How can I tie SEO performance to our overall marketing OKRs?

To tie SEO performance to your overall marketing OKRs, align your SEO objectives with broader business goals, measure specific SEO metrics that impact these goals, and regularly report on progress to stakeholders. This ensures that SEO efforts directly contribute to achieving key results and business outcomes.

Why Aligning SEO with Marketing OKRs Matters

Linking SEO performance to your marketing OKRs isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for proving the value of your SEO efforts. Marketing OKRs are the guiding stars for your campaigns, and without aligning SEO, you risk running in circles. Imagine you’re a B2B SaaS company aiming to increase your lead generation by 20% this quarter. Your SEO strategy should focus on driving qualified traffic to landing pages designed to capture these leads. If SEO objectives are misaligned, you might attract visitors who have no interest in your product. That’s wasted effort.

SEO success isn’t just about getting more traffic; it’s about getting the right traffic. When SEO goals are in sync with marketing OKRs, your team can focus on initiatives that drive meaningful business results.

Steps to Align SEO with Marketing OKRs

It’s not rocket science, but it does require a methodical approach. Here’s how you can do it:

• Understand Your Marketing OKRs: Start by getting a clear understanding of your marketing objectives and key results. What are the specific outcomes you’re aiming for?

• Set SEO Objectives: Define SEO objectives that will help achieve these OKRs. If one OKR is to increase brand awareness, an SEO objective might be to rank higher for branded keywords.

• Identify Key SEO Metrics: Choose metrics that directly impact your OKRs. For instance, if an OKR is to boost sales, track conversion rates from organic search.

• Regular Reporting and Feedback: Establish a routine for reporting SEO performance to the team. Use these sessions to adjust strategies based on what’s working and what’s not.

• Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with content, sales, and product teams to ensure SEO efforts are integrated and supportive of broader business goals.

By following these steps, you ensure that your SEO efforts are not only measurable but also meaningful. It’s about connecting the dots between SEO activities and broader company objectives.

Making SEO a Team Sport

Let’s be honest. SEO can sometimes feel like a lone wolf activity. But it shouldn’t be. It should be a team sport. Everyone should know how their work impacts SEO and vice versa. This is where collaboration comes in. Get your content creators to craft pieces that are not only engaging but also optimised for search engines. Work with your sales team to understand what keywords potential customers are using.

And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe it’s time to bring in a search engine optimisation expert. They can offer fresh insights and strategies tailored to your business needs.

SEO isn’t just about tweaking keywords or building links. It’s about contributing to the company’s larger goals. When everyone understands this, your SEO efforts won’t just be a side project; they’ll be a key player in your marketing strategy.