The End of 'It Depends'? (BrightonSEO, April 2024)

'It Depends'. Why do we say it? There will always be reasons why we need to say 'It Depends'. Google algorithm updates, website and brand maturity and the very nature of algorithms being some.

However, there is an over-reliance by SEO professionals with the phrase. Historically, we've said it for factors that were out of our control or we've been historically bad at controlling. For example, our ability to make changes to a website without the need for engineering, proving ROI and communicating value to C-Suite.

This talk is focused on how those factors are now within our control. By leveraging technology within the Botify solution, you can take back control and stop saying 'it depends' as much.

If we can give CEOs certainty by answering their questions with greater certainty rather than 'it depends', we'll get more buy-in as a channel.

Transcript

1. The End of ‘It Depends’? Elliot Haines SEO Consultant, Botify https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliothaines/
2. 2 It Depends.
3. 3 Why do we say it?
4. 4 I asked 30 SEO professionals
5. 5 Why do you say “it depends”?
6. 6 Here are some responses…
7. 7 “There are so many Google algorithm updates now, you can never plan when you might be impacted”
8. 8 “Our ability to implement our roadmap is so inconsistent. We never know when our tickets will be added/removed to a dev sprint”
9. 9 “I can’t effectively prove ROI. When I get asked for numbers, I have to say it depends”
10. 10 “SEO isn’t instant. You may make a change and only see the impact 6 months down the line. That’s often hard to communicate to people who don’t understand SEO.
11. 11 “Every website is different. What works for one website won’t work for another”
12. 12 “Sometimes if I don’t understand why something is happening I say ‘it depends’.”
13. 13 Can’t control Bad at controlling
14. 14 Can’t control Bad at controlling • Algorithm updates • GenAI • Sector competition • Compounding effect of SEO • SEO complexity • Website’s SEO maturity
15. 15 Can’t control Bad at controlling • Algorithm updates • GenAI • Sector competition • Compounding effect of SEO • SEO complexity • Website’s SEO maturity • ‘Getting stuff done’ • Proving ROI • Communicating value to C-Suite
16. 16 What damage does saying “it depends” do?
17. 17 Marketing Investment Organic Paid
18. 18 How do we reduce our reliance on saying ‘it depends’?
19. 19 Bad at controlling • ‘Getting stuff done’ • Proving ROI • Communicating value to C-Suite
20. 20 1. Accelerate 2. Demonstrate 3. Amplify
21. 21 Enable Fast SEO Impact Step 1: Accelerate
22. 22 2/3 of SEO changes take 1+ months to action* When the impact of optimisations are not clear, SEO is not prioritised *Source: Aira, The State of Technical SEO Report (2022) 5 Mths average lead time for our customers to make a single SEO fix
23. 23 Solution PageWorkers Your website AFTER PageWorkers
24. 24 Without PageWorkers With PageWorkers Time from ideation to implementation 10x faster 4-6 months 2 weeks Effort required to deploy a modification 20x faster 10 days 0.5 days Source: Botify Customer Data, 2023
25. 25 +24% +8% Impressions Clicks Black Friday Strategy +84% Pages Crawled
26. 26 Proving ROI with Complete Technical Metrics with Tangible Revenue Numbers Step 2: Demonstrate
27. 27 For years SEO have struggled to tell compelling stories to executives SEO Managers report on technical metrics Crawlability Indexability Rankings Visits Managers Executives want to know revenue & ROI ROI CAC LTV $$$ Executives
28. 28 ROSS SEO found Its ROAS equivalent with ROSS The SEO equivalent of ROAS allowing executives to understand their Return on Organic Search Spend More investment
29. 29 ROSS turns your traditional revenue and cost metrics into a comprehensive score Revenue Inputs Annual Traffic over the last 3 years Revenue per Visit Current Annual Revenue (before costs) Cost Inputs Software + Licensing Paid Search Media Budget Agency + Services Technical People Costs Compounding Impact of SEO
30. 30 $2.9 ROSS demonstrate the profitability of organic search Paid search Every $1 brings back $2.9 $3.2 Organic search without automation Every $1 brings back $3.2 $8.0 Organic search with automation Every $1 brings back $8 Global Retailer
31. 31 Share your results with critical stakeholders Step 3: Amplify
32. 32 Measuring the impact of SEO and tying search directly to business KPIs is critical
33. 33 Apply these tips and tricks when sharing results with your leaders DO’S DON’TS Highlight business-focused metrics e.g. profit Set up a custom report and share on a regular cadence e.g. Search Market Share Present results within the context of your leaders’ main KPIs or critical business goals Add context and highlight the “why” Don’t lead with vanity SEO metrics e.g. domain authority Don’t use SEO jargon that may not resonate with your stakeholders Don’t report on inconsistent timeframes
34. 34 Tell a more compelling story More data: competitors rankings and paid search New storytelling capabilities New ways to share 1 2 3 Measurability: Proving and sharing success
35. 35 It Depends.
36. 36 It Depends It Depends It Depends When are these optimisations going live? What’s the ROI on SEO? How do I see how this channel has impacted our business?
37. 37 When are these optimisations going live? What’s the ROI on SEO? How do I see how this channel has impacted our business? This Thursday ROSS is 8:1 Here is a dashboard
38. Thank You! April 26, 2024