0:58
In this lesson, you'll learn how best to work with key stakeholders to
implement the technical fixes to the site, what competitive analysis tools
are available that can help you become influential in getting buy-in for
some of the changes you want to make,
and you'll gain an understanding of the effort and impact in how to
scale your fixes in a way that your teams can implement in the right priority order.
1:23
Working efficiently with client teams or stakeholders requires a unique focus and
skill set to get things done.
It's one thing to list everything that could be done to make improvements, but
it's entirely different to execute changes while working with teams and stakeholders.
Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind.
Clarify and focus on the most important objectives.
Determine which elements can be implemented with the highest
level of business impact.
Prioritize things that require the lowest relative effort for the highest impact.
Present all suggestions in a way that you highlight the benefit to stakeholders or
clients, and have their best interests in mind.
This focus will help you quickly get traction and
build credibility with stakeholders.
Competitive analysis is one of the most effective ways
to get your client's attention and influence decisions.
3:40
Now you may not agree entirely, but I think the premise rings true.
Anytime you can innovate, whether around a product or a process, you're helping
further the bottom line goals of the business that you're working on.
Over time, all systems naturally move towards chaos.
This is the essence of the second law of thermodynamics.
This presents challenges when working with teams and executing projects.
4:06
Whether it'll be a project plan or a technical analysis or
recommendations you put forward for SEO, things don't always work as planned.
Your great intentions sometimes run off the rails.
Projects get delayed or may go sideways.
This is often referred to as scope creep.
This is classic, everyone runs into it, but
there are ways to counteract this chaos.
One method I suggest is a process called Scrum, the leading framework for
Agile software development.
Scrum Alliance is the organization that focuses on the Scrum knowledge-base and
the Agile Manifesto.
5:02
This is worth exploring to become more effective in any form,
whether SEO, business, or any complex project.
I recommend the Agile Process that I'll describe here.
This methodology requires first that you are customer-centric.
Once you are, this focus on the customer, and gathering information about them,
will inspire a product vision and a project plan.
5:39
The team executes on the simple, short, and basic deliverables,
which are called sprints.
These sprints are evaluated after one or two weeks.
The feedback, learned from sprints, is taken into account and
informs the next deliverables.
This is an ongoing cycle.
The intent is to see quick fixes and immediate gratification,
to limit big problems and fail fast, and
to have work constantly progressing without too much delay.
Agile is not for everyone, especially not in marketing,
where projects don't have the same linear
approach that the software world does, not every client or team will adopt it.
Those who come from an IT or
software development background may be more inclined to use Agile.
Some use ConBond, which is a different project methodology.
However, your goal is to create a culture with clients or
stakeholders where you have a commitment to be more fully aligned,
take feedback into account, consider how to prioritize any backlog of initiatives,
and put initiatives into the marketplace by considering effective website changes.
If your internal team, clients, and stakeholders want to execute work in
a cooperative and innovative culture, consider using something like Agile.
How does Agile work in practice?
Here's an example.
Recently, we needed to make quick changes to improve website performance across
multiple teams.
It was a classic, complex problem.
We held an initial meeting, where we defined the scope of the problem, we
identified key players, and we considered what could be done to improve performance.
Fortunately, all team members had an understanding already of the Agile and
Scrum methodology.
Therefore, we were able to implement weekly sprints with product owners and
Scrum masters.
The benefits were clear communication, regular updates, efficient execution
of our work, limited delays, because we each had a clear objective each week,
an agreed-upon manner in which we would communicate, and accountability.
When working with complex projects and
big teams where you need to be effective in accomplishing your work,
this Agile methodology can bring your team to a higher level of efficiency.
Therefore, I recommend you consider it.
Dave LloydSenior Manager, Global Search Marketing
