Using This SEO Template

This SEO Template will let you organize your website's on-page SEO (search engine optimization). It will help you formulate a plan, make it easier to coordinate pages and keywords, and allow you to track both changes and results all in one place. To make this template easy to use, this cover sheet will break down how to use each section within the template, highlighting the nuances of the layout and while providing tips for to help you maximize your productivity using this template.

Column A: Content Type The content type denotes the type of page you are working on. Is it your home page or an internal page? Is it a landing page or a blog post? A product page or a thank-you page? It's important to note which page you are editing to keep track of how the edits relate to the overall mission of that page.

Column B: Current URL The current URL is something that can be entered manually or exported from a site crawler report. HubSpot's Page Performance tool (under Reports) allows you to export all indexed pages on your site. From that exported document, you can simply copy and paste the URLs. If you are not using HubSpot you can try using a free tool like Xenu's link crawler (http://xenus-link-sleuth.en.softonic.com).

NOTE: You will inevitably have to do some sort of file clean up on this file import. In addition to the pages you want to review, most tools will export pages from your webiste that you may not want to optimize. Organize your template/spreadsheet by order of importance and focus on optimizing 5-10 pages a week based on the URL. This will allow you to pace yourself and use your time wisely on the road to optimization.

Column C: Current Page Title The current page title is as simple as it sounds -- the current title of the page you have selected to optimize. Page titles can be exported with either tool mentioned above (in the "current URL" section).

Column E: Current Page Description The current page description is a simple the description of your page. It is also commonly referred to as the page's meta description. Page descriptions can be exported with either tool mentioned above (in the "current URL" section).

Column G: What's the purpose of the page?

Define the overall goal of this page. This is something you will want to manually define (perhaps for each page or for a group of pages). Is it to provide product information, define a solution, serve as FAQ, promote an event? What's the end goal? Has the content on this page delivered that purpose?

Column H: Who is the target audience? On-page SEO starts with this key concept. Your target audience, or buyer persona, is the market for whom you are writing your content. If you don't know who you are writing for, or who you are trying to attract through your SEO tactics, your content will be aimless. Clearly define which persona type each page targets.

Column J: Edit Date Make a manual note of the date each time you edit a particular page. In the end you cannot edit all pages at once, so it is important to note when changes occurred -- especially if you have to report progress back to someone else, such as a boss or a client.

Column K: New Page Title This is where the planning for your new SEO strategy begins. Manually note/plan new page titles for a particular page. The goal here is to lay out the purpose of the page without being redundant. Best practice for page titles is "Keyword | Keyword Variation." See an example on the optimization template. Column L: Page Title Length The length columns will make sure that you adhere to certain character limits. The recommended length for page titles is 70 characters. This temlate automatically calculates page length for you. TIP: A quick and easy way to kick off your optimization project is to update all page titles longer than 70 characters. Column L: New Page Description Enter your new page description. Descriptions should be one short, declarative sentence that incorporates your keyword -- which you laid it out in your page title -- in some form. The page content should not just repeat verbatim the content you have it on the page itself.

Column N: Page Description Length The length columns will make sure that you adhere to certain character limits. This will automatically be calculated for you. The recommended length for page titles is 150 characters. Column O: Target Keyword

Think of your target keyword as the designated topic for a particular page. Define only one topic per page. This allows you to go more in depth and provide detailed information. This means that you are also only optimizing for one keyword per page.

NOTE: There a few exceptions to this rule. For instance, your home page would be a potential candidate for multiple target keywords. The goal of your home page is to explain what your entire website/business, and you may need a few keywords (four typically) to do that.

Column P: Content Aim to have at least 500 words per page. Your content needs to be thorough, clear and provide solutions. Again, write for your target audience. How can you help them? Compelling content is also error free - check spelling and grammar. Format content to make it easier to read and digest. Column Q: Header Define what you will use as a header to introduce your content. Formatting your headers helps make content easier to read and digest. It also provides visual cues to your readers and search engines. Typically the very first header is an H1, or header one, on a page. However, if you have clearly defined the purpose of the page somewhere at the top, you may not need to strictly follow this design rule.

Column R: Subheaders Subheaders serve the same purpose as headers, but to introduce sub-sections of your content. Use sub-headers to visually break up your content into smaller bite size chunks.

Columns S-T: Images Another great visual cue to offer your readers is an image. An image on your page is a great anchor and draw to your content, particularly for blog posts. Ensure the image is relevant, related to your content and large enough to draw interest. Aditionally, name the image file appropriately. Includea keyword and context with your image name. For instance, opt for a descriptive "keyword_and_how_it_relates.jpg" rather than "image123.jpg". Provide an alt text description whenever possible.

Columns U-V: Internal links

Anytime you include references to other sources or pages in your content, you need to provide a link to that referring source - whether it is your own content or an external source. When you link to outside sources you have the option of passing SEO credit or not. If you decide not to pass credit, that link becomes "no-follow" link. A "no-follow" link means a search engine crawler will not follow that URL/link. However, as long as the site is reputable, the best practice is to provide SEO credit to that source as you link to it. Linking to other pages is used to cite sources and to provides more in-depth information. For instance, if you have an overview page where the goal is just to highlight and briefly touch upon a subject, and you have a deeper internal page that goes into more detail, it makes sense to link to that internal page from your overview. The text you use to create the hyperlink is called the anchor text. Often, you'll see the words "click here" or "read more" as anchor text. That works when appropriate, however, whenever possible naturally incorporate a few words (ideally including a keyword) to the referring page.

Column W: Social Media Sharing How people use your content is a critical factor of a page's performance, and social media sharing is a big component of your site SEO. Make it easy for people to share your content by including share links in a visible place. Column AA: Calls-to-action Every page of your website is a conversion opportunity. To make this possible, include at least one call-to-action on every page. Many pages may have multiple calls-to-action. When possible include a call-to-action at each stage of the buying funnel - top of the funnel (TOFU), middle of the funnel (MOFU) and bottom of the funnel (BOFU). As you add or edit/update calls-to-action (perhaps making them more relevant), be sure to also note conversion rate changes.

Column AG: Notes Make notes if needed. You may want to note if a page needs to be updated entirely because the content is out of date. Or perhaps a topic needs to be explained further and thus you want to blog more about it. Note if a page needs to be movedm if the URL changes, or if a 301 redirect needs to be set up. It's a good place to track to-dos.

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Plan each SEO element in columns B-AE. Use a variation of your Target Keyword in each element. Content Type
i.e. website page, blog post, landing page etc.

Current URL

Example

(home

page) Home Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page

http://www.domain.com

Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page Internal Page

>>
a variation of your Target Keyword in each element. Current Page Title

Company Name :: Internet Marketing Systems, Internet Marketing, Marketing Software

Length
70 character max

Current Page Description

82 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Internet Marketing Software, Internet Marketing, Marketing Software

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Length
150 character max

What's the purpose of the page?

define value proposition

67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

home page, explain scope of business

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Who is the target audience?

define persona

Marketing Campaign
list each related campaign

enterprise, 200+ employees, technical

Branding and Social Media Campaign

Edit Date

New Page Title

70 characters max, separate keyword phrases w/pipes (keyword | keyword)

Title Length

MM-DD-YY

Internet Marketing Software | Product Name & Type

49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

New Page Description

150 characters max. Short sentence.

Company name's internet marketing software has XYZ for XYZ persona.

Description Length

Target Keyword

Content

67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Internet Marketing Software

needs to be updated. See Google doc.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Header

Subheaders

All-in-one Internet Marketing Software

Product specific sections

Images
keyword inclusive file name

/images/internet_marketing_software_demo.jpg

Images
alt text

free demo of our internet marketing software

Internal Links
anchor text(s)

links to specific product pages and case studies, link to landing pages

Social Media Sharing

destination page(s) y/n Top of the Funnel (TOFU)

http://www.domain.com/internal-page

Yes

whitepaper download

Calls to Actions
TOFU Pre Optimization Conversion Rate TOFU Post Optimization Conversion Rate Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)

12%

25%

needs to be worked on

s
MOFU Pre Optimization Conversion Rate MOFU Post Optimization Conversion Rate Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) BOFU Pre Optimization Conversion Rate

NA

13%

free demo offer

5%

NOTES
BOFU Post Optimization Conversion Rate

15%

Keywords Tool in HubSpot

The first step in getting found online is understanding what terms people are using to search for your products or services. HubSpot makes it easy to identify high-volume, non-competitive terms that you can optimize in order to attract relevant traffic to your site. Find out what keywords youre ranking for, and track your progress over time. See what keywords your competitors rank for and how they compare to you. Generate a list of alternatives to keywords that aren't converting.

Overview
Use the HubSpot Keyword tool along with the optimization template when you want to: *Get more traffic to any of your website pages. *Find a variation of a keyword thats easier to rank for. *Brainstorm a new blog post title or other content ideas. *Discover opportunities to overtake competitors in search.

Instructions
1. Log Into Your HubSpot Trial to Access the Keywords Tool Go to Content > Keywords.

2. Add Keywords to the Keywords Tool First, you'll want to add keywords that are relevant to your business. Click on the "Add Keywords" button.

If you already have a list of keywords you'd like to add to the Keywords tool, you can paste them into the text field (using one keyword on each line).

You can then select the campaigns to associate with these new keywords.

Grouping your keywords by "marketing campaigns" allows you to organize your entire list of keywords according to topic, which will help you prioritize your SEO. You'll have a different campaign for different topics, such as different products you offer, different audience segments that you target.

3. Brainstorm and Choose Keywords to Target On Your Site If you'd like some help brainstorming keywords, click the Get Suggestions button.

You can go back to the main Keywords view to see the list of all of your keywords at any time. You can also filter by the campaigns you create to see only the data for your new keywords.

5. Filter Results You can filter the columns in the Keywords tool to show any three data points at the same time for a quick comparison.

Here's a breakdown of what each of the metrics mean: Visits - how many visits via organic search you had after the user searched for this keyword. This is updated every 24 hours and shows the past thirty days. Contacts - how many leads via organic search you had after the user searched for this keyword. This is updated every 24 hours and shows the past thirty days. Rank - an approximation of where your website ranks for a particular search term in the search engines' results pages. Note, factors like personalization and localization that the search engines take into account can influence ranking on a search by search basis. Monthly Searches - the monthly searches for the exact match of this keyword. This information is global unless you set a location, when it is then localized. Difficulty - how hard it will be to rank well for this keyword on a scale of 0-100. Any keyword with a difficulty above 70 is considered extremely difficult to rank for. When you're first starting out, you'll want to target keywords with low difficulty (between 0-40) and then work your way into medium difficulty keywords (40-60) when your site starts getting more traction, and so on. CPC - the approximate cost per click if you had been running a paid search campaign targeting this keyword. If a location is set, this information is localized. Campaigns - how many campaigns this keyword is assigned to. Click on the number to see the campaigns. Date Added - the exact date on which you added a keyword to the Keywords tool. 6. Analyze and Adjust HubSpot's keywords tool makes it easy for you to find the low hanging fruit. Click on the "select a recommendation" tab, and then "Ranking Opportunities" to see how you can improve your keywords.

You can see which keywords you have the opportunity to beat out your competition by clicking on the Competitors option under Select a recommendation.

Get started on your HubSpot Trial today and start improving your website's SEO now!

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