Now that 2024 has begun, we must reevaluate our SEO strategy. Instead of conducting a complete redesign, objectives may be shifted by evaluating what's working and what needs to be improved.

This article covers the key strategic areas you should evaluate, from high-level business problems to the specific data, tools, content, and technology variables that drive outcomes.

Whether your objectives are little tweaks or major changes, this checklist will help set up your SEO campaign for success in the following year.

Sort through and prioritise the company needs.

Prior to assessing your SEO strategy, you should ascertain the company's goals for 2024 and beyond. Find out about upcoming product launches, audiences, markets, and strategy shifts.

The company strategy is one of the cornerstones of your plan, therefore the better your understanding of it and the alignment of your goals with it, the better.

Do you know what the latest economic and industrial trends are?

It's probable that the broader business plan addressed macro trends. Still, it seems sense to undertake study.

Beyond search engine optimisation, what else is happening in the industry?
Has any big rival made any notable progress in 2023?
Are annual reports accessible for download and reading? What is the trade press saying?

Remember to keep a look out for the publication of all the forecasts throughout this time of year.

Think about how this information could affect the company's future course in 2024 (particularly with regard to search).

Viewer findings: Has there been a change in how customers search for and buy your products or services?

How knowledgeable are you about your target? And how much of this knowledge is guiding your search strategy?

Understanding your audience should be the foundation of your plan. When did you last map the customer journey?

Taking note of the intersections between social media and search, for example, might reveal important information about the content that people are actually looking for.

Is your audience using social media at these turning points in your trip, or are they still using search engines?

Rivals: Are you still keeping an eye on the right opponents?

By researching your competitors, you may ensure that you haven't missed any recent market entrants. There could be Goliaths out there that you don't often go up against in your search.

When was the last time you conducted a thorough search of some of your primary competitors? Resetting your plan is a smart idea at all times.

Observe where they are focusing and where the apparent threats are if they are doing something you haven't considered.

Analysing benefits, drawbacks, possibilities, and dangers

Considering all of your research and the bigger picture, list your perceived SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) from an SEO perspective.

You can keep this to yourself, but it might be helpful to include it in your strategy documents in case you need to address it with a manager, the board, or a customer. It proves that you are well-aware of both your existing circumstances and what is expected to happen in the upcoming year.

You may now focus on your SEO approach after giving your organisation plan careful study. Examine your performance and make sure your people, resources, and protocols are up to date.

Previous year performance

I always think it helps to look back on the prior year's results. Your strategic aim will determine whether or not you want to include somewhat different information.

Analyse content that is both well-performing and poorly-performing for search engines, adding information about things like content type. By comparing this to material from all channels, you can start to ascertain what information and in what format is most popular with your customers.

Consider this data in the context of your goal and the realities around e-commerce. Even though your business will have a predetermined attribution plan of its own, I always think it's helpful to look at how SEO influenced a transaction.

Tools: When was the last time you gave them a review?

It's imperative that you evaluate your tools thoroughly because neglecting to do so might provide your competitors an advantage.

Everyone develops habits, and tool use is no different. The same reports are entered and used as before. However, are there any other aspects of your apparatus that you are failing to utilise? Does the service provider need to provide you any more instruction?

Or are there any new technologies out there that you may use to improve your abilities, speed up duties, or alter how you go about your SEO strategy?

Based on when your annual tool budget is due, it is good to spend some time to assess what is available on the market and how to make the most of it.

AI: Do you agree with it?

In 2023, podcasts, articles, and events were nearly exclusively focused on artificial intelligence (AI). Have you considered how AI may help your business and yourself? If not, I would advise devoting some effort to this in 2024.

AI is a helpful friend for strategy as it can be employed as a researcher, idea creator, and data splitter. While it isn't able to accomplish tasks like publishing content or making decisions, it significantly enhances processes and accelerates delivery.

Reporting: Do you provide the information that is required in your reports?

SEO reporting has two applications:

Providing in-depth analysis so that regular decisions may be made with close colleagues.
Fulfilling reporting requirements for clients, boards, or management.
Getting feedback from recipients at the start of the year can help make your reports more transparent and easy to understand.

Collective and associates: In 2024, do you believe you'll be successful?

Because delivering an SEO campaign requires a wide range of skills, you will receive help from independent freelancers, agency, or fellow employees. I hope that some of the items on this checklist that we are reviewing are also being done. This should happen once every three months for most agency engagements.

Are keywords significant in the modern world? What are you missing, I wonder?

Knowing how your audience searches is essential to creating a successful SEO strategy. Just as essential as optimising for what you think makes sense is making sure your optimisation aligns with user intent.

Content: Have you prioritised your plans appropriately?

Your chances of success might be increased by creating a content strategy that is graded based on its anticipated impact. Work collaboratively with your CX and data teams to determine ways to use content to increase conversions.

Technical SEO: How well-maintained is the website? What plans are in place for 2024?

An SEO plan must include technical SEO as it is often influenced by other departments and requires more involved work.

Improving your SEO plan for 2024

As you bravely go on 2024, make sure your SEO foundation is strong. If you closely examine what has worked, where there are gaps, market trends, and alignment with company goals, you'll increase your chances of success.

Use this checklist as a reference, modifying certain elements to meet the objectives of your business. By collaborating across teams, you can consistently improve throughout the year with a clear strategy and openness through reporting.