Why SEO efforts fail
Why SEO efforts fail
Most SEO efforts I have seen fail because of a lack of execution. There were plans and plans of plans, but somehow, none of it was ever implemented.
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In my sixteen+ years of being deeply involved in SEO, I have heard many declarations about why an SEO effort ultimately ended up not being as successful as hoped, but I have found only one explanation to be factual. Most SEO efforts I have seen fail are because of a lack of execution. There were plans and plans of plans, but somehow, none of it was ever implemented.
Strategy is not a to-do list
In many cases, the SEO strategy was built as a string of tasks rather than a cohesive strategy with a beginning, an end, and, most importantly, an owner.
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I once worked with a company for an entire year, and they managed not to make a single SEO change during that period. At the end of the year, they wrote off SEO as a channel that would never work for them.
In another case, I met a company that had spent nearly two million dollars on a library of content that just sat in a Google Drive folder and was never published. They had determined that content was the key to SEO success, and while they hired an agency to produce it, they never bothered to build a CMS to publish it.
In the most egregious case, I worked with a CMO to draft a strategic SEO plan. However, when we presented it to the executives, we discovered that none of what we had planned to accomplish was resourced by the teams we needed to rely upon to launch it. We would have had to bring in those other teams from the start to do anything resembling success.
SEO needs to align with growth
These are particularly extreme examples, but throughout my career, I have seen many companies with busy roadmaps and teams doing activities aligned with SEO excellence but none with SEO growth.
In today’s paradigm of LLMs, keyword synonyms and exact title tags have less weight than ever, and the actual SEO work comes from having a cohesive strategy on what content should be written for which user and how that content should be positioned.
Updating title tags, improving content quality, and even handfuls of internal links are all valuable activities, but without a clear direction on how they will impact growth, they likely won’t.
This is not a critique of big companies vs small companies because I have seen small companies with awful SEO strategies and big companies with excellent ones.
Even big companies can move fast
In stark contrast to the keyword-obsessed startups I have seen, I had the opportunity to work with a company with thousands of employees and the trappings of bureaucracy that typically accompany companies of that size. I expected every little change to be akin to moving skyscrapers.
In truth, change was hard, as many layers of approval were required, but they were willing to move those buildings. Designs had to be approved by multiple parties and even Legal teams. Keyword choices had to be checked by internal teams and even external agencies.
Leadership is an essential requirement
But in this case, we had strategic direction buy-in from leadership, and most importantly, the SEO plan was resourced. At any of these roadblocks, it would have been easy to quit. A comms team needing a presentation on a title tag? No, thank you; we will come up with a new plan. However, we pushed through, and the success was so massive that we earned political capital for further changes that unlocked even more growth.
In mere weeks, they accomplished what even smaller companies would find challenging to complete in that timeframe. Their belief in the benefits of this channel drove them to do the impossible. They achieved exactly what they had hoped for.
The solution to things not shipping in SEO is not to lay blame or to give up but instead to craft a strategy that gets people excited about building something great.
This, of course, presents a huge opportunity.
In multiple verticals, zero companies focus on a long-term SEO strategy. This means there is a vast swathe of opportunity for someone to enter this vertical with a plan.
I have written several newsletters on how to think strategically about SEO, so I won’t repeat them all here; however, here are five tips for pivoting your SEO to bigger goals.
Come up with a growth number
Before I start any engagement, I always develop a success metric with a numerical value. If there is no dollar value to success, getting anyone on board with a project will be impossible. While many teams will get excited by a 10 million dollar goal, not many will be excited by a goal of improved SEO hygiene.
Use RICE prioritization
A prioritization framework ensures that SEO work is used on the right initiatives. You can use whatever format is most comfortable for your efforts but don’t just open up SEO tickets and demand work because you can.
Before creating anything for SEO, ask whether it will increase buyers
In my opinion, this is the most important question any marketing team should ask. Is there going to be a business upside? Or is this work being undertaken because of some other need? If it’s only a hygiene task it should be relegated behind those essential tasks.
Build a formal product roadmap
I am always surprised at how many companies have detailed product plans for every aspect of their business, but somehow, when it comes to SEO, the wrong metrics prioritize it. It’s almost just a First-in-first-out effort. Companies should build product roadmaps that envision what SEO efforts will look like long into the future.
Ensure that you have buy-in from other teams
This step is often missed, but it's crucial in ensuring that SEO works happen. I have found that many teams give a readout of what they plan to do after it has been planned. This is the wrong sequencing of work. If you rely on other teams, do the resource planning with them upfront; this is a better way of ensuring that they have the capacity and will to do what you need.
If SEO initiatives never launch, look at the strategic direction before blaming another team. It could be the other team’s failure, but ensure they were set up for success from the start. That might be on you.
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This is the exact playbook we ran for a dental client.
In a few short months, the results was:
$139,801 in revenue.
Old SEO playbook:
Create 1000s of pages and rank for millions of keywords.
Alienate users with mass-produced content.
Buy links, run link exchanges, scale your guest posting to boost your rankings so more people can check out the bad mass-produced pages.
New SEO playbook:
Create 100 pages that are best in class, help users solve their problems, honestly present various solutions, and position you as a great option.
Keep those pages up to date be refreshing content regularly.
Create original research and thought leadership content that builds your brand while attracting journalists who want to write about your content.
People who find your pages organically immediately feel served by the content and develop a positive association with your brand. They convert at a higher level or place you on a shortlist.
Get your New SEO Playbook.