Step-by-step SEO strategy

As you can tell by my post title, I enjoy alliteration whenever I can get away with it!

I recently responded to a question posted on LinkedIn Answers, and I wanted to share my response.  The question was posted by Brett Burky:

What do you think is the best step-by-step process for SEO?  I’m curious about how others do their processes.

Here’s my response:

My SEO process is different for each client, based on needs and budget, but here’s the main idea:

1.  Gather baseline analytics and competitive positioning
2.  Work with client to determine goals of project
3.  Research keywords based on the focus of each page, including trending
4.  Develop effective title tags, description tags and alt text
5.  Optimize on-page copy for SEO keywords, including links
6.  Continue to track analytics and make edits where needed

Are there any steps that you would add to or delete from my list?