You’ve decided to go on a road trip. You’ve gassed up your car, thrown some snacks in the backseat, and headed out to the explore the wide open pavement before you.

What could go wrong?

In fact, there are plenty of things that could go wrong, and if you launch without a proper plan in place, you’ll likely find many pitfalls that could have been avoided firsthand.

This is exactly what can happen if you launch into a digital marketing strategy without performing the proper research before you even begin. Research is a crucial step in building your digital marketing strategy.

Planning for Your Journey

Before you launch your SEO strategy, you need to understand where you’re starting, where you want to land, and what you plan to do if you get a flat tire along the way. There will be hills and valleys, but with the proper planning, your expedition will go a lot more smoothly.

Who Are We? A digital marketing road map needs to begin with a full understanding of who you are as a business. If you can’t answer this question, you can’t readily tell the rest of the world about your company. As you describe your business, take note of the keywords and phrases that are inherent to your company. This identity can later be incorporated into your SEO and inbound marketing strategies.

Who Are They? It would be great if the entire world would come knocking at your door, but, in reality, there is a certain subset of people who need your products or services, and those are the people you should be focusing your energy on. Learn who your audience is so you can learn how to tailor your digital marketing strategy to their needs.

What Do They Want? Throwing random words into cyberspace does not constitute a viable use of keywords. In fact, it’s likely an exercise in futility. A great SEO strategy lends itself to the needs of the consumer, which means you need to do the research necessary to know which keywords people are searching for and which phrases will set you apart from the competition.