We recently had the pleasure of working as SEO consultants for Tangible Creative, a Newark NJ based company offering 3D printing services in the greater New York City area. In today’s competitive digital landscape, many businesses recognize the importance of SEO but may not fully understand the process behind it.
As SEO consultants, we aim to take the mystery out of this process by walking potential clients through what happens during a professional SEO consultation. From the initial discovery phase to final actionable recommendations, an SEO consult is designed to provide a clear roadmap for improving search rankings, driving traffic, and boosting conversions.
Here’s what you can expect when you work with us during an SEO consultation:
1. Initial Discovery: Understanding Your Business and Goals
The first step of any SEO consultation is to learn about your business. During this phase, we’ll discuss:
- Target Keywords: What search terms are most important to your business? This is critical because successful SEO hinges on knowing how your customers search for your products or services.
- Competitor Analysis: We identify your main competitors and analyze their SEO strategies. This involves reviewing their websites, keyword use, and search rankings to understand where your business stands in comparison.
- Business Objectives: We’ll gather information about your major services, target audience, and geographical areas you wish to focus on. This helps in tailoring an SEO strategy that aligns with your unique business goals.
This discovery phase ensures that we build an SEO strategy that is specifically customized to your business by understanding your industry.
2. Comprehensive Website Audit: Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses
Once we understand your business, we’ll dive into your website’s current SEO status. Here’s what a typical audit covers:
- Technical SEO: We assess technical aspects such as page load speed, mobile-friendliness, and whether your site uses up-to-date software (WordPress themes, plugins, etc.).
- On-Page SEO: This includes evaluating the structure and content of your site’s home page, internal pages, blog, and other sections. Key elements include:
- Meta titles and descriptions: Are they optimized for keywords?
- Content structure: Is your site easy to navigate? Does each page offer value to users and search engines?
- Header tags: Are H1, H2, and other header tags used effectively for keyword optimization and readability?
- Internal Linking Strategy: Are you effectively linking between relevant pages on your site? Internal links help users navigate and help search engines understand the structure of your site.
- Image Optimization: Are your images optimized with appropriate alt tags and descriptions? Proper image SEO ensures that your visual media content is indexed by search engines, which can drive additional traffic.
- Social Media Links and Engagement: We evaluate how well your social media profiles integrate with your website and the level of engagement your posts receive. The right social media presence can boost your SEO.
After the audit, you’ll receive a detailed report outlining your website’s current SEO strengths and weaknesses compared to your top competitors.
3. Competitor Analysis: Learning from the Best
Understanding your competitors’ SEO strategies is a key to staying ahead. During the consultation, we analyze the top competitors for your target search terms. Key areas of focus include:
- Content and Structure: What are competitors doing well in terms of website structure, content, and user experience?
- Meta Data: How do competitors optimize their pages with keywords in titles, descriptions, and headers?
- External Presence: Are your competitors using Google Ads, and how strong is their presence on Google Maps and social media? What do their reviews reflect?
We use this information to identify gaps in your strategy and opportunities where your business can outperform competitors. The goal is not to mimic, but to build on their strengths.
4. Recommendations and Solutions: Building Your Customized SEO Strategy
After gathering all the data from the website audit and competitor analysis, we’ll present actionable recommendations. Here’s how we typically structure this phase:
- General Site Recommendations: Software, design aesthetics & practicality, speed, plugins, etc…
- Home Page Optimization: This includes rewriting your meta titles and descriptions, restructuring content for better engagement, and improving navigation and user experience.
- SEO Pages and Subpages: We often recommend creating dedicated SEO pages for key services, industries, or locations you serve. These pages will be optimized with the right keywords to drive traffic for specific search terms.
- Google Business Listing and Reviews: Enhancing your Google My Business profile with better descriptions, photos, reviews, and even virtual tours to improve local SEO performance.
- Social Media and Content Strategy: Suggestions for improving your social media presence and utilizing blog posts, press releases, and other content to boost your website’s authority and relevance.
5. Implementation Plan: Turning Recommendations into Results
Once the consultation is complete, the next step is to implement the changes. This is where your SEO plan moves from theory to practice. The implementation phase covers:
- Website Updates: Applying the changes to your website’s structure, content, and meta data as discussed during the consultation. This can range from minor adjustments to a complete redesign.
- Internal Linking: Enhancing your site’s internal link structure to boost SEO and improve user experience.
- New SEO Pages: Creating new pages that target the high-value keywords and locations identified in your SEO strategy.
- Ongoing Content Creation: We’ll provide guidance on blog post topics and press releases that highlight your business’s unique selling points, which are essential for long-term SEO success.
6. How a Marketing & Content Creation Plan Enhances SEO
A marketing and content plan boosts SEO by combining consistent brand messaging with strategies like PPC, blog posts, and press releases to increase visibility and traffic. Cross-platform content, email campaigns, optimized videos, and regular Google Business updates drive engagement, while compelling offers enhance local SEO and rankings.
- Define Brand Identity: Consistent brand messaging strengthens SEO by ensuring coherent, relevant content favored by search engines.
- PPC & Landing Pages: Run PPC campaigns to drive traffic to optimized landing pages, improving visibility and SEO.
- Targeted Blog Posts: Write keyword-focused blog posts to enhance organic rankings and keep visitors engaged.
- Press Releases: Pair press releases with blog posts or landing pages to generate backlinks, increasing domain authority.
- Email Campaigns: Use email to drive traffic to SEO-optimized content, keeping your audience engaged and boosting rankings. Utilize that warm network you’ve cultivated!
- Cross-Platform Content: Repurpose blog posts for social media platforms like LinkedIn and Google Business to build backlinks and enhance SEO.
- Video Content: Optimize YouTube videos to rank in search results and drive traffic to your site.
- Google Business Updates: Regularly update your Google Business profile using blog and press release content to boost local SEO.
- Irresistible Offers: Promote well crafted offers through blog posts, emails, and landing pages to attract traffic and engagement, boosting SEO.
7. Follow-Up and Monitoring: Measuring Performance and Adjusting Strategy
SEO is an ongoing process, and after the initial implementation, it’s important to measure performance. We will regularly review your website’s traffic, rankings, and user engagement through tools like Google Analytics and Search Console. Based on this data, we can adjust your strategy over time to ensure you’re continuously improving your search rankings and attracting more leads.
Conclusion: Let’s Unlock the Potential of Your SEO Strategy!
Understanding what happens during an SEO consultation is the first step to making informed decisions about your digital marketing strategy. By working together, we’ll uncover opportunities to increase your website’s visibility, boost traffic, and turn that traffic into leads and sales.
Ready to take the next step? Schedule a personalized SEO consultation today and let’s create a strategy tailored to your business’s unique goals and needs!
