Building an SEO Strategy in 2024

By Nick Nelson

Algorithms. Always-on strategies. Artificial intelligence. The arena of search engine optimization is being transformed by a vast array of different forces – and we’re still only at the top of the alphabet.

For business leaders and marketers, attempting to keep pace in this environment is challenging, but highly rewarding. While the emergence of AI and evolving user habits are certainly reshaping the future of search, organic SEO remains a fixture for digital growth, now and going forward.

Our guide to building an SEO strategy in 2024 will help you tie modern best practices into the enduring fundamentals of the craft.

What is an SEO strategy?

SEO strategy is a cornerstone of digital marketing. It is the framework that guides your approach to gaining visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) for terms valuable to your business.

Strategic SEO efforts lead to a sustainable and cost-efficient flow of organic traffic, bringing relevant people to your website or landing pages. As third-party tracking cookies fade out and paid media rates rise, organic SEO is an increasing priority for marketing leaders who want to foster long-term growth with limited budgets.

Key pillars of an SEO strategy

Certain components that would have appeared on this list a decade or two ago have disappeared, as Google has evolved its search algorithm to be driven by user engagement rather than traditional ranking signals. “Keyword stuffing” is a thing of the past – the only way to rank for competitive terms is through quality content that delivers on search intent.

With that said, there is a model that B2B marketers can use to reliably drive SEO success when aided by quality data and expertise. Build around these six SEO pillars:

Keyword research
SEO content
Technical SEO
Link building
Maintenance and optimization
Reporting and analysis

Keyword research

It all starts here. Keyword research forms the basis of SEO strategy, identifying the terms and phrases that your brand will aim to show up for. These are the questions your future customers are asking; the problems they’re trying to solve.

At TopRank Marketing, we take an intent-driven approach to keyword research, developing topical maps that help brands address the breadth of needs and curiosities for buyers at various stages.

SEO content

Content is the fuel that makes an SEO strategy run. SEO content marketing refers to the creation and optimization of web content designed to resonate with both humans and search engines.

Technical SEO

Although marketers can no longer “game the system” by stuffing keywords or harvesting low-quality backlinks, there are still technical elements that must be addressed to ensure your SEO content performs. These include page load speed, crawlability, mobile-friendliness and more.