Sion O’Connor

Client Checklist for SEOs

A Perspective

Common Sense?

Old World?

A Refresher

SEO from the Outside …

The impact of your work is very measurable

The results of your work is cost effective

You enable optimisation of other channels

SEO from the Outside …

Practice based not academic foundation

Rarely is there a ‘right answer’

Testing & Learning OR Trial & Error?

Best practice changes weekly and monthly

The fundamentals can change overnight

3 Things Your Client Wants You to Know …

1. The Client …

Corporate and personal objectives?

Sphere of control and influence?

Red & Green Buttons / Snakes & Ladders

Effectiveness (volume) or efficiency (CPA)?

What is their view of SEO? Your agency? You?

2. The Consumer: Who, What, Why, When, Where

Who is the customer and target prospect?

What are they buying?

Why are they buying that?

When? Seasons, times, peaks and troughs

Where? Channels and locations

3. The Competition …

Competitors, substitutes and intermediaries

Research and analyse at sub category level

Reverse engineer their PPC and SEO strategy.

Seek innovations in other markets/categories

Analyse, hypothesise, edit, tailor and test

3 Things Your Client Wants You To Do …

1. Planning …

Objectives: Commercial, Marketing, SEO

Insights, Best Practice and Data Points

Hypotheses, Strategies and Tactics

Actions and Measurements

Risks and Issues

2. Results …

What is the expectation and the aspiration?

What is ‘below expectations’ and the cost?

What is ‘above aspiration’ and the benefit?

Grow the market or grow share?

Incremental or Exponential Growth?

Incremental

Lucky Break?

Vanity Project?

Exponential

Incremental/Exponential Matrix

High Probability Low Probability

High Growth

Low Growth

3. Reviews …

What were the planned and executed actions?

What happened in the external environment?

What were the results?

Was the hypothesis proven or disproven?

What are the next steps?

2 Final Tips…

1. Pitching An Idea …

Who is the decision maker?

What are they currently thinking and doing?

What do you want them to think and do?

What is the one thing that will persuade them?

What is the one thing that will dissuade them?

2. Trends…

What is it?

Who’s making a success of it?

How could it benefit my business?

What’s the investment and payoff?

What’s the risk?

Sion O’Connor

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