Creating an SEO strategy

A good SEO strategy Setting up: how do you do it? SEO is very important for your website. Not only will you ensure that you are more findable in the search engine, you will also improve the results of your website. A good SEO strategy plays an important role in this. This will always give you handles for the complete process. This way, you will know what changes are needed and what needs to be done to make them happen. You can read all about creating an SEO strategy here.

What is an SEO strategy?

An SEO strategy is a predetermined plan that basically explains what the SEO journey will look like. Every business needs an SEO strategy(1). Before making any major improvements, it is important to create a plan. Many companies know what SEO is and how its basic concepts work. Yet SEO involves much more than just using the right keywords. When you work with an SEO strategy, you have a greater guarantee of success.

With an SEO strategy, there are several options. It focuses on content, as well as technology or some other aspect of SEO. A strategic approach is important. This prevents you from occasionally tackling some loose SEO facets instead of getting the most out of SEO.

An SEO strategy in a table

Below is a simple table showing a 12-month SEO strategy, including priority, resources needed, and estimated investment for outsourcing to an SEO agency. Note that these figures are hypothetical and may vary depending on the specific needs of the company, industry, agency, and other factors.

MonthSectionPriorityResources neededEstimated investment (€)
1Keyword researchHighAnalysis tools, 40 hours1.500 – 2.000
2On-page SEOHighWeb developer, 50 hours2.000 – 3.000
3Link BuildingMediumOutreach team, 60 hours2.500 – 4.000
4Content creationHighCopywriter, 30 hours1.500 – 2.500
5Technical SEOHighWeb developer, 40 hours2.000 – 3.000
6Social media integrationLowSocial media manager, 20 hours1.000 – 1.500
7Local SEOMediumSEO specialist, 30 hours1.500 – 2.500
8Analytics & monitoringHighAnalysis tools, 20 hours1.000 – 2.000
9Mobile optimizationMediumWeb developer, 40 hours2.000 – 3.000
10Content updateLowCopywriter, 20 hours1.000 – 1.500
11Video SEOLowVideographer, 30 hours1.500 – 2.500
12Review & optimizationHighSEO specialist, 40 hours2.000 – 3.000
SEO strategy for 12 months.

In total, the estimated investment over 12 months could range from about €20,500 to €33,500+. This table can be customized based on your company’s specific needs and budgets. Consult with a professional SEO agency for a detailed and customized proposal.

When will you see the effect of this SEO strategy?

SEO is a long-term strategy, and the time it takes to see results can vary greatly depending on many different factors. This includes the current state of the website, the competition in the industry, the keywords chosen, the quality of the SEO work performed, and more. Here I am also assuming that you are not trying to come up for the keyword “Mortgage Compare…” 🙂

Here’s a general estimate of what to expect:

  • 1-3 months: in the initial phase, you should see some improvement in technical aspects of the site, such as load time, and possibly an increase in organic search traffic. But major shifts in rankings are unlikely.
  • 3-6 months: during this period you can begin to see an increase in rankings for long-tail keywords and some improvement in more competitive keywords. There may also be increased user engagement and a higher click-through rate (CTR).
  • 6-9 months: around this time, link building and content creation efforts can begin to pay off. You should see significant growth in traffic and rankings for a variety of keywords.
  • 9-12 months: after 9 to 12 months of continuous SEO efforts, you should see solid growth in organic search results. If everything is done properly, the website should have a competitive advantage and perform well for the most important keywords.

Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and even as you begin to see results, it is important to continue efforts to maintain and improve those results. Market changes, search engine algorithm updates, and competition can affect your results, so constant monitoring and strategy adjustment are essential.

Determine the focus

An SEO analysis is important to determine where the focus should be. First, you look at the goals you have in mind. How do you achieve these goals? The answer to this question is core to your SEO strategy.

A strategy for SEO always includes content, technology and authority. A good SEO strategy is important for any business. There is a lot of information about SEO on the Internet. To filter out the right information, it is important to have a plan drawn up in advance. A well-thought-out SEO plan is indispensable.

Read more about SEO

Do SEO yourself or outsource it

Based on a good SEO plan, you will carry out various tasks. There are two options: you perform SEO yourself for your website, or you perform SEO with the help of an SEO agency. There are different benefits for each option.

The benefits of doing SEO yourself:

  • save high agency fees;
  • maintain control of strategy;
  • You add SEO skills to your skills.

The benefits of SEO outsourcing:

  • SAVE TIME;
  • Put the focus on the core activities within your company;
  • Get assurance that the SEO is of high quality.

The choice depends on what suits your business.

My advice

I recommend looking carefully at what best suits your business. Are you part of a company that doesn’t do much with marketing yet? Then our SEO course is interesting. In this course, you will learn all about SEO. You will get tools to optimize your SEO yourself.


Frequently Asked Questions

What is an SEO strategy?

An SEO strategy is a plan of action to improve a website’s online visibility and findability in search engines such as Google. The goal of an SEO strategy is to make the website rank higher in search results so that more people can find and visit the website.

An SEO strategy generally includes a combination of on-page optimization, off-page optimization and technical optimization. On-page optimization involves optimizing website content and structure, including keyword research, meta descriptions, internal links and high-quality content. Off-page optimization includes building a strong website link profile, such as through link building and social media marketing. Technical optimization involves improving the technical aspects of the website, such as loading speed, mobile responsiveness and crawlability.

A good SEO strategy is tailored to the specific goals and needs of the business and takes into account competition and trends in the search engine market. It is important to regularly monitor and adjust website performance to ensure the strategy remains effective and achieves the desired results.

Can I create an SEO strategy on my own?

Yes, you can create your own SEO strategy for your website. However, creating an SEO strategy requires some knowledge and expertise in search engine optimization. It is important to understand how search engines work and what factors affect search results. In addition, you need to know how to conduct keyword research, create quality content and build links to make your website rank higher in search results.

If you want to create your own SEO strategy, there are several online resources and tools that can help you. For example, search engines such as Google and Bing offer free tools to conduct keyword research, and you can find online tutorials and guides on SEO strategies and techniques.

However, it is important to remember that search engine optimization is an ongoing process and takes time, resources and effort to get results. An expert search engine optimization agency can help you develop and implement an effective SEO strategy, and can help you grow your website in the long run.

Can an SEO specialist help me create an SEO strategy?

An SEO specialist can help you create an effective SEO strategy for your website. An SEO specialist has the necessary knowledge, experience and tools to develop a strategy tailored to your specific needs and goals. They can help you conduct keyword research, optimize your content, build links and improve the technical aspects of your website.

An SEO specialist can also offer advice on how to monitor and optimize your website’s performance to ensure the strategy remains effective. By working with an SEO specialist, you can ensure that your website ranks higher in search results, generates more traffic and leads, and ultimately achieves your business goals.

It is important to choose a reliable and knowledgeable SEO specialist who has a proven track record of improving website SEO performance. You can check online reviews and references and ask questions about their experience and approach. This way, you can choose a specialist that fits your specific needs and goals.

What is the added value of a good SEO strategy?

A good SEO strategy can provide several benefits to your website and business, including:

  1. More traffic to your website: by ranking higher in search results, you can generate more organic traffic to your website.
  2. Better user experience: by optimizing the content, structure and technical aspects of your website, you can provide a better user experience to your visitors.
  3. Higher conversion rates: a good SEO strategy can lead to higher conversion rates because you are better found by people looking for your products or services.
  4. Cost savings: organic traffic is free and by investing in SEO, you can save on advertising costs in the future.
  5. Competitive advantage: by ranking higher than your competitors, you can gain a competitive advantage and gain more market share.
  6. Long-term impact: an effective SEO strategy can have long-term impact on the performance of your website and can help grow your business in the long run.

In short, a good SEO strategy can help generate more traffic, leads and conversions, cut costs and gain a competitive advantage. It is a valuable investment for your website and business.

What topics come up in an SEO strategy?

An SEO strategy can include several topics that affect your website’s online visibility and findability. Here are some of the key topics that can be included in an SEO strategy:

  1. Keyword research: identifying relevant keywords and search phrases you want to rank for in search results.
  2. On-page optimization: optimizing the content and structure of your website, such as using keywords in titles and headers, optimizing meta descriptions, internal links and quality content.
  3. Off-page optimization: building a strong link profile of your website, through link building and social media marketing, for example.
  4. Technical optimization: improving the technical aspects of your website, such as loading speed, mobile responsiveness and crawlability.
  5. Local SEO: optimizing your website for local searches, such as by claiming your Google My Company listing and getting local backlinks.
  6. Competitive analysis: analyzing the keywords and searches on which your competitors rank and identifying opportunities to perform better.
  7. Performance monitoring: monitoring the performance of your website, such as through Google Analytics, and adjusting the strategy to ensure it remains effective.

An effective SEO strategy is tailored to the specific needs and goals of your business and takes into account competition and trends in the search engine market. It is important to regularly monitor and adjust the performance of your website to ensure that the strategy remains effective and achieves the desired results.

Is outsourcing the creation of an SEO strategy a good investment?

Outsourcing the creation of an SEO strategy can be a good investment for your business because it can help you improve the online visibility and findability of your website and generate more traffic, leads and conversions. However, creating an effective SEO strategy requires some search engine optimization knowledge and expertise, and it can be time-consuming to acquire this knowledge and implement the strategy.

By hiring an expert search engine optimization agency, you can benefit from the knowledge, experience and resources of professionals who specialize in search engine optimization. This can result in an effective strategy tailored to the specific needs and goals of your business that can help you increase your online presence.

Hiring a search engine optimization agency can also be cost-saving in some cases. By executing an effective strategy, you can generate more organic traffic to your website and save on advertising costs. Moreover, an effective SEO strategy can have long-term impact on the performance of your website and can help you grow your business in the long run.

In short, outsourcing the creation of an SEO strategy can be a worthwhile investment for your business because it can lead to increased traffic, leads and conversions and cost savings in the long run.

How does a well-crafted SEO strategy help my website reach more visitors?

A well-crafted SEO strategy can help you attract more relevant visitors to your website and increase your online visibility and presence. This is achieved by optimizing your website for relevant keywords and search phrases, which allows you to rank higher in the search results of search engines such as Google. This can lead to higher quality traffic to your website, as you attract visitors who are looking for what you have to offer.

Better search engine ranking and relevant traffic can lead to more traffic, leads and conversions for your business in the long run. Moreover, a well-crafted SEO strategy can improve your website’s user experience, which can lead to more satisfied visitors and more chances of returning visitors and recommendations. Finally, SEO can also help save costs by generating more organic traffic to your website without paying for ads.

What does it cost to create an SEO strategy?

The cost of creating an SEO strategy can vary depending on several factors, such as the size and complexity of the website, the desired results and the level of expertise of the search engine optimization professional you hire.

Some search engine optimization agencies offer one-time services for creating an SEO strategy, while others offer an ongoing partnership in which they implement and monitor the strategy.

In general, the cost of creating an SEO strategy is between €500 and €5000, depending on the complexity of the website and the desired results. However, it is important to remember that an effective SEO strategy is a long-term investment and takes time, resources and effort to get results.

It is advisable to request quotes from several search engine optimization agencies and compare their approach and prices to find a suitable partner that suits your specific needs and goals.

What are the steps after creating an SEO strategy?

After creating an SEO strategy, there are several steps you can take to implement and monitor it:

  1. Implementation: the first step is to implement the SEO strategy on your website. This includes optimizing the content and structure of your website, performing link building and improving the technical aspects of your website. Depending on the scope of the strategy, this may take some time.
  2. Monitoring: it is important to monitor the performance of your website after the SEO strategy is implemented. You can do this using tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to measure changes in traffic, rankings and conversions. By analyzing this data, you can determine if the strategy is effective and where any improvements can be made.
  3. Adjustment: based on the results of monitoring, you can tweak and adjust the SEO strategy to ensure that it remains effective. This can include optimizing the content and structure of your website, adjusting the keywords you are targeting and running new link building campaigns.
  4. Regular updates: SEO is an ongoing process and it is important to regularly monitor and adjust the performance of your website. This can be done every few months or annually to ensure that the SEO strategy remains effective and your website continues to perform.

In short, after creating an SEO strategy, it is important to execute the strategy, monitor the performance of your website and adjust it as needed and update it regularly to ensure that the strategy remains effective and your website continues to grow.

What are the benefits of a good SEO strategy?

A good SEO strategy offers several benefits to your website and business. First, it can drive more organic traffic to your website by achieving higher search engine rankings. A good SEO strategy includes optimizing the content, structure and technical aspects of your website, which also allows you to provide a better user experience to your visitors. This can lead to higher conversion rates and more leads and sales.

By investing in SEO, you can save costs on ads in the long run. Moreover, an effective SEO strategy can have long-term impact on the performance of your website and can help you grow your business in the long run. In short, a good SEO strategy is a valuable investment for your website and business and can help generate more traffic, leads and conversions and gain a competitive advantage.

Senior SEO-specialist

Ralf van Veen

Senior SEO-specialist
Five stars
My clients give me a 5.0 on Google out of 78 reviews

I have been working for 10 years as an independent SEO specialist for companies (in the Netherlands and abroad) that want to rank higher in Google in a sustainable manner. During this period I have consulted A-brands, set up large-scale international SEO campaigns and coached global development teams in the field of search engine optimization.

With this broad experience within SEO, I have developed the SEO course and helped hundreds of companies with improved findability in Google in a sustainable and transparent way. For this you can consult my portfolio, references and collaborations.

This article was originally published on 6 March 2024. The last update of this article was on 11 September 2024. The content of this page was written and approved by Ralf van Veen. Learn more about the creation of my articles in my editorial guidelines.