{"id":10687,"date":"2024-08-07T15:46:12","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T15:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/"},"modified":"2024-08-07T15:46:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T15:46:12","slug":"how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build an SEO Roadmap That Drives Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An SEO roadmap is where high-level objectives trickle down to project-level prioritization. Complete with all the context, tactics, and timelines to bring your strategy to life.<\/p>\n<p>Because having a solid SEO strategy is great. But without a plan to put things into action, it\u2019s just a vision board.<\/p>\n<p>Below, I\u2019ll break down why an SEO roadmap is such an important tool and how it can benefit your business at large. Then, I\u2019ll walk through how to build, prioritize, and plot your own roadmap.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#What_Is_an_SEO_Roadmap\" >What Is an SEO Roadmap?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Why_Every_Domain_Needs_an_SEO_Roadmap\" >Why Every Domain Needs an SEO Roadmap<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Linking_the_Marketing_and_Engineering_Teams\" >Linking the Marketing and Engineering Teams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#SEO_Strategy_vs_SEO_Roadmap\" >SEO Strategy vs. SEO Roadmap<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#How_to_Build_an_SEO_Roadmap\" >How to Build an SEO Roadmap<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#What_to_Include_in_Your_SEO_Roadmap\" >What to Include in Your SEO Roadmap<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Example_SEO_Initiatives_for_Your_Roadmap\" >Example SEO Initiatives for Your Roadmap<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#What_Details_Should_You_Include\" >What Details Should You Include?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#How_to_Organize_Your_Roadmap\" >How to Organize Your Roadmap<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#List\" >List<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Kanban\" >Kanban<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Timeline\" >Timeline<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#How_to_Prioritize_Your_SEO_Roadmap\" >How to Prioritize Your SEO Roadmap<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Assess_the_Value_AND_Cost_of_the_Work\" >Assess the Value AND Cost of the Work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Start_With_the_Quick_Easy_Wins\" >Start With the Quick, Easy Wins<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Make_Mountains_Into_Molehills\" >Make Mountains Into Molehills<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Keep_Your_Competition_in_Mind\" >Keep Your Competition in Mind<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Plot_Your_Timeline\" >Plot Your Timeline<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/07\/how-to-build-an-seo-roadmap-that-drives-performance\/#Execute_and_Evolve_Your_Own_SEO_Roadmap\" >Execute and Evolve Your Own SEO Roadmap<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_an_SEO_Roadmap\"><\/span>What Is an SEO Roadmap?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>An SEO roadmap is the place to plan, schedule, and prioritize the work your <a title=\"How to Create an Effective SEO Strategy\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/seo-strategy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO strategy<\/a> requires. More than a simple to-do list, it\u2019s a detailed picture painted with tactics, tasks, and timelines.<\/p>\n<p>Your SEO roadmap illustrates how your team will balance and work on key SEO opportunities. It might look something like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Every_Domain_Needs_an_SEO_Roadmap\"><\/span>Why Every Domain Needs an SEO Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Every business has unique priorities. And an SEO roadmap helps you stick to them by:<\/p>\n<p>Connecting SEO work to broader business goals<br \/>\nEmpowering informed, cross-functional collaboration<br \/>\nStreamlining SEO in the best way to maximize ROI<\/p>\n<p>An SEO roadmap benefits stakeholders across teams by making it clear why each item matters. In addition to showing how the team will complete each task.<\/p>\n<p>For team and business leaders, it shows the rationale behind decisions. At the same time, it streamlines communication and execution for contributors.<\/p>\n<p>Basically, any team member with a vested interest in (or connection to) SEO should have access to your roadmap.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Linking_the_Marketing_and_Engineering_Teams\"><\/span>Linking the Marketing and Engineering Teams<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>One big thing to call out is that it\u2019s generally the main documentation informing collaboration between the Marketing and Product &amp; Engineering teams.<\/p>\n<p>It helps translate SEO work into the larger development roadmap by making it easy to understand the level of effort (LOE), value, and ideal timelines associated with each task.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SEO_Strategy_vs_SEO_Roadmap\"><\/span>SEO Strategy vs. SEO Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s no roadmap without a solid SEO strategy. Nor does strategy come to fruition without a roadmap.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how the two are related:<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEO strategy:<\/strong> Sets the core objectives and their value at a high level (the <strong>what<\/strong> and the <strong>why<\/strong>) along with timelines, budget, and resources<br \/>\n<strong>SEO roadmap:<\/strong> Adds the <strong>how<\/strong> and the <strong>when<\/strong>, linking them to action items, urgency, and prioritization<\/p>\n<p>A primary goal of your roadmap is to determine which work will make the most progress toward your objectives and prioritizing them accordingly. Taking the nuances of the business into account.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Build_an_SEO_Roadmap\"><\/span>How to Build an SEO Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Building your SEO roadmap is a matter of:<\/p>\n<p>Including all of the work<br \/>\nAdding the right level of project-specific context<br \/>\nUsing a digestible format for different stakeholders on the team<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to start:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_to_Include_in_Your_SEO_Roadmap\"><\/span>What to Include in Your SEO Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Larger, more meaningful SEO tasks will always take priority. But they don\u2019t operate in a vacuum. Your SEO roadmap is a methodology for managing the many moving parts together, so everyone can see how each piece fits into the whole.<\/p>\n<p>That means ALL of the initiatives go in before anything else happens.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Example_SEO_Initiatives_for_Your_Roadmap\"><\/span>Example SEO Initiatives for Your Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The list below is non-exhaustive, but it can serve as a helpful jumping-off point that covers most bases.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<p>SEO Focus Area<br \/>\nRelevant Examples of Work<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Simple Monthly SEO Report Template\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/templates\/marketing\/seo-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reporting<\/a><br \/>\nData tracking, analytics, dashboarding, investigations<\/p>\n<p>User experience<br \/>\n<a title=\"Core Web Vitals: What They Are &amp; How to Improve Them\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/core-web-vitals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Core Web Vitals<\/a>, accessibility, information architecture<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Technical SEO: The Definitive Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/technical-seo-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technical SEO<\/a><br \/>\nCrawling, indexing, <a title=\"Schema Markup 101: Boost Your SEO &amp; Improve Search\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/schema-markup-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">schema markup<\/a>, JavaScript rendering, migrations<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"What Is Content Marketing? Complete Beginner&#039;s Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/content\/what-is-content-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Content marketing<\/a><br \/>\nContent publishing, keyword research, gap analysis, pruning outdated content<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"How to Increase Website Authority in 2024 (7 Proven Strategies)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/increase-domain-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Authority<\/a><br \/>\nInternal linking, link building, PR support, <a title=\"Google E-E-A-T: How to Create People-First Content (+ Free Audit)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-e-e-a-t\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">E-E-A-T<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Local SEO: The Definitive Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/local-seo-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Local SEO<\/a><br \/>\nNAP consistency, local schema markup, community building<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"International SEO: Strategies to Dominate Global Search Rankings\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/international-seo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Internationalization<\/a><br \/>\n<a title=\"What Is Hreflang and How To Implement It the Right Way\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hreflang-tag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hreflang<\/a>, localization, using content delivery networks (CDNs)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Details_Should_You_Include\"><\/span>What Details Should You Include?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Whether your roadmap lives in a spreadsheet or you build it on a project management platform, giving the right level of context is key. Start with these fields\/columns:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Action item:<\/strong> What is the work the team needs to execute?<br \/>\n<strong>Opportunity:<\/strong> What will this drive for the business in terms of KPIs?<br \/>\n<strong>Priority:<\/strong> How urgent is this opportunity? (High, Med, Low)<br \/>\n<strong>Level of effort (LOE):<\/strong> In terms of team resources, what\u2019s required to get there?<br \/>\n<strong>Goal alignment:<\/strong> Which of the primary business goals does this tie to?<br \/>\n<strong>Status:<\/strong> How much progress has there been so far?<br \/>\n<strong>SEO impact:<\/strong> Will the impact on website performance be high, medium, or low?<br \/>\n<strong>Target timeline:<\/strong> Bearing in mind other work and priorities, when should the work begin?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Organize_Your_Roadmap\"><\/span>How to Organize Your Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The best way to organize your SEO roadmap is to organize it in <strong>multiple<\/strong> different ways.<\/p>\n<p>What do I mean by that?<\/p>\n<p>Your SEO roadmap is a tool to communicate with different levels and areas of the business. And creating different ways of looking at the roadmap gives different stakeholders the views they need.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few of the most common:<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"List\"><\/span>List<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>This is the view in which you\u2019ll probably build your roadmap. It\u2019s the classic spreadsheet view that displays all the key information on one screen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stakeholder use case:<\/strong> Helpful for SEOs, product managers, and team leaders translating SEO work into development and\/or marketing roadmaps.<\/p>\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kanban\"><\/span>Kanban<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The Kanban view is a helpful view organized by the progress of work, making it easy to see what\u2019s moving and what\u2019s coming up. It\u2019s typically more simplified than the default list view in terms of the information you display.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stakeholder use case:<\/strong> Looking at work this way lets SEOs, product managers, devs, and anyone responsible for a given task to quickly and easily monitor its progress.<\/p>\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Timeline\"><\/span>Timeline<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>This view is a calendar with all of the initiatives plotted next to one another. The level of detail on this can vary. But like the Kanban view, it puts a focus on the <strong>when<\/strong> aspect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stakeholder use case:<\/strong> Useful for SEOs, product managers, and business leaders who want to see how work aligns with company goals and timelines.<\/p>\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Prioritize_Your_SEO_Roadmap\"><\/span>How to Prioritize Your SEO Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At this point, you\u2019ve created an SEO to-do list, which is only so useful. The prioritization, timelines, and rationale make up the secret sauce that drives progress.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to master this critical step:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Assess_the_Value_AND_Cost_of_the_Work\"><\/span>Assess the Value AND Cost of the Work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Plenty of ideas could have a meaningful impact. But only so many are viable given your business goals, realities, and resources.<\/p>\n<p>Generally, you\u2019ll assess the viability of initiatives when creating your <a title=\"How to Create an SEO Business Case (Free Template!) | Gray Dot Co\" href=\"https:\/\/thegray.company\/blog\/seo-product-management-business-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">business case<\/a> for each. Then the candidates make their way into your roadmap, which weighs value versus level of effort through a scoring method often called weighted-value delivery.<\/p>\n<p>You can use any numerical scale (like 1-5 or the Fibonacci sequence). The important thing is that you score all of the following individually:<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the level of effort (LOE) in terms of work from the team?<br \/>\nHow much will this impact SEO KPIs like rankings, clicks, and conversions?<br \/>\nWhat does the business risk by not doing the work? What opportunities are you giving up or creating for competitors?<br \/>\nHow urgent is it to address the work given factors like competition, current performance, and business objectives?<\/p>\n<p>You can use these individual scores to create a calculation that gives each initiative an overall score.<\/p>\n<p>This makes it possible to compare work quickly, apples to apples. The calculation will typically divide a task\u2019s impact, risk, and importance by the level of effort required. Like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Start_With_the_Quick_Easy_Wins\"><\/span>Start With the Quick, Easy Wins<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A best practice for prioritization is to look for instances of high impact with low LOE. These are your \u201cquick wins.\u201d Knocking out the quick wins builds buy-in and garners resources for other, more resource-intensive work with high impact.<\/p>\n<p>For example, adjusting a single HTML template could potentially boost the performance of thousands of pages relatively quickly.<\/p>\n<p>While updating the meta descriptions across 5K pages will likely take time for not a huge amount of SEO value.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Don\u2019t just focus on the quick wins though. Not devoting enough time to more complex but high-value tasks can cost you in the long run.<\/p>\n<div class=\"media\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>An easy way to visualize this is to use a prioritization matrix. Matching up a task\u2019s potential value with the level of effort required.<\/p>\n<p>Like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p>This can help your team avoid spending time on low-value tasks that soak up resources.<\/p>\n<p>Or, alternatively, map task value\/importance against urgency:<\/p>\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p>This can work well if getting things done as soon as possible is the focus. Such as if your roadmap is only in place for the next 3-6 months.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Make_Mountains_Into_Molehills\"><\/span>Make Mountains Into Molehills<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It would be nice if every SEO initiative were an easy win, wouldn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p>But the reality is that impactful SEO work often has a high LOE and many moving parts.<\/p>\n<p>These tasks often receive the most pushback from stakeholders. Making it tough to get approval early on. The best way to mitigate the risk of deprioritization is to break things up into smaller, more approachable chunks of work.<\/p>\n<p>That might mean focusing on a selection of URLs where the business stands to learn the most or see the largest impact (while mitigating risk).<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you know the site needs on-page copy updates for a majority of its services pages, you could start with a five-URL test.<\/p>\n<p>This will likely be easier to get stakeholders to sign off. And you can iterate and roll it out further once you start seeing results.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keep_Your_Competition_in_Mind\"><\/span>Keep Your Competition in Mind<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>What\u2019s happening on your site isn\u2019t the only context that informs what you need to work on. The competitive landscape helps illustrate the <strong>relative<\/strong> value of the proposed work in your roadmap.<\/p>\n<p>Could something give you an edge over competitors? Could another project help close a crucial competitive gap?<\/p>\n<p>These questions are important when assessing and communicating the risk of <strong>not<\/strong> pursuing a project.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the key areas to gauge across competitors include:<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"What Are Backlinks in SEO? &amp; Why You Need Them\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/backlinks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlinks<\/a> and referring domains<br \/>\nKeyword rankings and gaps<br \/>\nContent quality and differentiation<br \/>\nUser experience and information architecture<br \/>\nE-E-A-T signals<br \/>\nSite performance and functionality<br \/>\n<a title=\"Schema Markup 101: Boost Your SEO &amp; Improve Search\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/schema-markup-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Schema markup<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Understanding where your competitors are outperforming you can help you prioritize tasks accordingly.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Plot_Your_Timeline\"><\/span>Plot Your Timeline<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your roadmap should segment your timeline into shorter phases that simplify managing resources and progress.<\/p>\n<p>For a roadmap charting the year, those phases are likely quarters. If you\u2019re going for a 6-month road map, it\u2019ll probably make sense to segment things on a monthly basis.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve sorted a broad timeline, you need to:<\/p>\n<p>Identify when resources are available for the work and plot accordingly<br \/>\nSchedule projects in order of weighted-value delivery<br \/>\nInclude a good mix of work in each phase, where possible, to balance resources and support for the company\u2019s goals<br \/>\nDon\u2019t forget space for new opportunities and always-on SEO work (like content updates and technical optimization)<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Execute_and_Evolve_Your_Own_SEO_Roadmap\"><\/span>Execute and Evolve Your Own SEO Roadmap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As with everything in the world of SEO, your roadmap is going to continuously evolve.<\/p>\n<p>As you execute your SEO roadmap, new opportunities will emerge, things will change, and competitors will pitch you curveballs. The need to shuffle tasks and introduce new work is inevitable.<\/p>\n<p>Your roadmap is the place to make sense and order out of the flux so that there\u2019s at least one constant: progress towards your business\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n<p>Still not quite sure what to include in your roadmap?<\/p>\n<p>Check out <a title=\"The Complete SEO Checklist\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/seo-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this SEO checklist<\/a> to pinpoint which areas of your business\u2019s website you should focus on.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/seo-roadmap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Build an SEO Roadmap That Drives Performance<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlinko<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An SEO roadmap is where high-level objectives trickle down to project-level prioritization. Complete with all the context, tactics, and timelines to bring your strategy to life. Because having a solid SEO strategy is great. But without a plan to put things into action, it\u2019s just a vision board. Below, I\u2019ll break down why an SEO roadmap is such an important tool and how it can benefit your business at large. Then, I\u2019ll walk through how to build, prioritize, and plot your own roadmap. What Is an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":10688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backlinko"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/seo-roadmap-vUkngt-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/seo-roadmap-vUkngt-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}