By Stephen Pitts
Expert Author
Article Date: 2010-06-02
Throughout the years, I have looked to find a model to measure and address SEO concerns, whether it is an opportunity from a technical, content or link development perspective and still being mindful of the overall goals of a given website.
I have developed a personal way to approach items that have been identified and break them down individually so the specific tactical approaches can be fully vetted to find the best solution. Also, it gives you the ability to measure the impact so you aren't chasing something down a rabbit hole that will not return the greatest results for your efforts. In an attempt to make this simple, I have made this a four letter acronym; also it was simplified to make it easy to remember.FIRM
1. Findings
No matter what the tactic, identifying the concern is one of the most important steps to measuring the impact to organic search.
2. Implication
How does the particular finding impact the performance of your site?
3. Resolution
What can be done to resolve the concern and improve the site's performance?
4. Measurement
After addressing the concern, did it have the intended impact to the web site's performance?
I have found this approach to be useful because when the item/concern is identified, it can easily be placed within the context of all other concerns and put into the appropriate order. This is not to say that each of the findings is independent of others, but it can help to better understand the aspects that can have the greatest impact on organic search performance. It is also a way to measure the cost, whether it is time or money, and evaluate the value of fixing the particular concern.
I plan on sharing some information following this post to give you insight into how to identify areas of opportunity and what are the three most important elements in organic search.
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