Want to drive more traffic from Google? You’re in the right place.

This guide walks you through exactly how to create an SEO strategy that works — step by step. In fact, the same approach helped me grow Backlinko to over 571K monthly organic visitors.

Let’s dive in.

What Is an SEO Strategy?

An SEO strategy is your game plan to get found on Google. It’s how you create, optimize, and promote content so that your website ranks higher in search results. That means more visibility, more clicks, and more customers.

At its core, SEO is about understanding what your audience is searching for — and making sure your content shows up when they do.

Step #1: Build a Keyword List

Every great SEO strategy starts with keyword research.

One of the simplest, free ways to find keywords is through Google Suggest. Just type a keyword into the Google search bar, and you’ll see a list of suggestions. These are real searches made by real people.

Look out for long-tail keywords — longer phrases like “best SEO tools for beginners.” They might have lower search volume, but they’re often much easier to rank for.

Action Tip: Build a list of 10 relevant keywords using Google Suggest. To go deeper, use tools like Semrush, Ubersuggest, or Backlinko’s free keyword tool to get search volume and competition data.

Step #2: Analyze Google’s First Page

You’ve got your keyword list. Now what?

Time to check the competition. Search each keyword in Google, then carefully scan the top 10 results. What kind of content ranks? Is it list posts, tutorials, guides, videos?

Example: For “SEO tools,” most results are curated lists of tools. So if you’re targeting that keyword, your content should probably be a list too.

Your job is to identify patterns — and figure out what Google thinks belongs on page one.

Step #3: Know Your Competitors

To win, you need to know who you’re up against.

Tools like Semrush make this easy. Here’s how:

• Go to “Domain Overview”
• Enter your website URL
• Scroll to “Main Organic Competitors”

These are the sites ranking for similar keywords and targeting the same audience as you. Click “View all” to see how many keywords you share, how much traffic they get, and which topics overlap.

By the end of this step, you should have a list of 4–5 main competitors you’ll want to watch closely.

Step #4: Create Something Better — or Different

Now that you know what’s out there, it’s time to stand out.

You’ve got two powerful choices:

1. Create something better (The Skyscraper Technique)
2. Create something different (zig when others zag)

When Better Works:
Let’s say your competitors all wrote blog posts with 10 SEO tools. Why not go bigger? Make it 41 SEO tools. Make it deeper, more updated, and more visually appealing.

When Different Wins:
Sometimes, going better isn’t enough. That’s what happened when I researched “Mobile SEO.” All I found were short listicles. So instead of writing “50 Mobile SEO Tips,” I wrote a complete guide — covering strategy, UX, speed, and more.

Because it stood out, the guide earned shares, backlinks, and high Google rankings.

The takeaway: Know when to go big, and when to go in a totally new direction.