Managing all SEO tasks, especially when you have multiple sites that you’re working on, can be a daunting task. Staying on top of SEO includes dozens of different types of tasks, from technical optimization to developing content to on-page semantic SEO to social media, and the list goes on and on.
To keep it all together, agencies shouldn’t have to rely on multiple platforms for different types of tasks. Opening up tabs to track metrics, link building, meetings and messaging is frustrating, cumbersome and can result in data becoming overlooked or misplaced.
What features do agencies really need in SEO project management software? Look for these features in SEO project management software to ensure that your agency can track every task, find every message, accurately analyze metrics and audit projects.
Manage All Editorial Functions
SEO project management software needs to effectively manage, maintain, and track all editorial functions. This means that the software should be able to track the creation and optimization of landing page content, blog content and other content creation tasks such as ad creatives.
To be effective, your software should include capabilities to order content, create it within the system, and track its progress, too. Ideally, the software should allow you to integrate with Google Drive as many teams use Google Drive to collaborate on content creation and editing.
Agencies need to understand the status of every content work order, and internal CMS functions should track the workflow of each assignment after it’s completed. When the writer is finished with an article, the finished task should then move to an editor, on to the client for approval and then be scheduled for publication.
The workflow should be seamless; with the system dictating next steps after a task has been marked as completed. The best internal CMS for SEO project management software also provides alerts to editors/managers when an assignment is overdue. This ensures that tasks stay on deadline and that projects don’t fall behind.
SEO project management software also should allow for the creation of an editorial calendar to serve as a hub for all scheduled content. With a digitized editorial calendar, managers can simply click on a content assignment and review all updates, including the workflow status…or even the date of publication.
Manage Technical SEO
It’s easy to get a long list of technical optimizations for a website. Whether you run an audit with SEMrush, or search for technical issues in Google Search Console, most websites will always have optimization opportunities.
The problem isn’t identifying the issues, it’s tracking that every issue is being worked on. Some require designers, others, content writers, while yet others, may require programmers.
Assigning all of these tasks and tracking them can be overwhelming and difficult to track.
SEO project management software also should be compatible with or sync with Google Search Console. This allows the agency to catch any errors that are affecting the site and immediately assign fixes to team members.
Having access to an SEO project management software provides an all-in-one data hub to help diagnose and fix site errors and issues related to traffic.
Improve Outreach / Link Building
Outreach improves rankings. Software should allow agencies to disseminate emails for link building and to promote content and build relationships. SEO project management software should sync to Gmail or other email platforms to allow for emails to be effectively tracked in the system.
Agencies can attach email correspondence to project task pages to ensure that writers or other team members associated with the project have all the info they need. Tracking these messages also ensures that updates can be made to the editorial calendar related to updates on a site’s response to an inquiry or even when an article goes live for a guest piece.
Tracking outreach and correspondence also helps track link building. Once an article goes live on a site, the project management software should allow the agency to track if the links are having a positive impact on the site’s visibility.
Use an Integrated Calendar
What’s on the agenda? Agencies don’t have the time to pull up a separate calendar to find updates related to meetings, schedules, and, most importantly, the cost of those meetings.
A calendar function should provide customization options for every agency’s needs. Each employee or team member should be able to open up the project management program and see all their tasks, meetings, and other scheduled events.
Is there a conference call at 9:30 a.m? The dashboard page for every user account should include a calendar that notes all important events, including the assignments due each day. This ensures that everyone stays organized, on task, and never misses a client or internal team meeting.
Google Calendar provides similar functions, but it doesn’t tie into other aspects of project management data.
Save and Follow Chats
Agencies may use Slack or Skype to send messages related to meetings and client data. While these popular platforms can keep communication flowing even if team members are working remotely, they can have a few downsides.
Messages in Slack might not be incredibly easy to track or find when that data is needed immediately. Team members may have to hunt through streams of text to find what they need if they can even find it.
Project management software should include internal messaging capabilities within project pages. When questions arise during a specific task, team members can and should communicate via that page. This means that all back-and-forth communications from the team—and perhaps the client, too—are archived on the task or project page. No more data hunts!
Compile Metrics/Reporting
Metrics and reporting functions are important in delivering results to clients.
SEO project management software should feature tools to create reports and review metrics. Agencies should be able to analyze data from Google Search Console to better understand rankings and why a site or page has failed to perform. Agencies also should be able to understand at a glance what keywords are being optimized (and ranking for) in content. All this data can then pull into reports to clients so they understand the success of a project.
SuperMetrics and Google Data Studio both provide this information, but, unfortunately, they aren’t found within project management software.
Simplify Client Communications and Interactions
Messaging capabilities found on task or project pages also can be used for clients…and by clients. While this feature aids the team in clarifying problems or understanding data about a project or task, the client might need to reach out to team members, too.
SEO project management software should empower clients by making them part of the conversation. The agency can give them permission to view or comment on specific pages or projects. Team members also can message clients via these pages, too, ensuring seamless communication.
Audit Projects
SEO project management software needs auditing capabilities. What does this mean? The software should be able to track tasks, due dates, deadlines, and costs.
With comprehensive auditing capabilities, the agency can better understand what tasks are outstanding and if specific assignments or overdue. This allows managers to get ahead of hiccups in the workflows. If a writer hasn’t completed an assignment, and it’s overdue, managers can make the decision to reassign the task.
This, in turn, helps projects stay on target and on budget. Time is money, after all! While Trello, Asana, and Monday provide auditing functions, they don’t offer the full extent of capabilities that agencies need.
So what SEO project management software manages all editorial functions, manages technical SEO, improves outreach and link building, offers an integrated calendar, saves/follows chats, compiles metrics/reporting, simplifies client communications and interactions and audits projects? Gryffin does all of this and more! Try it today by signing up for a free trial!