What Separates a Good SEO Company from a Great One?

Sep 15, 2026 | SEO Tips

By Jen Ruhman, San Diego SEO Expert

If you’ve ever searched for an SEO company, you’ve probably noticed something.

Most websites sound almost identical.

Every agency promises:

• Higher rankings
• More traffic
• More leads
• Better visibility
• Long-term growth

On the surface, it can be difficult to tell one SEO company from another.

After working in SEO for more than 20 years, I’ve learned that the biggest differences aren’t found on a pricing page or in a list of services.

They’re found in the way an SEO company thinks.

The best SEO companies aren’t simply completing monthly tasks.

They’re making strategic decisions that help businesses grow month after month and year after year.

Here are the qualities I believe separate a good SEO company from a truly great one.

They Learn About Your Business Before Your Keywords

One of the biggest mistakes I see is agencies jumping straight into keyword research.

Keywords matter.

But your business matters more.

Before I recommend a single page or identify a target keyword, I want to understand things like:

• Which services are most profitable?
• Who is your ideal customer?
• Which locations matter most?
• What makes your business different?
• What does success actually look like?

Without those answers, it’s impossible to build a strategy that supports your business goals.

That’s why every new client conversation starts with business questions rather than SEO software.

I explain my process in The 5 Questions I Ask Every New SEO Client.

They Build Strategy Before They Build Content

Publishing blog posts is easy.

Building a content strategy is much harder.

I’ve audited websites with hundreds of blog posts that barely generate qualified traffic because every article exists in isolation.

Great SEO companies don’t simply publish more content.

They create content that supports the services, topics, and goals that matter most.

Every article should strengthen another page on the website.

Every service page should connect to supporting resources.

Every internal link should reinforce topical authority.

This is one reason I spend so much time planning content before writing it.

If you’d like to learn more about this concept, read What Is Topical Authority? A Simple Guide for Business Owners.

They Explain Why They’re Making Recommendations

One of my biggest goals is making sure clients understand the strategy behind every recommendation.

If I suggest creating a new service page, I explain why.

If I recommend improving internal links, I explain why.

If I advise against publishing a particular article, I explain why.

SEO shouldn’t feel mysterious.

You should understand what your SEO company is doing and how each recommendation supports your long-term goals.

I believe educated clients make better decisions.

That’s why I spend a lot of time teaching, not just optimizing.

They Don’t Chase Every Google Update

Whenever Google announces an algorithm update, the internet fills with predictions, opinions, and panic.

While I absolutely pay attention to updates, I don’t believe businesses should rebuild their strategy every time Google makes a change.

Instead, I stay focused on the things that consistently matter.

Helpful content.

Strong website structure.

Clear expertise.

Good user experience.

Trust.

These principles have survived countless Google updates.

I wrote more about this in The SEO Changes I Ignore (And Why) and The SEO Advice I Used to Believe (But Don’t Anymore).

They Measure Business Growth—Not Just Rankings

Ranking reports are useful.

Traffic graphs are helpful.

But neither one pays your bills.

When I evaluate an SEO campaign, I care about questions like:

• Are more qualified people finding the website?
• Are phone calls increasing?
• Are more consultation requests coming in?
• Are important service pages generating leads?
• Is the business growing?

Sometimes a website gains thousands of additional visitors without generating meaningful business.

Other times a relatively small increase in qualified traffic produces a significant increase in revenue.

That’s why I focus on outcomes instead of vanity metrics.

I explain this philosophy further in Why More Traffic Isn’t Always Better.

They Aren’t Looking for Reasons to Sell You More

One thing I rarely do is recommend expensive work that isn’t necessary.

A perfect example is website redesigns.

Many businesses are told they need a completely new website when the real problem is much simpler.

Often, the existing website just needs:

• Better content
• Better service pages
• Better internal links
• Better organization
• Better local SEO
• Better calls to action

I’d much rather improve an existing website than rebuild it from scratch if it already has valuable authority.

I explain this in Why I Rarely Recommend a New Website.

They Tell You What You Need to Hear—Not Just What You Want to Hear

This may be one of the biggest differences.

Sometimes I tell prospective clients that SEO isn’t their biggest problem.

Sometimes I recommend improving conversion rates before investing heavily in additional traffic.

Sometimes I suggest focusing on one service instead of ten.

Sometimes I recommend slowing down rather than publishing more content.

Those conversations aren’t always easy.

But I’d rather give honest advice than tell someone what they want to hear.

Long-term trust is far more valuable than making a quick sale.

They Understand That SEO Is a Long-Term Investment

SEO isn’t advertising.

You don’t turn it on today and receive immediate results tomorrow.

Instead, every improvement builds on previous work.

A stronger service page helps support future blog posts.

Helpful blog posts strengthen topical authority.

Internal links reinforce relationships between pages.

Backlinks become more valuable when they point to high-quality content.

Month after month, these improvements begin to compound.

That’s one reason I enjoy SEO so much.

The work you do today continues creating value long into the future.

They Never Stop Learning

Search engines change.

AI changes.

Consumer behavior changes.

Technology changes.

The best SEO companies evolve alongside them.

After more than two decades in this industry, I’m still testing ideas.

I’m still reading.

I’m still learning.

I’m still refining my process.

Experience isn’t about believing you already know everything.

It’s about understanding that there’s always something new to discover.

They Focus on Relationships, Not Transactions

The strongest SEO campaigns I’ve worked on didn’t happen because of one blog post or one technical fix.

They succeeded because of long-term partnerships.

Over time, I learn the client’s business.

I understand their customers.

I recognize seasonal trends.

I discover new opportunities.

That allows the strategy to become more effective every year.

Good SEO isn’t built in one month.

It’s built through consistency.

So… What Makes a Great SEO Company?

In my experience, a great SEO company:

• Learns your business before researching keywords.
• Builds a strategy before publishing content.
• Explains every recommendation.
• Stays focused during Google updates.
• Measures business growth instead of vanity metrics.
• Doesn’t recommend unnecessary work.
• Gives honest advice.
• Thinks years ahead instead of weeks ahead.
• Continues learning as search evolves.

Those principles have shaped the way I approach SEO throughout my career.

They’re also the reason I enjoy helping businesses grow through search.

Final Thoughts

Choosing an SEO company isn’t just about finding someone who understands Google.

It’s about finding someone who understands your business.

The best SEO strategies aren’t built around algorithms alone.

They’re built around people.

Your customers.

Your goals.

Your services.

Your expertise.

When those pieces come together, rankings become much more meaningful because they’re supporting real business growth.

If you’re looking for an SEO company in San Diego that takes a thoughtful, long-term approach to search, I’d love to learn more about your business.

Every SEO strategy I build starts with understanding where you are today and where you want to go tomorrow.

Learn more about my SEO services

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose the right SEO company?

Look beyond promises of rankings and traffic. A good SEO company should take the time to understand your business, explain its strategy, provide transparent communication, and focus on long-term growth rather than quick wins.

What should an SEO company do first?

An experienced SEO company should first learn about your business, goals, target audience, and services before recommending keywords or publishing content. A successful SEO strategy starts with understanding your business—not just your website.

Can an SEO company guarantee first-page rankings?

No. No reputable SEO company can guarantee specific Google rankings because search algorithms are constantly changing and no one controls Google’s results. Be cautious of agencies making guaranteed ranking promises.

How long does SEO usually take?

SEO is a long-term marketing strategy. While some improvements can happen within a few months, meaningful growth often takes several months depending on your industry, competition, website history, and existing authority.

Is more website traffic always better?

Not necessarily. The goal of SEO is to attract qualified visitors who are likely to become customers—not simply increase traffic numbers. Higher-quality traffic often produces better business results than large amounts of untargeted visitors.

Do I need a new website before starting SEO?

Not always. Many websites can achieve significant SEO improvements through better content, stronger internal linking, technical optimization, and improved site structure without requiring a complete redesign.

What makes a great SEO company different?

A great SEO company focuses on business strategy, understands your goals, explains its recommendations, creates long-term plans, and measures success using meaningful business outcomes rather than vanity metrics alone.

Should an SEO company explain what they’re doing?

Yes. Your SEO company should clearly explain why it recommends certain pages, content, technical improvements, or strategies. Transparency helps you understand how the work supports your business goals.

The 5 Questions I Ask Every New SEO Client

Sep 7, 2026 | SEO Tips

By Jen Ruhman, San Diego SEO Expert

When a new client contacts me about SEO, they often expect me to begin with keywords.

They assume I’ll immediately ask:

• What keywords do you want to rank for?
• Who are your competitors?
• How many blog posts do you want each month?
• How many backlinks do you need?

Those questions may come later, but they aren’t where I start.

After more than 20 years working in SEO, I’ve learned that a successful campaign begins with understanding the business—not opening an SEO tool.

Before I recommend a new page, rewrite a title tag, or build a content calendar, I need to know what the client is actually trying to accomplish.

Otherwise, it’s easy to create an SEO campaign that looks busy but doesn’t produce meaningful growth.

Here are the five questions I ask every new SEO client and why each answer shapes the strategy I build.

1. Which Services or Products Matter Most to Your Business?

This is usually the first question I ask.

Not all services are equally valuable.

A company may offer ten different services, but two or three of them may generate most of its revenue.

Another service might be highly profitable but underpromoted.

Some services may attract many inquiries but rarely turn into ideal clients.

If I don’t understand that, I could spend months improving visibility for the wrong part of the business.

For example, imagine a medical practice offers several treatments.

One treatment may bring in a high volume of searches but very few qualified patients.

Another may have lower search volume but lead to longer-term, higher-value relationships.

From an SEO perspective, the second treatment may deserve more attention.

That’s why I don’t automatically prioritize the keyword with the biggest search volume.

I prioritize the opportunity most closely connected to the client’s business goals.

This is one reason I believe more website traffic isn’t always better.

The goal isn’t simply attracting more visitors.

The goal is attracting the right visitors to the right pages.

What I’m trying to understand

When I ask about important services, I’m listening for things like:

• Which services generate the most revenue?
• Which services have the strongest profit margins?
• Which services does the business want to grow?
• Which services attract the best long-term clients?
• Are there services the company no longer wants to emphasize?
• Are there seasonal priorities?

Those answers help me determine which pages deserve the most attention first.

Without that information, keyword research is just a list of numbers.

With it, keyword research becomes a business strategy.

2. Who Is Your Ideal Customer?

Many businesses say their ideal customer is “everyone.”

That usually means the strategy isn’t focused enough yet.

SEO works best when we know exactly who we’re trying to reach.

A local family-owned business may want homeowners within a 20-mile radius.

A financial advisor may want high-net-worth individuals approaching retirement.

A medical practice may want patients seeking a very specific treatment.

A national company may serve multiple audiences but need separate pages for each one.

The more clearly we understand the customer, the easier it becomes to create content that speaks directly to that person.

Why this changes the SEO strategy

Your ideal customer influences:

• The keywords we target
• The questions we answer
• The language we use
• The locations we optimize for
• The trust signals we highlight
• The calls to action we place on the page

A website written for everyone often connects with no one.

A website written for a clearly defined audience feels much more relevant.

That relevance matters to both users and search engines.

If someone lands on a page and immediately thinks, “This company understands exactly what I need,” they’re much more likely to stay, explore, and contact the business.

That’s why I look beyond keyword volume and focus heavily on search intent.

Someone researching a general topic may not be ready to hire anyone.

Someone searching for a specific service in a specific city is usually much closer to making a decision.

I also want to understand the wrong customer

This is just as important.

Sometimes a business receives plenty of leads, but they’re the wrong leads.

They may come from:

• People outside the service area
• Customers looking for the cheapest possible option
• Searches for services the company doesn’t provide
• Informational queries with no commercial intent
• Industries the business no longer serves

SEO should improve lead quality, not just lead quantity.

Understanding who the client doesn’t want helps me avoid attracting traffic that wastes everyone’s time.

3. What Does a Successful SEO Campaign Look Like to You?

This question often reveals whether the client and I are measuring success the same way.

Some clients want more phone calls.

Others want booked consultations.

Some want online purchases.

Others need stronger visibility before launching into a new market.

A business may want to rank for a specific keyword, but that ranking may not be the best measure of success.

If the keyword brings no leads, it isn’t helping the business.

That’s why I ask clients to describe what success would actually look like.

Would they be happy with:

• Ten additional qualified leads per month?
• More appointment requests?
• Better visibility in San Diego?
• Increased revenue from a specific service?
• More branded searches?
• Stronger rankings across an entire topic?
• Better placement in Google Maps?
• More visibility in AI-generated search results?

The answer determines what I track.

Rankings are useful, but they aren’t the final goal

I absolutely monitor rankings.

They help me understand whether pages are gaining visibility.

But I also look at:

• Impressions
• Organic clicks
• Qualified traffic
• Contact forms
• Phone calls
• Booked appointments
• Revenue
• Conversion rates
• Engagement with important pages

A ranking report can look impressive while the business receives no meaningful benefit.

That’s why I prefer to connect SEO activity to business outcomes whenever possible.

My job isn’t to make a dashboard look exciting.

My job is to help the business grow.

This is also why I often ignore vanity metrics and focus on what actually matters. I explain that philosophy further in The SEO Changes I Ignore and Why.

4. What Has Already Been Tried?

Before I recommend anything, I want to know what has already happened.

This helps me avoid repeating work, overlooking past problems, or making assumptions about the website’s history.

Sometimes a client has worked with several SEO companies.

Sometimes the business owner has been managing SEO alone.

Sometimes a website redesign changed hundreds of URLs.

Sometimes a previous agency published large amounts of low-quality content or built questionable backlinks.

The current website may only tell part of the story.

Questions I usually ask

• Have you worked with an SEO company before?
• What did they focus on?
• Did you see any improvement?
• Were pages deleted or redesigned?
• Have URLs changed?
• Were backlinks purchased?
• Was content generated at scale?
• Have you received a manual action or security warning?
• Do you have access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics?
• Which tactics seemed to help?
• Which tactics felt like a waste of time?

These answers give me context.

For example, if traffic declined after a redesign, I’ll want to check for lost pages, missing redirects, altered internal links, and removed metadata.

If hundreds of blog posts were published but the important service pages still don’t rank, the issue may be strategy rather than content volume.

If the company previously targeted national keywords but only serves San Diego, the site may need much stronger local relevance.

I’m not looking to criticize the previous work

SEO strategies evolve.

Business priorities change.

Websites change hands.

Google changes.

My goal isn’t to point fingers.

My goal is to understand what happened so I can make better decisions moving forward.

Sometimes previous work created a strong foundation.

Other times it created problems that need to be cleaned up.

Either way, knowing the history helps me build a more realistic roadmap.

That’s also why I rarely recommend replacing a website without first reviewing what can be preserved and improved.

You can read more about that in Why I Rarely Recommend a New Website.

5. Why Should Someone Choose You Instead of a Competitor?

This may be the most important question in the entire conversation.

SEO can help people find your business.

But once they arrive, the website still needs to convince them.

If the page looks and sounds exactly like every competitor, rankings alone may not produce leads.

I want to understand what makes the business genuinely different.

That may include:

• Decades of experience
• A specialized process
• Faster service
• Direct access to the owner
• Better credentials
• A unique treatment approach
• Local knowledge
• Strong guarantees
• More personalized support
• Better customer service
• A narrow area of expertise
• Proven results

Those differences should influence the content.

Generic content creates generic websites

I frequently see service pages that could belong to almost any company.

They say things like:

• We provide quality service.
• Our team cares about customers.
• Contact us today.
• We are experienced professionals.

None of those statements are bad.

They’re simply too broad to be persuasive.

The strongest website content explains:

• What the company does differently
• Who it serves best
• What the process looks like
• Why customers trust it
• What experience it brings
• What a customer can expect

This creates better SEO content because it adds something original.

It also helps establish the experience, expertise, authority, and trust that generic AI-generated content often lacks.

This question helps me find the story

Every business has a story.

Sometimes the owner has been doing the work for 30 years.

Sometimes the company was founded because the owner saw a problem in the industry.

Sometimes the business serves a highly specialized audience.

Sometimes clients work directly with the owner rather than being passed to a large account team.

These details matter.

They help transform a page from a collection of keywords into something that feels credible and human.

Why I Ask Business Questions Before SEO Questions

These five questions may not sound technical.

That’s the point.

SEO is not separate from the business.

It should support the business.

Before I decide which keywords to target, I need to understand:

• Which services matter
• Who the ideal customer is
• What success looks like
• What has already been tried
• Why the business deserves to be chosen

Once I know those things, the technical work becomes much more focused.

I can build a strategy around the right goals instead of simply checking boxes.

That may include:

• Strengthening service pages
• Creating location pages
• Improving internal links
• Building topic clusters
• Updating outdated content
• Fixing technical problems
• Improving calls to action
• Strengthening trust signals
• Earning relevant backlinks
• Optimizing for Google and AI search

But each recommendation should connect back to the business.

Otherwise, it’s just activity.

What Happens After These Questions?

Once I understand the business, I begin reviewing the website and data.

I look at:

• Site structure
• Search intent
• Existing rankings
• Internal linking
• Content quality
• Technical health
• Local signals
• Authority
• Conversion opportunities

I explain this process in more detail in What I Look for During the First 30 Minutes of an SEO Audit.

From there, I build a prioritized roadmap.

Not every issue needs to be fixed immediately.

Not every keyword deserves a page.

Not every blog topic deserves to be published.

The strategy should begin with the improvements most likely to create meaningful progress.

The Answers May Change Over Time

These questions aren’t only useful at the beginning of a campaign.

I revisit them as the business evolves.

A company may add a new service.

A previously small service may become highly profitable.

The target customer may change.

The service area may expand.

The competitive landscape may shift.

SEO strategies should evolve with the business.

That’s why I don’t believe in building a plan once and following it blindly forever.

A good strategy needs structure, but it also needs room to adapt.

Final Thoughts

The best SEO conversations don’t begin with keywords.

They begin with the business.

Before I can help a company rank, I need to understand what it wants to rank for, why that visibility matters, and what should happen when someone arrives on the website.

That’s why I ask these five questions:

1. Which services or products matter most?
2. Who is your ideal customer?
3. What does success look like?
4. What has already been tried?
5. Why should someone choose you?

The answers guide almost every decision that follows.

They help me prioritize the right pages, attract the right audience, and measure the outcomes that actually matter.

SEO works best when it isn’t treated as a separate marketing checklist.

It should be built around the company’s goals, customers, strengths, and long-term vision.

That’s how I approach every campaign.

Ready to Talk About Your SEO Strategy?

A successful SEO campaign should be built around your business—not a generic package or a list of disconnected tasks.

If you’re looking for an SEO expert in San Diego who will take the time to understand your goals before recommending a strategy, I’d be happy to learn more about your business.

During your consultation, we can discuss what you want to grow, where your current website may be falling short, and which opportunities deserve attention first.

Schedule a free SEO consultation

Why I Rarely Recommend a New Website

Sep 4, 2026 | SEO Tips

By Jen Ruhman, San Diego SEO Expert

One of the first questions I hear from prospective clients is:

“Do I need a new website?”

It’s understandable why people ask.

Maybe their website is a few years old.

Maybe a competitor launched a beautiful redesign.

Maybe another marketing company told them their current site is “holding them back.”

Here’s the answer that surprises many people:

Most businesses don’t need a brand-new website.

In fact, recommending a new website too quickly is one of the biggest mistakes I see in the marketing industry.

Don’t get me wrong—there are times when a redesign makes sense.

But more often than not, I can help a business improve its rankings, increase qualified traffic, and generate more leads by optimizing the website they already have.

Before you spend thousands of dollars on a redesign, here’s what I look at first.

A New Website Doesn’t Automatically Improve SEO

I’ve worked with websites that were more than ten years old and still ranked exceptionally well.

I’ve also audited brand-new websites that struggled to appear anywhere in Google.

Why?

Because Google doesn’t rank websites based on how modern they look.

Google rewards websites that provide value.

That means:

• Helpful content
• Clear site structure
• Strong service pages
• Good user experience
• Relevant internal links
• Demonstrated expertise

A fresh design can certainly improve the visitor experience, but design alone rarely improves rankings.

Most Websites Have More Potential Than Their Owners Realize

When I audit a website, I’m usually not looking for reasons to replace it.

I’m looking for opportunities to improve it.

Some of the most common opportunities include:

• Expanding thin service pages
• Improving page titles and meta descriptions
• Strengthening internal links
• Adding frequently asked questions
• Improving page speed
• Updating outdated content
• Better keyword targeting
• Improving local SEO signals

These improvements often produce meaningful results without rebuilding the website from scratch.

If you’re curious about my process, I explain it in What I Look for During the First 30 Minutes of an SEO Audit.

Sometimes a Redesign Can Actually Hurt Rankings

This surprises a lot of business owners.

I’ve seen websites lose years of SEO progress because of a poorly planned redesign.

Common problems include:

• URLs changing without redirects
• Important pages being deleted
• Internal links breaking
• Metadata disappearing
• Content being removed
• Schema markup being lost

From Google’s perspective, these changes can make an established website look like an entirely different website.

If they’re not handled correctly, rankings can drop significantly.

That’s why I always recommend protecting your existing SEO equity before launching a redesigned site.

The Homepage Isn’t Usually the Problem

Many people assume their homepage is the reason they’re not ranking.

In reality, I often find that the homepage is one of the strongest pages on the site.

The bigger opportunities are usually elsewhere.

For example:

• Service pages that don’t fully answer customer questions
• Blog articles that don’t support important services
• Weak internal linking
• Duplicate content
• Missing location pages
• Poor navigation

Improving these areas often has a much bigger impact than replacing the homepage with a newer design.

SEO Is More Than a Pretty Website

I’ve worked with beautiful websites that generated almost no organic traffic.

I’ve also worked with websites that weren’t particularly flashy but consistently generated qualified leads every month.

The difference wasn’t the design.

It was the strategy behind the website.

Every page had a purpose.

Every service page answered important questions.

Every blog supported a larger topic.

Everything worked together.

That’s the difference between a website that simply looks nice and one that becomes a business asset.

I talk more about this idea in The Biggest SEO Mistake I See Small Businesses Make.

When I Do Recommend a New Website

There are absolutely situations where I recommend starting over.

For example:

The website is impossible to update.

If making simple changes requires a developer every time, it may be costing your business valuable opportunities.

The platform is outdated.

Some older website builders make it difficult to implement modern SEO best practices.

The user experience is poor.

If visitors struggle to navigate your website, find information, or contact your business, a redesign may improve both conversions and SEO.

The website isn’t mobile-friendly.

Most Google searches now happen on mobile devices.

If your website doesn’t work well on a phone, that’s a serious issue.

The technical foundation is broken.

Sometimes an old website has so many underlying problems that rebuilding becomes the more practical long-term solution.

What I Usually Recommend Instead

Instead of rebuilding from scratch, I typically focus on improving the foundation that’s already there.

That often includes:

• Updating service pages
• Improving content quality
• Creating topical authority
• Adding internal links
• Improving page speed
• Implementing structured data
• Strengthening local SEO
• Optimizing Google Business Profile
• Building authority through helpful content

These improvements preserve the trust your website has already earned while helping it perform better in search.

Think of Your Website Like a House

I often compare websites to houses.

If your kitchen needs updating, you don’t automatically demolish the entire house.

You renovate the rooms that need improvement.

Websites work the same way.

Most don’t need to be rebuilt.

They need thoughtful improvements made over time.

That approach is usually faster, less expensive, and much better for preserving your existing SEO.

Final Thoughts

One of the reasons I rarely recommend a new website is simple:

I want to solve the real problem—not the most obvious one.

Sometimes that problem is design.

More often, it’s strategy.

That’s why I always begin with an audit instead of a redesign proposal.

After understanding your business, your goals, and your website, it becomes much easier to determine whether you truly need a new website—or whether your current one has far more potential than you realize.

If you’re wondering whether your website should be redesigned or simply optimized, I’d be happy to take a look. As an SEO company in San Diego, I help businesses identify the changes that will have the biggest impact on rankings, traffic, and leads—without recommending work they don’t actually need.

What I Look for During the First 30 Minutes of an SEO Audit

Aug 30, 2026 | SEO Tips

By Jen Ruhman, SEO Expert in San Diego

Every SEO Audit Starts the Same Way…

People often ask me what software I use when performing an SEO audit.

The truth is…

Software isn’t where I start.

Yes, I eventually use tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and professional SEO software. Those tools provide valuable data.

But before I open any reports, I spend time looking at the website the same way a potential customer would.

After more than 20 years working in SEO, I’ve learned something important:

A website usually tells me what’s wrong within the first 30 minutes.

Not because I’m looking for mistakes.

Because I’m looking for patterns.

Most SEO problems aren’t caused by one broken page.

They’re caused by dozens of small issues working against each other.

That’s why every audit I perform begins with understanding the bigger picture before diving into the details.

First, I Ask One Simple Question

What is this business trying to accomplish?

It sounds obvious.

But you’d be surprised how many businesses skip this step.

SEO isn’t about rankings.

It’s about helping a business reach its goals.

Before I analyze a single keyword, I want to understand things like:

• Are they trying to generate phone calls?

• More online purchases?

• Appointment requests?

• Local customers?

• National visibility?

Because the strategy changes depending on the answer.

A local plumber doesn’t need the same SEO strategy as an e-commerce store.

A law firm doesn’t need the same strategy as a medical practice.

Understanding the business comes first.

Everything else comes second.

Then I Pretend I’m a Customer

This might be the most underrated part of my entire process.

I stop thinking like an SEO.

Instead…

I become the customer.

If I landed on the homepage for the first time…

Would I immediately understand:

• What this company does?
• Who they help?
• Why they’re different?
• What I should do next?

If I can’t answer those questions within a few seconds, there’s already an opportunity to improve the website.

SEO doesn’t begin with Google.

It begins with people.

Because if visitors don’t understand your website, rankings won’t solve the problem.

Next, I Look at the Overall Website Structure

One of the first things I evaluate is how the website is organized.

Can I easily find important services?

Does the navigation make sense?

Are related pages connected together?

Or does everything feel scattered?

Google prefers websites that are logical.

Visitors do too.

When a website is well organized, search engines have a much easier time understanding what each page is about.

That’s one of the reasons I spend so much time thinking about website architecture before recommending new content.

Sometimes the biggest improvement isn’t creating another page.

It’s reorganizing the pages you already have.

If you’ve read my article about why publishing more blogs doesn’t always improve SEO, you’ll understand why I believe strategy comes before content.

I Look for Search Intent Problems

This is where many websites begin falling apart.

A page can be beautifully written.

It can rank for keywords.

It can receive traffic.

And still fail.

Why?

Because it’s attracting the wrong audience.

Every page should answer one simple question:

What is the visitor hoping to accomplish when they searched for this?

Sometimes a page is trying to answer five different questions.

Sometimes it targets a keyword nobody searches.

Sometimes it ranks for informational searches when the business actually needs buying-intent visitors.

Those are strategy problems.

Not writing problems.

One of my favorite parts of an audit is identifying pages that already have potential but simply need better focus.

Those opportunities often produce faster results than starting from scratch.

Then I Review Internal Linking

Internal links tell a story.

They show me which pages the website considers important.

Unfortunately…

Many websites accidentally tell Google the wrong story.

I frequently see excellent service pages with almost no internal links pointing toward them.

Meanwhile, outdated blog posts have dozens.

That’s backwards.

Every internal link should help strengthen your most important pages.

I often describe internal linking as the plumbing system of a website.

Visitors don’t always notice it.

But when it’s working properly, everything flows naturally.

If you’d like to learn more about this, I wrote another article explaining how internal linking improves SEO.

I Want to See Topical Authority

One thing I ask myself during every audit is:

Does Google clearly understand what this business specializes in?

Sometimes the answer is yes.

Sometimes the website looks like it was written by five different companies.

One article discusses marketing.

Another discusses recipes.

Another discusses office furniture.

Then suddenly there’s a service page.

Google has a harder time understanding websites that lack focus.

That’s why I believe topical authority has become one of the most important concepts in modern SEO.

I’m not looking for hundreds of blog posts.

I’m looking for a collection of pages that reinforce one another.

If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, I recently wrote a guide explaining what topical authority is and why it matters more than ever.

Then I Start Looking at the Data

Only after I’ve spent time understanding the website do I open the reports.

This is where Google Search Console and Google Analytics become incredibly valuable.

Now I’m asking questions like:

• Which pages already have momentum?
• Which pages are receiving impressions but very few clicks?
• Are visitors finding the right pages?
• Where are people leaving the website?
• Which opportunities are being overlooked?

The data rarely tells me exactly what to do.

Instead, it confirms—or challenges—the observations I made during those first 30 minutes.

That’s why I never rely solely on software.

The tools provide information.

Experience helps determine what matters most.

Finally, I Build a Roadmap

This is where my process becomes different from many SEO agencies.

I don’t finish an audit with a giant checklist of everything that’s wrong.

Instead, I prioritize.

Some improvements will have a significant impact.

Others can wait.

There’s no reason to spend hours fixing tiny technical issues if the website has much larger strategic problems.

I want every recommendation to move the business closer to its goals.

That’s why every audit ends with a roadmap—not just a report.

A roadmap answers questions like:

• What should we fix first?
• What can wait?
• Which improvements will have the biggest impact?
• How do all of these pieces work together?

To me, that’s the difference between an SEO audit and an SEO strategy.

The Biggest Mistake I See

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned after auditing hundreds of websites, it’s this:

Most businesses don’t have one big SEO problem.

They have dozens of small ones.

Individually, they don’t seem like a big deal.

Together, they hold the website back.

That’s why I don’t look for magic bullets.

I look for momentum.

When you consistently improve content, strengthen internal linking, organize your website, answer your customers’ questions, and build topical authority, those improvements begin working together.

That’s when SEO starts compounding.

Curious What I’d Find on Your Website?

Every business is different.

That’s why no two SEO audits are ever the same.

Some websites need better content.

Some need stronger internal linking.

Others need clearer messaging, better organization, or a more strategic content plan.

The key isn’t fixing everything at once.

It’s knowing what to prioritize first.

If you’re wondering how your website is performing—or you’d like an experienced second set of eyes—I’d be happy to take a look.

Schedule a Free SEO Consultation

Free SEO consultation

Key Takeaways

• Every successful SEO campaign starts with understanding the business—not the keywords.
• The first 30 minutes of an SEO audit often reveal the biggest opportunities.
• Strategy should always come before tactics.
• Small improvements made consistently produce stronger long-term results than chasing quick wins.
• An SEO audit should end with a prioritized roadmap, not just a list of technical issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should an SEO audit include?

A thorough SEO audit should look beyond keywords and rankings. It should evaluate your website’s structure, content quality, technical SEO, internal linking, user experience, search intent, topical authority, and how well your website supports your overall business goals. An audit should end with a prioritized action plan—not just a list of problems.

How long does an SEO audit take?

It depends on the size and complexity of the website. A small local business website may take just a few hours to review, while larger websites with hundreds of pages can require significantly more time. Regardless of size, I always spend the first part of an audit understanding the business before diving into technical details.

What are the biggest SEO problems you usually find?

Most websites don’t have one major issue. Instead, I usually find several smaller issues that work against each other, such as weak internal linking, pages targeting the wrong search intent, outdated content, poor site structure, missing calls to action, or opportunities to strengthen topical authority.

Can an SEO audit improve rankings?

An audit itself doesn’t improve rankings, but it identifies the changes that are most likely to make a meaningful impact. Once those recommendations are implemented, many websites begin seeing improvements in visibility, traffic, and user engagement over time.

How often should I perform an SEO audit?

I recommend reviewing your website at least once a year. If your business is actively publishing new content, redesigning your website, or operating in a competitive industry, more frequent audits can help identify opportunities before they become larger issues.

What’s the difference between an SEO audit and an SEO strategy?

An SEO audit identifies opportunities for improvement.

An SEO strategy prioritizes those opportunities and creates a roadmap for long-term growth.

In other words, the audit tells you what’s happening. The strategy determines what to do next.

Why do you focus on strategy before making SEO changes?

Because not every recommendation has the same impact. I’d rather spend time improving the pages most likely to generate qualified leads than fixing dozens of tiny issues that won’t move the needle. Prioritizing the right work is one of the most important parts of a successful SEO campaign.

Why I Build Internal Links Before I Build Backlinks

Aug 27, 2026 | SEO Tips

By Jen Ruhman, San Diego SEO Expert

When I start working with a new SEO client, I almost never begin by looking for backlinks.

That surprises a lot of people.

One of the first questions I hear is:

“How many backlinks do we need?”

My answer is usually…

“Let’s make sure your own website is helping itself first.”

Backlinks absolutely matter. They’ve been part of Google’s ranking algorithm for years.

But here’s something I’ve learned after working in SEO for more than two decades:

A website with excellent internal linking can often outperform a website with more backlinks but poor site structure.

Before I spend time acquiring authority from other websites, I want to make sure the authority already inside your website is flowing to the pages that matter most.

That’s where internal linking comes in.

What Is Internal Linking?

Internal links are simply links from one page on your website to another.

For example, if I write a blog post about technical SEO and naturally mention an SEO audit, I’ll link that phrase to my audit page.

That tells Google the page is important while also helping visitors discover more useful content.

It sounds simple, but when done strategically, internal linking becomes one of the most powerful SEO tools available.

Why I Don’t Chase Backlinks First

Many businesses believe SEO starts with building backlinks.

I look at it differently.

Imagine someone pours water into a bucket filled with holes.

Adding more water doesn’t solve the problem.

Fixing the holes does.

Your website works the same way.

If Google can’t clearly understand which pages are the most important, sending more authority to the website often won’t produce the results you’re hoping for.

I would rather organize the website first so every future backlink works harder.

The First Thing I Look for During an SEO Audit

Whenever I audit a website, I immediately start asking questions like:

• Which pages make the business money?
• Which pages receive the most internal links?
• Are important service pages buried several clicks deep?
• Are blog articles supporting service pages?
• Are there orphan pages with no internal links?
• Is Google being given a clear picture of the website hierarchy?

Many websites have hundreds of blog posts but very little strategy behind how they’re connected.

That’s usually one of the biggest opportunities I find.

Internal Links Help Google Understand Your Website

Google isn’t just counting links.

It’s looking for relationships.

If you have dozens of articles about local SEO that all point toward your primary SEO Company San Diego page, Google starts recognizing that page as your central resource.

This is one of the ways topical authority develops over time.

Every supporting article reinforces the larger topic.

Without those internal connections, Google has to work much harder to understand your expertise.

One Blog Post Should Strengthen Another

I never think of blog posts as standalone pieces of content.

Every article should strengthen something else.

For example, if I publish an article about Google Business Profile optimization, I’ll naturally reference articles about:

• Local SEO
• SEO audits
• Topical authority
• Keyword research
• Internal linking
• SEO strategy

Instead of creating isolated pages, I create a connected network of helpful resources.

That’s much closer to how Google understands information.

The Most Common Internal Linking Mistakes I See

After auditing hundreds of websites, I notice the same problems over and over.

Too Many “Click Here” Links

Generic anchor text tells Google very little.

Instead of writing:

Click here.

I’ll naturally write:

Local SEO services

or

technical SEO audit

The anchor text itself provides valuable context.

Important Pages Receive Almost No Links

I’ve seen businesses spend thousands of dollars designing a service page…

…only to link to it once.

If your most valuable page isn’t receiving internal authority from other content, you’re making it harder for Google to rank it.

Old Blog Posts Never Get Updated

This is one of the easiest SEO wins.

Whenever I publish a new article, I also review older content to see where I can naturally add new internal links.

Those older pages already have authority.

Why not use them?

Every Link Uses the Same Anchor Text

Variation matters.

Instead of linking every article with exactly the same phrase, I naturally vary anchors depending on the surrounding content.

That creates a much more natural linking profile.

My Internal Linking Process

When I begin working with a client, my process usually looks something like this.

Step 1: Identify the Primary Revenue Pages

These are the pages I ultimately want ranking.

Usually service pages.

Location pages.

Or high-converting landing pages.

Step 2: Build Supporting Content

Next I create helpful blog posts that answer the questions customers are already searching for.

Rather than competing with the service page, these articles support it.

Step 3: Add Strategic Internal Links

Every supporting article points readers toward relevant service pages where appropriate.

Not every paragraph needs a link.

The goal is usefulness, not stuffing.

Step 4: Continue Strengthening Older Content

SEO isn’t finished after publishing.

Every few months I revisit older content and look for opportunities to improve internal linking.

That process compounds over time.

Why This Matters for Topical Authority

Google wants confidence that you’re an expert.

One isolated page rarely proves expertise.

Twenty well-organized pages covering different parts of the same topic do.

That’s why I’ve been investing so heavily in building topical authority across my own website.

Instead of publishing random SEO articles, I’m creating connected content that reinforces my expertise in areas like:

• SEO audits
• Keyword strategy
• Local SEO
• Technical SEO
• Internal linking
• AI search optimization
• Google Business Profile optimization

If you’re curious about how this works, you may also enjoy reading my guide on What Is Topical Authority?

Backlinks Still Matter

Don’t misunderstand me.

Backlinks remain an important ranking factor.

I build them for my clients every month.

But I want those backlinks pointing toward a website that’s already organized correctly.

Otherwise, you’re paying to send authority into a structure that isn’t making the most of it.

Good internal linking multiplies the value of every backlink you earn.

Final Thoughts

One of the biggest misconceptions in SEO is that rankings come from one tactic.

They don’t.

Successful SEO comes from dozens of small improvements working together.

Internal linking is one of those improvements.

It’s not flashy.

Clients rarely ask about it.

But I’ve seen it move rankings countless times because it helps Google understand what your website is really about.

Before I spend time building backlinks, I make sure the website itself has a solid foundation.

In my experience, that’s one of the smartest investments you can make.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does internal linking really help SEO?

Yes. Internal linking is one of the simplest ways to improve your website’s SEO. It helps Google discover pages, understand which content is most important, and better recognize the relationships between your articles and service pages. It also creates a better experience for visitors by guiding them to additional helpful resources.

Should I build internal links before backlinks?

In many cases, yes. Before investing time and money into acquiring backlinks, I recommend making sure your website is organized properly. A strong internal linking structure allows the authority from future backlinks to flow throughout your website instead of being concentrated on just one page.

How many internal links should a page have?

There isn’t a perfect number. I focus on adding internal links wherever they genuinely help the reader. A well-written article may naturally include anywhere from five to twenty internal links depending on its length and topic. Quality and relevance matter much more than quantity.

What pages should I link to?

Start with your most important pages, such as your primary service pages, location pages, and cornerstone content. Every new blog post should strengthen existing pages that are important to your business goals.

What is an orphan page?

An orphan page is a page that has little or no internal links pointing to it. Because Google has difficulty discovering and understanding orphan pages, they often struggle to rank well in search results.

Does anchor text matter?

Absolutely. The words you use inside a hyperlink help Google understand what the linked page is about. Instead of using generic phrases like “click here,” descriptive anchor text provides additional context for both users and search engines.

Can internal linking improve topical authority?

Yes. Strategic internal linking helps Google recognize that multiple articles cover related subjects. When your content is organized into clear topic clusters, it becomes easier for search engines to understand your expertise, which can strengthen your topical authority over time.