What are the perfect conditions to fail at SEO?

It's surprisingly easy to set yourself up to fail at SEO, despite the best of intentions.

Overselling expectations, undervaluing the process, obsessing over the wrong KPIs - these common pitfalls quickly come to mind. However, one critical mistake that's often less obvious is resourcing SEO without providing a clear, practical path for implementation.

Warning Signs of Failure

Surely no one deliberately invests in SEO only to neglect its execution, right? It's complicated. Almost everyone signing off on SEO initiatives expects positive outcomes. But there's frequently a gap between intention and reality. Often, stakeholders aren’t fully aware of exactly what it takes to successfully implement SEO changes.

The worst-case scenario looks something like this: significant investment goes into SEO efforts, recommendations pile up, yet little to no tangible benefit emerges.

Frustration mounts, ROI diminishes, and ultimately, SEO gets labeled as "not working."

You might recognise some of these symptoms from your own experience:

• "Our SEO agency keeps sending recommendations, but we just don't have the resources or even fully grasp their impact."

• "Our internal SEO team constantly asks for features that our platform simply cannot support."

• "The brand president doesn't believe our audience engages with the type of content our SEO team suggests."

• "We asked for an SEO review on our staging site, and now our launch is delayed."

SEO success isn't measured by the number or quality of recommendations generated - it's measured by the recommendations you actually implement. The real, impactful work needs to get done.

Read more of my thinking about the "implementation gap" in SEO here.

Of course, this isn't exclusive to SEO; this truth applies universally. However, in SEO specifically, a failure to clearly define and allocate the necessary resources frequently lies at the root of underperformance.

Preventing This Scenario

It begins at the planning stage. When deciding to invest in SEO, paint a detailed picture of the resources required. Beyond hiring an SEO manager, you must consider:

• Development and design resources needed for technical SEO changes.

• Content management and CMS capabilities for content implementation.

• Buy-in from key stakeholders like eCommerce directors, brand presidents, and marketing teams.

• Clear, robust mechanisms to measure and report success against defined KPIs, tailored to various business audiences.

Hiring an SEO manager might feel like a decisive step forward.

But beyond their salary, have you budgeted for essential SEO tools, development hours, and the necessary integration with broader business operations?

Have you confirmed with other stakeholders that SEO initiatives will now be part of their planning processes?

Will your SEO manager handle content uploads and optimisations directly, or does another team support this?

Crucially, have you clearly defined what success looks like - and do you have the means to accurately report and communicate this internally?

Setting yourself up for SEO failure typically comes from a good place - ambitious goals and genuine intentions. But gaps in knowledge and planning can quickly undermine those efforts.

The good news is that this scenario is entirely preventable. Clear, detailed planning and transparent communication around expectations and requirements are your strongest tools in ensuring SEO success.