If your site has been around for a while but isn’t ranking as well as it should, you’re not alone. Many brands build up content, make design changes, or launch new features over time — but without a consistent SEO strategy, it’s easy for visibility to stagnate. The good news? A site with history has data — and that gives you a huge advantage.
Here’s how I approach revitalizing SEO on an existing site using a combination of technical audits, content optimization, and ongoing strategy — with tools like Screaming Frog and SEMrush leading the way.
Run a Full Crawl with Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is my go-to tool to uncover the technical health of a website. I use it to crawl the entire site and surface:
- Missing or duplicate title tags and meta descriptions
- Broken internal or outbound links
- Incorrect canonical tags or redirect chains
- Pages with low word count or thin content
- Improper use of H1s and heading structures
- Orphan pages that aren’t linked to internally
- Image issues like missing alt text or large file sizes
This crawl gives a full picture of what’s going on under the hood. From here, I build a prioritized fix list — starting with technical blockers that prevent pages from being indexed or crawled properly.
Audit Keyword Performance with SEMrush
SEMrush is where the strategy gets sharp. It helps me understand how the site is currently performing in search — and more importantly, where the missed opportunities are. I use it to:
- Identify keywords where the site is ranking on page 2 or 3
- Find high-volume queries where the site has impressions but low click-through
- Discover new long-tail keywords that align with existing content
- Analyze competitors to see which terms they’re winning that we aren’t
- Review backlink profiles and identify toxic links that might need disavowing
From this data, I create a content plan: which pages need refreshed content, which keywords need stronger internal linking, and what new pages should be created.
Optimize Existing Content for Quick Wins
Before launching anything new, I look for quick wins in the existing content. These are typically:
- Pages ranking in positions 5–20 for target terms
- Blog posts with outdated information
- Product or service pages with weak CTAs or vague copy
- Pages with solid traffic but poor engagement (high bounce, low time on page)
I improve on-page SEO by adjusting headlines, tightening content to align with search intent, improving meta tags, and adding internal links to and from high-priority pages.
Address Technical SEO Gaps
After content, it’s back to the code. I revisit the Screaming Frog data and combine it with insights from Google Search Console to:
- Fix crawl errors and reduce redirect chains
- Optimize sitemap and robots.txt files
- Improve page speed and Core Web Vitals using Lighthouse
- Add or improve structured data (Product, Article, FAQ, etc.)
- Ensure canonical and hreflang tags are set properly
Search engines favor sites that are technically sound. Cleaning this up gives your content a much stronger chance to rise in rankings.
Create Supporting Content Around Priority Terms
Once the foundation is solid, it’s time to build momentum. I use SEMrush to identify related queries, questions, and subtopics around key themes. Then I create supporting content — blog posts, FAQ pages, resource hubs — that:
- Strengthen topical authority
- Increase internal linking opportunities
- Capture additional long-tail keywords
- Drive users deeper into the site experience
This “hub and spoke” model reinforces relevance and builds a strong SEO network around high-converting pages.
Monitor, Adjust, and Repeat
SEO isn’t one-and-done. After implementing changes, I use Google Search Console, SEMrush, and analytics tools to monitor:
- Changes in ranking and click-through
- Traffic patterns to key landing pages
- Engagement metrics like bounce rate and time on page
- Site health and crawlability over time
From here, I keep iterating — updating older content, targeting new terms, and keeping the technical side clean as the site evolves.