“Create an SEO strategy” sounds simple enough… until you sit down to actually do it. Where do you even start?
That’s where an SEO action plan comes in.
A well-structured SEO action plan is your roadmap for driving organic traffic, ranking for the right keywords, and, most importantly, reaching your business goals without shooting in the dark.
It’s the process behind every high-ranking page you see on Google.
It's the process we used to grow Surfer’s organic search traffic by 358% in one year.
And in this article, I’ll walk you through a repeatable 9-step plan to help you do the same.
What you’ll learn
- What an SEO action plan is and why you need one
- How to benchmark your performance and set goals you’ll actually hit
- Why your competitors’ SEO strategies are goldmines (if you know where to look)
- How to build and execute a content plan that gets results
- On-page, off-page, and technical SEO tips that move the needle
- How to keep your content fresh, optimized, and ranking long after you hit publish
What is an SEO action plan?
An SEO action plan is a step-by-step strategy to improve your website’s visibility in search engine results pages. It outlines what to do, in what order, and how to measure success.
Unlike a vague “we should do more SEO” goal, an action plan gives you a clear structure—from analyzing your current performance to creating content that ranks, optimizing pages, and incorporating link building.
For businesses looking to increase visibility and generate more organic traffic , this plan is your best ally. It connects your goals (like more leads or sales) with how search engines actually work. And it helps you build the habits and processes that lead to long-term growth.
Now, let’s break it down.
1. Benchmark your SEO performance and set SMART goals
Before you start climbing the SEO mountain, you need to know where basecamp is.
Benchmarking the current performance of your SEO strategy gives you a clear picture of what’s working, what’s not, and where you should focus first. Here’s what to track:
Organic traffic
Check your search engine rankings in Google Search Console. Look at overall impressions, clicks, and conversions, which you can benchmark.
In GSC you can also look at the performance of individual website pages and use a compare filter to track performance changes.
Surfer's Content Audit takes it a step further, showing you this data at a snapshot, alongside a content score rating benchmarked against your competitors.
Keyword rankings
Use Google Search Console to see which queries you’re currently ranking for, how many impressions and clicks they're getting, and at which position they rank. You can also compare the performance over different periods to see how your rankings change.
For a more granular view, use Surfer's Rank Tracker to check the performance of your keywords over time.
Your goal could be to rank 17/17 of these keywords in the top 10 by the end of the quarter, if those are important business keywords that drive conversions.
Backlink profile
How many quality backlinks point to your site? Use a tool like Ahrefs to analyze your domain authority and referring domains.
Once you know your starting point, it’s time to set goals. But not just any goals—SMART ones.
SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
Examples of SMART SEO goals:
- Increase organic traffic by 25% in the next 3 months.
- Acquire 10 backlinks from domains with DR 50+ by the end of the quarter.
These goals will guide your daily work and help you focus on what really matters.
2. Analyze your competitors' SEO strategy
Competitor analysis helps you reverse-engineer what’s already working in your niche and build a successful seo strategy . You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Study the best-performing content and figure out where you can one-up them.
Here’s what to look at:
- What topics do they cover really well?
- Where are they missing key subtopics or intent types?
- How can your content go deeper, be more helpful, or better match user intent?
You can do this research by manually checking your competitors' websites or use a dedicated tool.
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that can give you some basic insights into which keywords your competitors rank for. Simply enter your competitors' domains and take note of the relevant keywords, how popular, and how competitive they are.
You may also use Ahrefs backlink checker to see which pages refer to them and which type of content they're linking to.
These insights fuel the next step: building your content plan.
3. Build a content plan
You need a structured content plan—one that helps you target the right keywords, organize content around core topics, and publish consistently.
Let’s break this into 3 parts:
1. Find keywords to target
Start with a seed keyword related to your business.
Let’s say you run a dropshipping store. Your seed keyword is “Shopify SEO.” Search that on Google.
First, look at Google Autocomplete for related long-tail keywords. Autocomplete gives you: “Shopify SEO tools,” “Shopify SEO apps,” “Shopify SEO checklist.”
Then look at the People also ask section to understand common questions your audience has.
The People also search for section can give you further keyword ideas.
The free Keyword Surfer extension helps you discover more keywords and check their search volume as you browse.
Once you have a list, prioritize keywords with:
- Clear business relevance
- Solid search volume
- Low to medium difficulty (if your domain isn’t too strong yet)
You can view this data with Surfer's Keyword Research tool. The tool automates the keyword research process and groups related keywords into clusters.
Surfer found 80 keyword clusters on the topic of "Shopify SEO". Each cluster shows the average search volume and keyword difficulty for the cluster as a whole and individual keywords.
This makes it super easy to evaluate and prioritize keywords for SEO.
2. Organize your content into topic clusters
Topic clusters help search engines understand your site structure and build topical authority, which can boost your rankings across the board.
Here’s how it works:
- Pillar page = broad, high-level page (e.g., “Ecommerce SEO Guide”)
- Cluster content = narrower supporting articles (e.g., “Best Shopify SEO Apps,” “How to Write Product Descriptions for SEO”)
- Internal links = connect them all together, so Google and users can navigate easily.
This structure shows Google: “Hey, we know this topic inside out.”
You can manually organize the keyword clusters from the previous step into topic clusters or use a dedicated clustering tool like Surfer's Topical Map.
Topical Map has created 52 clusters on the topic of "Shopify SEO". Under each cluster you can see the main cluster topics.
One cluster example can be:
- Pillar page: "Shopify SEO Integration"
- Supporting cluster pages: "On-page SEO Shopify", "Shopify SEO issues", "How to add SEO keywords to Shopify".
- The pillar page links out to all supporting cluster content. Each cluster page links back to the pillar page with keyword-rich anchor text.
Topical Map also shows which keywords you cover under each cluster page.
You can also connect your Google Search Console account to Surfer, and it will map out your clusters against your existing site content. There, you can see which clusters you have covered and where the content gaps are.
Evaluate each cluster based on business relevance, ranking difficulty, search volume, topical coverage, and competitors' coverage.
That's a lot of factors to account for. The Recommendations tab in Topical Map translates all these factors into a score, based on how good a content idea is.
Now that you have an organized list of topic clusters and keywords to target, it's time to put them into a calendar.
3. Create a content calendar
Planning beats panic-publishing every time.
A content calendar helps you stay consistent and hit your publishing goals without scrambling for ideas last minute.
Your calendar should include:
- Topic
- Target keyword
- Search intent
- Publish date
- Status (e.g., researching, writing, scheduled)
You can start with a simple Google Sheet, or use tools like Notion and Trello if you want more visual workflows.
There are many free templates online that you can use, like this Notion editorial calendar template.
Find one that's not too complicated and fits your needs.
💡 Bonus tip: Plan around seasonal trends such as “Black Friday SEO" or product launches to maximize impact.
In Google trends we can see that searches for this topic spike in October and early November, just before Black Friday
4. Create content that ranks
Alright—you’ve got the keywords. You’ve got the plan. Now it’s time to actually write the thing.
But not just any content. You need content that satisfies search intent, goes deep, and earns trust.
1. Identify search intent
Search intent is the why behind every query. Are users looking to buy? Learn? Compare?
Here’s a cheat sheet:
- Informational → “How to optimize Shopify SEO”
- Transactional → “Best Shopify SEO app”
- Navigational → “Yoast Shopify SEO”
- Commercial investigation → “Surfer vs Yoast SEO”
Google your target keyword and look at:
- The type of pages ranking (guides, product pages, listicles)
- The format (how-to, comparison, tutorial)
- SERP features (People Also Ask, featured snippets)
For example, trying to rank a product page for the keyword “top project management tools” won’t work, because Google prioritizes review-style blog posts for that query, not transactional pages.
The featured snippet for this query also clarifies the search intent: customers are investigating different solutions.
Match your content type and angle to what’s already working—then do it better.
Here’s a quick-reference table to help you identify a query’s search intent based on the modifiers used in the titles of top-ranking pages.
Surfer's Keyword Research automatically identifies the keyword intent and tells you the type of content that ranks for that intent.
2. Cover the topic in-depth
The more helpful and complete your content is, the more likely it is to rank, not just for your main keyword, but dozens of long-tail ones too.
We recently did a study on how content depth affects rankings. The results are clear:
Comprehensive content has a strong correlation with both impressions and keyword rankings.
To cover a topic thoroughly, start by analyzing the top-ranking pages for your target keyword. Look at the subtopics they cover, the questions they answer, and the level of detail they go into
You can do this for each keyword or use Surfer’s Topics feature to see which “facts” you need to cover.
Facts are objective pieces of information that provide insights into the subject matter.
Surfer has identified 59 SERP-based facts and 43 facts that the content has yet to touch upon.
The Boost Coverage button automatically includes these facts in your content, which you can review and edit.
3. Demonstrate EEAT
Google wants helpful content, but it also wants it to be trustworthy.
That’s where EEAT comes in: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness.
Here’s how to show it:
- Add author bios that highlight experience
- Cite reliable sources (and link to them!)
- Include case studies, real-life examples, or expert quotes
- Link to other helpful articles you’ve published on related topics
And if you don't have expertise yourself? Interview niche experts and include their quotes and opinions in your content.
It’s not about gaming the algorithm. It’s about showing readers and search engines that you know your stuff.
This third step is also very important if you're using AI content writing tools.
Google has made it clear that it doesn't penalize the use of AI. That is, as long as your content is genuinely helpful.
With a content writing tool like Surfer AI you can have an article draft in just a few steps.
Then use the tips above to humanize the content and demonstrate EEAT.
Add original angles: stats, examples, mini case studies, expert quotes
5. Optimize on-page elements
You’ve written a killer piece. Now it’s time to fine-tune it so Google knows what it’s about—and why it deserves to rank.
Here's how to optimize for on-page SEO:
1. Add keywords to your body content (naturally)
Yes, keywords still matter. That doesn’t mean cramming “best Shopify SEO guide” into every other sentence.
Here’s how to do it right:
- Include your primary keyword early—ideally within the first 100 words.
- Sprinkle secondary keywords and related phrases throughout.
- Prioritize readability. If it sounds robotic, rewrite it.
Use Surfer’s Content Editor guidelines to check if your keyword usage hits the sweet spot (and avoid over-optimization).
You can also use the Auto-Optimize feature to add these keywords to your content automatically.
2. Structure your content like a pro
Great SEO content is easy to scan, easy to understand, and easy for Google to crawl.
Here’s what to include:
- Clear headings (H1, H2, H3)
- Short paragraphs
- Bullet points and numbered lists
- Use of visuals
Format your content to match what’s ranking.
Look at the Content Editor's guidelines on Structure.
3. Write compelling meta titles and descriptions
Your meta title and description are your first (and sometimes only) shot at earning a click. Make it count.
Good titles:
- Include your main keyword
- Make a promise or spark curiosity
- Use power trigrams like “how to,” “best,” “guide,” or “for beginners”
Example:
✅ “Shopify SEO Tips for Beginners: 8 Easy Wins”
❌ “Shopify SEO Explained”
While meta descriptions aren’t a ranking factor, they are a click-through factor.
Keep them:
- Short (around 155 characters)
- Specific (mention your unique angle or benefit)
- Action-oriented (“Learn how…” / “Get the full list…”)
Example:
“Boost your Shopify store’s visibility with this step-by-step SEO plan. Learn how to rank higher and drive more traffic today.”
Content Editor automatically creates optimized titles and descriptions for your.
4. Include internal links
Internal linking isn’t just good for SEO—it’s good for your readers, too.
- Link to relevant pillar or cluster content
- Use descriptive anchor text (no “click here”)
- Help search engines understand your content relationships
Internal linking is what connects the dots of your topic clusters.
Use Surfer’s Insert internal links feature to speed things up.
6. Optimize for AI search
SEO isn’t just about ranking in Google anymore. It’s about showing up wherever people search—including AI-powered tools like Google’s AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.
And here’s the thing: AI referrals are already driving traffic. And that organic search traffic spike isn’t just vanity. It’s reflected in leads, too.
We get around 500 clicks per day from ChatGPT referrals, and it accounts for 7% of our leads.
The clearest path to showing up in these tools? Get the SEO foundations right.
52% of sources cited in Google’s AI Overviews rank in the top 10.
If you’ve followed the rest of this action plan, you’ve already laid the groundwork.
But ranking isn’t the only lever you can pull.
A few patterns emerge when looking at which pages and platforms are getting cited by AI:
- Listicles
- YouTube
- Reddit and Quora
Since we know that AI pulls information from these sources, you can increase your chances of appearing in AI answers by:
- Getting featured in listicles – And not just anywhere. Aim for the top spot.
“It’s not only about getting a backlink from a listicle. You need to pay for the top spot... That’s how you’ll be cited as the best.”
— Michał Suski, Co-founder & Head of Innovation at Surfer
- Leveraging video + written content – Repurpose YouTube transcripts into well-structured articles. That way, you cover both angles, especially since video citations are rising.
- Establishing a presence on trusted platforms – LinkedIn, Reddit, and Quora are feeding LLMs. Be active there. Make your expertise visible.
- Being consistent across channels – Clear brand positioning across your website, socials, and content increases your credibility and recognition in AI results.
7. Build links to your content
Think of backlinks as votes of confidence from other websites. The more high-quality links you have pointing to your content, the more authoritative it looks to Google.
Here’s how to earn them:
- Guest posting – Offer valuable content to industry blogs in exchange for a backlink.
- Influencer outreach – Share your content with relevant creators or communities who might link to it.
- Original research – Publish data, case studies, or unique insights others want to cite.
You don’t need thousands of links—just a few strong ones from reputable sources can move the needle.
Look at the benchmark report from the first step to find quality domains linking to your competitors. It's possible they're open to another link collaboration with you.
8. Fix technical SEO issues
Technical issues can hold you back no matter how good your content is.
Start with a basic audit using tools like:
Google Search Console – For crawl errors, indexing issues, and mobile usability
PageSpeed Insights – For speed and Core Web Vitals
Look out for:
- Slow page load times
- Broken links or redirects
- Unoptimized mobile experience
- Missing alt text or title tags
- Duplicate content or missing canonical tags
The PageSpeed Insights report shows you actionable steps to fix these issues.
Even a small speed boost can reduce bounce rate and improve rankings, especially on mobile.
9. Monitor and update your content
SEO isn’t one-and-done. Google evolves. So do user behaviors and competitors. Your content needs to evolve too.
Set a reminder to:
- Revisit top-performing pages every 3–6 months
- Check for keyword shifts
- Add new facts, stats, examples, or internal links
- Remove outdated info
Make sure to continuously check your SEO performance in Google Search Console to identify which pages have fallen in search engine rankings and can benefit from an update.
Surfer’s Content Audit tool can help you find opportunities in minutes.
The pages in the Recommendations tab can give you the fastest SEO gains.
A Surfer user saw their clicks go from 50 to 500+ per day after applying the Content Audit Recommendations.
We can look at this data in the Reports tool.
Under Reports, you can also find tailored content update recommendations and ideas.
This lets you check whether you're on the right track to achieve your SEO objectives.
You can then repeat the first step to benchmark your performance against current objectives and set new ones for the next quarter.
Final thoughts
There’s no magic wand in SEO. But with a structured plan, you can stop guessing and start growing.
This 9-step SEO action plan gives you the blueprint to:
- Understand your performance
- Set realistic goals
- Create content that ranks
- Build authority
- Stay on top of your game
Ready to put this plan into action?
