Thread by @semrush

I'm Joe Hall, SEO Consultant at HallAnalysis.com. Most of my work over the years has been focused on Advanced Technical SEO Audits.

SEO Audits are pointless if they aren't implemented. Therefore, here are 4 Strategies to Get SEO Audits Implemented

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Often it seems as if getting your client to do what you say is impossible. Many times audits are never fully implemented or ignored completely.

We fix this with 4 strategies: Target HIPPOs, Audit Structure, Delivery Schedule, Embedded Project Management
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1: TARGET HIPPOs: The Highest Paid Person's Opinion is typically what decides which direction a team moves in. If your audit isn't appealing to the HIPPOs of an organization it likely won't get off the ground.

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1a: Focus your attention in the beginning on these key players to move the rest of the team going forward. This doesn't mean you should ignore everyone else, but "dazzling" the decision makers will set the right course starting out.

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Organize them by high level problems each is meant to fix. Then, present the client with 3 or 5 high level problems and a list of action items to fix each

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2a: Example 1 - PROBLEM: Search engines are having a hard time crawling the site. SOLUTIONS: 1) Update internal links that 301 & 404. 2) Improve page load speeds. 3) Server side render all internal links.
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2b: Example 2 - PROBLEM: Search engines assume your content is low quality. SOLUTIONS: 1) Diversify duplicate content 2) Add more content to thin pages 3) Write more on this related topic

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2c: As you can see by structuring/grouping the tasks around high level problems you are helping your client understand the bigger picture and giving them something to fix with defined logic everyone can understand.

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3: DELIVERY SCHEDULE: As mentioned before, sometimes handing off a long list of tasks to a dev team is the fastest way to get ignored. Therefore if you are able to break up your audit and deliver in "bite size" chunks, it can help implementation faster.

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3a: The hardest part of this strategy is figuring out what size chunks are best. If time allows for it, I have seen a lot of success from sending one task at a time. Waiting for them to implement by following up weekly and then sending the next.

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3b: Because with this strategy you get to choose the order of implementation, it's best to start with the high priority items that will have the most impact. This strategy works well for agencies that have weekly status meetings that you can follow up with.

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4: EMBEDDED PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Sometimes the best way to usher a project along is to become part of the team! If possible it may help to become "embedded" into the project management infrastructure.

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4a: This usually means being added to the team's project management system to create tasks/tickets for each of the audit tasks. This will allow you to track progress and provide support. You'll also be able to give a gentle "nudge" when needed.

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4b: Getting access to the PM system is great. But a real game changer is becoming a part of project planning. Getting invited to sprint planning meetings and recaps, gives SEO a voice during the planning and scheduling of the project.

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Well, that's a wrap! I hope this thread has given you a lot of food for thought going forward! BONUS TIP: Be as flexible as possible. Each client is unique and each responds differently. Adjusting to their needs will help them be productive.

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