How to start an SEO strategy

Starting an SEO strategy requires understanding your client's current position before making any moves. Begin by conducting a technical audit of their website to identify crawlability issues, site speed problems, broken links, and indexation errors. Run the site through tools like Screaming Frog or SEMrush to get a baseline. Simultaneously, analyze their existing organic traffic patterns in Google Analytics—where visitors come from, which pages perform, bounce rates. Check their current rankings for relevant keywords using rank tracking software. This diagnostic phase takes a week or two but prevents you from optimizing the wrong things. You'll also need to research their competitive landscape by analyzing what keywords competitors rank for, what content formats they're using, and how their backlink profiles differ. This context ensures your strategy actually addresses gaps instead of copying what everyone else does.

Once you understand the current state, define which keywords matter. This isn't about finding the most popular search terms—it's about finding terms that attract qualified traffic your client can realistically rank for. Map keywords to your client's business goals, whether that's leads, sales, or brand awareness. A keyword like "accounting services" is too broad for a small local firm, but "tax accounting services in Denver" has real intent. Prioritize keywords where your client has a reasonable chance of ranking within three to six months given their domain authority and content resources. You'll likely find that long-tail keywords with commercial intent deliver better ROI than high-volume head terms.

Your strategy should then outline content gaps—what your client isn't addressing that their audience searches for. This becomes your content roadmap. You'll also need to identify technical priorities that directly impact rankings, like fixing crawl issues or improving Core Web Vitals. Finally, establish a realistic timeline and measurement framework. SEO takes time, so setting expectations upfront prevents client frustration. Define which metrics actually matter for their business—don't just report rankings and traffic if conversions are what drives their revenue.

The entire process should take two to four weeks for a typical small-to-medium business. Document everything in a strategy document that your client understands and agrees with before you execute. This foundation prevents scope creep and keeps the project aligned with business objectives.