This post concludes our four-part search engine optimisation tutorial. Here we look at Bambrick Media’s SEO process, which includes rankings analysis, keyword research, URL architecture and keyword mapping, local optimisation and citations, and ongoing campaign monitoring.

Originally the local pack appeared down below the organic listings and showed 7 businesses:

Rankings analysis and keyword research

Our SEO process begins with a comprehensive audit of your website which includes identifying any keywords for which your site is currently ranking. We will also undertake an analysis of your site’s backlinks which helps to determine any issues which may be hindering your SEO success. Your keywords are then grouped based on similarities in context and themes, and we then use a combination of digital tools, including Google Search Console, and manual analysis to identify which pages are supporting those rankings.

By identifying which pages are supporting your keyword rankings, we can identify which content to retain and/or refresh, and which can potentially be removed or reworded to aid the user experience and freshen up your current website or the new site that you’re transitioning to. This is a crucially important part of the process as reducing keyword mentions would likely have a negative effect on your search rankings.

Keyword research comes next. We identify and analyse additional keywords relevant to your business and sector for which you’re not currently ranking on the first page, or at all, which helps us to identify keyword-based opportunities to drive a high volume of qualified traffic and leads to your site. Once we have your approval for the new keywords, we then group these with the existing ranking keywords by similarity and context.

URL architecture and keyword mapping

Based on our analysis of your site, we then recommend the ideal hierarchical URL structure that will deliver the best possible rankings for your search location and maximum SEO benefits. Laying out the ideal URL structure at this stage enables us to map both existing and new keywords to the recommended structure of the site. Not all pages are targeted with new keywords, only those that will deliver maximum visibility and increase your sales and revenue.

This approach also enables us to enhance and improve the internal linking structures Google uses to establish the semantic context of your site, which also has the effect of improving level 2 and 3 pages and keyword rankings. Implementing an appropriate internal linking structure is beneficial for:

  • Aiding user navigation
  • Establishing the information hierarchy of a site
  • Spreading link juice or ranking power around the site

Without an appropriate URL structure that allows search engine spiders to browse the pathways of a website, the spiders may not be able to access and index certain pages which means, as far as Google is concerned, they don’t exist. That means they won’t show in search results and any content, including valuable keyword-rich content that could propel the page to the top of page 1, will be rendered useless.

And while it’s vitally important to have links between pages, it’s also important not to go overboard. The optimal website structure resembles a pyramid, with links from the homepage leading to main category pages which then link to subcategory pages. If necessary, we may recommend implementing a new website structure to aid indexation as well as user experience. Additionally, we will also make recommendations concerning the optimisation of:

  • Robots txt, sitemap, site speed, breadcrumbs and canonical URL
  • Metadata (title tags, meta descriptions, image, H1 & H2 tags)
  • Breadcrumbs, NAP and business schema

If you are transitioning to a new website, we will also provide a list of the 301 redirects required to ensure minimal rankings losses. A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect which passes 90-99% of the rank power or link equity from the original page to the redirected page on the new site.

Local optimisation and citations

Local search has been increasing in importance for some time and it’s only going to become more important as consumers the world over increasingly search for businesses online. Local search engine optimisation uses a combination of strategies, including Google My Business listings, business directory listings (True Local, Yelp, Foursquare, etc.), localised on-site content and online reviews (with GMB the most important).

Business directory listings (citations) are highly beneficial for local SEO because these listings help Google understand who your business is, its location, the products and services you offer, and it also shows Google that you’re a trustworthy business, the kind that will be helpful for its users. Don’t forget that Google has a vested interest in the business that’s brought about by its search results and that it wants its users to have positive experiences so they will continue to turn to Google every time they need to find something.

Consistency is key when it comes to online business listings, especially when it comes to Google My Business listings. As part of your campaign, we will audit, optimise and consolidate your existing GMB pages and create new ones where necessary. We also audit and optimise your current listings to ensure consistency with your GMB page and identify new business listing opportunities.

Not only does Google look at business directory listings, but it also looks at the quantity and quality of inbound links from other websites to yours. As low-quality links can harm your SEO efforts, we audit all the links on your site, keeping quality links in place and removing or disavowing any low-quality links that have the potential to hurt your rankings.

As part of your campaign, we will produce high-quality content to distribute on quality websites with high DA (Domain Authority), which is a search engine ranking score that predicts how well a website will rank on SERPs. We also use the DA score to track the ranking strength of your website as your campaign progresses and compare websites, especially sites used for link building purposes. As the quality and quantity of your site’s inbound link profile increases, so too will your organic rankings, which leads to greater website traffic and lead volumes.

Ongoing campaign monitoring

Once our recommendations have been implemented (and we continue to work on your citations and link building) we will continuously monitor the progress of your SEO campaign. We provide monthly reports outlining the visits and conversions generated by organic search, the search engines which generate organic visits, your tracked keyword rankings, along with your organic search visibility and tracked keyword rankings compared to your competitors.

Ongoing campaign monitoring keeps you up to date with the progress of your SEO campaign and enables us to make further recommendations regarding the optimisations required to keep #1 keywords in place and move lower-ranked keywords up the rankings to page 1, into the top 5 and then to #1. It’s also important to bear in mind that there is no end goal with SEO and that an ongoing process of monitoring and optimisation is required to keep your site ranked at the top of search engine results pages for your most important keywords.

This concludes our four-part search engine optimisation tutorial. We hope it’s proven insightful and that it helps you better understand how we use Google-friendly techniques to improve your SEO ranking.

Bambrick Media is a leading SEO company in Brisbane dedicated to delivering the best SEO services to get your business in front of more customers looking for businesses like yours. To speak with a team member about your SEO goals, what should SEO cost and how we can help, please contact us here.