The Exact SEO Implementation That Has brought Tens of Millions Of Dollars and Millions of Visitors To Our Clients.
When hiring an SEO agency or consultant, most business owners, CEOs, VPs and CMOS are kept in the dark. Why? Because they get locked in a “package” that may not be the best for their business.
#0: Competition Analysis
Snapshot of the competition analysis we create for your company
We build a competition analysis that takes into consideration 3 to 5 competitors and analyzes the most important factors for each of them against your company’s. This gives us an Eagle’s view of the differences between them and you.
The competition analysis shows an up to date snapshot of the growth and strategies each company is implementing . This information will guide the rest of the steps for your company’s personalized campaign. You’ll receive a deck with all the important metrics to look at and discuss.
The competition analysis focuses on finding what your competition is doing to win.
When looking at the current competition marketing landscape, we’re able to see what parts of your marketing need more attention based on what your competition is doing – and winning with.
We’ll use multiple tools and manual research to review and gather data. We’ll visit their websites, read, analyze and understand what they’re doing right, as well as visit their Linkedin page. We’ll also use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, MOZ, SEO Quake and others to pull important information for the analysis.
Then we will get all that data into a summarized, easy-to-understand Google Slide report that you and your team can read and understand.
This is a great way to have an eagle’s view of what’s happening right now and get a bigger picture of what we need to do.
#1: Technical Analysis
Snapshot of the technical analysis we create for you
We utilize a checklist created that has 219 rows which usually shrink into 150. What stands out about the technical analysis is the “comments” section where we add the steps to fix whatever issues your website has. This way there’s not guessing. In ADDITION to that we create a video with extra explanations which adds an extra level of explanation so your everyone is able to undrestand every single element of the report. Our clients LOVE this.
The technical analysis goes over pretty much every aspect of your website’s technical SEO elements
In order to perform this analysis we mainly use:
Screaming Frog: Which allows us to scrape your website in search of errors, patterns and problems that are causing or may cause problems with your website.
Google Search Console: Which allows us to search for additional problems you may not be aware your website has. From indexation issues to crawling errors.
Google Spread Sheets: To add, sort, analyze and present the data
Useloom: To record walk-through videos with explanations, observations and analysis.
#2: Keyword Gathering and Difficulty Measurement
Snapshot of part of the keyword difficulty distribution analysis
We use SEMRush to download ALL the keywords your website is ranking for in the top 10 results of Google. After that we create graph that takes into consideration the difficulty of each keyword and how many times a keyword of this difficulty is ranking in the top 10 results.
This allows us to visualize what is the strength of your website in terms of how difficult will be to rank for specific keywords that we can push up “easily”.
The keyword gathering evolves into finding quick wins we can attack right away.
When we have a keyword difficulty grading (KD) we find keywords between 5th and 15th positions, cross check with the current KD grading and then select those that will be easier to move up.
Sometimes the position filtering is based on the number of keywords your website is ranking for. Focusing on 150 keywords is more feasible than focusing on 10,000 keywords.
At this point we have a group of keywords.
Ranking at the bottom of page 1 top of page 2 we can focus on.
Graded in a way we know can compete and push to the top or middle of the first page.
#3: Keyword Cannibalization Analysis
Snapshot of a keyword cannibalization report
Keyword Cannibalization is the situation that happens when your website has two or more pages competing with each other for the same search terms. While this may seem to be a good thing, it could be the cause why some of your pages are stuck on the second page of Google (or below) for important searches for your company..
We use Ahrefs to do a full export of all the keywords your website is ranking for, upload it to Google Drive, apply some formulas and come up with a sheet that contains keywords that are being “cannibalized”.
Then we create a plan of action about what to do based on the particular situation of each keyword.
Keyword cannibalization can be treated with these two approaches
When finding a keyword cannibalization issue, there are 2 ways to tackle this issue – only when talking about KEY search terms for your company:
Merging: Combining the two pages that are competing with each other into a longer, better resource. The page or URL that “dissapeared” gets redirect to the better longer page.
Keeping: In some unique cases, both pages will stay on the website and will both be pushed to increase their rankings.
#4: Internal Link Strategy
Snapshot of an internal linking report
Internal linking is a great strategy to focus the power of specific pages on your website to areas you want to give more visibility. They have two purposes: #1 Increase the internal traffic of a section of your website and #2 Increase the visibility of that section of the website in Google.
In this case, our purpose is to power up option #2. We will focus on the quick win keywords and use internal links to boost the visibility of those keywords. This can be a powerful and fast way to give your website a boost in traffic.
Internal linking can be a fast way to boost visibility
In order to get the most of your internal links, we focus in two main areas:
Internal link analysis: Using screaming frog, we will look to your current internal linking structure and find areas of improvements modifying anchor texts, link positioning and frequency on existing pages
Internal link strategy: Using Google search operators we will find the pages Google things are more relevant to a specific topic or search term and build links from these pages (if there was none) or modify existing links to make them more optimized.
#5: Content Expansion
Snapshot of the content expansion sheet
The content in your website is what makes visitors to stay, be interested in what you have to offer, but it’s also the may way Google recognizes what a website and a page in your website is all about.
By finding content gaps, keyword expansions, updates in the content and improving the design and formatting we can take your current content and drive more traffic to it.
This is similar to the Skycraper technique used by Brian Dean but for existing content instead of creating new pieces of content.
Content Expansion brings additional traffic by improving content
To accomplish this we focus on:
Keyword expansion: Including more keywords that are related to the main search in a way that flows with the content brings a bigger keyword footprint and increases relevancy.
On Site Optimization: Positioning these keywords in specific areas of the content is also key to send Google the right signals to understand better your content.
Competition analysis: Looking at the top results we can analyze what they’re doing better and incorporate these elements to your pages as well.
Formatting: Updating the format and the design of your pages can create a better experience for your visitors that stay longer and convert better.
#6: Competition link building analysis
Snapshot of competitors link analysis
Some of the best links you can obtain to your website are the ones that are helping your competition be on the top positions. We go and find, gather, analyze and grade the links that your competitors have acquire to focus on obtaining them for your website as well.
Obtaining these links is not the easiest method, but it’s always the first step in the link building process.
If they got it, we try and get them too.
How to find and gather your competitors links?
We use three tools to do this:
Ahrefs: It has the highest link index database of all the tools available. That means it’s able to find a lot more links (in quantity) than any other tool.
SEMRush: Semrush is another great tool to find links from your competitors. It may bring some that Ahrefs have skipped for some reason.
Majestic SEO: Majestic is another tool that can give an extra layer of links that other tools may have missed.
Working with Ahrefs is usually enough, but we like to go the extra mile to find as many opportunities as possible.
After gathering all these link opportunities, we delete duplicates, sort them, analyze them and get them ready on a Google Sheet for the next step.
#7: Creating an outreach process and executing it
Snapshot of an example email pitch
Now that we have a good amount of competitor link opportunities, it’s time to find the information and emails of the website owners, preparing a document with a semi personalized pitch that resonates with them and then sending the emails to create a link.
This process is time consuming and tedious because it needs a lot of data processing, finding information that may not be easy to find and creating specific emails for each link.
Why is the outreach process time consuming and tedious?
The main reasons are:
Finding hidden information: When you find an article that links to one of your competitors, it is not always evident how to find the information of the person that wrote the article.
The contact page is usually one that won’t get you in touch with that person. We may need to go to LinkedIn, Twitter, use email finder tools to try communicate with the person in addition to using email validation tools.
Reading and personalizing: Using templatized emails like the ones you can find online when you search for “outreach emails” won’t give you the results you’re looking for. These templates have been so much that they become spam.
This may be some of the most valuable links we can get so going the extra step on creating semi-unique emails, however, takes time it’s worth it.
Following up: As a general rule, people are busy and the first email, most times than not, won’t get a response. That’s why following up multiple times with the person is necessary to end up acquiring these valuable links we dream of acquiring.
#8: Link Building
Snapshot of link building opportunities report
Now that we have a good amount of competitor link opportunities, it’s time to find the information and emails of the website owners, preparing a document with a semi personalized pitch that resonates with them and then sending the emails to create a link.
This process is time consuming and tedious because it needs a lot of data processing, finding information that may not be easy to find and creating specific emails for each link.
Our Full Link building Process:
Create an email account for your company: This could be creating a new gmail account or can be having you create a new email account with your domain on it. If we use an email from your domain, the recommended way of doing it is with a current employee’s name.
So if their current email is jane@yourdomain.com we’ll ask you to create jane.j@yourdomain.com. This way we have a unique domain to work with and don’t flood “Jane’s” inbox while at the same time we look credible when pitching ideas.
Anchor text analysis: Using different tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush and Majestic we’ll analyze the what is the anchor text of the current links that are pointing to your website and will compare it with your competitors’ anchor text.
Their anchor text is a fundamental part of why they’re winning and therefore the reason why we want your anchor text to be close or similar to theirs.
Link Audit: This is crucial to protect your website from future penalties. Even though Google has stated they “filter” bad links, it’s always important to take our own measurements to clean things up. It won’t be the first time we see a link-based penalty even if Google says they’re getting better at filtering “bad” links.
We’ll also look at the link velocity: How many links your competition is creating per month and losing per month. Then we’ll compare this to your site and take it into the mix.
Find Content assets: We’ll analyze what pieces of content you already have that can be used as content assets. Content assets are amazing pieces of content we can pitch to other websites/blogs that will fit their audience and complement their content. This is a win-win situation when done right.
Create a list of Search Operators: These are specific searches we perform in Google to bring filtered results that are potential websites or opportunities we can use to create links for your website.
Example: intitle:”industrial vacuum” AND “news” -inurl:news
This will bring websites that have “industrial vacuum” in the title as well as we word “news” but doesn’t have a string in the URL that is “news” (like website.com/news). This is likely to be websites that share and create news in this industry about this topic.
Create a list of websites: After we generate a list of search operators, we used them on Google and collect all the website that look like a good fit for your website. The number of websites collected depends on your budget.
Find contact information to pitch: After we collected websites that look like a good fit to create links from, we find the right contact information to send pitches (via email). This may include searching on Linkedin, Twitter, or other channels.
Create a personalized email: General pitches don’t work very well (as explained in previous sections). We create semi-personalized pitches that have a higher open rate and response rate than the average.
Follow up: Most people are busy and following up with them is a key important step to remind them we have something their audience may love. We usually do between 1 and 3 follow ups depending on the circumstances.
Reporting: As part of the entire process we include the link building as part of the report with live links, number of websites pitched, costs associated with it, etc.
⚡ IMPORTANT: Some of the websites will ask for a monetary contribution in order to get our articles or links on their websites. This is totally normal and is an extra budget you will need to have in place.
The most common link methods we use are:
* Link roundups
* Resource pages
* Broken link building
* Guest posting
* Sponsored posts
* Link reclamation
* Horizontal link building
* Local blogger link building
#9: Measurement and reporting
Snapshot of a data studio client report
Reporting is THE step that allows you to measure the results our services are delivering for your company. As a former Industrial Engineer, we know reporting is the best way to see how the project is moving along and the positive results we’re getting.
We’ll focus in the most important metrics: Traffic, conversions, goals and sales (if you have these setup)
How do we deliver reports?
There are two main ways:
Google Data Studio: This is one of the best ways to report changes in traffic, goals, sales, etc. We will create a Google Data Studio for you and analyze the current month right off the bat. After that, We’ll send on report every month comparing with the previous period.
Google Spreadsheets: There will be multiple Google spreadsheets that will contain information about the deliverables and the steps We’ve done for your company so you know what has been done and what are the next steps to come.
#10: How Much?
A dollar sign image :).
While We’ve seen big agencies charging 5x more per month for less than what we’ll do for you (some have white label our services and 2x our proposals). We’re a small agency and don’t have the overhead big agencies have. We’ve consulted with some big ones so we know the gist of it.
We have a simple pricing structure that usually goes from $2.5k per month to $50k+ per month and it’s based on your competition size and the amount of work that needs to get done. While we don’t always have capacity for more clients we’re always happy to have a quick talk with companies like yours.
About Our pricing
What is the difference between a $50k+ per month project and a $2.5k per month project?
Two simple things:
Competition: If you are competing with $80 Million companies you will qualify to be in the $10k/mo bracket. This means you may be a $20 million company looking to get more market share and grow to the $80 Million or $60 Million or $30 Million.
This includes your potential growth as well because if you want to grow from $20 Million to $30 Million will be different than to grow from $1 Million to $2 Million.
Amount of work needed: Depending on what are your company’s goals and how fast you want to grow, there will be more or less work we will need to put on.
Do you want to grow fast? Then we’ll need to do a ton of work. That means Bigger budgets.
Do you want to grow slower and be more conservative in your approach? Lower workload and budget.
When combining these two elements, competition and company’s goals you’ll be able to know what tier your company is in.
Answering these two questions will allow you to know your tier:
- How strong is our competition and how big our competitors are? (You can use hoovers.com to know their revenues).
- How fast do I want to grow?
Then you’ll know what tier your company is in.