CONTENTS

    How to Create an SEO SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

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    Tony Yan
    ·November 1, 2025
    ·7 min read
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    Image Source: statics.mylandingpages.co

    If you’ve ever felt your SEO efforts are a collection of one-off tasks, an SOP turns that into a repeatable system. In this step-by-step guide, you’ll build a practical SEO SOP that aligns to your business goals and covers keyword research, on-page optimization, technical checks, content production, link building/digital PR, QA, and reporting. Expect to spend a focused day or two creating your first version, then iterate as your site grows.

    What you’ll need

    • A basic familiarity with SEO terms (we’ll explain the essentials as we go)
    • Access to Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
    • A crawler/audit tool (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or a SaaS audit), and a keyword tool (Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz, or your current stack)
    • A shared document or spreadsheet for templates, briefs, and checklists

    Tip: Keep your SOP concise. Think checklists, owner assignments, and verification steps rather than long essays.

    Step 1: Align the SOP to business goals

    What to do

    1. Identify the pages and topics that influence outcomes (e.g., product/service pages, comparison pages, high-intent blog topics).
    2. Define primary KPIs: organic sessions, rankings for priority keywords, CTR, conversions/events in GA4.
    3. Outline 2–3 quarterly themes (e.g., “improve Core Web Vitals,” “build out the pricing & comparison cluster”).
    4. Decide on a working cadence (weekly task review, monthly reporting, quarterly deep-dive).

    Why this matters

    • An SOP is only effective if it moves metrics that matter to the business.

    Verification

    • Your SOP intro documents business objectives and the 3–5 page types that tie to revenue or pipeline.

    Helpful extension

    Step 2: Set up documentation artifacts

    What to create

    • Master keyword-to-URL map: keyword cluster, primary keyword, target URL, owner, status, last updated.
    • Change log: date, page/section, change summary, who changed, reason, rollback note.
    • Pre-publish checklist: on-page, internal links, media/alt text, schema, mobile, CWV sanity checks.
    • Post-publish validation checklist: indexing request, rich results eligibility, internal link audits.

    Why this matters

    • Documentation prevents cannibalization, makes QA repeatable, and speeds onboarding.

    Verification

    • Each artifact lives in a shared location and has an owner. Add a version number and update schedule to your SOP.

    Step 3: Keyword research SOP

    What to do

    1. Define pillars and seed terms from your ICP pain points, products/services, and competitor landscapes.
    2. Gather keyword data (volume, difficulty, clicks) in your preferred tool; supplement with GSC query discovery.
    3. Cluster by SERP similarity or parent topic. Manually adjust clusters to avoid topic overlap and cannibalization.
    4. Classify intent for each cluster (informational, commercial, transactional; also local/video/news if relevant) by checking the top SERP results.
    5. Prioritize clusters by business value, intent fit, SERP features present, difficulty, and your authority gap.
    6. Map clusters 1:1 to URLs in your keyword-to-URL spreadsheet.

    Why this matters

    • Intent matching reduces pogo-sticking and improves conversions; mapping avoids duplicative pages competing for the same query.

    Verification

    • For each cluster, confirm the top SERP favors a specific content type (e.g., guides, product pages) and your planned page matches that format.

    Troubleshooting

    • If Search Console shows cannibalization (multiple URLs ranking for the same query), consolidate content and direct internal links to the stronger canonical page.

    Helpful extension

    Step 4: On-page optimization SOP

    What to do on every page

    1. Title and meta description
      • Write a unique, descriptive title that reflects the page topic.
      • Craft a clear meta description summarizing the page; aim to encourage clicks without keyword stuffing.
      • For fundamentals on headings, anchor text, and structure, Google’s overview in the SEO Starter Guide is a reliable reference.
    2. Headings and content structure
      • Use a single H1 and a logical hierarchy for H2/H3s.
      • Ensure the content satisfies user intent with helpful examples, entities, FAQs, and clear answers.
    3. URL structure
      • Keep URLs short, hyphen-separated, and descriptive; avoid parameters where possible.
    4. Media and accessibility
      • Place images near relevant text; use descriptive filenames and alt text.
    5. Internal links
      • Add contextual links with descriptive anchors to related pages in the same cluster; fix broken/redirected links in audits.
    6. Structured data
      • Add JSON-LD markup that matches visible content; validate before publishing.

    Why this matters

    • Clear titles, descriptive anchors, accessible media, and structured data help search engines and users understand and navigate your page.

    Verification

    • Validate structured data in Google’s Rich Results Test, then check rendering in GSC’s URL Inspection.

    Troubleshooting

    • If Google rewrites your title link or shows odd anchors, revisit clarity and alignment with page content per the Starter Guide.

    Helpful extensions

    Step 5: Technical SEO SOP

    What to do

    1. Crawlability and indexability
      • Place robots.txt at the root; avoid blocking essential resources; review GSC Coverage for errors.
    2. XML sitemaps and canonicalization
      • List canonical URLs only; keep within limits; submit in GSC; optionally reference in robots.txt.
      • Ensure internal links point to the canonical version and manage parameterized URLs.
    3. HTTPS and redirects
      • Enforce site-wide HTTPS; 301 redirect HTTP to HTTPS; sanity-check with a crawler.
    4. Mobile-first parity
      • Ensure responsive design and content/resource parity for Googlebot Smartphone.
    5. Core Web Vitals (CWV)
      • Monitor LCP ≤ 2.5s, INP ≤ 200ms, CLS ≤ 0.1 at the 75th percentile; review lab (PSI) and field (CrUX/GSC) data.
    6. Structured data
      • Use supported types from Google’s Search Gallery; ensure markup matches visible content.

    Why this matters

    • Technical health enables discovery, rendering, and eligibility for enhanced search features.

    Verification

    • Review CWV in GSC and PageSpeed Insights. Validate structured data and confirm indexing in GSC.

    Authoritative references

    Troubleshooting

    • “Crawled – currently not indexed”: improve content quality, internal links, and confirm the canonical is correct; request indexing after fixes.
    • “Discovered – currently not indexed”: strengthen internal linking and ensure the sitemap lists the canonical; remove crawl blocks.

    Step 6: Content production workflow SOP

    What to do

    1. Create briefs from your keyword clusters
      • Include target intent, SERP format, outline, key entities, internal link targets, media needs, and structured data notes.
    2. Draft and optimize
      • Write to match intent and format; cover user questions with examples and visuals; add alt text and schema.
    3. Review and approvals
      • Editorial review for clarity and accuracy; SEO review for on-page elements and internal links; accessibility pass.
    4. Publish and promote
      • Ensure inclusion in sitemap if you manage it manually; add the page to internal link hubs; share via your owned channels.
    5. Refresh cadence
      • Quarterly for top pages; at least annually for evergreen content; log changes in the change log.

    Example tooling in practice

    • You can use QuickCreator to generate briefs, draft posts aligned to intent, enforce on-page elements, and run content quality scoring during QA. Disclosure: QuickCreator is our product.

    Verification

    • Run your pre-publish checklist on titles/meta/H1, URL, internal links with descriptive anchors, image alt text, schema validation, mobile readiness, and a PageSpeed Insights lab test for CWV sanity.

    Troubleshooting

    • Bottlenecked reviews: standardize the brief and checklist, assign owners, and prioritize pages tied to business goals.

    Helpful extension

    Step 7: Link building and digital PR SOP (policy-compliant)

    What to do

    1. Prospecting
      • Focus on relevant, authoritative sites and earned formats (expert insights, data stories, partnerships, resource pages).
    2. Outreach
      • Personalize pitches around value; avoid manipulative tactics or link schemes.
    3. Attributes and policies
      • Use rel="sponsored" for paid/affiliate, rel="ugc" for user-generated content, and rel="nofollow" for unendorsed links; Google treats these as hints.

    Why this matters

    • Ethical, policy-aligned acquisition reduces risk and builds durable authority.

    Verification

    • Log outreach, vet referring domains, and confirm correct rel attributes on placements.

    Authoritative reference

    Step 8: QA, post-publish validation, and reporting SOP

    Pre-publish QA checklist

    • Titles/meta/H1 present and unique; URL is clean and descriptive
    • Internal links added with descriptive anchor text; no broken links
    • Images have descriptive filenames and alt text
    • Structured data validates; mobile rendering is clean
    • PageSpeed Insights lab test shows no severe regressions

    Post-publish validation

    • Request indexing via GSC URL Inspection
    • Confirm rich results eligibility in GSC (where applicable)
    • Audit internal links to the new page and add links from relevant hubs or pillar pages

    Reporting and cadence

    • Weekly/biweekly: monitor impressions, clicks, CTR, average position in GSC; check coverage and CWV status for key templates
    • Monthly: summarize outcomes and insights; note changes made and planned
    • Quarterly: perform a deep-dive, review clusters, refresh top performers, and update SOP version if needed

    Authoritative references

    • For performance tracking, use GSC’s Performance report: Google Search Console Performance.

    Optional analytics setup

    • In GA4, mark conversion events and link GSC/GA4 for easier analysis; see GA4 conversions overview and Google’s integration description in their monitoring guidance.

    Helpful extension

    Adaptations for team size and tool budget

    Solo/SMB

    • Use a single shared spreadsheet and a lightweight crawler (Screaming Frog). Prioritize your top 10 URLs and 5 clusters. Keep the SOP to one page plus checklists.

    Growing team

    • Add template briefs, change logs, and owner assignments. Automate weekly audits and use dashboards for CWV/GSC. Run quarterly SOP reviews and refreshes.

    Agency

    • Standardize briefs across clients, enforce pre-publish QA, and maintain change logs. Use project management to track sign-offs and refresh cadences per client.

    Tool alternatives

    • Research: Ahrefs/Semrush/Moz; free discovery via GSC queries
    • Audits: Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Semrush Site Audit; PSI and web.dev for CWV
    • Dashboards: Looker Studio for reporting, GSC/GA4 exports for deeper analyses

    Putting it all together

    Your SEO SOP should be a living document. Start with the eight steps above, plug in your artifacts (keyword map, checklists, change log), and set a realistic cadence. As your site evolves and Google’s guidance updates, revise the SOP version and keep the team aligned.

    If you want a streamlined way to generate briefs, create high-quality drafts, and run content quality checks inside one workflow, you can try QuickCreator in your next sprint.

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