WTSFest London 2026: How to Use Data to Get Buy-in for SEO

How to use the tools of data storytelling to get intellectual as well as emotional buy-in for your initiatives.

Transcript

2. The CMO is not convinced… We are waiting for them to implement… We haven’t heard back yet… #WTSFEST @tina-reis
3. Our success depends on implementation. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
4. Our success depends on people. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
5. Stakeholder is not on board? Project doesn’t start. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
6. Stakeholder is on board, but not excited? It takes forever. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
7. Intellectual Emotional #WTSFEST @tina-reis
8. Data Storytelling #WTSFEST @tina-reis
9. Data Storytelling #WTSFEST @tina-reis
10. Data appears neutral and lends credibility. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
11. Data shifts the conversation Why What #WTSFEST @tina-reis
12. My mistake early in my career: Focus on best practices. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
13. Best Practices don’t always work – now more than ever. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
14. My career grew when I moved from best practice to data-driven. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
15. Why does this matter? How can I measure this? #WTSFEST @tina-reis
16. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
17. #WTSFEST @tina-reis Initiatives based on data, or initiatives that test a hypothesis I can measure.
18. 1. 2. 3. Know your ask. Select and visualize your data. Communicate your story. Steps #WTSFEST @tina-reis
19. storytellingwithdata.com #WTSFEST @tina-reis
20. You have 3-8 seconds with your audience. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
21. 1. 2. 3. Know your ask. Select and visualize your data. Communicate your story. Steps #WTSFEST @tina-reis
22. Formulate your ask in one sentence. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
23. What do you want the other person to know ? #WTSFEST @tina-reis
24. What do you want the other person to do? #WTSFEST @tina-reis
25. 1. 2. 3. Know your ask. Select and visualize your data. Communicate your story. Steps #WTSFEST @tina-reis
26. What does your stakeholder care about? #WTSFEST @tina-reis
27. Market Communicating to Decision-Makers Exposure Money Revenue Cost Market Share Retention Risk Time to Market From: Nancy Duarte, Data Story, 2019. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
28. Market Link your ask to these metrics Exposure Money Conversions Budget Competitors Intent Algorithm Updates Faster scaling #WTSFEST @tina-reis
29. Everything you propose costs someone something. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
30. Don’t show everything. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
31. #WTSFEST @tina-reis Source: moderncampus.org
32. Show the conclusion, not the journey. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
33. Be strategic about how you present your data. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
34. Familiar patterns No clutter Reduce cognitive load Guide the eyes #WTSFEST @tina-reis
35. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
36. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
37. Visibility +/- ChatGPT Gemini Claude Perplexity Schema Markup +35% +23% +5% -2% Add FAQs +50% +4% +67% +84% Add H2 headlines +3% +123% -11% +75% Add a Summary +4% +1% +58% +10% Add all content to source HTML +33% +26% +115% +4% Add statistics +3% +3% +1% +44% Impact of SEO Measures on LLM Visibility 6 Weeks after Implementation Source: I made this all up, people #WTSFEST @tina-reis
38. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
39. 2025 #WTSFEST @tina-reis
40. Don’t rely on Excel’s default charts #WTSFEST @tina-reis
41. Bars are too thin and far apart #WTSFEST @tina-reis
42. Bars are too thin and far apart Title always middle-aligned #WTSFEST @tina-reis
43. Bars are too thin and far apart Title always middle-aligned Clutter you don’t need #WTSFEST @tina-reis
44. Bars are too thin and far apart Title always middle-aligned Excel’s default fonts Clutter you don’t need #WTSFEST @tina-reis
45. Bars are too thin and far apart Title always middle-aligned Excel’s default fonts Clutter you don’t need Not always the best type of chart #WTSFEST @tina-reis
46. If the audience can tell you put work into your presentation… #WTSFEST @tina-reis
47. …it puts the onus on them to engage. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
48. Line charts are better at showing developments over time #WTSFEST @tina-reis
49. Remove everything #WTSFEST @tina-reis
50. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
51. What do I want to say? #WTSFEST @tina-reis
52. Conversions dropped when we lost traffic in an algorithm update. After fixing content quality issues, we recovered rankings and conversions. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
53. Conversions dropped when we lost traffic in an algorithm update. After fixing content quality issues, we recovered rankings and conversions. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
54. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
55. Google update: Conversions dropped. We fixed quality issues over the summer. Rankings improved and conversions recovered. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
56. Google update: Conversions dropped. We fixed quality issues over the summer. Rankings improved and conversions recovered. Our investment in content quality helped us recover from the March Google update. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
57. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
58. Now you have intellectual buy-in. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
59. How do you get emotional buy-in? #WTSFEST @tina-reis
60. 1. 2. 3. Know your ask. Select and visualize your data. Communicate your story. Steps #WTSFEST @tina-reis
61. Beginning Middle End #WTSFEST @tina-reis
62. Balance Chaos Balance #WTSFEST @tina-reis
63. the beginning We did what we had always done because it was working. stable rankings and traffic, predictable revenue = balance #WTSFEST @tina-reis
64. the middle the Google algorithm update disrupted our system = chaos We had to act – standing still was no longer an option. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
65. the end We identified the problem and fixed it = balance Recovery was slow, but we made it in the end. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
66. the ask This story could repeat itself! We need to protect ourselves. Please approve a budget increase of X so we can implement our content measures permanently. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
67. Make your stakeholder the hero of your story. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
68. Challenges #WTSFEST @tina-reis
69. You don’t have first-party data. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
70. Use other people’s data Competitor Analysis Case Studies Other clients (anonymized) #WTSFEST @tina-reis
71. Source: AIO SEO If it sounds too good to be true… #WTSFEST @tina-reis
72. Source: ahrefs for flywheel.com … it probably is
73. Keep a library of good case studies. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
74. #WTSFEST @tina-reis Keep track of the results of your own work
75. You can’t find data to support your argument. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
76. Let it go. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
77. Build a test case with limited risk. Small set of pages Limited Budget #WTSFEST @tina-reis
78. You were wrong. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
79. We are under a lot of pressure in an out of control environment. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
80. Did you learn something? #WTSFEST @tina-reis
81. Cost Risk #WTSFEST @tina-reis
82. A data-driven mindset can grow your career. Get intellectual buy-in with data. And emotional buy-in with storytelling. Take-aways #WTSFEST @tina-reis
83. #WTSFEST @tina-reis Download the charts used in this deck + implementation tracker sheet Link
84. #WTSFEST @tina-reis
85. Let’s connect! linkedin.com/in/tina-reis/ #WTSFEST