SEO is essential for publishers as all your sites are competing directly with SEO savvy content publishers, aggregators and booksellers. But how does SEO integrate into project management?
SEO Deliverables
There is a great deal of SEO relevant data that can be generated from a website. Variously sized websites with different niches, architecture, backlink profiles and target audiences etc., will all have different reports. In general terms however the following are the basic, modular deliverables you should expect. Reports should be based on data analysis of Google Analytics data, keyword raking software and industry leading SEO software.
- SEO Audit Report: a detailed analysis of your website along with clear recommendations for enhancements. Includes technical, content specific and search engine marketing improvements.
- Ongoing Monthly Reports: a detailed analysis of your website focusing specifically on quantifying the results of SEO improvements.
- Other: Strategy, marketing, link bulding and interim reports, depending on what additional services you require.
Pre-launch
- SEO is most effective when it is ‘baked in’ from launch.
- Ideally an SEO Audit should be made very early in the project. The recommendations should then be built into the technical specification for the website.
- An SEO consultant can also be an asset during the website tendering phase.
Post-launch
- A new site should then be monitored after launch to pick up the inevitable issues generated by the site architecture and live CMS.
- For smaller sites, expect a one-off SEO Audit Report to suffice. This would be followed by a few months follow-up in order to quantify results and catch any technical issues arising from the launch.
- For large reference sites, we recommend monitoring the site for a minimum of 6 months after implementation of SEO recommendations, which ideally should include a second technical update.
Skills Acquisition
Encourage your marketing and editorial teams to work closely with the SEO consultant and attend the monthly report meetings. This will allow in-house teams to develop website reporting and SEO content creation skills.
