Learn more about how to launch a new SEO program (and what's not needed), plus, a framework/process for improving SEO results in an agile fashion.

1. Agile SEO: Building a
Continuous Improvement
Machine for SEO
Tory Gray & Sam Torres
@GrayDotCo

2. Why SEO?
Compound Interest
Simple Interest

3. Dominate with an SEO Moat
Foundation/Ross Simmons: https://bit.ly/3eGB8e2

4. Continuous
Improvement
Machine for SEO
IS NOT IS
● A tool (e.g. Yoast) you
can “set and forget”
● Spammy text “An SEO
walks into a bar, pub…”
● For Google
● Growth hacking
● A silo
● Strategic
● Relative to your online
competitors (SEO is a
race!)
● Ongoing time & effort
that you measure and
improve
A framework for data-driven, iterative growth.

5. Ideally, you’ll learn...
What’s Needed to Launch
a SEO Program (and
What’s Not Needed)
A Process for Improving SEO
Results in an Agile Fashion

6. Where to start...

7. Keyword Strategy for Core Landing Pages
● Use good tools, data to learn what users are seeking
● Pick keywords that are accurate, brand-aligned, and have opportunity
● Organize keywords/pages by their “intent” (map them in a Matrix)
● Craft metadata and onpage copy for these pages with this data set in
mind
1
Templates: https://thegray.company/templates

8. Strategic Content
● What subjects/keywords have you not already covered?
○ Different content for different personas
○ Review pain points
○ Target the various customer funnel stages (TOFU head terms vs. BOFU longtail ones)
○ Create How Tos, FAQs, documentation & case studies
○ Thought leadership/perspective pieces
● Focus on:
○ Where you provide unique value (UVPs), or you can fill a market gap
○ Experimentation & strategic bets
○ Building comprehensive context & authority for your subject matter
● Publish stuff you are proud of
2

9. Best Practices
● There IS a place for best practices
● It’s a place to start and improve upon over time
3

10. Rinse & Repeat
● Execute, execute, execute.
● Collect data & evaluate the results.
● Refine your process. Work out the kinks.
4

11. Watch your SEO funnel & KPIs
SEO is slowest at the beginning, so watch for leading indicators to ensure
things are moving in the right direction:

12. What this is NOT
NO
Bias
for
Action
Move Fast
and
Break Things
6 Months of Strategy + No Action

13. Next level...

14. Your SEO
Strategy Inputs
Defined
Business
Goals
TAM/Keyword
Universe
Data & Results
Competitive Audits Website Audits
Stakeholders

15. Defined, Prioritized Business Objectives

16. Define Opportunity: Keyword Universe/TAM
● What is your “Digital” Total Addressable
Market?
○ How frequently is your target subject matter
searched for, and clicked on?
○ How much traffic, and revenue, could that translate
to?
● What do you stand to gain?
● What do you stand to lose - if a competitor
captures this instead of you?

17. Competition Analysis: Current & Investment
Current:
● Audit your competitor’s site(s.) What are they doing better (and worse) than
you?
Investment:
● How many butts do they have in critical seats, and where are they hiring?
● What are they building? (tools, content, features)
● Did they just raise money?
● What results/revenue does that drive for them?
Templates: https://thegray.company/templates

18. (Own) Site Analysis: What to Evaluate
Tier I
Accessibility &
Indexability
Tier II
Trade-off of
Value vs Effort
Do you let search engines “in the door”?
When you do, do you allow them to index
your content?
Do you make it worthwhile for a search
engines to do this work?
Potential Areas / Activities
● Technical SEO / Technical SEO Audit
● JS Access / JS Audit
● Site Architecture / IA
● UX/UI & User Accessibility / Usability
Testing
Potential Areas / Activities
● Quality (Content Audit, On-page Audit)
● Rendering (Mobility & UX/UI Issues & JS
Effort Level)
● Performance (Core Vitals Audit, GSC
Audit)
● Backlinks (Link Building Audit, Internal
Linking Audit)
● Added Value (E-A-T Audit, Schema
Audit)
● SERP Features Opportunities
● Local, International, Niche Aspects

19. Your Data & Results
● How well is your funnel growing? Where/when are users
dropping off?
● How are you ranking overall, and for your target terms?
○ How are you doing relative to competitors for those same target terms?
● Is your keyword footprint growing?
● How quickly are you scaling (quality) content?
● Does your content address all target personas, at all stages
of the customer funnel? Where are there gaps you can fill?
● Are you accomplishing your goals?
○ If not, why not, and what do you do about it?
○ If so… what’s next to con’t the amplification trend?

20. … One Last Critical Addition
Consult your stakeholders, and prioritize those efforts that also support:
● Brand Strategy
● Content/Editorial
● Email Marketing
● Social Media Marketing
● Sales
● Customer Service
● Product/Engineering
● Data Science
● Etc.

21. Combine your inputs to create your plan
Rinse & repeat every 6-12 months (or as needed).
● Pull in the latest & greatest objectives, strategies and KPIs
● Latest results
● Updated, timely audits
● Don’t forget to CONNECT THE DOTS… what tactical work are you doing &
why? What strategies and objectives does that work align to?
Templates: https://thegray.company/templates

22. Keep going...

24. Thank You!
Connect with us!
Site: https://thegray.company
Templates:
https://thegray.company/templates
Social: @GrayDotCo
Special Thanks to
@techSEOWomen