Start from evidence, not guesses
Before writing a single task, look at what Google already thinks of the site. In Search Console, over the last 28 days, note:
- the searches where the site appears in positions 5 to 20, with their impressions;
- pages with plenty of impressions but few clicks for their position;
- searches where two of your pages compete;
- pages Google found but didn't index, and any sitemap or redirect errors.
That list is your raw material. Searches near page 1 matter most: a move from position 12 to 6 can multiply clicks, while a move from 45 to 30 changes almost nothing.
Then set a goal you can measure, such as "clicks from Google over 28 days from 950 to 1,150", and accept that it's a target, not a promise. Search is affected by competitors and Google's own changes.
Month 1: fix what holds the site back
Growth work is wasted on a site Google struggles to read. Clear the blockers first.
- Indexing. Make sure the pages you want found are indexed, and the ones you don't want (thank-you pages, test pages, duplicates) aren't.
- Sitemap. One clean sitemap listing only real, working pages, submitted in Search Console.
- Redirects and broken links. Point internal links straight at the final address instead of through redirects, and fix links to pages that no longer exist.
- Speed and errors. Fix anything badly slow on phones and any pages returning errors.
- Measure the starting point. Note the clicks, positions and impressions for the pages you'll work on.
Month 2: strengthen the pages closest to page 1
Now work through the searches in positions 5 to 20, best opportunities first.
- Answer the search properly. Look at what currently ranks on page 1 for that search. If those pages answer questions yours doesn't, such as prices, areas covered or how long something takes, add that information.
- Make one page the clear answer. If two pages compete for the same search, merge them or give each a distinct focus, and link from the weaker to the stronger.
- Link to it. Add links to the page from related pages and posts on your own site, using words that describe it.
- Check the basics. One clear main heading, a title that includes the search's key words, and structured data where it fits (for example, business details or FAQs).
Make a note of the date of every change. Without it, you can't tell later what worked.
Month 3: win the click, then review
Being seen isn't the same as being chosen.
- Rewrite titles and summaries of pages that are seen a lot but rarely clicked. Say what the page offers and why it's worth choosing.
- Measure each change by comparing the 28 days after it with the 28 days before: clicks, impressions and position for the searches it targeted.
- Review and plan the next 90 days. Keep what worked, drop what didn't, and pick the next set of searches from fresh data.
Keeping the plan honest
Two habits make the difference between a plan and a wish list: tie every task to a specific page, search or problem, and check whether it actually happened and what it changed.
TideStat's Search Growth add-on builds this plan from each site's own Search Console figures and crawl, ticks tasks off by itself when the data confirms them (a page indexed, a search reaching page 1, broken links gone from the crawl), and measures before and after on every change you mark, so the plan reports its own progress.
