The Importance of an SEO Strategy for Your Business

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Learn why deliberate SEO planning outperforms random optimization efforts

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The Importance of an SEO Strategy for your business blog graphic image

VIDEO: What is SEO and Why Do You Need It?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Wondering why an SEO strategy is so important and how it can help you? Here are the highlights of what I explain in the article below.

A perfect SEO score on PageSpeed Insights does not mean you’ll rank well on Google
SEO is a long-term strategy, not a mere checklist
Keyword research without search volume analysis is really just guesswork
Search intent helps you drive traffic to your website that's more likely to convert
Every page of your website needs a clear and unique purpose, so pages don't compete with each other
An SEO strategy gives you a clear plan to increase the impact of your website presence online so it works for your business

SEO Is Not Just Checklist, It’s a Strategy

I changed they way I talked about SEO when a client came to me with a perfect 100 SEO score on PageSpeed Insights, but they weren’t ranking on Google. Why was this happening? There was the impression everything was great with their website’s SEO, but they weren’t getting the organic visibility they expected.

This happened, because PageSpeed Insights makes sure information is filled in at key places on a website (like the title tags, alt text, meta descriptions) and that the website follows accessibility best practices. However, it won’t tell you if your keywords are strong or your page is targeting the right search intent. That’s the difference between having a perfect SEO score that makes you feel good and actually ranking on Google and seeing results.

This is why I’m here to talk about an SEO strategy.

A lot of business owners know they need SEO (search engine optimization) but far fewer understand how it works and why some websites consistently show up on Google while others don’t.

Search engine optimization isn’t about tricks, shortcuts, or just checking off boxes that the right fields have content in them. SEO is a long-term strategy that pays dividends of visibility in search results when people are looking for what you are selling.

Without a strategy, your SEO efforts could be in vain. You will be writing blogs that don’t bring in leads, you will optimize for keywords that have low search volumes, or the optimization on your website will attract the wrong audience that may visit, but quickly leave.

In this article, I’m going to break down what an SEO strategy is, why it matters, how it can support your business growth, and what it looks like. This will be helpful even if you never plan to “do SEO yourself.” I meet too many business owners who pay for SEO, but then unfortunately can’t even tell what was done to optimize their website.

What Is an SEO Strategy?

An SEO strategy is a deliberate plan for how your website will:

Be discovered in search engines
Communicate clearly what you do
Build trust with Google and users
Convert visitors into leads or customers

A strategy looks at keyword search volumes, considers user search intent, and analyzes competitors currently ranking well. Using this information, a plan is created for your website and how each page will be optimized for a certain type of search.

A strong SEO strategy includes:

Keyword research tied to real search behavior (ChatGPT can’t give you real search volumes)
Clear website structure and page hierarchy
Content created with search intent in mind
Technical performance (speed, mobile, accessibility)
Internal linking that supports authority
Ongoing refinement based on data

Because strategies can vary based on the needs of a business, it's important to create a plan that aligns with both the goals of the business owner and their SEO budget.

Tip: SEO works best when it’s planned before content is created, not after. Otherwise, you will be rewriting a lot of your content and sometimes redesigning web pages if the content changes drastically.

Why an SEO Strategy Matters

I’ll explain why an SEO strategy is so important by sharing two mistakes that can easily be made without research and a deliberate plan:

Choosing the wrong keywords
Not optimizing for search intent

There are lots of SEO tools out there, but if you’re willing to dive into it, the Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool. All you need is a Google AdWords account (but you don’t have to set up any ads) and then you can utilize the research tool.

Choosing the right keyword based on search volume is the difference between optimizing for topics being searched for 100 times a month, 10,000 times a month, or 100,000+ times a month. If you choose a keyword without knowing the search volume, you might be optimizing for a phrase that’s getting very few searches. It’s just not the language people are using to find what you offer.

Optimizing for search intent is a newer SEO strategy. Google understands user search intent based on certain words people use alongside keywords.

For example, when someone Googles:

“best [service] near me”
“how much does [service] cost”
“who should I hire for [problem]”

They are already part of the way through their decision-making process in making a purchase.

Optimizing for these types of searches will help you attract serious buyers to your website rather than people just looking for information about a topic. You need to optimize for a mix of search intents. Having a clear message for each of your web pages will tell Google which pages on your website are best for which types of searches.

Without an SEO strategy:

You may be wasting time optimizing for content few people are searching for
Your website may never appear in search results from serious buyers
Your website may attract the wrong audience that won’t convert

However, with a strategy you’re more likely to:

Attract visitors who are already looking for what you offer
Better serve people with the information they are looking for at the time of their search
Become an important decision-support tool, making people more likely to buy from you over your competitors

SEO Strategy vs. “Just Doing SEO”

Many businesses do SEO activities, but without a clear plan.

Here’s the difference:

Without an SEO Strategy you may…

Post random blog topics
Create pages that competing with each other for rankings
Choose keywords by guesswork
Have traffic that doesn’t convert
Experience frustration and want to pull out your hair (please don’t, I’m here to help!)

With an SEO Strategy you will see that…

Every page has a clear purpose
Keywords are mapped intentionally
Content supports core services
Search intent guides structure
Progress can be measured and improved

Tip: SEO strategy prevents wasted effort. It guides you in what is worth your time, and what’s not.

How SEO Strategy Supports Long-Term Business Growth

A strong SEO strategy helps a business rank higher on Google, but it supports a lot more than that.

A thoughtful SEO strategy helps you:

Increase brand visibility and credibility
Reduce reliance on paid advertising
Attract higher-quality leads
Compete with larger companies through relevance
Create marketing assets that compound over time
Show up in local-specific search results if desired

Unlike social media posts or ads, SEO content continues to work long after it’s published.

Having an SEO Strategy Helps You Reach People at Specific Stages of the Buyer’s Journey

Not every person who visits your website is ready to buy. That’s normal.

Now that we’re able to optimize not just for keywords, but also for search intent, we can create content that helps a person at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

Whether someone is just starting to gather information, comparing options, or ready to buy, you can create a web page dedicated to giving them the information they need and help move them closer to making a purchase…from you!

An SEO strategy accounts for search intent, which includes:

Informational searches (learning)
Commercial investigation (comparing options)
Transactional searches (ready to act)
Branded searches (seeking out a specific company)

By structuring your website to support all of these, you:

Build trust early when people are starting their research
Stay visible throughout the journey by showing up with information they need
Increase the likelihood of conversions as you help them decide what to purchase

Tip: If your website only targets people who are “ready to buy,” you miss the majority of search traffic and the opportunity to build trust from potential customers as they consider what to purchase.

What Goes Into an Deliberate SEO Plan

You may be wondering what all really goes into creating a plan for your search engine optimization. Here you go…

Core elements of an SEO strategy:

Keyword research: understanding what people actually search
Competitor analysis: understand who is currently ranking and why
Page targeting: assigning keywords and intent to the right pages
Content planning: blogs, FAQs, and service pages that support visibility
Technical foundation: speed, mobile responsiveness, indexing
Measurement: tracking visibility, traffic, and engagement

If you're wondering whether it's time in your business to move from a learning phase of SEO to implementing a strategic plan, here’s how to know if you should hire an SEO expert.

Tip: Strategy is best done before content is created. This makes content creation more efficient. Personally, I used to create sites and then go back to “tweak” for SEO. I found myself redoing a lot of work, so now before I build a website the first step is creating the SEO strategy.

Businesses Without a Strategy Struggle

People who are frustrated with SEO often fall into two camps, they are either too overwhelmed by it and don’t know where to start, or they are working hard at it and not seeing the results they expected.

If you’re overwhelmed by SEO, I encourage you to download my free guide SEO Simplified. It makes understanding SEO super easy.

For those who are working hard on SEO, but it’s not working for them, common issues include:

Ranking for keywords that don’t bring leads
Blogging consistently but not seeing results
Competing against themselves in search
Redesigning websites without improving visibility
Feeling unsure what to prioritize next

Whether you’re overwhelmed or frustrated, an SEO strategy will give you clarity. Essentially, a strategy gives you a plan that you can follow that’s based off real numbers that came from research.

Who Can Benefit from an SEO Strategy?

Having a strategy to get found online is valuable for anyone wanting to reach potential customers without relying solely on ads or their own marketing efforts to direct people to their website.

An SEO Strategy is especially valuable for:

Established small businesses ready to grow
Businesses competing with national brands
Companies that depend on local visibility
Business owners who want clarity in digital marketing
Teams without an in-house marketing staff

SEO Strategy Creates Stability

SEO is not about chasing algorithms, it’s about building a website that communicates clearly, performs well, and supports real business goals.

With a strategy:

You know what to focus on
You understand what’s working
You have an actual plan
Your website becomes a marketing asset

Tip: Strategy saves time and gives confidence, because it’s based on numbers and research instead of guessing.

Q & A: Frequently Asked Questions About SEO

1. How do I know if my SEO efforts are actually working?

SEO success is not measured by traffic alone.

A working SEO strategy shows progress in three stages:

Visibility: Your pages start appearing for more searches (impressions increase).
Engagement: Visitors stay longer, view more pages, and bounce less.
Action: More calls, form submissions, or inquiries over time.

Early SEO success often shows up in impressions and rankings before leads increase. That’s normal and is a good sign. If nothing changes after several months and leads don’t start coming, then it’s time to reevaluate the strategy and check the analytics for ways to improve.

2. How do I decide which pages should target which keywords?

Each page on your website should have it’s own unique target keyword phrase and search intent.

Here are some examples:

Branding optimization with core service + location keywords should be on the homepage (casting a wide net here)
Branding optimization with experience and credentials should be on the about page (validating your trust)
Products or service keywords go on service pages (narrowing the target audience here)
Questions and education topics are for blogs or FAQ pages (research and comparison purposes)

You want to avoid using the same phrase on multiple pages of your website, because then you risk keyword cannibalization. Your own web pages will be competing with each other and Google will not have a clear understanding about which page it needs to direct traffic to.

Keyword mapping (assigning one primary keyword per page) is one of the most overlooked but impactful SEO steps.

3. What matters more: publishing new content or improving what I already have?

For most established websites, improving existing content delivers faster results.

Updating pages often means:

Clarifying headlines
Refreshing outdated copy
Improving internal links
Adding FAQs
Optimizing for search intent

New content matters, but only when it supports a clear strategy.

4. How long should I wait before changing an SEO strategy that isn’t working?

SEO is not instant, but it is measurable.

General guidelines:

0–30 days: Google crawls and indexes changes
30–90 days: Early ranking and visibility movement
90+ days: Clear performance trends emerge

If there’s no movement after 60–90 days, it’s time to reassess:

Keyword difficulty
Search intent alignment
Page structure
Technical barriers

SEO strategies shouldn’t be abandoned quickly, otherwise you won’t see the full impact of the changes made. However, SEO strategies should be reviewed and monitored regularly to stay on top of when it’s time to make adjustments.

Wondering How You Can Get an SEO Strategy for Your Website?

If you're ready to get an SEO Strategy designed specifically for your website with results in mind, book a free 15-minute discovery call with me and let’s talk through what's working and not working on your website. We can determine if you need an SEO Strategy Consult, SEO Strategy + Implementation, or something else to make your website work for you.

I look forward to talking with you soon!

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