be wasted or used inefficiently.
Many SEO activities are initiated and never completed.
Combine that with the fact that SEO is never “done” and it can be difficult to start, finish and stay on track with strategic and tactical priority elements that are likely to make a real impact.
By breaking down SEO into daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly milestones and process-based tactics, you can build the right level of planning to keep it on track and efficiently.
These activities should be tied to your goals and broader strategy, but they provide a great framework for making sure your SEO is well planned and structured on an annual basis.
Daily
Educate Yourself
Staying up-to-date with industry news is a key SEO aspect that must be built into any maintenance or ongoing management plan.
This includes critical alerts and updates posted by search engines to track SEO best practices and breaking news from sources like the Search Engine Journal.
Big changes in the industry are hard to miss.
However, smaller, more subtle changes can be compounded when you miss them or your best practices become obsolete.
Don’t fall behind or use outdated tactics!
Know Your Current Metrics
Monitoring SEO KPIs in real time, or at least once a day, is especially essential for brands and businesses that rely on e-commerce transactions or lead volumes to fuel their sales team.
Knowing how your site is doing top-level searches is important to recognizing any red flags. They can be:
The key is to be able to recognize problems as they arise.
You need to be able to diagnose problems and reverse any negative trends before they affect your overall marketing and business goals.
By observing actual performance, you can compare your results with benchmarks and baselines to make sure you fully understand the cause and effect of your data and don’t have a problem for too long before you can intervene.
You can monitor less critical KPIs (all that don’t require an immediate response) weekly.
Make Progress On Tactics
A solid SEO plan or campaign must have specific goals, strategy, and tactics.
Without a plan, process, or defined approach, you can waste a lot of time searching for specific aspects of SEO that may have little impact and low priority.
The daily process should include specific tasks, milestones and achievable activities that work towards the bigger picture.
Tactics can include things done for the first time in a staged approach or elements of action that are more in a wash-and-repeat methodology.
Regardless, the list of specific technical actions, on-site and off-site, should be defined by year, broken down into months, and then into tactics and progress that can be made daily to stay on track.
SEO requires both broad thinking and the ability to deal with everyday tasks and activities.
Monthly
Report On Performance
In addition to monitoring KPIs daily or weekly, it is often important to use monthly cycles for more extensive reporting of performance.
Focusing on monthly milestones allows you to spend time comparing a larger sample of data and seeing trends.
Monthly performance reporting should include annual comparisons of the month completed and any available statistics from the beginning of the year.
Find meaningful intervals to measure and be consistent. Looking at larger ranges of time helps to spot trends that are difficult to decode in small samples.
Any stories of what and why in case of goal deviations, celebration of goal exceeding and metrics that justify possible plan changes are critical to the surface and prioritized with a dashboard or performance data snapshot report.
Recap Completed & Continuing Action Items
This is a chance to evaluate the tactics and performance of the previous month against the plan.
Looking back helps shape the future.
When you combine actions and tactics with performance data, you should get an overall picture of the reality of what drives SEO performance.
Plan Next Month’s Action Items & Evaluate The Plan
Monthly intervals are great for ensuring accountability for completing tasks.
Even if a year is planned, everything changes in SEO and performance is not always what we expect when you do something for the first time.
By adopting a monthly planning approach, you can make adjustments to the plan, such as doubling a specific tactic or adjusting your overall strategy to recalibrate.
By being agile enough to evaluate performance and tactics on a monthly basis, you can avoid over-thinking and reacting too quickly, but also avoid letting too much time pass and losing balance with trends towards your goals.
A good balance of planned tactics and actions versus the need for agile methods to change direction when needed is often the best approach to staying up-to-date and proactive.
Quarterly
Technical Issues Auditing
Assuming you’ve covered technical issues early in your SEO interest, as well as observing the ones that trigger red flags in your daily and weekly monitoring, it’s important to take a closer look at each quarter’s audit.
This audit should include an overview of reported issues with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
In addition, comparison with benchmarks and standards for site speed, mobile usability, structured data validation and aspects that are not often analyzed.
On-Page Issues Auditing
Without an audit process, and even with frequent monitoring, things happen on websites.
Updating the code, updating the database, updating a plug / extension, or publishing content can result in duplicate tags, duplicate content, or even missing elements on the page.
A quarterly audit of website issues is important, which can be performed using a wide range of free and subscription third-party tools.
There are tools that will even send you alerts and include in your daily process if anything changes, such as deleting a meta description.
Regardless, having a solid toolkit and process for the quarterly review and comparison to the previous audit is important to ensure that audit results and any necessary revisions are recorded and included in the tactical plan.
Link Profile Auditing
Overall, an SEO plan likely includes some form of link building.
Whether it’s through linking with engaging content or a more focused research and lapping plan, it’s likely part of an ongoing tactic (or should be considered if it isn’t).
Investing time and effort into tactics makes it important to have visibility into your overall link profile and progress.
This may be a performance metric tracked in the monthly reporting phase, but quarterly it should be audited in a deeper sense.
Link quality rating, number of backlinks, source variety, relevance of linked content, comparisons with competitors, benchmark comparisons, and periodic comparisons are important aspects to ensuring that your plan is working as intended in the backlink area.
Additionally, if you don’t get caught by your daily or monthly efforts, any spammy links or negative SEO attempts can be caught here and resolved with a waiver process.
Local Listings Audit
When the management of local lists is in maintenance mode, there will be no frequent need to make major changes to the NAP data (name, address, telephone) or inconsistencies in the auction data.
However, this does not mean that it will not happen and that it can be “set and forgotten”.
It is strongly recommended to conduct an audit using third party tools to ensure data accuracy and consistency at least quarterly.
This audit can identify issues that can be resolved one time, and provide guidance on performance and any necessary changes to the content, reviews, and other aspects of the inventories themselves beyond the NAP core data.
If any third-party data sources or listings are omitted, Google’s company profile data may be replaced with inaccurate listing information.
Even if nothing changes while managing the lists, data can change and must, as a minimum, be monitored.
Yearly
Measure Performance
When running annual SEO plans – and even if you don’t use annual contracts or evaluation cycles – taking a full year of data and scoring, it’s worth advising on a strategy and finding measurable ROI calculations.
Positioning is a long-term process aimed at achieving the most competitive positioning in search engines. It’s a valuable investment of time to look at performance data over a 12-month period, compare it to previous periods, look at benchmarks and celebrate successes.
Even if you do not have annual budgets or contracts with external partners / suppliers, it is important to step back each year and look at performance and effort as an investment, not an expense.
Planning Strategy & Tactics
In addition to viewing annual performance data, you should also plan your goals, strategy, and tactics for the next year.
Even though a plan can turn a week into maintenance, having a plan and setting a goal is key to measuring progress.
Without a plan and the use of past experience and a realistic view of the resources that will be invested in the coming year, there can be a gap between expectations and reality.
It is best to fix this issue within the months.
Conclusion
We all have goals and specific results that we want to achieve with our investment and efforts in SEO.
Rather than reacting and being pulled into things that shout the loudest, having structure and organization in the way you do your work can concentrate your time and investment.
Whether it’s technical factors, on-page content, or backlinks, by having a fixed term and structure in your approach, you can balance both planned activities and maintain the agility needed to respond at any given moment.
And make sure there is progress and your SEO work priorities don’t get off-balance.
Featured image: Besjunior / Shuttertstock
Why we should avoid black hat SEO?
1. It can negatively affect your search rankings and visibility. The number one reason for not to use black hat SEO tactics is that they will eventually result in a loss of search ranking, visibility, and website traffic.
Why white hat SEO is better than black hat SEO? Black Hat vs White Hat SEO: What’s the Difference? The biggest differences between the two approaches are that white hat SEO follows Google’s guidelines and improves the user experience, while black hat SEO violates these guidelines and is usually done with complete disregard for human users.
Is black hat SEO good?
Black hat SEO refers to a set of practices used to increase the position of a website or page in search engines by means that violate the terms of service of search engines. The term “black hat” was coined in Western movies to distinguish “bad guys” from “good guys” who wore white hats (see SEO white hats).
What is black hat SEO and why should it be avoided?
Black hat SEO is a practice that is contrary to the guidelines of search engines and is used to obtain a higher position for a site in search results. These unethical tactics do not solve the search engine problem and often result in penalties from search engines. Black hat techniques include keyword stuffing, cloaking, and the use of private link networks.
Which hat is good for SEO?
White hat SEO is an excellent way to increase both website traffic and brand awareness without the risks associated with gray and black hat techniques. In fact, a white hat is one of the best ways to create a sustainable and successful business website.
What are some consequences of black hat SEO tactics?
In addition, Google’s Webmaster Guidelines are the main reason black hat SEO is starting to die out. If you are caught using spammy SEO techniques, not only will you get a manual penalty from Google, but you will also make it harder for your website to rank on search engine result pages if it doesn’t go away forever.
What are the penalties for black hat SEO?
If Google detects that your site is using black SEO, it may impose a penalty. Receiving a penalty by Google will update the PageRank algorithm with the result that your site’s ranking will be lowered or, in the worst case scenario, removed from the list entirely by the search engine.
What black hat SEO practices will get you penalized?
Google is good at identifying and punishing black hat SEO techniques, but that doesn’t stop people from trying them out anyway …. Content Black Hat Techniques
- Keyword stuffing. …
- Hidden content. …
- Item Spinning. …
- Plagiarism or duplication of content. …
- Spam with rich snippets. …
- Camouflage. …
- Transition sides.
What black hat SEO practices will get you penalized?
Google is good at identifying and punishing black hat SEO techniques, but that doesn’t stop people from trying them out anyway …. Content Black Hat Techniques
- Keyword stuffing. …
- Hidden content. …
- Item Spinning. …
- Plagiarism or duplication of content. …
- Spam with rich snippets. …
- Camouflage. …
- Transition sides.
What are the examples of black hat SEO?
Common examples of black SEO strategies include using invisible text, doorway pages, keyword stuffing, page swapping, or adding unrelated keywords to a page. Each of these techniques is defined below, with an insight into how they can harm any company’s website.
Why are black hat SEO techniques considered unethical?
How is black hat SEO unethical? Black hat SEO is not only considered unethical as it directly deceives users and search engines, but also directly goes against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.
Which SEO tool is best?
Best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tools
- Ahrefs: SEO Keyword Tool. …
- Google Search Console: The Best SEO Tool. …
- SEMRush: Marketing SEO Tools. …
- KWFinder: SEO Keyword Tool. …
- Moz Pro: SEO software. …
- Ubersuggest: Keyword tracking tool.
- Reply to the public: free SEO tools. …
- SpyFu: Free SEO Tools.
What Google tool is used for SEO? Google Keyword Planner As part of the Google AdWords advertising platform, it is designed as a tool to improve your paid search campaigns. However, it is still a very effective tool for people involved in SEO.
Are SEO tools worth it?
Many SEO tools highlight problems or issues with your website. This information can be critical to your website’s ranking and needs to be fixed quickly. Therefore, an SEO tool can help you troubleshoot your website to keep it running optimally and efficiently, and suggest improvements.
Is SEO worth it anymore?
The short answer is that SEO is very effective – not only in generating traffic, but also in generating leads and selling. Don’t worry. The long answer contains research and data, not just blank statements. Most SEOs are too engrossed in search specific metrics like SERP (search engine results page), rankings, and organic traffic.
Is SEO a Waste of time?
Focusing on SEO to increase traffic at the expense of building a real relationship with your audience is a waste of time. Worse, you never know what SEO mistakes you are making unless you acquire some basic SEO skills. You can be penalized for keyword stuffing or building bad backlinks.
What is white hat strategy?
In general, white hat SEO refers to any practice that improves your search engine rankings on a search engine result page (SERP) while maintaining the integrity of your website and adhering to search engine terms of service. These tactics remain within the limits set by Google.
What is the black hat and white hat strategy? While white hat SEO is about finding ways to improve your user experience, black hat SEO is about manipulating the Google algorithm to improve your ranking. Put simply, if the tactic is to make Google think that your website is giving users more value than it really is, it is deceptive – and it is an SEO black hat.
What are white hat marketing principles?
For the purposes of this website, “White Hat” stands for fair, legal, and best-practice digital marketing methods. The opposite is “Black Hat” which refers to practices not approved by search engines or other third party platforms.
What are white hat strategies?
The white hat strategy involves using well-tagged images with thoughtful alt text, while the black hat uses more antiquated SEO practices like keyword stuffing and invisible text. White hat SEO uses keyword research organically on the page.
What is an example of white hat optimization?
Some examples of White Hat SEO techniques include the use of keywords and keyword analysis, backlinking, link building to increase link popularity, and writing content for human readers. White Hat SEO is most often used by those who intend to make a long term investment in their website.
What is black hat strategy?
Black hat SEO is a practice that is contrary to the guidelines of search engines and is used to obtain a higher position for a site in search results. These unethical tactics do not solve the search engine problem and often result in penalties from search engines. Black hat techniques include keyword stuffing, cloaking, and the use of private link networks.
What technique is an example of black hat SEO?
Black hat SEO techniques, included in spamdexing, manipulate how search engines perceive the relevance of a website in a way that often goes against search engine guidelines. Hidden text, cloaking, and spam in blog comments are examples of black SEO.
What does black hat mean in marketing?
Black hat SEO refers to a set of practices used to increase the position of a website or page in search engines by means that violate the terms of service of search engines. The term “black hat” was coined in Western movies to distinguish “bad guys” from “good guys” who wore white hats (see SEO white hats).
What is an example of white hat optimization?
Some examples of White Hat SEO techniques include the use of keywords and keyword analysis, backlinking, link building to increase link popularity, and writing content for human readers. White Hat SEO is most often used by those who intend to make a long term investment in their website.
What is an example of black hat optimization?
Common examples of black SEO strategies include using invisible text, doorway pages, keyword stuffing, page swapping, or adding unrelated keywords to a page. Each of these techniques is defined below, with an insight into how they can harm any company’s website.
What are white hat strategies?
The white hat strategy involves using well-tagged images with thoughtful alt text, while the black hat uses more antiquated SEO practices like keyword stuffing and invisible text. White hat SEO uses keyword research organically on the page.
What are the 4 main components of an SEO?
Each ingredient builds on and complements the others. The stronger the links between each of the 4 SEO components – technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and content – the better the results. Being aware of the connections will help us better understand how to best use them.
What is Advanced SEO?
Advanced SEO is basically any set of SEO techniques that requires some expert knowledge. It varies from person to person, but let’s say you likely won’t master those first few months.
What’s the difference between Basic SEO and Advanced SEO? As the name suggests, Advanced SEO is ahead of Basic SEO and takes into account far more variables than the latter, improving both on-page and off-page factors with more power and efficiency.
What is advanced technical SEO?
Advanced technical SEO techniques involve understanding how to better improve a site’s crawling, indexing, and rendering capabilities. This may include, but is not limited to, sitemaps, site structure, internal links, and page and server error resolution.
What is the technical SEO?
Technical SEO refers to website and server optimization that help search engine spiders to index and index your site more efficiently (to improve organic rankings).