SEO Strategy3 min

SEO Documentation: If It's Not Written Down, It Doesn't Exist

Your SEO strategy lives in one person's head. What happens when that person quits? Document everything. Here's how.

Here's a nightmare scenario.

Your SEO lead quits. Or gets sick. Or goes on vacation.

And nobody else knows:

  • Why that redirect was set up
  • What the keyword strategy is
  • Which pages are prioritized
  • What's been done and what hasn't
  • All the knowledge walks out the door. And you start from scratch.

    Why documentation matters

    Continuity. People leave. Documentation stays.

    Efficiency. New team members get up to speed in hours, not weeks.

    Accountability. If it's documented, it happened. If it's not, who knows?

    Consistency. When processes are documented, everyone follows the same playbook.

    What to document

    The SEO strategy document

  • Target keywords and priority pages
  • Content strategy and editorial calendar
  • Link building approach
  • Technical SEO standards
  • Reporting cadence and KPIs
  • Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

  • How to create a new page (SEO requirements -- reference the on-page SEO checklist)
  • How to update existing content
  • How to handle URL changes
  • How to respond to ranking drops
  • How to onboard a new team member to SEO
  • The decision log

  • Why we chose this URL structure
  • Why we prioritized these keywords
  • Why we changed the title tag format
  • Why we disavowed those links
  • The "why" is more important than the "what."

    Start with task tracking

    SEO Checkup serves as living documentation of your SEO progress. 113 tasks. Status tracking. All in one place.

    Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.

    Document your SEO. Future you will be grateful. Combine documentation with proper SEO governance and you'll build an operation that survives anything. Moz's beginner guide makes excellent shared onboarding material.

    Keep reading