The Usual SEO process
- Your website built by a web developer or designer
- Client supplies the copy or has it written by a copywriter
- The website goes live. It can’t be found for any search terms for your category, and there’s no traffic
- Mad panic
Have you ever headed down the traditional route where you have a developer build your website, but
SEO is never included?
Business owners who mention SEO in their original brief usually get a Yoast WordPress plugin, as many developers think this is the master SEO dagger. But it is far from it.
The Usual SEO process
You engage an SEO person or company. They give you a scathing report on the state of your website, and you are mortified at how negligent your web developers are. The SEO people then modify the content on your site to try and fit the keyword you want to target. You have yet to learn what changes they are making or hacks in the code at the backend.
Your website now has rewritten content that’s so keyword-heavy that it no longer sounds readable, nor is it how you want your business to be presented. More importantly, you don’t see any significant changes in rankings.
There Is A Better Way To Stealth
Firstly, analyse the keyword your current site ranks for - there might be some worth keeping on your new site. Then, analyse the keyword your competitors rank for - there will be some ah-ha moments here. Plus, you should do keyword research on the terms you believe are essential for your category.
Our assassins do this all the time. We’ll prepare a report outlining the keyword strategy we know will improve your website's rankings with Google and Bing. We’ll then work with you to allocate keywords to the various pages and blog posts we want to create for your new site, and write the copy.
There is a mixture of art and science here. Get it wrong, and it’s a sure mission failure. Of course, our assassins can help you get the job done.
Ready To Stealth With SEO?
Talk to our assassins today.
SEO keyword research uncovers exactly what your potential customers are searching for. We analyse what you currently rank for, what your competitors rank for, and where the real opportunities lie. Sometimes a longer, more specific phrase drives less traffic but converts far better than a broad root term that attracts the wrong audience. Keyword research ensures every effort targets searches that actually generate leads.
In SEO, a keyword is whatever someone types into search. A root keyword is one word — "plumber." Short-tail is two or three — "commercial plumber." Long-tail is almost a sentence — "emergency plumber fix burst pipe in bathroom." A bank will always outrank a mortgage broker for "home loan" — but that broker can dominate "low doc home loans for tradies."
Keyword research identifies intent — commercial and transactional keywords convert fastest because the user is ready to act. But focusing only on these means competing for the 3% ready to buy right now, often on price. Informational keywords capture buyers earlier in their journey, building trust before they decide. A smart mix of both fills the funnel at every stage.
Keyword research should be refreshed every three to six months — or sooner if a new competitor emerges, a new product launches, or language shifts. AI has already changed search terminology dramatically, with terms like AEO, GEO, and agentic search emerging rapidly. Digital Assassin monitors these shifts monthly, keeping clients ahead of the curve. The earlier we know about new products, the better.
Keyword research is a starting point, but AI visibility requires a different approach. We use specialist AI visibility tools to uncover the actual prompts your ideal customers are typing into ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI tools — and what results each tool is serving back. This tells us exactly where you're missing and what content to create to become the authoritative answer.