how to build business cases for seo fixes

Richard PetersenSearch And Data Manager at Zazzle Media

How To Build BusinessCases For SEO Fixes

Request Entity Too Large

SEO In The Past

SEO Now

The Biggest Issue Facing SEO Isn’t Google…

It’s Getting Clients To Implement Fixes

So Why Aren’t Clients Implementing Fixes?

Not Enough Developers To Implement The Work

DEVELOPERS ROLE

1. Create

2. Upgrade

3. Maintain

Too Many RequestsAnd Not Enough time…

Hire More Devs

Clear Backlog, Then What???

DEVELOPERS ROLE

1. CREATE

2. UPGRADE

3. MAINTAIN

So Project Managers Limit Access To Dev Time

So All Fixes Need Justifying

How To Build BusinessCases For SEO Fixes

What Is A Business Case?

So Why Do We Need One?

8 Components For Building A Business Case

1. Track Previous Changes

Clients Need To Build A Case Before You Need One

Keep A Record Of All Work Undertaken

Best Way To Record Performance?

Sing Loudly AboutYour Successes

2. Keep Examples of Others Websites Successes

Use Evernote Or OneNote to Keep Examples on File

3. And Failures

4. Run Tests

30 Organic SessionsPer Month

Leave For 30 Days And The Check Results

45 Sessions30 Sessions

15 Extra Organic Sessions

Per Month

180 Extra Organic Session

per year

+50%

20,000

30,00020,000

120,000 Extra Organic

Session per year

5. Now Run Test Again

Can’t Run Tests?

6. Build A Test Site Or Use a Sister Site

What Is A Sister Site?

Why Use Test Sites?

7. Use Traffic Predictions

Traffic Predictions Are An Estimation of Future TrafficBased Upon Historical Data

So How On Earth Do We Do That???

What Happens If My Traffic Predictions Are Wrong?

Traffic Predictions Are Never Going To Be Perfect!

This Is How I Do It…

Work Out The Month On Month Difference For Each Month

JAN 16 110,000FEB 16 105,000 - 4.5%MAR 16 115,000 +9.5%APR 16 120,000 +4.3%

Month On Month Sessions

Create An Average Of All Month On Month Increases

= 2.5%

Now Work Out Year On Year increases

JAN 15 71,500 +35%FEB 15 78,750 +25%MAR 15 80,500 +30%APR 15 90,000 +25%

Year On Year Sessions

Create An Average Of All Year On Year Increases

= 29%

Pull It All Together

MONTH MOM YOY AVERAGEJAN 17 139,500 148,500 144,000FEB 16 142,000 131,250 136,500MAR 16 145,000 149,500 147,500APR 16 148,000 150,000 149,000

Organic Sessions 2017

Then Adjust Data

Is This The Best Way To Do Traffic Predictions?

The More You Do It The Better You Will Get

Remember, Always Show Your Workings Out

8. Attach Earnings To Data Predictions

120,000 Sessions

Average Conversion Rate 2.0%

120,000 Sessions X 2% = 2,400 transactions

Average order value of £100

Of which £30 is profit…

2400 x £30 = £72,000

Takeaways…

1. Build A Business Case Before You Need One

2. Monitor Others Success And Failures

3. Test All Ideas If Possible

4. Then Test Them Again

5. Use Test Sites Or Lower Value Sites (Sister Sites) To Run Larger Tests

6. Predict Traffic

7. Use Revenue Predictions Where Possible

8. Don’t worry if you are wrong.

9. Show Your Workings Out

Thank You!Keep in touch: @richardpetersen