What is enterprise SEO? It is SEO for very large complex sites. What sets it apart really is the complexity.
Keep in mind that complexity is a cost in itself. The goal is to make an impact while reducing that cost.
Enterprise websites are wonderful puzzles and here I offer a way to solve them.
A lot of the same rules apply, it just takes a higher degree of structure and organization to accommodate for the complexity. In practice you have to do a lot more research, create a road map, templates, and reasonable batch sizes to fulfill in sprints. I essence, it is SEO – content is still a top priority, backlinks still rule, and technical optimization drives user experience.
Here is a high-level road map to Enterprise SEO. I have also included some of the top tools and my approach to SEO program development.
Enterprize SEO method
This approach has five parts: research, content & backlink strategy, technical optimization, and reporting.
| 1. Start with deep competition research using a platform like SEMrush or Ahrefs > A brief guide to competitor analysis for Enterprise SEO |
| 2. Conduct a deep content & keyword research & analysis |
| > Content analysis |
| > Keyword analysis |
| > Competitor content analysis |
| > Content gap |
| > Keyword gap |
| > Content duplication analysis |
| > Video content evaluation |
| Takeaway: Create a road map and break it into steps or batches that can be executed in monthly sprints |
| 3. Backlink analysis and roadmap |
| > Backlink gap |
| > Toxic link audit |
| > Broken backlink audit |
| > Foundational directory links |
| > Brand mention audit |
| > Guest blog research and roadmap |
| Takeaway: Do technical fixes first and create a roadmap for outreach |
| 4. Technical audits & optimization |
| > Metadata basic |
| > Metadata deep evaluation using Search Console metrics like CTR |
| > Header tags |
| > Hreflang tag |
| > Schema markup audit and game plan |
| > Robots.txt |
| > URL structure |
| > Site navigation |
| > Internal linking |
| > UX & conversion funnel deep dive with Bounce Rate audit and the like |
| > Flow, CTAs, buttons, links, forms, you name it – A/B test non-stop |
| > Header & footer |
| > XML sitemap |
| > Image compression and alt tags |
| > 404 errors |
| > 301 redirects |
| > Site search |
| > Canonical tags |
| > HTTP links |
| > Site speed |
| > Mobile-friendliness |
| Takeaway: Prioritise based on impact, batch, and fit into sprints |
| 5. Define success metrics and create monthly reporting |
Enterprize SEO tools
The platforms and tools listed here are roughly in robustness order. There is a lot of overlap but you can find everything you need for enterprise SEO on this list.
- SEMrush: https://www.semrush.com/
- Ahrefs: https://ahrefs.com/
- Screaming Frog: https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/
- SE Ranking: https://seranking.com/
- Moz: https://moz.com/
- Conductor: https://www.conductor.com/
- Botify: https://www.botify.com/
- BrightEdge: https://www.brightedge.com/
- DeepCrawl: https://www.deepcrawl.com/
- SEO Clarity: https://www.seoclarity.net/
- Content King: https://www.contentkingapp.com/
- Majestic: https://majestic.com/
Approach to Enterprise SEO program development
This is my take and it works for me. I think it is applicable beyond SEO whether you are standing up a program or streamlining one.
- Conduct deep competitive and content analysis and research
- Identify organic growth opportunities and technical enhancements by evaluating data and analyzing trends
- Create a strategic roadmap based on the latest SEO best practices to stay on the cutting-edge of the industry
- Break down the roadmap into goals and key initiatives and develop an execution plan
- Guide new product development through the entire lifecycle – from understanding customer pain points and defining the solution through development, launch, and scale
- Define requirements, goals, and success metrics
- Work with design and engineering to execute technical enhancements
- Provide regular SEO performance updates to key stakeholders
- Partner with stakeholders to ensure new features and site changes fit the SEO strategy
- Identify ways to achieve higher conversions while maintaining overall scalability
- Maintain high visual design, brand, and user experience standards
- Construct an operating model that aligns with goals and team capacity, and offers transparency for all stakeholders
Enterprise SEO framework
Creating a framework is only the first step. Then the real work begins. This is the bones, stay tuned for deep dives in specific areas.
