Search Engine Optimization - How To Create Your Local SEO Roadmap Through Research

Source - http://searchengineland.com/
By - Myles Anderson
Category - Search Engine Optimization 
Posted By - http://tinyurl.com/SearchEngineOptimization7

Search Engine Optimization

During the regular online training sessions which I deliver to our customers, I inevitably get asked the same question. Actually this question comes in a few guises.

• What should I focus on more – citations or links?
• Are reviews an important factor for local ranking?
• How many citations should I build for my client?
• How do I know the best categories for my client to be listed in?

But, they are all asking the same basic question: What do I need to focus on to improve my client’s rankings?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a silver-bullet answer because there isn’t one. Every client, every location, every industry and every competitor set is different. And because of this, the right solution is also different.

What I do say to them is that all successful and efficient SEO campaigns start with detailed Research and Benchmarking.

Research and benchmarking gives you a clear understanding of each client’s SEO situation and how they compare to their competitors. Once you have this data, it becomes clear what areas you need to prioritize and how much work is needed.

If you skip over this research/benchmark phase and don’t establish a starting point to track changes against, then you’re working in the dark.

Building Your Local SEO Roadmap

SEO is a journey. And all good journeys need planning. Planning creates a roadmap for you to follow which tells you where you are and keeps you on the right path to success.

If you tackle the research and benchmarking phase correctly, then you should be able to answer the following 3 questions:

1. Where is my client now and how does their SEO compare to their competitors?
2. What SEO tasks do I need to focus on as a priority, and what can I put aside for now?
3. How much work is needed to get my client into top x search results for their key terms?

This is your SEO roadmap. It tells you where you’re starting from, where you’re heading to and what’s the best route to get you there. If you know these three things, then your chances of success are massively improved, and you will run your campaigns with much greater efficiency and productivity.