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Tag: Stakeholder Management

  • Strengthen Stakeholder Support for Technical SEO Success

    Strengthen Stakeholder Support for Technical SEO Success

    As someone deeply involved in technical SEO, I’ve realized that our projects thrive when I effectively communicate their value to both executives and developers.

    What sets a great SEO professional apart from the rest is their knack for managing stakeholders. This skill is crucial in technical SEO, where projects often involve numerous teams, making it challenging to convey the importance of our work.

    At the core of stakeholder management is the perceived value of our work. In technical SEO, this can be especially tricky. People outside the SEO realm might not immediately grasp the significance of optimizing a site’s internal linking or implementing schema markup.

    The most successful technical SEO projects aren’t merely seen as SEO enhancements; they are viewed as vital to business outcomes like revenue growth, better conversion rates, and operational efficiency. By strengthening this connection, I find it easier to gain stakeholder support and showcase long-term value.

    Why Aligning Technical SEO Work with Business Impact Is Essential

    For most executives and development teams, technical SEO isn’t at the forefront. That’s why I ensure our technical SEO recommendations are directly linked to measurable business goals.

    Take, for instance, a scenario where a company modifies its website’s CMS. The SEO implications of such a change are often overlooked on a project manager’s long list of priorities. It’s not until I clearly demonstrate the risks and their potential impact that SEO is properly emphasized.

    Technical SEO initiatives can be inherently complex. They require a strong grasp of the company’s systems and teams, coupled with excellent communication and management skills.

    Even though I might see this work as pivotal to the site’s SEO health, others might not appreciate its value if I’m talking in terms of crawl budget or index management. Drawing parallels to core business goals helps make our work more comprehensible and valuable.

    Aligning technical SEO initiatives with business performance and goals is the best way for me to secure buy-in and highlight their impact.

    Business Outcomes That Drive SEO Buy-In

    Understanding the metrics and business goals is crucial for demonstrating how technical SEO can impact performance. Most organizations set corporate goals like expanding reach, boosting revenue, or entering new markets.

    Revenue

    For many businesses, whether a charity or a multinational, the bottom line is revenue. Connecting technical SEO efforts to revenue growth is a surefire way for me to secure support and illustrate its value.

    Conversion

    I can also show the value of technical SEO by linking it to conversion optimization. Studies indicate that a one-second delay in page load speeds can slash conversions by up to 7%.

    Looking at core web vitals scores is important, but framing it as potential conversion loss grabs more attention from stakeholders.

    Cost Reduction

    I often notice that the potential for cost reduction is overlooked in SEO. Website visits incur hosting, infrastructure, and security costs that add up quickly with large sites.

    Highlighting how technical SEO can reduce unnecessary expenses is key.

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    Dig deeper: How to prioritize technical SEO fixes by business impact

    How to Strengthen Buy-In for Technical SEO Work

    These four strategies help stakeholders better understand, support, and prioritize technical SEO projects.

    1. Determine the Value of the Work

    I never assume an SEO activity is worthwhile just because it’s a “best practice.” Every task I undertake ties directly to a business benefit and a core KPI.

    Even if the immediate result is not new revenue, the activity should support revenue growth, conversion enhancements, or cost efficiency.

    When I review and optimize internal site structures, I aim for improved rankings and increased organic traffic, translating to more conversions and revenue.

    2. Identify How the Work Will Impact Company Goals

    Once I understand the value of my technical SEO tasks, I align them with broader company or project goals to gain stakeholder approval.

    For instance, if my goal is increased profitability in a certain region, and the task involves optimizing hreflang tags, I focus on how this supports the company’s goals, rather than technical specifics.

    3. Communicate Effectively

    Communicating SEO work’s impact is challenging, but breaking it down into ‘who, what, where, why, when, and how’ makes it understandable for stakeholders at all levels.

    My goal is to make even the most technical aspects digestible by linking tasks back to business metrics everyone understands and values.

    4. Prove the Impact Over Time

    By consistently showing the positive results of technical SEO, I align our efforts with business objectives and make future conversations with stakeholders simpler.

    After completing a project, I regularly review the outcomes to understand the impact, allowing for better future planning and adjustments.

    Business Impact Matters More Than Technical Best Practices

    Assumptions of what might enhance performance can sometimes miss the mark. Without revisiting previous implementations, I might not know what actually worked.

    Just because something is hailed as “best practice” doesn’t confirm it will fit my site. Continually evaluating technical SEO outcomes helps reaffirm their business value.

    Dig deeper: Advanced technical SEO tips: 14 technical SEO issues you’re missing

    Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

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  • Lessons Learned from a Costly PPC Decision

    Lessons Learned from a Costly PPC Decision

    Amy Hebdon shares lessons from early mistakes in her career, emphasizing the importance of managing relationships alongside campaigns.

    I recently had the opportunity to interview Amy Hebdon, an international expert in paid search and the founder of Paid Search Magic, on episode 337 of PPC Live The Podcast. We talked about real-life experiences behind paid media initiatives, focusing on the challenges and insights rather than just techniques. Amy’s vast industry experience makes her perspectives invaluable for anyone steering through complex digital marketing campaigns.

    Early career mistakes and learning experiences

    Amy recounted an eye-opening experience from her early career while managing a fitness client’s creative assets that didn’t align with Google Ads guidelines. Despite her efforts to safeguard the account, her tactless approach during a high-stakes meeting with leadership caused friction with the creative team. Reflecting on it, Amy realized that while her decisions were valid, better communication could have preserved vital working relationships for future collaboration.

    Accountability and oversight in campaign management

    I also learned about another incident early in Amy’s career, where she took sole charge of a low-touch account that went inactive due to an expired insertion order. This experience underscored the importance of personal accountability, regular check-ins, and structured processes—even when managing less significant campaigns. Amy pointed out that both her oversight and the client’s lack of internal checks contributed to this oversight.

    Stakeholder management and communication

    Amy often emphasizes the critical nature of understanding stakeholders’ perspectives and nurturing relationships diligently. She reflects on how decisions that might seem tactical can have relational impacts, highlighting the need for empathy, strategic communication, and objectivity in managing conflicts or escalations.

    Lessons on team support and leadership

    Another key lesson from Amy is the value of a supportive team and managers who prioritize shared objectives over placing blame. Effective leadership, she believes, involves fostering collaboration, redistributing workload when necessary, and cultivating an environment where mistakes can be openly addressed without fear. For managers, promoting accountability and transparency within teams bolsters both performance and professional growth.

    Strategic focus over tactics

    Amy stresses that achieving success in paid media demands a strategic approach over purely tactical execution. Merely focusing on bid settings or platform features often overlooks the broader goal of conversion optimization and audience alignment. Amy warns that even technically perfect campaigns can falter if they aren’t aligned with overall business objectives, urging a strategic evaluation over rushing the tactical details.

    Navigating AI and automation in PPC

    With AI gaining importance in digital marketing, Amy highlights the risks of over-relying on automated outputs. Although AI may produce results that seem right, they often lack accuracy. Marketers need a robust foundational knowledge to critically assess these results. Strategy, judgment, and expertise are crucial in differentiating meaningful insights from the noise generated by automation.

    Reflections and career philosophy

    In conclusion, Amy reflects on how inevitable mistakes are a valuable part of any career in PPC. With time, marketers can understand these errors in context, learn from them, and avoid letting them define their careers. She describes her career as “practical magic,” blending technical precision with strategic insights to achieve results, knowing that true success comes from both patience and meticulous planning.

    Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

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