Which of these is recommended when working on SEO strategy

I notice your question doesn't specify which options you're comparing, so I'll address the most common strategic choices agencies and designers face when building SEO programs.

The most fundamental recommendation is conducting a technical audit before anything else. Too many agencies jump straight into content creation or link building without understanding the site's foundational issues. A proper technical audit identifies crawl errors, indexation problems, site speed issues, and structural problems that undermine every other SEO effort. This doesn't require expensive tools—Google Search Console, Screaming Frog's free version, and basic site crawlers reveal the critical blockers. Without fixing these first, you're essentially marketing a broken website. This work also builds credibility with clients because they can see concrete problems being solved before investing in longer-term strategies.

Competitor analysis should happen early and run continuously throughout your engagement. This means understanding what keywords competitors actually rank for, not just guessing based on industry assumptions. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush show search intent patterns and reveal content gaps your clients can exploit. More importantly, competitor analysis prevents wasting budget on oversaturated keywords where established domains have insurmountable authority advantages. Instead, you identify lower-competition opportunities with real search volume that your client can realistically rank for within 6-12 months. This strategic approach converts better than pursuing vanity keywords.

The actual execution should prioritize content that matches search intent over content volume. One well-researched, comprehensive article targeting the right keyword intent outperforms ten mediocre posts. Your content strategy should map to the client's actual sales funnel—awareness keywords for top of funnel, consideration keywords for middle, and conversion-focused keywords for bottom. This alignment between SEO work and business revenue is what keeps clients engaged long-term.

Finally, implement proper measurement from day one. Define metrics beyond vanity traffic numbers. Track rankings for targeted keywords, organic conversions, cost-per-acquisition from organic, and landing page performance. This data-driven approach helps you prove ROI, justify future budget increases, and identify which content topics actually drive business results. Agencies that lead with measurement tend to retain clients longer because they're optimizing for client success rather than just search visibility.