I’m a freelance website designer, and I’m planning to launch a digital marketing business with a few friends. We’re currently building our site and want to focus on SEO from day one.
Our goal is to build a strong online presence, generate leads, and convert visitors into long-term clients by offering genuine services, flexible solutions, and budget-friendly options. We also want to attract international visitors who can submit inquiries directly on the site.
I’ve done some basic SEO research and put together a plan, but I’d really appreciate advice from people with more experience. Here’s my current plan:
Choose a SEED keyword.
Find alternative ways to describe the SEED keyword.
Research and organize keywords (informational, branded, navigational, etc.).
Plan the site structure and page layout.
Write content with relevant keywords and adjust as necessary.
My main concern is knowing what kind of competition and SEO challenges I should expect at the start. How often should I expect to update or revise content as the site grows?
I’ve found plenty of SEO advice online, but a lot of it contradicts itself, which makes it hard to know which direction to follow.
Hey! Your plan looks solid. I’ve worked with SEO and built backlinker AI, so I’ve picked up a few tips along the way.
For keyword research, start with ‘question keywords’—they’re easier to rank for and perfect for blog content. A tool like AnswerThePublic can help, and it’s free.
One of the biggest early challenges is Google’s ‘sandbox period’—it takes a while for new sites to gain trust. To speed things up:
Start building backlinks early—quality over quantity. A handful of good links from respected industry sites can make a big difference. HARO is great for this.
Create ‘content clusters’ around your services. Instead of random blogs, focus on building hubs that dive deep into a single topic.
Get your technical SEO right from the beginning—fast site speed, mobile-friendly design, and schema markup.
I usually update key pages every 3-4 months, but don’t stress over constant edits. Focus on publishing more content and expanding your topical coverage.
SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Test different approaches, track what works for your niche, and adjust as needed.
Feel free to reach out if you want to dive deeper into this!
@Garrett
This is super helpful! I’m just starting an architecture firm and struggling with blog topics. I’ve written about 10 posts but feel like they’re all over the place. How do you structure these content clusters? Any advice?
Stewart said:
The age and authority of your site play a huge role in ranking. Even if your content is amazing, it’s only a small part of the equation.
Your plan looks good—just start as soon as possible.
He’s right. Building domain authority is crucial. Google doesn’t just reward ‘good’ content—it looks at who links to you, how relevant those links are, and the overall trust factor of your site.
Start with low-competition keywords and build your way up. Create content that maps to different stages of the buyer’s journey.
A lot of SEO misinformation comes from bloggers trying to create demand by making claims that Google rewards certain things, but that’s not always true. Stick to the basics—good content and solid backlinks—and avoid the noise.