Welcome to The SEO Sprint
How to get SEO projects implemented using tried-and-tested frameworks and systems when working with dev and product teams.
Hello 👋,
Welcome to The SEO Sprint newsletter. A place to learn how to get SEO projects executed when working with product and engineering teams.
My name is Adam Gent. I’m an independent SEO Product Manager working in SEO and Product for over a decade.
Throughout my career, I’ve worked with a range of companies to get technical projects executed that drive business results. I’ve worked with companies like Ladbrokes Sports, Beauty Bay and DeepCrawl.
If you work in SEO it’s no secret that getting projects executed for any business is a challenge.
“The top 5 failure causes had all something to do with SEO execution challenges.” - Aleyda Solis
“The average SEO at a big company has been waiting over six months for their highest priority technical change and doesn’t anticipate seeing it deployed for at least another six months” - Will Critchlow
If you’re reading this newsletter you’ve already gone down the rabbit hole of trying to find those silver bullets on Google or YouTube. Either you’ve tried out those tactics that didn’t work or you got overwhelmed.
I know this because I’ve been there.
But I’m also here to tell you that you can learn the secrets to execution.
In 2018, I became a Product Manager (PM) at a B2B software company called DeepCrawl (now Lumar). For years I worked across multi-disciplinary teams to implement features to solve problems for enterprise companies like eBay, Lego and Adobe.
When I first joined the product team, I thought getting things done would be easy. I was dead wrong.
I had to navigate a new set of unspoken rules, responsibilities and ways of working. It was as if everyone had read a rulebook for a game I had no idea how to play.
I needed to play catch up.
I binge-watched YouTube videos, read product books, and subscribed to newsletters. I not only had to shift my mindset, but I had to learn completely new skills to navigate in-house politics. All the while applying and testing the knowledge as I went.
Also, I was lucky. I had a great manager and a supportive team. We regularly support each other and transfer learning from one project to another. Every week, for over 2 years.
It was intense.
I learned that there are no silver bullets. Just small wins that incrementally add up over time that get projects executed.
Also, something else happened that confirmed this new way of working.
The new processes and methods the team had implemented. It had a positive impact on the business. When we checked the data with the sales and delivery teams we found that:
💰 Revenue - New features added £1 million in MRR into the sales pipeline.
📈 Shipping features - The team saw a +700% increase in code output YoY.
😇 Happier users - Customers and business stakeholders were happier.
All that time struggling, learning and practising paid off.
The experience made me realise: There is a knowledge gap in the SEO industry.
A lot of SEO specialists are trying to find those non-existent silver bullets that will get projects executed. Instead, they should look to understand the rules of the game and those small incremental wins that add up.
And that is why The SEO Sprint exists.
It sits at the intersection between SEO, development and product. A place to learn how to get SEO projects executed with product and engineering teams. By helping SEOs become smarter at working within tech culture.
No fluff. Just actionable advice.
Why should you sign up for the newsletter?
You’ll get access to tried-and-tested mental models, frameworks and lessons I’ve learned working with the product and engineering team.
I’ve used these frameworks, mental models and lessons to:
Add 43 million in the sales pipeline for a B2B finance company in 2 years by shaping, planning and shipping a scalable content hub strategy.
Increase SEO revenue for an eCommerce company from $300K to over $1 million in 12 months by getting impactful projects prioritised in the dev backlog.
Improve the quality of leads by 100% for a SaaS startup by working with the platform team to shape, test and ship a new bespoke lead generation feature.
But don’t just take my word for it.
Check out what other SEO professionals think of the newsletter👇.
“There are few newsletters I subscribe to but The SEO Sprint by Adam is one of them.” - Tom Critchlow, SEO MBA
“It’s my favourite newsletter.” - COO, Stephen Kenwright, Rise at Seven
“Absolutely love your newsletter. Adopting your mindset and advice has helped me get a major project prioritised.” - Callalhan Peel, Growth Marketer, Class Pass
“Keep rocking. Love the newsletter.” - Björn Darko, Head of Product & SEO, Ladenzeile/Shopalike
“You’ve got number one fans over here. Your content is fantastic.” - Ashley Berman Hale - VP of Professional Services, Lumar
“Your newsletter is awesome. So is a lot of the knowledge you share!” - Areej Abuali, Head of SEO Papier.
“Your articles helped me put together some tickets and the client loved them. Thanks for helping me be better at my job!” - Lorcan Fearon, Senior SEO Specalist, Studio Hawk
“As a technical SEO it's one of the newsletters that I HAVE to read.” - Sagi Shtrosberg, Senior Technical SEO Analyst, Twentysix
Who is this newsletter for?
This newsletter is for those who work day-to-day with product and dev teams:
SEO Product Managers who want to learn how to get better at shaping, syncing and delivering.
Technical SEO Specialists who want to learn how to survive in the engineering team culture.
SEO Managers who want to get projects executed when working with product and dev teams.
Only SEOs who work directly with product and development teams will benefit from this newsletter.
What are you going to talk about?
I’m going to be talking about nerdy product and agile delivery topics. I might talk about technical SEO topics but usually in the context of getting stuff done.
The types of topics I will be covering are:
Writing SEO tickets
Planning SEO projects
Surviving Agile processes
Crafting strategies and roadmaps
Building SEO and dev partnerships
You can see the archive of newsletters to see the kind of topics I write about.
How often is the newsletter
I send the newsletter every Monday morning.
It contains three ideas to kickstart your week and help you improve how you can work with dev and product teams.
I’ll also send essays, podcasts, and news, so check your inbox.
This newsletter used to be every week, but for the moment, I am keeping it ad-hoc.
I’ll try to do a newsletter a month. But I want to keep the quality high when I hit the publish button.
Where can I sign up?
If you’re sold on signing up for the newsletter, then enter your email below to receive a weekly email.
P.S. Did you also know there is a podcast you can listen to? Check it out here.