building an SEO campaign from scratch
So, you’re building an SEO campaign from scratch for an HVAC business in Chicago. Let’s break down each step to make it clear:
- Build the Keyword Database: There are two parts to this:
- Export Existing Keywords: You start by analyzing what keywords the business is already ranking for. Use a tool like SEMrush, go to Domain Overview, enter the business domain, go to Organic Research, click on Position, and then export the data on the right-hand side. This gives you a foundation to work with.
- Keyword Gap Analysis: This helps you identify opportunities by finding keywords that competitors rank for, but the business does not, helping you target untapped search terms.
- Analyzing and Filtering Keywords:
- Prioritize High-Value Keywords: To find the most valuable keywords, filter by CPC (cost per click). This is the amount advertisers are paying per click on Google Ads, not the cost of SEO. High CPC usually signals keywords with commercial intent, meaning advertisers have likely done the math and see these keywords as profitable.
- Cluster by Location and Service: Look for patterns in keywords, such as “furnace repair Aurora” or “AC repair Lake Forest.” Clustering these by service (like furnace repair) and by specific city can help capture local traffic.
- Optimizing for Actionable Keywords:
- Focus on High-Value Keywords: Sort keywords with the highest CPC first and target those that align with your services and local markets. Instead of filtering by search volume, prioritize keywords that will bring in the most potential revenue.
- Conditional Formatting for Visual Clustering: Use Google Sheets or a similar tool to group keywords by formatting rows based on text. For example, highlight rows with certain city names. This will help you quickly see opportunities for specific service-location combinations.
- Combine SEO and Google Ads:
- In an ideal setup, you would run Google Ads and SEO campaigns together, which helps the business occupy more real estate in search results. This dual approach can drive more traffic and decrease the cost to acquire customers over time.
This step-by-step process is effective for getting results and will continue to work well for local businesses looking to improve their organic search traffic. Let me know if there’s any part of this process you’d like to dive deeper into!
