Kevin Indig - Getting Technical SEO Work Done at Fortune 100 Companies

Transcript

1. The SEO Ship Show Kevin Indig Growth Advisor, Author of the Growth Memo
5. 5 How many of your SEO recommendations get shipped?
7. 7 no shipping, no impact.
8. 8 no shipping, no impact. no impact, no purpose.
9. 9 no shipping, no impact. no impact, no purpose. no purpose, no job.
10. 10 #1 question: how do I get executive buy-in to ship my recommendations?
12. 12 01 Story vs. data 02 Goal vs. work 03 Shallow vs. deep
13. 13 1 Story-based pitching
15. 15 We make sense of things through stories. Executives just need to see the right data to say yes. Common assumption But actually…
16. 16 95% of all cognition occurs in the subconscious mind. - Harvard prof. Gerald Zaltman https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/the-subconscious-mind-of-the-consumer-and-how-to-reach-it
17. 17 45% of executives rely more on instinct than on facts and figures in running their businesses. - survey from May 2002 by executive search firm Christian & Timbers https://hbr.org/2003/05/dont-trust-your-gut
18. 18 So Kevin, how do I get this right?
19. 19 Tie recommendations to the company situation 1 Accelerate Turn around
20. 20 Tie recommendations to the company situation 1 STARS - Company situations Start-up Get something new off the ground Turnaround Save the business Accelerate growth Manage a rapidly expanding business Realignment Re-energize a previously successful organization Sustain success Sustain the success of something that has been performing well Michael Watkins - The first 90 days
21. 21 Focus on stakes, not just gains 2 What leaders care about Money Revenue, profit, cost Michael Watkins - The first 90 days
22. 22 Focus on stakes, not just gains 2 What leaders care about Money Revenue, profit, cost Market Market share, time-to-market Michael Watkins - The first 90 days
23. 23 Focus on stakes, not just gains 2 What leaders care about Money Revenue, profit, cost Market Market share, time-to-market Exposure Retention, risk Michael Watkins - The first 90 days
24. 24 Focus on stakes, not just gains 2 Point of view (recommendation) + Stakes (result/consequences)
25. 25 Make it personal 3 How to address leaders Backchannel 1on1s before big presentation
26. 26 Make it personal 3 How to address leaders Backchannel 1on1s before big presentation Individual goals What do they optimize for?
27. 27 Make it personal 3 How to address leaders Backchannel 1on1s before big presentation Individual goals What do they optimize for? Wording Use their wording
28. 28 2 Starting with the goal
30. 30 Executives mostly care about hitting the goal. Executives want to scrutinize everything. Common assumption But actually…
31. 31 85% of leaders suffer from decision distress. - Study of 14,000 employees and leaders across 17 countries https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-study-70-of-business-leaders-would-prefer-a-robot-to-make-their-decisions-301799591.html
32. 32 72% admit the sheer volume of data and their lack of trust in data has stopped them from making any decision. - Study of 14,000 employees and leaders across 17 countries https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-study-70-of-business-leaders-would-prefer-a-robot-to-make-their-decisions-301799591.html
33. 33 How do you start with the goal?
34. 34 Work backwards 1 Headline Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Grab attention Define audience & problem you solve Describe benefits Provide FAQ
35. 35 Communicate in the “executive mind” 2 Goal Effort Time Responsibil.
36. 36 Ditch the details 3 ❌ Red Flags Unimportant details Big, weak claims Uncertainty, doubt, skepticism
37. 37 Ditch the details, bring the buckets 3 ❌ Red Flags ✅ Green Flags Unimportant details Revenue, market share, growth Big, weak claims Significant wins Uncertainty, doubt, skepticism Clearly articulated problems with solutions
38. 38 3 Deep recommendations
40. 40 Missing clarity makes it less likely for a team to pick up the work. Teams will figure out what we want. Common assumption But actually…
41. 41 86% of executives identify ineffective communication as a major cause of failure in business. - Study of 14,000 employees and leaders across 17 countries https://www.salesforce.com/ca/blog/how-soft-skills-are-crucial-to-your-business/
42. 42 How do you make things clearer?
43. 43 Understand the root cause of the issue 1 Outcome Symptom Root cause
44. 44 Understand the root cause of the issue 1 Outcome Symptom Root cause Rank drop 404 errors Database crash
45. 45 Get packaging right 2 Don’t Do Just describe the problem Provide context
46. 46 Get packaging right 2 Don’t Do Just describe the problem Provide context Assume they know what to do Split the task in sub-tasks
47. 47 Get packaging right 2 Don’t Do Just describe the problem Provide context Assume they know what to do Split the task in sub-tasks Be vague Be hyper-specific
48. 48 Get packaging right 2 Don’t Do Just describe the problem Provide context Assume they know what to do Split the task in sub-tasks Be vague Be hyper-specific Send a spreadsheet without clear instructions Bucket works into streams
49. 49 Describe the ideal outcome 3 Reasoning through ideal outcomes What number are you trying to move? Where should that number be? Why should it be there?
50. 50 Describe the ideal outcome 3 Reasoning through ideal outcomes What number are you trying to move? 404 errors in GSC Where should that number be? < 50 Why should it be there? 0 is unrealistic but we want to minimize
51. 51 Wrapping up
52. 52 1 Build a story You need data but it won’t resonate without a strong story. What does it take?
53. 53 1 Build a story You need data but it won’t resonate without a strong story. 2 “Exec speak” Decision makers think different and have short attention. 3 What does it take?
54. 54 1 Build a story You need data but it won’t resonate without a strong story. 2 “Exec speak” Decision makers think different and have short attention. 3 Make it easy Don’t make others go through discovery hoops What does it take?
57. Thank You. www.growth-memo.com Kevin Indig