Presented at ClickZ Live Chicago 2015
I just wrapped up my session at ClickZ Live Chicago, where I walked through the fundamental principles of an algo-proof SEO strategy. It was great to see so many people in the room who are serious about building sustainable SEO strategies that can withstand algorithm updates and industry shifts. Since not everyone could make it, I wanted to share the key takeaways from my talk here.
Cover the Fundamentals First
SEO isn’t magic—it’s a mix of technical expertise, strategic planning, and a deep understanding of your business goals. Before getting into advanced tactics, make sure you’ve covered the basics:
- Secure and Manage Your Assets – Ensure your domain names are paid up, your hosting is in order, and you know who to contact in an emergency. A lost domain or expired SSL certificate can do serious damage.
- Know Your Business Model – What are your website’s goals? How does it support your business? Define conversions and success metrics upfront so you can measure progress effectively.
- Have a Clear Plan – Goals inform KPIs, which shape strategy. If you don’t have a defined plan, making SEO decisions becomes much harder.
Infrastructure & Technical SEO
Your site’s infrastructure plays a huge role in its long-term success. Ask yourself:
- Is your website easy for your team to update and maintain?
- Is it secure and running on a stable CMS?
- Is it crawlable and indexable?
- Are your canonical tags properly implemented to avoid duplicate content issues?
If your CMS or infrastructure is causing problems, address those issues before chasing rankings.
On-Page SEO: Get the Basics Right
On-page SEO remains a cornerstone of sustainable search visibility. Here’s what you should be focusing on:
- Well-structured, keyword-rich content (without stuffing)
- Proper use of headers (H1, H2, etc.)
- Optimized images (relevant, properly labeled, and not too large)
- Internal linking best practices
- Clear external linking policies
Diversify Your Content Assets
Google loves diverse, useful content. Don’t limit yourself to text—consider adding:
- Videos – YouTube is the second largest search engine.
- Images – Optimize for Google Image Search.
- Infographics – Great for link building and shareability.
- PDFs & downloadable resources – Can be indexed and drive traffic.
- Social Media Profiles – Search exists within social platforms, so optimize your interactions accordingly.
Off-Site SEO & Social Media
SEO isn’t just about your site—it’s about how your brand is perceived across the web.
- Content Marketing & Citations – Get your name out there. Exposure matters more than chasing backlinks.
- Social Media – Be where your audience is. Optimize your profiles and posts for search visibility.
- Link Building & Recovery – Identify and fix broken backlinks (e.g., 404s). Create link-worthy content that earns natural links.
Speed & Mobile Optimization: A Top Priority
Google is focusing heavily on mobile-friendliness and page speed. If your site is slow or provides a poor mobile experience, you’re going to struggle.
Make site speed improvements a priority, and ensure your site provides an excellent mobile user experience.
Perform Regular SEO Audits
SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. Schedule regular audits to:
- Identify and fix technical issues.
- Ensure forward progress—avoid stagnation or regression.
- Benchmark against past performance to stay ahead of problems.
Analytics & Keyword Monitoring
If you’re not analyzing performance, you’re flying blind.
- Monitor KPIs to track progress toward business goals.
- Watch for unexpected traffic spikes or dips, which could indicate issues.
- Pay attention to landing page performance and engagement metrics (e.g., bounce rate).
- Use tools like SEMrush to see what you’re ranking for beyond your target keywords.
Useful Tools for SEO Success
Here are some essential tools to help with ongoing SEO management:
- Google Analytics – For performance tracking
- Screaming Frog, DeepCrawl – For audits and technical analysis
- SEMrush, BrightEdge, SearchMetrics – For keyword and ranking insights
- Majestic – For backlink monitoring
Don’t Try to Cheat the System
One thing I always emphasize: One does not simply fool Google.
Shortcuts and black-hat tactics might give you a temporary boost, but they will backfire in the long run. Sustainable SEO requires a solid strategy, ongoing optimization, and keeping up with changes in the industry.
That’s a wrap on my ClickZ Live Chicago session! If you were there, I’d love to hear your feedback. What are the biggest SEO challenges you’re facing right now? Let’s keep the conversation going!
You can find me on Twitter @cshel or reach out via email at carolyn@cshel.com
