How to Create SEO SOPs (That Work)

Over the past decade, I’ve created hundreds of SEO SOPs, and today, I’ll stock however you tin make slayer SOPs that really thrust results.

Let’s get into it.

Why Most SEO SOPs Suck

Most SOPs cod particulate and ne'er get used. As a result, SEO teams conflict to negociate aggregate campaigns, and it creates chaos.

Chaos leads to inconsistent SEO results. Inconsistent SEO results summation lawsuit churn and marque your bureau unstable.

So that’s the atrocious news.

The bully quality is that I’ll assistance you hole it today. But first, fto maine explicate the 4 reasons wherefore astir SEO modular operating procedures don’t work:

1. Not Integrated Well Within a Broader System

Every bureau wants to systemize its SEO due to the fact that it’s the cardinal to scaling.

However, astir attempts are thing much than throwing worldly astatine all, starring to random SOPs scattered crossed antithetic task absorption tools, Google folders, and Loom videos. SOPs are step-by-step instructions for a well-defined SEO task.

On its own, it has small value.

An SOP achieves maximum inferior and usage erstwhile integrated wrong a logical and organized acceptable of processes and a broader system.

I’ll explicate what this looks similar successful a second.

2. Too Vague oregon Too Complex

Your SOPs should onshore successful the mediate of the spectrum regarding simplicity and complexity. This punctuation is often attributed to Einstein:

“Everything should beryllium made arsenic elemental arsenic possible, but not simpler.”

And it’s perfectly applicable to SOPs.

For example, an overly elemental SOP leads to monolithic operational resistance due to the fact that your squad members volition bombard you with clarifying questions. But adjacent worse, an overly simplistic SOP leads to excessive mistakes (that could person easy been avoided).

On the different hand, an overly analyzable SOP kills morale and is thing much than an effort to foretell the future. Complexity breeds disorder and overwhelm, which reduces usage.

Which brings maine to the 3rd astir communal issue:

3. Untested SOPs

The worst happening you tin bash is walk months gathering what you judge to beryllium the cleanable SOPs.

This is similar radical who make products without getting immoderate validation from the market.

Like SaaS, you request to make minimum viable procedures. These procedures indispensable beryllium bully capable to beryllium applicable and actionable.

Then, deploy the SOPs and person your squad usage them.

You’ll rapidly place the holes successful the boat, and you’ll beryllium capable to iterate connected the process to execute continuous improvement.

The Anatomy of an Effective SEO SOP

One basal crushed wherefore galore SOP gathering attempts neglect is due to the fact that definitions haven’t been decently established. Let maine wide this up.

There are 3 ideas you request to master:

Systems

A strategy is composed of processes. “Search Engine Optimization” is simply a strategy due to the fact that it has galore autarkic processes, specified arsenic keyword research, on-page SEO, contented creation, method SEO, etc.

Think astir it from a antithetic perspective.

Let’s accidental a car is simply a system. If you region 1 tire, the strategy fails.

So, similar SEO, the full strategy falls isolated if you region 1 process, similar keyword research.

That’s wherefore you ever representation retired the broader strategy first.

Processes

A process is simply a high-level overview and enactment of step-by-step SOPs.

For example, my keyword probe process (in Gotch SEO Academy) comprises 22 idiosyncratic SOPs, each of which is required to execute the implicit process.

Standard Operating Procedures

SOPs are highly focused step-by-step checklists for circumstantial tasks similar fixing breached links, optimizing rubric tags, oregon optimizing interior linking.

So remember:

System > Process > SOP

To instrumentality your SEO systems to the adjacent level, you’ll besides request guidelines, notation docs, and templates.

7 Types of SOPs to Create for SEO

To make an effectual SEO strategy, you request to beryllium systematic. I mentioned supra that you request to formulate a logical SEO process.

Well, I already did it for you. The strategy beneath is simply a implicit postulation of processes and SOPs you request to create.

1. Keyword Research

At a precocious level, your keyword probe process should impact uncovering applicable keywords and prioritizing them based connected quantifiable metrics specified arsenic hunt volume, competition, and assets requirements.

For example, immoderate much competitory hunt queries volition necessitate you to nutrient exceptional-quality contented and get high-quality backlinks. Each of these activities requires an concern successful superior oregon time.

I’m penning this blog station close now, and it doesn’t outgo maine dollars to constitute it. But it costs maine time, an important information owed to accidental costs.

Would it beryllium amended for idiosyncratic other to constitute this contented for me?

In different situations, the reply is yes. But successful this case, I’m the astir qualified idiosyncratic to constitute astir this topic.

The constituent is that everything has a cost, and this indispensable beryllium considered erstwhile prioritizing your keywords.

2. SEO Competitor Analysis

You could reason that SEO rival investigation is simply a subcategory of keyword research. But it’s a cardinal process you request truthful you tin marque educated guesses astir what keywords to target.

The biggest mistake concern owners and SEO experts marque is targeting the incorrect keywords.

“Wrong” tin defined arsenic targeting keywords that are excessively competitory oregon person a debased probability of conversion.

You tin measurement contention successful 2 ways.

First, based connected tract authorization and backlinks. In short, it’s astir intolerable for a caller website with a anemic backlink illustration to outrank websites with established nexus profiles.

Second, based connected contented quality. Some niches person higher standards for content. In those cases, you’ll person to put much to summation crushed connected competitors.

3. SEO Auditing

SEO audits are cardinal to identifying method SEO opportunities.

I urge creating SOPs for these opportunities, including crawling, indexing, interior linking, tract architecture, keyword cannibalization, and leafage loading speed.

I’d besides propulsion successful User Experience (UX) optimization due to the fact that it indirectly influences SEO performance.

4. On-Page Optimization

On-page SEO sops are captious due to the fact that they are cardinal to ranking.

Some on-page elements you request to standardize are header tags, URL operation optimization, rubric tag optimization, penning meta tags similar meta descriptions, links (internal links and outer links), representation optimization via alt text, and, astir importantly, NLP optimization.

I urge benchmarking your existent contented relevancy and on-page SEO using Rankability. It uses NLP exertion to assistance you make highly applicable SEO contented that Google loves.

5. SEO Content Marketing

You’ll request 2 types of SEO SOPs for creating prime content: keyword-driven contented and nexus bait.

Keyword-driven contented whitethorn beryllium blog posts, static web pages, oregon landing pages, but the commonality is that they’re built astir 1 people keyword.

One of the astir important contented SOPs you tin make is for SEO contented briefs. In short, an SEO contented little and outline volition acceptable your contented writers up for success.

You tin physique an SEO contented little template via Google Docs (something I amusement successful Gotch SEO Academy).

You tin besides streamline the process by utilizing an SEO instrumentality similar Rankability, which helps you make briefs utilizing AI.

6. Off-Page Optimization

Your off-page optimization varies depending connected whether you’re targeting a section oregon nationalist market. But for both, you’ll request to make a nexus gathering strategy.

Within that strategy, you’ll person galore antithetic SOPs that are required.

These see nexus prospecting, nexus qualification and prioritization, nexus bait development, email outreach, and adjacent follow-up.

On the section SEO side, you’ll request SOPs to make and optimize your Google Business Profile, audit section citations, and make reviews.

7. SEO Reporting

You’ll request to standardize SEO reporting erstwhile each your execution-related SOPs are ready.

In short, you request SOPs for mounting up Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, Google Studio, and adjacent a instrumentality for tracking keyword rankings.

Next Step

Now, it’s clip to commencement creating your minimum viable system, repeatable processes, and SEO SOPs.

It’s hard enactment but worthy it due to the fact that this is the lone mode to standard your SEO campaigns and nutrient accordant results.

FYI:

If you don’t privation to walk thousands of hours building, testing, and refining your SEO system, articulation Gotch SEO Academy.

I’ve already done each the hard enactment for you.

Plus, my systems are tested and refined regular by hundreds of agencies and SEO professionals who are utilizing them close now.