SEO Snack: Week of January 14th
Quick Week Summary
What I worked on this past week
This week I worked a lot on optimizing and setting up new pages for clients as we’re building out a few websites. We’re also in the process of training folks internally on how to build out the copy for these pages so some training was involved. Rolling off of last week, I also did more research/testing with different data gathering/presentation software.
Week Insights
What I struggled with
New Client URL 404s
There wasn’t a ton of struggles this past week (can’t argue with that!). If anything, it was just figuring out old URLs (what they are) for new clients that need to be redirected that were missed by past web redesigns (not our doing).
What was a bigger headache than it needed to be
GA4 Debugger
Getting debugger for GA4 to fire. I’m working with some UTM codes and for some reason, was having trouble using debugger to make sure the parameters were being brought into GA4 correctly.
What went well this week
Client Relationships
Communication and trust. Two things that can be tough to come by with a client/agency relationship since at times there can be some PTSD with past agencies a company has worked with (especially in the SEO world and I don’t blame them).
We’ve recently had some amazing communication with clients about the work we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and the potential/planned outcome. Being able to communicate AND execute in SEO is something we put at the forefront with clients.
What to look out for or tune into
Web Design W/O SEO In Mind
For some reason, it seems to be common that when a company either does their own website redesign or partners with another company to have it done, that SEO is not a thought in this process. IT 100% SHOULD BE.
If you’re looking to have your website redesigned, please have a conversation with whoever is doing this to make sure they have things like redirects, correct linking, CTA’s, etc. in mind. I’ve seen too many companies experience a negative impact with a website redesign when they thought it would have the opposite impact.
What weird things happened
Nothing. (Okay, Weird For Me)
Nothing too weird this week. Just “weird” to me, is letting some of my work go to other people on the team. I’m learning more and more how important it is to do the work that I should actually be doing and which work someone else on the team should be doing AND can do better than me.
Key Takeaways
1. Think Of SEO In Website Redesigns
Might sound like a broken record this week... but if you’re changing your website a lot in one go, please make sure to redirect pages. Especially those pages that are ranking for a lot of keywords, have high authority, have quality/quantity backlinks, etc. (THIS CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON WEBSITE PERFORMANCE AND USER EXPERIENCE).
2. Learn (and be okay with) Passing Off Work
Going off the “weird things that happened”, it is extremely important to learn how to delegate/pass off work. I’m one who always wants to have hands on what I see as “my work”.
This has been especially hard for me since for our team there aren’t a ton of others with a lot of SEO experience but I’m learning that doesn’t mean people can’t learn quickly (and to no one’s surprise, our team has caught on and exceeded expectations, per usual).
3. Company/Industry Communication Is Key
I’ve known but continued to learn how crucial it is to stay up to date with client’s company updates and industry changes. Although we do learn a ton about industries our clients are in, they will always know more than we do.
In the SEO and content development world, you need to be in tune to all of this since it could help you pivot your strategy in the right direction if needed. How does one keep up to date? Have great communication with your clients and bring it up frequently (even if nothing changed, well at least you know).
Resources To Look At
1. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
I use this for a lot of things (looking at page meta titles/descriptions in bulk, checking 301s and where they now direct to, etc.). It’s a big help when first starting with a client to understand their website from a broad view.
2. Campaign URL Builder
This is what I use to create those UTM codes for specific campaigns. You can input many different parameters and also shorten the URL.
3. Notion Calendar
Something new this week that Notion rolled out is their calendar app. From what I know so far, it can tie to your Google calendar, bring in tasks from notion and their due dates, and a good amount more. I’m not sold on it yet, but it’s a step in the right direction.
