(And Why Not Asking for These Could Be a Major Red Flag)
When you hire an SEO manager, you’re entrusting them with one of the most important aspects of your business—your online visibility. But let’s be real: not all SEO professionals are created equal. Over the years, I’ve noticed something troubling. Many clients come to me after working with someone else, saying, “They didn’t ask me for anything, but they promised results.”
Here’s the hard truth: if your SEO manager doesn’t ask for specific tools, access, and information before starting, they’re likely winging it—or worse, using generic strategies that won’t get you anywhere.
In this guide, I’ll break down exactly what a competent SEO manager needs from you before they even write a single keyword. These aren’t just “nice-to-haves”; they’re essentials for building a strategy that works. If your current SEO manager hasn’t asked for these, you might want to reconsider who you’re working with.
The Essentials Your SEO Manager Should Be Asking For
Every good SEO strategy starts with preparation. Without access to the right tools and data, even the most experienced professional is just guessing. When I start with a new client, I always ask for the following items. If your SEO manager doesn’t, it’s time to ask why.
Here are the list of things you need to give your SEO manager before they start working for you.
1. Access to Your Website’s CMS (Content Management System)
Why It’s Critical: SEO requires making on-site changes—things like updating meta descriptions, optimizing headings, and improving internal linking. If your SEO manager can’t log in to your CMS (e.g., WordPress, Shopify, Wix), they’re limited to handing you a list of recommendations.
What to Provide: Set up an admin account with restricted access, if necessary, to maintain your security. This ensures your SEO manager can make changes without needing full control of your website.
2. Google Analytics Access
Why It’s Critical: Google Analytics provides the data needed to evaluate how your site is performing—traffic, user behavior, bounce rates, and conversion tracking. Without this, an SEO manager has no way of measuring success or adjusting the strategy.
What to Provide: Give your SEO manager “Edit” or “Collaborator” access so they can analyze trends, create custom reports, and track progress.
3. Google Search Console Access
Why It’s Critical: Search Console is your direct line to Google’s insights. It shows how your site is performing in search, highlights indexing errors, and provides data on what keywords you’re already ranking for. This is essential for spotting and fixing problems.
What to Provide: Add your SEO manager as a user to your Search Console account. They’ll need access to monitor search performance, check for penalties, and submit sitemaps.
4. Clear Business Goals
Why It’s Critical: SEO isn’t just about rankings—it’s about meeting your business goals. Whether you want to increase leads, boost sales, or improve brand awareness, your SEO manager needs to know what success looks like for you.
What to Provide: Be as specific as possible. For example, instead of saying “I want more traffic,” you might say, “I want to increase organic traffic by 20% in six months and generate more leads from my service pages.”
5. Competitor Information
Why It’s Critical: Your competitors offer valuable insights into what’s working in your industry. Analyzing their strategies can help identify opportunities you’re missing and areas where you can outperform them.
What to Provide: Share a list of competitors you want to target—or better yet, let your SEO manager research competitors based on your niche.
6. Content and Branding Guidelines
Why It’s Critical: SEO involves creating and optimizing content, which needs to align with your brand’s voice, tone, and overall marketing strategy. Misaligned messaging can confuse your audience and hurt your credibility.
What to Provide: Share any branding guidelines, style guides, and preferred tone of voice documents you have. If you don’t have these, discuss your brand personality and target audience with your SEO manager.
7. Past Reports or Historical Data
Why It’s Critical: If you’ve worked with an SEO team before, their reports can provide crucial context for your current campaign. What worked? What didn’t? Knowing this saves time and helps your SEO manager avoid repeating past mistakes.
What to Provide: Share any analytics data, ranking reports, keyword lists, or audits from previous SEO efforts.
8. Hosting and Back-End Access (When Necessary)
Why It’s Critical: Some SEO improvements, like fixing server-side errors or improving site speed, require access to your hosting environment. While this won’t be needed for every project, it’s essential for addressing technical SEO issues.
What to Provide: Grant access only when necessary and ensure that your SEO manager is trustworthy and transparent about what changes they’ll make.
9. Marketing and Social Media Insights
Why It’s Critical: SEO doesn’t operate in a silo. It works best when integrated with your overall marketing efforts. Knowing what’s happening with your social media campaigns, PPC ads, or email marketing helps your SEO manager create a cohesive strategy.
What to Provide: Share details about ongoing campaigns, key marketing metrics, and any other relevant activities that could impact your SEO efforts.
10. Budget and Timeline Expectations
Why It’s Critical: A good SEO manager will want to know how much you’re willing to invest and how soon you expect results. This helps them set realistic expectations and prioritize the most impactful tasks.
What to Provide: Be upfront about your budget and deadlines. For example, if you need quick wins in three months, your SEO manager can focus on low-hanging fruit like optimizing existing pages.
Why Not Asking for These Is a Red Flag
If your SEO manager doesn’t ask for these items, it’s a sign they’re likely relying on generic, outdated tactics. Here’s what could go wrong:
- They Don’t Understand Your Business: Without clear goals or competitor analysis, their strategy may not align with what you actually need.
- They’re Not Measuring Results: If they don’t ask for analytics or Search Console access, how will they prove their work is paying off?
- They’re Using Cookie-Cutter Tactics: Every business is unique. A “one-size-fits-all” approach rarely delivers meaningful results.
- You Waste Time and Money: Without proper preparation, your campaign will stall—and you’ll end up paying for work that doesn’t move the needle.
How Jelly Ann Can Help You
Here’s the honest truth: SEO isn’t just a job for me—it’s my passion. I care about helping businesses grow, and I know that a cookie-cutter approach doesn’t cut it. That’s why I take the time to ask the right questions, gather the right data, and craft strategies tailored to your goals.
Here’s how I can make a difference:
- Tailored Strategies: I’ll analyze your unique situation and create a custom SEO plan that aligns with your goals, budget, and timeline.
- Complete Transparency: From the first conversation to monthly progress reports, I’ll keep you informed every step of the way.
- Data-Driven Results: By leveraging tools like Google Analytics and Search Console, I’ll track performance and adjust the strategy to maximize results.
- Trustworthy Expertise: I’ve worked with businesses of all sizes and know how to deliver results without cutting corners or making false promises.
If your current SEO manager hasn’t asked for the things listed above—or if you’re feeling unsure about their approach—I’d love to step in and help. Let’s work together to create an SEO strategy that actually works for your business.
Contact me today for a free consultation, and let’s get started!
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