When I first started getting hands on with SEO, I ran into the same problem over and over: I had too many things to do and no idea what to focus on first. Should I fix technical issues? Double down on content? Chase backlinks? Every SEO guru article had a different answer, and every prioritization framework I found online felt like it was designed for someone else’s SEO efforts, not mine.
I wasted time trying to fit my work into rigid models that didn’t actually help me make decisions faster. I would spend hours debating if something was a “4” or a “5” on some arbitrary scale instead of just getting the work done. The worst part? Even when I thought I had a solid prioritization system, I would still get blindsided by last-minute requests from executives or shifting business goals that threw everything into chaos.
At some point, I realized I was overcomplicating things. The key to prioritization isn’t finding the perfect framework—it’s finding a system that helps you make faster, better decisions and communicate them clearly to your team. That’s when everything started to click.
Why Most SEO Prioritization Fails
SEO isn’t just about rankings—it’s about business impact. But too often, we treat it like an isolated checklist rather than part of a larger strategy. Here’s what usually goes wrong:
- We prioritize SEO in a vacuum – A technical fix might be critical to us, but if it doesn’t move the needle for revenue or growth, it’s not truly high impact.
- We let frameworks slow us down – I’ve seen teams spend more time filling out prioritization spreadsheets than actually implementing SEO fixes. That’s backwards.
- We assume priorities don’t change – What was important six months ago might be irrelevant today. If you’re not reassessing regularly, your priorities will quickly get outdated.
After enough trial and error, I started using a simpler, more effective way to prioritize SEO work.
An Easier Approach to Prioritizing SEO Work
I’ve tested a bunch of frameworks, but the one that actually works is embarrassingly simple:
Effort vs. Impact Matrix
- Impact: How much does this move us toward a key business goal?
- Effort: How much time and resources will it take?
Plot your tasks on a 2×2 matrix:
- High Impact, Low Effort: Do these immediately.
- High Impact, High Effort: Plan and allocate resources wisely.
- Low Impact, Low Effort: Quick wins if there’s time.
- Low Impact, High Effort: Probably not worth doing.
This sounds almost too simple, but it forces you to think critically about what actually matters instead of getting lost in theoretical prioritization exercises.
What I Look for When Prioritizing SEO Work
Having worked with different teams and business models, I’ve developed a gut feeling for what deserves priority. Here’s what I focus on:
1. Business Impact Above All Else
Not all SEO tasks are created equal. Fixing a broken robots.txt file that’s blocking your entire site is an emergency. Tweaking title tags for a slight CTR boost? Not so much. Always ask: How does this task help the business? If the answer is unclear, it’s probably not urgent.
2. Quick Wins vs. Long-Term Gains
Some changes deliver fast results (like updating broken internal links), while others take months to show an impact (like a major site restructure). You need both. I aim for a mix of quick wins to show progress and long-term projects that compound over time.
3. Bottlenecks and Dependencies
Not all SEO tasks require dev support, but many do. If a high-impact project needs engineering work, I push to get it into their backlog as early as possible. Otherwise, you’re stuck waiting while lower-priority dev tasks take over.
4. Data-Driven Justifications
I don’t just say, “This will improve rankings.” I back it up with SEO case studies, competitor analysis, and historical data. If you can show that a proposed change led to a 20% traffic increase for a similar site, you’ll have a much easier time getting buy-in.
The Real Challenge: Getting Devs on Board
No matter how great your prioritization is, nothing gets done without dev support. SEOs often struggle with this because we don’t always speak the same language as developers. Here’s what’s helped me bridge that gap:
- Get their input early – Don’t just throw SEO tasks over the fence. Talk to developers upfront and ask for their input on estimated effort. They’ll appreciate the collaboration, and you’ll avoid unrealistic timelines.
- Frame SEO tasks in business terms – If you tell a developer that a technical fix will improve rankings, they might not care. If you say it will increase organic conversions by 15% and reduce bounce rate, they’ll listen.
- Understand their constraints – Developers often have competing priorities. If your SEO request isn’t urgent, acknowledge that. If it is, be ready to explain why.
- Be mindful of accountability fears – Some devs hate numeric scoring systems because they don’t want to be held to estimates they can’t guarantee. If that’s an issue, use T-shirt sizing instead to keep things flexible.
AI as a Prioritization Superpower
AI has been mainstream for over two years, yet I still see marketers barely scratching the surface of what it can do. For prioritization, AI is invaluable in a few ways:
- Speeding up analysis – AI can scan competitor sites, summarize search trends, and even predict the potential impact of a change. This saves hours of manual research.
- Automating low-value tasks – AI can handle repetitive SEO tasks like generating metadata, clustering keywords, or even creating structured data markup. This frees up time for higher-impact work.
- Refining prioritization with data – Some AI tools analyze historical performance to estimate the likelihood of an SEO change delivering results. While AI isn’t perfect, it can highlight opportunities you might have overlooked.
- Scaling insights – AI can process huge datasets quickly, allowing you to prioritize work based on real trends rather than gut instinct.
If you’re not using AI to work smarter, you’re leaving efficiency on the table. It won’t replace human decision-making, but it can make the prioritization process far more informed and scalable.
Final Thoughts
Prioritization isn’t about finding the perfect framework—it’s about making better decisions, faster. Keep it simple, focus on business impact, and don’t overthink it. At the end of the day, the best prioritization system is the one that actually helps you get things done.
If you’re still spending hours debating whether something is a 3 or a 4 on your prioritization scale, maybe it’s time to rethink your approach.
