Launching SEO campaign: improve the findability of your website

What is an SEO campaign?

SEO stands for: Search Engine Optimization. This involves optimizing your website to become more findable within the organic, unpaid search results of search engines, such as Google. Google uses an algorithm to determine who will appear at the top of search results. They do this using more than 200 criteria.

Using optimizations, you can ensure that you land higher in Google’s search results. You need to make sure that Google finds your website relevant enough for important search terms.

The optimizations performed during an SEO campaign are divided into three components:

• Content: writing relevant, useful, quality text.
• Technology: the website should load quickly and the structure of the website should be clear.
• Link building: these are links from other websites that point to your websites (backlinks). Google then sees your website as a reliable source. You gain authority with this.

Running through an SEO campaign: SEO Content

When it comes to SEO content, there are a few key components to consider.

1. Quality is key. When writing content, quantity is less important than quality. Make sure you write about the topics your target audience is searching for.
2. In an SEO campaign, consistency is important. Make sure you write quality content on a consistent basis.
3. Scanable headers contribute to how quickly the reader understands the text. This includes longer headers that describe what is explained (in more detail) in the text.

Running through an SEO campaign: technical SEO

Being consistent is also important in technical SEO. Technical SEO is prerequisite for good findability.

1. Initially map out everything. If there are errors in the website that you know nothing about, it’s hard to do anything about them.
2. From the global analysis, concrete advice points can be formulated. These points should all contribute to both improved usability and organic findability.

Running through an SEO campaign: link building

Link building is often a monthly process that involves working structurally on a website’s authority. When embarking on a link building journey, pay attention to the following points.

1. Also, when it comes to getting the right link entries, quality always takes precedence over quantity. One strong link is the equivalent of one hundred weak/irrelevant link entries.
2. Obtain link entries to the right pages with the most appropriate anchor texts. These anchor texts are a confirmation of a page’s topic for Google. So the wrong anchor texts can also easily confuse Google.

How do you set up an SEO campaign?

Search Engine Optimization is about performing optimizations to become more organically findable in search engines, such as Google. An SEO campaign is not something you execute in a day. This is a long-term strategy and requires a lot of time and effort.

You set up an SEO campaign successfully using the following roadmap:

1. Keyword research. Google determines which websites to display based on the user’s search intent. So it is important to be findable for the right keywords. This is the only way you will reach the right audience.

Using various tools, such as Ahrefs or SEMRush, conduct keyword research. These tools show related search terms, as well as how often they are searched for on average per month and how much competition there is for this keyword. Extract all the important keywords that match your product or service from here.

2. Content creation. After you’ve done the keyword research, it’s time for content creation. This is a very important step for Google. Incorporate the chosen keywords multiple times in the text. The text should be relevant and qualitative. In addition, the text should be long, at least 400 words. Use at least one web page for each search term.

3. Link building. This is about getting links from external websites that redirect to your website. This gives you online authority, something Google greatly appreciates. The stronger the linking site and the more relevant it is to your topic, the more the link is worth.

4. Website structure. The website should have a logical structure to rank highly in Google. Have a clear hierarchy of main pages and sub pages, which is also evident in the menu and site map.

5. Speed. The loading speed of the website and each web page is incredibly important. This involves at most a few milliseconds. This is because when a website loads too slowly, a visitor sounds away. This causes Google to move you one spot to the bottom.

The measurability in setting up an SEO campaign

Measurability is critical when creating an SEO campaign. This takes care of a number of things:

1. Keyword targeting is now determined based on data. Based on CTR, conversion and average lifetime value of visitors, for example, you can gain insight into the quality of a keyword. Lifetime value is particularly interesting in this.
2. User flows in Google Analytics are indicative of visitors’ interests. Use this to gain insight into this and incorporate it into any keyword research.
3. Start the SEO campaign by setting up appropriate micro and macro targets within the platforms.
4. Going through an SEO campaign without proper measurability is akin to driving in the dark without your lights on. You don’t know where you are and where you are going. In short, this makes setting goals and successfully achieving them very difficult.
5. Map out the entire customer journey (especially for B2B websites) and map out the key steps. You can even do qualitative research to set up the appropriate steps in this.

A rendering of an entire SEO campaign

A 12-month SEO campaign can involve several key steps. The following is a sample schedule, taking into account priorities, required resources, implementation time and the estimated period of each step. Keep in mind that some steps may be performed in parallel, depending on available resources and specific needs.

This scheme provides a structured approach to an SEO campaign, but is extremely flexible and should be adapted based on the specific needs and situation of the website. Also, monitoring and adjustment should be continuous, not just in the last two months.

It is also important to understand that SEO results are often not immediate; it may take several months for changes to be reflected in search engine rankings.

What is the cost of an SEO campaign?

In principle, an SEO campaign is free. This, then, is immediately the advantage of SEO, over SEA. Through website optimizations, you try to rank high in Google. With SEA, you advertise and get high in Google based on that. You pay these fees to Google. Therefore, when you stop paying, your high spot is instantly forgiven. With SEO, you maintain this high spot.

If you do not have time or knowledge about SEO, you can hire an SEO specialist for this. This, of course, does cost money. I work as an SEO specialist without a permanent contract. I use a fixed hourly rate of € 75 per hour (excluding VAT).

Every month I invoice all my work after it has been performed. I do this at the beginning of the month for work done in the previous month.

Monthly cost

The cost of an SEO campaign can vary greatly based on several factors, such as:

• The size and complexity of the campaign/website.
• The current SEO status of the website (e.g., are there many technical issues that need to be fixed?).
• The competitiveness of the market or industry you are in.
• The geographic reach of the campaign (local, national, international).
• The specific goals you want to achieve.
• Whether you use in-house staff, hire an outside agency, or a combination of both.

With that said, here are some general price ranges you might expect:

• Small business or local SEO: €500 – €1000 per month.
• Medium-sized companies: € 1000,- – € 5000,- per month.
• Large companies or highly competitive markets: €5000 – €10000 per month or more.

Please note that these are average prices and may vary. It is important to remember that SEO is an investment and may take some time to see results. It is also important to look for an SEO partner that is transparent about what you get for your money and provides regular reports and updates.

Does SEO fall under online marketing?

Yes, definitely. SEO is essential within any online marketing strategy. It has a lot of consistency with other channels.

SEO is one of the first disciplines that many companies started working on and, as a result, provided the first online marketing agencies. Meanwhile, many channels within online marketing have been added, such as Google Ads (SEA), Facebook advertising, email marketing and marketplaces. SEO is an essential and versatile channel.

Through SEO, you can excite your target audience through good content. Content based on their questions, search intent or problems. This content does not always have to be directly related to your product or service, but there is a consistency to it.

SEO allows you to flow your target audience deeper into the customer journey. Which therefore ultimately leads to conversion, sales and profits.

Why should I invest in an SEO campaign?

By investing in SEO, you reach the audience you want to reach. Your website lands in a higher spot in the search results, which is very valuable. In fact, more than 90% of all Dutch people begin their search for a business in the search engines. If you are currently present in the search engine, you can obtain potential customers to your website. This results in increased conversion, sales and profits.

Specifically, SEO provides three things:

1. Reach your target audience more efficiently. Your website responds efficiently to the search intent of the target audience. (Potential) customers know how to find your website, because the search terms they key in are incorporated into your content. Through keyword research, you will find out what their search intent is.

2. Improve your online findability. The greater your company’s online presence, the more people will find you. And the more people that end up on your website, the more likely conversion will occur. Google places optimized websites higher in organic search results.

3. Higher sales. As you get more relevant visitors to your website through a high ranking in Google, you generate more sales. This is because it shows that the searcher is actively looking for your product or service. More relevant visitors, yields more conversion and thus more sales.

In short, SEO provides great benefits for your business.

Can you do SEO yourself or is it better to outsource?

The advantage of outsourcing SEO is that you can be sure that your website optimization is in good hands. This is because an SEO agency or SEO specialist has extensive knowledge and experience in the three key components: content, technology and link building.

Because of this, an SEO specialist knows exactly what a successful SEO strategy looks like. SEO is constantly changing. When you outsource SEO, the person knows exactly what changes or updates are going on in this area.

Finally, SEO outsourcing gives you as a business owner more space to focus on the business. In fact, SEO requires a lot of time, energy and 100% attention.