How to project SEO traffic levels and avoid saying, ‘It depends’ – Info Marketing

Have you ever had this conversation with someone from upper management?

Boss: “If we implement your recommendations, how will this impact traffic?”

You:  “It depends.”

Boss: “If we create a new content project, will it generate a lot of traffic?

You: “It depends.”

“It depends” is the typical response by a search engine optimization specialist (SEO) to questions about traffic projections and is a top response that infuriates management.

As any SEO knows, you can’t predict with any accuracy what a change will do to your traffic, since there are numerous external factors you have no control over.

But — you can give your boss an idea of incoming traffic while addressing and taking those external factors into account.

Let’s look at what we can and cannot control, the impact certain issues may have on traffic and how to predict incoming traffic to your site.

[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Simon Heseltine is the Vice President of Audience Growth at Trader Interactive, a leading provider of digital offerings to include CycleTrader, RVTrader, RV Web Services, Commercial Web Services, CommercialTruckTrader and EquipmentTrader.com. He was one of the first columnists on Search Engine Land in 2007 to write about in-house teams and has won numerous industry awards for his expertise in managing them.