New Website.. From where to start with a SEO Plan ?

[qubesys]

Hi..

We have got two SEO and link builders working here in the office, putting in efforts is not a problem. And we have been doing SEO for our websites since a long time and they all rank well.

Since, I have signed up for SEOMOZ, which is the one stop with all the heavy duty SEO guys, so we would like to get some suggestions from the experts.

Ok here is the question.

We have launched a new website this week and we have got a new SEO client, whose website is 6 months old.

1. What should be a proper SEO plan for a new website ?  Got any Plan PDF or Buleprint, which you can send me ?

2. For the client website , he is ranking on 4-7th pages for his 4 keywords. Whats should be the correct way or plan to start doing SEO for them and get them to the first page ?

3. I feel like, doing competitive analysis is lacking with us and we are not good at evaluating that step. Whats the bet way to do competitive analysis ?

4. We are looking to build more and more links to the website . Whats the best way to make links ? Got any SEOMoz Blog post link, which explain this better or any forum thread which has got the tricks for this ?

[RyanKent]

I appreciate your explanation Gianluca but I still feel my response was appropriate.

Your original suggestion was by participating in blog commenting, I would more likely be viewed as an expert. As I shared, I have no need or desire to be viewed as an expert at this time. I share my knowledge and readers can draw their own conclusion.

You suggest blog commenting leads to higher visibility, higher trust in the community, natural outreach, branding, generating traffic to my site, etc. I have never sought nor desired any of those things.

My past mindset has always been I am one person with a full workload and am quite content. I am visible to my clients. I am trusted by my clients. I don't have a need for anything else right now.

I appreciate you are trying to share your experiences. I noticed you are a heavy participant in blog commenting. I don't wish to discourage you from an activity you enjoy or find productive.

As for EGOL's reply, I think you misunderstood. He shared with Q&A you know you are helping someone directly. With a blog comment, it may never been seen. Even if it is seen, readers may not find it helpful. How often do you go back to a blog article after having read it to check the comments? I never do.

This is one of the great aspects of SEOmoz. It offers something for everyone. Some people just use the tools, or the blogs. Others want a bit of everything.

Best wishes.

[gfiorelli1]

Hi Ryan... I think you have misunderstood what I wrote (maybe because I used a wrong example).

What I was saying is that if you do a correct use of comment marketing, meant as contributing to the community with your knowledge, your ideas and, why not, also with you doubts, you acquire an higher visibility and, with that, an higher trust in the community.

This trust, then, can lead to a natural outreach. For instance, if I wasn't so recognized here in the SEOmoz community, hardly I would have the followers I have and therefore hardly a post of mine could receive a natural buzz as it receives now. Or, again, without my commenting here, hardly I would have the occasion to enter in a conversation with people that, later, simply because they know me, go read my posts and cite them.

What I mean - and now I think to Brand, not to people - is that a correct use of comment marketing is to offer to you brand a respected voice and trusted. People will start going from the blog to your site generating organic traffic different from Google traffic, creating an important sources' diversification. And you, as link builder, can create connections with other bloggers/webmasters, which make overly easier to do outreach actions.

My comment had nothing to do with your activity here and simply I disagree with Egol that comments in a blog cannot be helpful for people reading it

[RyanKent]

If well done they [blogs] are a great tool for being recognized as an expert.

I think that is the misunderstanding. I can only speak for myself but my responses to Q&As are not designed to have myself viewed as an expert. If that was my focus, I would spend more time polishing my answers rather then proceeding to the next question. I would also divide my time with other sites like searchengineland and numerous other SEO communities.

I consider myself a student of SEO, not an expert, and I am certain I will feel the same way 10 years from now. Students are always open to learning and sharing knowledge. Students are willing to consider their knowledge is in error. In my experience many self-proclaimed experts are arrogant, hoarde "secrets" and are less willing to consider the words of others.

I have never even listed myself in the SEOmoz company directory. During my time at SEOmoz I have turned away multiple requests for SEO work as I have been too busy with my current clients. I have accepted a single consultation with an existing SEO who struggled with a penalty. It was a single 75 minute call with some follow up e-mails.

If it helps to know, I have decided to change my business model. Rather then being a sole SEO provider I have created a company and am having my website built. I will soon be accepting clients, hiring employees and perhaps then it could be beneficial for me to be seen as an "expert" by others, but it has never been the case in the past.

If you wish to speak further feel free to message me on the SEOmoz site or e-mail. I am glad this Q&A has been answered but I otherwise hate to sidetrack it any further.

[gfiorelli1]

Respectully I disagree. If well done they are a great tool for being recognized as an expert (obviously if you are so). Just look at many of comments here at Seomoz

[EGOL]

lol... funny question...

The activities of blog commenting and Q&A answering are very different.

Blog commenting is like "water cooler conversation" that sometimes is educational.....

...but Q&A is "helping someone" and that is always rewarding.

Big difference to me.

[RyanKent]

Thank you Gianluca

I am at my pc throughout the day and I check in to the Q&A quite often. The questions presented at times challenge my knowledge and understanding of SEO and I find them enjoyable. The ideas presented here by Sha, EGOL, Alan and others pull me outside of the box and I enjoy that as well.

I read the blogs about once every week or so. By the time I get to them, they often have plenty of comments. I don't feel my adding a +1 comment is helpful. If I do add something constructive or have a questions about a blog article, I find it does not get noticed if it isn't amongst the first comments.

If I were to listen to mom, I would spend my free time out looking for "the right woman". I find the SEOmoz Q&A is a lot cheaper!

[qubesys]

Great answer! That clears a lot of questions.

[gfiorelli1]

What Ryan says is perfect...

but i'd like to add another think you should start asap in order to:

1. to start the brand recognition of your client's site;
2. to put the base for future link buliding outreach

Create social profiles (twtiter, facebook and linkedin to start) for your client and start actions like social media marketing, comment marketing (not comment spam marketing), forum, Q&A sites, guest blogging and so on.

Ideally you client site should have to have a blog, and start using it since the day 1 writing NOT PROMOTIONAL posts about its market area and use that same content in order to perform the the inbound actions suggested above.

On Page is surely the start, but inbound should follow - metaphorically -after 5 minutes-

[dlrPaul]

Completely agree with Ryan, 100% focus on on-page optimisation. Utilise the on-page analysis tool here at SEOMoz and get the site right before commencing your link building campaign

[gfiorelli1]

I have a question for you Ryan: how much time do you spend here at SEOmoz Q&A? You answer every question Good job, really. But I'd like to see you more commenting the blogs' post (just 3 comments...) Ciao!

[RyanKent]

What should be a proper SEO plan for a new website ?  Got any Plan PDF or Buleprint, which you can send me ?

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/an-seo-checklist-for-new-sites-whiteboard-friday?

For the client website , he is ranking on 4-7th pages for his 4 keywords. Whats should be the correct way or plan to start doing SEO for them and get them to the first page ?

Everyone will answer this question differently as there are many factors involved. My preference is to focus 100% of my efforts on onpage SEO until the site is solid. Off page SEO, namely link building, never ends. Onsite SEO can be completed to a point and then you move on.

Otherwise there is a need for keyword analysis. The point is not only to get the site to the 1st page, but to the top 3 results. Research shows the overwhelming majority of traffic is acquired by the top 3 results. Lower results still have value, especially on keywords with a lot of traffic, but you really want to focus on getting in the top 3.

I feel like, doing competitive analysis is lacking with us and we are not good at evaluating that step. Whats the bet way to do competitive analysis ?

The first step is visiting your top 3 competitor's sites. Examine every detail from the navigation to their content to their overall design and layout. Try to determine where your competitors are doing a better job then you are and catch up or beat them. Once the onsite analysis is complete, it is time to examine links.

We are looking to build more and more links to the website . Whats the best way to make links ?

http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo/growing-popularity-and-links

http://www.seomoz.org/article/the-professional-guide-to-link-building-2011

If you have similar questions, try a quick SEARCH using the box in the upper-right corner. The SEOmoz internal search results are quite excellent. I am not sure how they sort, but the first few results will usually cover your needs.