Lost in Translation: Why Your SEO Reports Aren’t Landing with the CMO
Ever feel like your detailed SEO reports vanish into thin air once they hit your CMO’s inbox? You’re not alone. Getting the attention of busy executives is tough, especially when we dive deep into metrics they might not immediately connect to the bottom line.
Bridging the Gap: Speaking the CMO’s Language
Adam Heitzman recently shared some valuable thoughts on bridging this gap, and from my perspective as a consultant, he really hits the nail on the head. He points out something I see often: SEO pros love their jargon – rankings, organic traffic sources, backlink profiles – but CMOs speak a different language. They want to know about leads, sales, customer acquisition cost, and return on investment. How is SEO actually growing the business?
Translating SEO Wins into Business Outcomes
Heitzman’s advice focuses on translation. It’s about taking our SEO wins and framing them in terms of business outcomes. Did that ranking increase lead to more qualified leads? Did improving site speed contribute to higher conversion rates and more revenue? That’s the story the CMO needs to hear.
Crafting Concise, Visual, and Goal-Oriented Reports
He suggests keeping reports concise, highly visual (charts and graphs are your friends!), and centered on the key performance indicators that directly align with the company’s main goals. Forget overwhelming them with every single metric; highlight the big wins and clearly explain *why* they matter for the business.
It’s about shifting the focus from *what* we did (optimized title tags) to *what it achieved* (helped generate X more leads this quarter). Heitzman provides a solid framework for making these reports impactful and relevant to the C-suite. But how exactly should you structure these reports to tell that compelling story?
Further Reading
For a deeper dive into crafting reports that truly resonate, I highly recommend reading Adam Heitzman’s insights on writing effective SEO reports for CMOs. It’s worth your time.