Learn what a modern, strategic SEO engagement involves and how each element works together to drive sustainable organic growth with Medium Marketing’s complete guide to SEO Strategy.
1. Why Strategy Comes Before Tactics
Here’s what most businesses get wrong about SEO: they measure success by traffic growth. An agency shows them a beautiful upward-trending graph, website visits are up 50%! The dashboard looks positive, however in reality – these are vanity metrics.
The real question is “what’s the growth in customers coming from organic traffic?”
This is the fundamental flaw in how most people think about SEO. More traffic isn’t inherently good if it’s not driving more conversions. You can rank number one for dozens of keywords and still see zero impact on revenue if those keywords don’t attract your ideal customers or if your site isn’t structured to convert them.
The Complexity Problem
Even if you do understand that SEO should drive business outcomes rather than just traffic, there’s another challenge: SEO , like the rest of marketing has become even more complex and fragmented.
Consider the sheer range of activities that fall under the SEO umbrella these days. You’ve got technical SEO—dealing with site speed, mobile responsiveness, crawlability, and indexation. There’s on-page SEO covering title tags, meta descriptions, header structures, and internal linking. Link building remains critical but has evolved beyond simple directory submissions and guest post blogs into sophisticated digital PR campaigns and a focus on organic link building (rather than just paying for links).
Site architecture and information hierarchy determine whether search engines can understand your content easily and also drives user experience which is also now an important component of SEO. Page load times and Core Web Vitals now directly impact rankings.
Then there’s content, which itself has exploded in complexity. It’s not just about blog posts anymore. You need to think about formats other than text including video, images, infographics, podcasts, interactive tools and how each serves different search intents and user preferences. Some queries demand long-form guides, others want quick answers or visual demonstrations.
Add to this the growth of new SEO techniques like digital PR—where you’re earning media coverage and high-authority backlinks through newsworthy campaigns rather than traditional outreach. Factor in the rapid emergence of AI SEO, where artificial intelligence is already seriously disrupting how content is created, how search results are presented, and how users interact with search engines. AI overviews in search results mean ranking number one isn’t what it used to be.
It’s overwhelming. And when everything seems important, nothing gets prioritised properly.
Why SEO Strategy Matters
This is precisely why strategy and planning are absolutely critical. Without a clear strategic framework, you end up doing a bit of everything and excelling at nothing. You spread resources too thin. You chase tactics because they seem trendy rather than because they serve your business objectives. You implement changes without understanding how they connect to revenue.
What we focus on is different: prioritising activities to achieve specific business objectives. Not “improve SEO” as a vague goal, but “increase qualified leads from organic search by 40%” or “reduce customer acquisition cost by improving conversion rates on high-intent pages.”
This means making hard choices about what to do first, second, and third. It means sometimes saying no to tactics that work for other businesses but don’t serve your specific situation. It means measuring success by business impact, not vanity metrics.
In this guide, you’ll learn the exact elements of an SEO strategy and what you should expect in an agency engagement, how each component is assessed and optimised with business outcomes in mind, and why architecture matters more than most agencies admit. We’ll walk through the roadmap from audit to implementation to results, and show you what success looks like at each stage, measured in conversions and revenue, not just traffic and rankings.
Let’s dive into what you should expect when working with a professional agency that puts SEO strategy before tactics.
2. Discovery: Understanding Your Business
Before Keywords Come Questions
A good SEO strategy starts with understanding your business, not your website. This might seem counterintuitive, but the best agencies spend time learning about your business model and more importantly – who your customer is. What are the keywords people are clicking on to get to your website, what is the strength of your brand (determined by the search volume of people searching for your brand) and how strong is your domain profile compared to your competitor?
From here we can start to assess what the low hanging fruits are vs the longer more strategic keywords (which are likely to be more competitive). While most agencies say SEO takes six to twelve months, we aim to achieve results in as little as three with a roadmap of how to get there.
The initial audit
When you buy a house or a car, you usually engage a professional to do a thorough review of the asset before you make. a decision on whether to purchase or not with full knowledge of what the problems are.
Similarly, we have a 100 point audit checklist which covers the following areas:
- Technical SEO
- Backlink profile
- Domain strength vs the competition
- User experience
- Conversion rate optimisation
3. Keyword Research
Beyond Simple Keyword Lists
Most agencies deliver a spreadsheet of keywords which they export from a tool like Ahrefs or SEM Rush and say here’s our targetlist. They may be relevant, but that’s not a strategy. Strategic keyword research goes much deeper and we prioritise and organise keywords based on commercial intent vs top of funnel (which. isstill important).
Business Intent Mapping
Let’s be clear about something: not all keywords are created equal, even if they have similar search volumes. A keyword like “enterprise CRM software pricing” is gold for a SaaS company because it signals high commercial intent—someone searching this is ready to evaluate options and likely has budget allocated. That’s a keyword you prioritise highly because it drives demo requests and qualified leads.
Compare that to “how to reduce customer churn,” which is still valuable but sits earlier in the journey. Someone searching this is problem-aware but might not be ready to evaluate solutions yet. They’re perfect for building authority and nurturing through content, but they’re not going to convert immediately. That’s a medium priority keyword that serves a different business goal—education and relationship building.
Then you’ve got navigational keywords like “[your company name] review” where people are specifically looking for information about your brand. These are high priority because you need to control your brand narrative. If you’re not ranking for your own brand terms, competitors or review sites are telling your story for you.
Opportunity Analysis
Not all keywords are worth targeting, even if they’re relevant. Strategic research evaluates the full picture: search volume versus competition, business value, and whether the intent actually aligns with what you offer.
High search volume keywords with high keyword difficulty (KD) are usually your long-term plays; you need to build authority over time before you can realistically rank. Medium search volume, low KD keywords are your “low hanging fruit”, where you can gain traction relatively fast. And low volume, no competition keywords can give you niche dominance, especially if they’re highly relevant to your ideal customer.
The Keyword Matrix
Every keyword needs to be organised by where it sits in your funnel. Top of funnel keywords drive awareness content—people are just learning about the problem or exploring options. Middle of funnel keywords feed your consideration content—they’re evaluating different approaches and solutions. Bottom of funnel keywords convert through your decision content—they’re ready to choose a vendor and just need the final information to make that choice.
We also organise keywords by content type because different searches require different formats. Some keywords are best served by blog posts and articles, others by service or product pages. Comparison pages work brilliantly for certain searches, while tools, calculators, case studies, and testimonials all have their place in a comprehensive strategy.
Finally, everything gets prioritised. Must-have keywords are your core business terms—you absolutely need to own these. Should-have keywords represent clear opportunities where you can gain competitive advantage. Nice-to-have keywords are your long-tail expansion plays that you tackle once the foundation is solid.
4. What You'll Actually Receive
At the end of the keyword research phase, you should receive a primary keyword list of 20-50 high-priority keywords. Each one should include search volume and difficulty metrics, a business value assessment, recommended content format, and current versus target rankings. This isn’t just data—it’s a roadmap for action.
You’ll also get a secondary keyword list of 100-200 supporting keywords, organised into topical clusters and themes, with long-tail variations and even voice search considerations where relevant. This gives you a content pipeline that extends well beyond the first few months.
The competitive keyword gap analysis shows you keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t, opportunities they’re missing that you can capitalise on, and your unique keyword advantages. This competitive intelligence shapes your strategy and helps you find white space in the market.
Finally, you’ll receive keyword-to-page mapping that clearly shows which pages should target which keywords, what new pages you need to create, which existing pages need optimisation, and where content consolidation opportunities exist to eliminate cannibalisation issues.
5. Content Strategy
Content Strategy vs. Content Creation
Content strategy is essentially the plan. Content creation is the execution. Most agencies skip straight to creation without strategy, which is like building a house without architectural plans, you might end up with something, but it probably won’t be what you need.
A strategic content approach starts with understanding what you already have before creating anything new.
Content Audit and Gap Analysis
Before writing a single word of new content, we need to take stock of your existing content inventory. Every page, every post, every resource gets catalogued with its current performance metrics, keyword targeting (if any exists), user engagement data, and contribution to conversions. This isn’t busy work, it’s essential intelligence.
From there, we identify gaps in your content. These are the topics your audience is searching for that you haven’t covered yet, weak content that needs significant improvement to be competitive, cannibalisation issues where you’ve got multiple pages competing for the same keyword (which dilutes your authority), and outdated content that needs updating to remain relevant and accurate.
Equally important is identifying content pruning opportunities. Thin content should be consolidated or removed entirely, duplicate content issues need to be resolved, and pages that dilute your authority or hurt your crawl budget should be addressed. Sometimes less is more, a smaller site with higher-quality content often outperforms a bloated site full of mediocre pages.
Topic Clustering Strategy
Modern SEO isn’t about individual keywords anymore. It’s about comprehensive topic coverage that establishes you as an authority in your field. This is where topic clusters come in.
Your pillar content forms the foundation, comprehensive guides on your core topics that target high-volume head terms. These are substantial pieces, typically 3,000-5,000+ words, that cover a topic thoroughly. Think “The Complete Guide to Customer Retention” rather than “5 Tips for Better Retention.”
Supporting this pillar are your cluster pieces, detailed posts on specific subtopics that target long-tail keywords. These might be 1,500-2,500 words each and dive deep into specific aspects of the pillar topic. For example, “7 Email Strategies to Reduce Churn” or “How to Identify At-Risk Customers Early.”
The magic happens in the internal linking structure. All cluster content links back to the pillar page, establishing it as the authority. The pillar page links out to all relevant cluster pieces. And cluster pieces link to related cluster pieces where relevant. This creates a web of topical authority that search engines recognise and reward, while also helping readers navigate related content naturally.
Content Format Strategy
Different queries require different formats, and understanding this is crucial to meeting user intent effectively.
Educational content, your how-to guides, tutorials, and explainer articles—works best for awareness stage queries. People are learning about a problem or exploring concepts, so they need clear, thorough explanations without heavy sales pitches.
Comparative content shines in the consideration stage. “X vs. Y” comparisons, “Best [solution] for [use case]” guides, and “Alternative to [competitor]” pages serve people actively evaluating options. They know what they need; they’re just trying to figure out which option is right for them.
Commercial content handles the decision stage. Your service and product pages, pricing pages, and case studies speak to people ready to make a purchase decision. They’re past the education phase and need the specific information to choose you over alternatives.
Interactive content, calculators, tools, assessments, and quizzes, works across all stages but excels at engagement and data collection. They provide immediate value while also helping you qualify leads and understand what visitors are looking for.
Content Calendar and Production Plan
Once strategy is set, you’ll receive a detailed content roadmap. This monthly content plan specifies exactly what topics and keywords we’re targeting, target publish dates, content format and length, internal linking strategy, and promotion plans. Nothing is left to chance.
The content production process itself is clearly mapped out with timelines for research and outline creation, first draft development, review and revision, SEO optimisation, and publishing workflow. You’ll know who’s responsible for each stage and when to expect deliverables.
Finally, we establish a content refresh schedule because content isn’t a “create it and forget it” asset. Top performers get quarterly updates to maintain their rankings and relevance. All content gets annual comprehensive reviews. Seasonal content gets updated as needed. And when breaking news affects your industry, we have a response plan ready to capitalise on the moment.
6. Data Strategy
Why Data Organisation Matters
Most websites treat data organisation as an afterthought, and that’s exactly why their analytics are messy, their reporting is unclear, and they can’t measure what actually works. Without proper data organisation from the start, you’re flying blind, you might know that organic traffic increased, but you won’t know which specific strategies drove that growth or which segments of traffic actually convert.
Strategic data organisation is about creating a measurement framework that connects every SEO activity to business outcomes.
Measurement Framework Setup
Before any implementation begins, we establish a clear goal hierarchy. At the top are your primary goals, the things that actually matter to your business like revenue and qualified leads. Supporting these are secondary goals like engagement metrics and newsletter signups that indicate interest and intent. Then we’ve got micro-conversions like content downloads and specific page views that help us understand the path to conversion. Finally, we set up event tracking to capture all the meaningful interactions that tell us whether our strategy is working.
Attribution modelling is equally critical because not everyone converts on their first visit. We need to understand the full customer journey. First-touch attribution shows us what creates awareness—how people initially discover you. Last-touch attribution reveals what closes deals—the final touchpoint before conversion. Multi-touch attribution gives us the complete picture of the entire journey. And we specifically track organic’s role in the customer journey because it often assists rather than closes, and that contribution needs to be visible.
We also create custom segments that let us analyse performance at a granular level: organic traffic by device (because mobile and desktop users often behave differently), organic traffic by location (because regional variations matter), new versus returning organic visitors (because they have different needs), and organic traffic by funnel stage (so we can see what’s working at each point in the journey).
Tracking Implementation
Proper tracking setup ensures we can actually measure results, not just make educated guesses. On the essential side, we’re setting up Google Analytics 4 with proper configuration, verifying Google Search Console access, implementing conversion tracking for all your goals, adding enhanced ecommerce tracking if you’re selling products, and creating custom event tracking for important interactions that don’t automatically get captured.
Advanced tracking takes this further with scroll depth tracking (to see if people are actually reading your content), video engagement tracking (because video is increasingly important), exit intent tracking (to understand where and why people leave), form abandonment tracking (to identify friction points in your conversion process), and internal link click tracking (to see how people navigate through your content).
The real power comes from data integration. We connect your CRM so we can see closed-loop reporting from first visit to closed customer. Call tracking integration ensures phone conversions are attributed correctly. Chat widget data gets captured so we know which content drives conversations. And email marketing platforms connect so we can see how organic traffic engages with your email nurture campaigns. This complete picture is what separates strategic SEO from tactical SEO.
Reporting Framework
Once tracking is in place, you need clear, actionable reporting. Your monthly SEO dashboard should show organic traffic trends over time, keyword ranking movements (not just raw numbers but directional movement), your top converting pages, technical health status, and where you stand compared to competitors.
Content performance reports reveal which topics drive the most traffic, which content actually converts best, engagement metrics broken down by content type, and opportunities to refresh existing content for even better results.
But what really matters are your business impact reports. These show organic leads generated, revenue attributed to organic traffic, customer acquisition cost from organic compared to other channels, and the lifetime value of customers acquired through organic search. These metrics connect your SEO investment directly to business outcomes, which is exactly what executives and stakeholders need to see.
7. Site Architecture
Why Architecture Is Critical
Site architecture is the unsexy part of SEO that most agencies ignore. But here’s the truth: without solid architecture, nothing else matters. You can have brilliant content, perfect keywords, and authoritative backlinks, but if your site structure is a mess, you’ll never achieve your potential.
Good architecture creates better user experience because people can find what they need quickly and intuitively. It makes navigation easier for search engines, which means they can crawl and index your content more efficiently. It builds stronger topical authority by showing clear relationships between related content. It creates clear conversion paths that guide visitors toward taking action. And critically, it enables scalable content organisation that grows with your business instead of becoming more chaotic over time.
Poor architecture, on the other hand, leads to confusing user journeys where people can’t find what they’re looking for. It wastes crawl budget as search engines struggle to understand your site structure. It dilutes page authority by spreading link equity inefficiently. It creates cannibalisation issues where your own pages compete against each other. And it becomes a maintenance nightmare that gets worse with every new piece of content you add.
Information Architecture Assessment
A strategic engagement includes a complete architecture audit, starting with your site structure. We’re asking: how many levels deep does content sit? Is the structure logical and intuitive, or do you have to already know what you’re looking for to find it? Are related topics grouped together in ways that make sense? And can users find what they need in three clicks or less? If the answer to that last question is no, we’ve got work to do.
Your URL structure gets a thorough review as well. Are URLs descriptive and keyword-rich without being overly long? Is there a consistent naming convention across the site? Are URLs as short as possible while remaining clear about what’s on the page? Do URLs actually reflect the site hierarchy, or are they just random strings that tell you nothing?
Navigation assessment looks at whether your primary navigation aligns with user intent—does it help people accomplish what they came to do? Is your footer navigation strategic, or is it just a dumping ground for links? Are breadcrumbs implemented correctly to show users where they are? And is there a clear path to conversion on every page, or do some pages just dead-end without giving visitors a next step?
Silo Architecture Strategy
Let’s talk about moving beyond the flat blog structure that most sites default to. A traditional flat structure has your homepage, then a blog section, and then just a long list of random posts with no clear organisation. This worked okay ten years ago, but it’s terrible for modern SEO.
A strategic siloed structure organises content into clear topic categories. Under each category, you’ve got a pillar page that comprehensively covers the core topic. Supporting that pillar are targeted articles that go deep on specific subtopics, case studies that prove the concepts work, and comparison pages or other formats that serve different search intents within that topic area.
The benefits of proper siloing are substantial. Search engines understand topical relationships much better when content is clearly organised. Authority flows logically through related content instead of being spread randomly across the site. Users discover related content naturally through clear pathways. The content organisation scales elegantly as you grow. And critically, everything becomes easier to maintain and update because you know exactly where things belong.
User Experience Optimisation
Architecture directly impacts user experience, and Google knows this. They’re increasingly using behaviour signals like bounce rate, time on site, and pogo-sticking to assess whether your site actually serves users well.
Your page template strategy needs to reflect this. Service pages should be optimised for conversions with clear value propositions and strong calls to action. Blog posts should be optimised for engagement with related content recommendations and easy sharing. Category pages should be optimised for discovery, helping people find what they’re looking for quickly. Resource pages should be optimised for lead generation, making it easy to access valuable content in exchange for contact information.
Mobile-first architecture is non-negotiable now. That means simplified navigation for smaller screens—you can’t just shrink your desktop navigation and call it mobile-friendly. Touch-friendly interface elements are essential because thumbs are bigger than mouse cursors. Progressive disclosure of information keeps mobile pages from feeling overwhelming. And everything needs to load fast on mobile networks, which are often slower and less reliable than broadband.
Conversion path optimisation ensures that every page gives visitors a clear next step. Clear calls to action above the fold so people know what to do. Multiple conversion opportunities per page because different people are ready at different points. Logical next steps at the conclusion of content so readers don’t just leave after finishing an article. And exit intent strategies to capture people who are about to leave.
Taxonomy and Organisation
Going beyond basic categories means thinking strategically about how content is organised and tagged. Your primary categories should align with your core service offerings—this helps with keyword targeting and makes navigation intuitive. They need to match how customers actually think about their problems, not how you internally organise your business. They should support your keyword strategy by targeting important category-level terms. And they need to enable easy filtering and navigation so people can drill down to what they need.
Tags and attributes work alongside categories to enable cross-category discovery. They support advanced filtering so users can combine multiple criteria. They improve internal search results by providing multiple ways to find content. And they create dynamic content groups that automatically update as you publish new content.
Let’s look at a concrete example. For a marketing agency, your services might be your primary categories: SEO Strategy, Content Marketing, Paid Advertising, and Conversion Optimisation. But then you add industries as secondary taxonomy: SaaS, Ecommerce, Professional Services, and Healthcare. And you use content type as tertiary taxonomy: Guides, Case Studies, Tools, and Webinars.
This organisation enables powerful combinations. You can show someone all SEO case studies for SaaS companies. You can display content marketing guides specifically for healthcare organisations. You can create dynamic landing pages for every meaningful combination without having to manually create and maintain each one. And you can personalise content recommendations based on what someone has already shown interest in.
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