Keyword research, content creation, web design, and web development are factors that marketers typically focus on when coming up with an SEO strategy. However, it’s not always that easy to know where to begin. Spending a lot of effort and time on activities that will not deliver much in return can easily happen. This problem isn’t new; it is just as prevalent with traditional marketing strategies as digital ones.
One of the most practical marketing methods to get you started is SEO SWOT Analysis.
A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis identifies the items that have the most significant potential to impact your business growth or pose severe threats to your success. It is a breakdown of organizational SEO priorities that form the basis for website improvement and your overall strategy.
This guide will show you how to create an SEO SWOT analysis to help you zero in on your target, prioritize your efforts, and improve authority, visibility, traffic, and conversion.
Defining SWOT Analysis in SEO
SEO is an ongoing process and not an end goal. While you will always find other websites competing for the exact keywords, you can easily get ahead of the pack by knowing the latest algorithm updates and changing the areas you need to focus on in your SEO efforts.
Conducting a regular SEO SWOT analysis allows you to assess your current position and determine where you should be going. An annual or biannual analysis, for instance, can give you a clear picture if your current strategies are working or not. If it’s not working, you can quickly react and devise a more effective plan.
The basics of a SWOT analysis below can help you strategize or re-strategize to ensure that your efforts won’t go to waste:
- Identify priority areas, such as your target keywords, technical SEO, and content.
- Create a plan that helps you achieve your SEO goals.
- Build a solid action plan focused on your SEO strategy’s key elements.
How to Perform a SWOT Analysis
An SEO SWOT analysis is relatively simple. While the questions and the results are straightforward, it will require skill and time to collate the data together.
Ask yourself questions about each element of your analysis. These are some SWOT example questions for SEO. Depending on your website or strategic goals, these might need to be changed.
SEO Strengths
- What keywords are you ranking highly for?
- Which content elements are likely to drive traffic and improve your rankings?
- What is your best asset?
- What is your unique selling point in your market?
- Where is your organic traffic coming from?
- What page speed elements are you most proficient at?
- What channels are most popular for click-throughs and engagements?
SEO Weaknesses
- What are the areas you should improve on your website?
- What elements in your content performed worse than expected?
- Did your contents fail to attract viewers?
- Do you have the skills and experience to perform SEO tasks for your business?
- Can you afford the resources necessary to be successful?
- How fast and how well does your site load?
- What are your social media channel metrics?
SEO Opportunities
- What content can you create that will significantly impact your audience’s perceptions?
- What are the best ways to optimize your site’s page speed?
- Are there opportunities to grow on the strengths of your current strategies?
- Is there a quick way to overcome your weaknesses?
- Where can you find new backlink opportunities?
- What channels you’re yet to explore?
SEO Threats
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors?
- What new competitors see positive SEO results?
- How big is the gap between your company and your competitors? Is it increasing or decreasing?
- Are there any regulatory or market changes in the future?
- What will the algorithm changes mean for current practices?
These questions can be used as your SWOT analysis template, allowing you to evaluate all aspects of your site and current strategy. Keep in mind that these questions are just a starting point and can be changed according to specific situations. As you go through the questions, the analysis will reveal more areas that need your attention.
What Makes a Good SWOT Analysis
A good SWOT analysis depends on the metrics that matter most to you. It could be your domain authority (DA) or your ranking on search engine results pages. The goal is to see clicks turn into sales and increase your bottom line.
You can use Google Search Console to search for keywords you rank for and where organic traffic is coming from.
On the other hand, Google Page Speed Insights can help you with a backend analysis of how fast your page loads and how it compares to Google’s expectations.
Once you’ve completed your SWOT analysis of Google metrics, you must build a strategy that aims to:
- Capitalize on your strengths
- Work towards overcoming your weaknesses
- Make the most of all the opportunities you have
- Combat all threats proactively
Every action you take in your SEO strategy must link to at least one of the points in your SWOT analysis.
You can use the results to determine the measures you need for the next quarter, six months, or year. After completing the SWOT analysis, you can see if any weaknesses have been neutralized or made into strengths or if you’ve taken full advantage of the presented opportunities.
Learn More SWOT Analysis Basics With ADMS
It is always beneficial to look at all aspects of your business, including the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. An SEO SWOT analysis will help determine your SEO activities’ direction and scope. It will guide you to any technical or on-page elements that need improvement.
If you’re unsure where to start with your SEO campaign or how to do a SWOT analysis, let a digital marketing agency like ADMS help you get back to the basics of your strategy. As a company dedicated to all things SEO in Denver, ADMS can help you conduct a SWOT analysis to identify your strategy’s successes and areas for improvement.
Start seeing more conversions and clicks from your SEO strategy. Call ADMS today to learn more about building and maintaining SEO strategies.