What Should Be The First Step Of A Structured SEO Plan? A Comprehensive Guide to Starting Right

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, a structured SEO plan is your roadmap to online success. It’s the difference between wandering aimlessly in the vast expanse of the internet and strategically climbing the ranks of search engine results pages (SERPs). But with so many moving parts—keywords, content, technical tweaks, and backlinks—where do you begin? What should be the first step of a structured SEO plan? The answer isn’t as simple as picking one task; it’s about laying a foundation that ensures every subsequent step is effective.

After years of observing SEO trends and analyzing top-performing strategies, I’m here to argue that the first step of a structured SEO plan isn’t keyword research (as many assume) but a comprehensive website audit. This foundational move sets the stage for everything else—goals, keywords, content, and beyond. In this 3,000-word guide, we’ll explore why a website audit is the critical starting point, how to execute it, and how it ties into a modern SEO strategy as of March 2025. Let’s dive in!

Why the First Step Matters

Before we unpack what should be the first step of a structured SEO plan, let’s consider why it’s so crucial. SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all game. It’s a deliberate process that builds on itself, like constructing a house. A shaky foundation—say, optimizing a broken site or targeting the wrong audience—dooms even the best content or link-building efforts. The first step shapes your direction, saves time, and maximizes ROI.

Many blogs jump straight to keyword research, and while it’s vital, starting there assumes your site is already primed for success. In reality, a site riddled with crawl errors, slow load times, or poor user experience (UX) will struggle to rank, no matter how perfect your keywords are. That’s why a website audit—assessing your site’s health and performance—is the smarter starting point.

Step 1: The Website Audit – Your SEO Foundation

So, what should be the first step of a structured SEO plan? It’s conducting a thorough website audit. Think of it as a diagnostic checkup for your digital presence. This step identifies strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, ensuring your site is technically sound, user-friendly, and ready to compete in search rankings.

Why a Website Audit Comes First

• Technical Health: Search engines like Google prioritize sites that load fast, work on mobile, and are free of errors. A broken site undermines all other efforts.
• Baseline Metrics: You need to know where you stand—current traffic, rankings, and UX—before setting goals or picking keywords.
• Crawlability: If search engines can’t index your pages due to technical issues, no amount of keyword optimization will help.
• User Experience: Google’s Core Web Vitals (e.g., loading speed, interactivity) are ranking factors in 2025. A poor UX hurts your chances.

How to Conduct a Website Audit

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of a comprehensive audit, tailored for 2025’s SEO landscape:

1. Technical SEO Check

• Crawl Errors: Use Google Search Console to spot 404s, 500s, or redirect issues.
• Site Speed: Test with Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. Aim for a load time under 2 seconds.
• Mobile-Friendliness: Run Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. With mobile-first indexing, this is non-negotiable.
• XML Sitemap: Ensure it’s updated and submitted to Search Console.
• Robots.txt: Verify it’s not blocking key pages.

2. On-Page SEO Assessment

• Meta Tags: Check titles and descriptions for length (60 chars for titles, 160 for descriptions) and keyword inclusion.
• Content Gaps: Use Screaming Frog to find thin or duplicate content.
• Internal Linking: Assess structure—does it guide users and bots logically?

3. UX and Core Web Vitals

• Loading (LCP): Largest Contentful Paint should be under 2.5 seconds.
• Interactivity (FID): First Input Delay should be under 100ms.
• Stability (CLS): Cumulative Layout Shift should be under 0.1.
• Heatmaps: Tools like Hotjar reveal where users click or drop off.

4. Backlink Profile

• Quality Check: Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to audit backlinks. Flag toxic or spammy links for disavowal.
• Anchor Text: Look for over-optimization (e.g., too many exact-match keywords).

5. Baseline Metrics

• Traffic: Record organic traffic via Google Analytics.
• Rankings: Track current keyword positions with SEMrush or Moz.
• Bounce Rate: High rates signal UX or relevance issues.

Tools to Use

• Google Search Console: Free, essential for technical insights.
• Screaming Frog: Crawls your site for on-page issues.
• SEMrush/Ahrefs: Comprehensive audits, competitor analysis.
• PageSpeed Insights: Speed and Core Web Vitals data.
• Hotjar: UX behavior tracking.

By the end of this audit, you’ll have a clear picture of your site’s health and a prioritized list of fixes—broken links, slow pages, or missing meta tags—that must be addressed before moving forward.

Why Not Keyword Research First?

You might wonder: why not start with keyword research, as many experts suggest? It’s a fair question. Keyword research is the backbone of content strategy, but it’s most effective when your site is ready to capitalize on it. Imagine targeting “best organic coffee” with a site that’s uncrawlable or takes 10 seconds to load—those efforts would flop. A website audit ensures your platform is optimized to turn keywords into rankings.

That said, keyword research isn’t far behind—it’s a close second step, informed by the audit’s findings. For example, if your audit reveals a strong mobile audience, you might prioritize voice-search-friendly long-tail keywords.

Step 2: Setting Clear SEO Goals

Once your site’s foundation is solid, the next logical move is defining your objectives. Some argue goal-setting should be what should be the first step of a structured SEO plan, and they’re not entirely wrong—it’s foundational in a strategic sense. However, without knowing your site’s current state, goals risk being unrealistic.

Why Goals Matter

• Direction: Are you aiming for traffic, leads, or brand authority?
• Alignment: Goals should tie to business outcomes (e.g., sales for e-commerce, signups for SaaS).
• Measurement: They provide KPIs to track progress.

Examples of SEO Goals

• E-commerce: Increase organic sales by 20% in six months.
• Blog: Boost traffic to 10,000 monthly visitors.
• Local Business: Rank in the top 3 for “near me” searches.

Tie these to your audit findings. If your site’s slow on mobile, a goal might be “improve mobile LCP to under 2 seconds” alongside traffic targets.

Step 3: Keyword Research – The Strategic Follow-Up

With a healthy site and clear goals, now it’s time for keyword research. This is where many traditional plans start, but doing it third ensures it’s informed and purposeful.

Why Keyword Research Is Critical

• User Intent: Understand what your audience searches for.
• Opportunity: Find gaps competitors miss.
• Content Direction: Guides what you create or optimize.

How to Do It in 2025

• Tools: Use Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs for volume and difficulty data.
• Trends: Factor in AI-driven search (e.g., Google SGE) with conversational queries like “how to choose organic coffee.”
• Long-Tail Focus: Less competitive, higher intent (e.g., “best organic coffee for cold brew”).
• Competitor Analysis: Spy on rivals’ top keywords with SEMrush’s Domain Overview.

Pro Tip

Align keywords with intent:

• Informational: “What is organic coffee?”
• Transactional: “Buy organic coffee online.”
• Navigational: “Organic coffee near me.”

Tying It All Together: A Modern SEO Plan for 2025

So, what should be the first step of a structured SEO plan? It’s the website audit, followed closely by goal-setting and keyword research. Here’s how they flow into a full strategy:

1. Audit: Fix technical and UX issues to make your site search-ready.
2. Goals: Define what success looks like, grounded in your audit data.
3. Keywords: Target terms that match your audience and goals.
4. Content: Create or optimize pages based on keyword insights.
5. Technical Ongoing: Monitor Core Web Vitals and crawlability.
6. Link Building: Earn backlinks to boost authority.
7. Analyze: Track progress with Analytics and adjust.

In 2025, add an AI twist—optimize for SGE snippets with concise, authoritative answers and structured data (e.g., Schema markup).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the Audit: Jumping to keywords risks optimizing a broken site.
• Vague Goals: “More traffic” isn’t actionable—be specific.
• Keyword Overload: Targeting too many terms dilutes focus.

Conclusion: Start Strong, Win Big

The question “What should be the first step of a structured SEO plan?” has a clear answer: a website audit. It’s the unsung hero that ensures your site is ready to compete in Google’s increasingly sophisticated algorithm. By starting with a solid foundation, setting smart goals, and then diving into keyword research, you’ll build an SEO strategy that’s not just structured but unstoppable.

Take action today—run a quick audit with Google Search Console or Screaming Frog. Fix one issue, set one goal, and research one keyword. Small steps now lead to big wins later. Your SEO journey starts here—make it count!

SEO Strategy Checklist Recap

A systematic implementation of an SEO strategy is the main part of any SEO Agencies as it is important to achieving online goals. Now, for the check-list:

• Explain and articulate your desired SEO outcomes.
• Undertake comprehensive keyword analysis.
• Assess the marketplace.
• Do an SEO evaluation.
• Be ruthless in the sequence of the site’s design.
• Develop a complete content development plan.
• Carry out technical SEO and all other relevant onsite SEO activities.

Wildnet Technologies is a leading digital marketing agency in India. It has helped 4100+ clients with its SEO services by optimizing 25k+ #1 ranked keywords to garner more than USD 196 K organic revenue.

Read More

• Which On-Page Element Carries The Most Weight For SEO?
• What Is Programmatic Seo: Everything You Need To Know
• Maximize Your SEO with SEOquake Extension
• Cost of an SEO Audit in 2024
• Why Hiring an SEO Company in India Can Boost Your Global Online Presence
• Google rolled out the Google August 2024 Core Update, changing the SEO game forever!

Faq

Q. What is the first step in creating an effective SEO plan?

Ans. Start with a comprehensive SEO audit to analyze your website’s current performance, identify strengths, and uncover areas for improvement.

Q. Why is keyword research essential as an initial step?

Ans. Keyword research helps you understand what your target audience is searching for, allowing you to optimize content around relevant terms that drive organic traffic.

Q. How does setting goals benefit an SEO plan?

Ans. Defining clear SEO goals provides direction, helps measure success, and aligns your efforts with overall business objectives.

Q. Is competitor analysis important at the beginning of an SEO plan?

Ans. Yes, analyzing competitors reveals what works in your industry and uncovers opportunities to outperform them in search rankings.

Q. How does a technical audit fit into the first step of an SEO plan?

Ans. A technical audit checks for issues like broken links, page speed, and mobile-friendliness, ensuring a strong foundation for SEO improvements.