What this service is
The SEO Strategy & Rankings service answers the most fundamental question a website owner faces: are the right people finding us through search? It goes beyond surface-level traffic numbers to examine keyword targeting, ranking positions, organic traffic trends, content gaps relative to competitors, SERP feature opportunities, and backlink authority—the full picture of organic search performance.
At the free tier, an agent-automated snapshot uses third-party APIs to estimate a domain’s keyword visibility, traffic, and authority without requiring any credentials. At higher tiers, Alex conducts deep analysis using SEMrush and Moz, layers in Google Search Console and GA4 data, and delivers a prioritized keyword strategy with a content calendar and competitive positioning plan.
Why clients care: Organic search drives 53% of all website traffic on average. A site ranking #1 for a keyword gets ~27% of clicks; position #10 gets ~2.4%. Most businesses have never done formal keyword research—they’re invisible for the terms their buyers actually search. A strategic SEO engagement reveals exactly where the opportunities are and what it takes to capture them.
A
Alex
SEO Specialist — Strategy & Rankings
Alex owns both the SEO Strategy & Rankings and SEO Technical Health services at Northwoods. On the strategy side, Alex conducts keyword research, competitive analysis, content gap identification, and ranking tracking. For M-tier engagements, Alex leads a live strategy session walking the client through a 6-month content calendar and prioritized keyword plan. At L-tier, Alex provides monthly ranking monitoring and quarterly strategy refreshes, coordinating with Ed K on paid media keyword overlap to ensure organic and paid efforts complement rather than compete.
Service tiers — F / S / M / L
F — Rankings Snapshot
Rankings Snapshot
Free
Agent-automated • Public data • No credentials needed
- ✓ Top 10 organic keywords the site ranks for
- ✓ Estimated monthly organic traffic
- ✓ Domain authority / domain rating
- ✓ Estimated backlink count
- ✓ Basic competitor identification
- ✓ Single-page PDF summary
Scope: Public API data • Agentic: Yes • Estimated data only
S — Keyword & Visibility Report
Keyword Report
$350–$500
Tool pulls + analysis • 3–4 hrs effort
- ✓ Full keyword ranking report (50+ terms)
- ✓ Organic traffic trends (12 months)
- ✓ Content gap analysis vs. 2–3 competitors
- ✓ SERP feature opportunities
- ✓ Backlink profile summary
- ✓ Prioritized keyword target list with difficulty scores
- ✓ Estimated traffic value per keyword
Scope: Estimated data only • Client can execute independently • Branded report
M — Strategy Session
SEO Strategy
$1,000–$2,000
Deep analysis • 8–12 hrs effort • Live session
- ✓ Everything in Keyword Report
- ✓ Google Search Console deep dive
- ✓ Content-to-keyword mapping for existing pages
- ✓ Detailed competitor keyword overlap analysis
- ✓ 6-month content calendar
- ✓ Backlink opportunity list
- ✓ 1–2 hr live strategy session with Alex
Scope: Full analysis • Requires Search Console + GA4 access • Live consultation
L — Retainer
Managed SEO Strategy
Retainer
6–8 hrs/mo • Dashboard KPIs • Ongoing optimization
- ✓ Everything in Strategy Session
- ✓ Monthly ranking position tracking on dashboard
- ✓ Organic traffic reporting on dashboard
- ✓ Quarterly keyword strategy refresh
- ✓ Content recommendations into remediation backlog
- ✓ Monthly or biweekly review with Alex
- ✓ Paid/organic keyword coordination with Ed K
Scope: Ongoing • 6–8 hrs/mo within retainer • Dashboard KPIs tracked
L-tier dashboard KPIs
These four metrics are tracked monthly on the client dashboard for L-tier retainer clients. They provide a concise view of organic search health and progress toward strategic goals.
Monthly Organic Sessions
MoM
Target: month-over-month growth
Avg. Position (Priority KWs)
10–20
Target: improving trend across priority keyword set
Organic CTR (GSC)
>3%
Target: average CTR above 3% from Search Console
Organic Conversion Rate
GA4
Target: improving or maintaining from GA4 data
What the agent checks
| Check |
F — Free |
S — Paid |
M — Strategy |
| Keyword Visibility |
| Top 10 ranking keywords | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Estimated monthly organic traffic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Domain authority / domain rating | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full keyword ranking report (50+ terms) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keyword difficulty scores | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Search Console actual query data | — | — | ✓ |
| Competitive Analysis |
| Basic competitor identification | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content gap analysis vs. competitors | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Competitor keyword overlap | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| SERP feature opportunities (featured snippets, local pack…) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Detailed competitor strategy analysis | — | — | ✓ |
| Content & Backlinks |
| Estimated backlink count | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Backlink profile summary | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content-to-keyword mapping | — | — | ✓ |
| 6-month content calendar | — | — | ✓ |
| Backlink opportunity list | — | — | ✓ |
| Traffic & Conversion |
| Organic traffic trends (12 months) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Organic click-through rate (requires GSC) | — | — | ✓ |
| Organic conversion rate (requires GA4) | — | — | ✓ |
✓ Included — Not included
Sample output — Rankings Snapshot (F tier)
This is representative of what a prospect receives from the free agent-automated scan. All data is estimated from public API sources—no Google account access required.
Domain: www.midwestmanufacturing.com — April 6, 2026 — Estimated data (no Google account access required)
DA
Domain Authority
42 / 100
DR
Domain Rating (Ahrefs-equivalent)
38 / 100
✓
Estimated Monthly Organic Traffic
4,820 visits/mo
✓
Total Ranking Keywords
287 keywords in top 100
✓
Estimated Backlinks
1,240 referring domains
!
Top Competitor Overlap
precisionpartsco.com shares 64 keywords
Top 10 Organic Keywords
| Keyword |
Position |
Volume |
Traffic Est. |
| midwest manufacturing | #1 | 1,900 | 520 |
| custom metal fabrication | #3 | 2,400 | 410 |
| precision cnc machining | #7 | 1,800 | 180 |
| sheet metal stamping services | #5 | 880 | 140 |
| contract manufacturing midwest | #2 | 720 | 195 |
| metal fabrication near me | #8 | 3,600 | 165 |
| iso 9001 manufacturer | #14 | 1,200 | 60 |
| custom welding services | #11 | 1,100 | 55 |
| prototype machining | #18 | 960 | 30 |
| aerospace parts manufacturer | #22 | 1,400 | 20 |
Estimated Organic Traffic Value
$6,840 /month (equivalent PPC spend)
What happens next: The prospect receives this single-page PDF summary. It reveals which keywords they rank for, where they’re losing ground to competitors, and what their organic traffic is worth in paid media terms. The natural next step is the Keyword & Visibility Report ($350–$500), which expands to 50+ keywords, includes a content gap analysis, and delivers a prioritized target list they can execute on.
F-tier data caveat: All Rankings Snapshot data is estimated from public third-party APIs (DataForSEO, SEMrush API). Traffic numbers are directional, not authoritative. This is explicitly labeled on the deliverable. For verified data, clients need to grant Search Console and GA4 access at the M tier.
Cross-service dependencies
SEO Technical Health (Alex): Strategy recommendations assume the technical foundation is sound—crawlability, indexing, page speed, structured data. Clients on both L-tier services get a unified SEO view where technical fixes and content strategy are coordinated. Alex owns both services, ensuring no gaps between the technical and strategic layers.
Paid Media Management (Ed K): At L-tier, Alex and Ed K share a keyword universe document so paid and organic strategies don’t compete. For example, there’s no reason to bid on terms where the client already ranks #1 organically. Conversely, paid campaigns can cover high-value keywords where organic rankings are still building. This coordination prevents wasted ad spend and maximizes total search visibility.
Deliverables by tier
| Tier |
What the client / prospect receives |
Format |
Who produces it |
| F — Rankings Snapshot |
Top 10 keywords, estimated organic traffic, domain authority, backlink count, competitor identification, organic traffic value |
Single-page PDF summary |
Agent (fully automated via DataForSEO / SEMrush API) |
| S — Keyword Report |
Full keyword ranking report (50+ terms), 12-month traffic trends, content gap analysis vs. 2–3 competitors, SERP feature opportunities, backlink profile, prioritized keyword target list with difficulty scores and traffic value |
Branded report (PDF / HTML) |
Alex (tool pulls + analysis + writeup) |
| M — Strategy Session |
Everything in S, plus: Search Console deep dive, content-to-keyword mapping, detailed competitor overlap analysis, 6-month content calendar, backlink opportunity list, 1–2 hr live strategy session with Alex |
Branded report + live consultation |
Alex (analysis + consulting session) |
| L — Managed SEO |
Monthly ranking tracking on dashboard, organic traffic reporting, quarterly keyword strategy refresh, content recommendations into remediation backlog, monthly/biweekly review with Alex, paid/organic keyword coordination with Ed K |
Client dashboard + quarterly strategy refresh + review calls |
Alex (ongoing) + Ed K (keyword coordination) |
How this service is delivered
Step 1
Data Pull
Agent queries ranking APIs (DataForSEO, SEMrush) for keyword visibility data, domain metrics, backlink counts, and competitor identification.
Agent — Automated
Step 2
Analysis & Report
SEMrush and Moz deep analysis with human interpretation. Content gaps, keyword difficulty, SERP features, and backlink profile assessed and synthesized into actionable report.
Alex — SEO Specialist
Step 3
Strategy Session
Live 1–2 hr walkthrough with Alex covering the keyword plan, content calendar, competitive positioning, and backlink opportunity list. Client leaves with a clear roadmap.
Alex — Live Consultation
Step 4
Ongoing Tracking
Monthly ranking monitoring on client dashboard. Quarterly keyword strategy refresh. Content recommendations fed into remediation backlog. Paid/organic keyword coordination with Ed K.
Alex + Ed K — Retainer
Features & benefits
What makes this service distinctive
- F-tier is fully automated—agent pulls public API data, no credentials required
- Content gap analysis shows exactly which keywords competitors rank for that the client doesn’t
- SERP feature mapping identifies featured snippet and local pack opportunities
- Keyword difficulty scores prevent clients from chasing terms they can’t win
- Traffic value estimation shows what organic rankings are worth in paid media terms
- 6-month content calendar at M-tier turns analysis into an actionable publishing plan
- Paid/organic coordination at L-tier prevents wasted ad spend on already-won terms
- Dashboard KPIs provide monthly visibility into organic growth trajectory
- Quarterly strategy refreshes ensure the plan adapts to algorithm updates and market shifts
- Backlink opportunity list identifies specific sites to target for link building
Client benefits
- Know exactly which keywords drive traffic and revenue—and which ones are missed opportunities
- See where competitors are winning and build a plan to close the gap
- Get a prioritized keyword strategy, not just a data dump—know what to target first
- Understand how much their organic traffic is worth, expressed in equivalent ad spend
- Track ranking progress monthly with clear KPIs on the client dashboard