Voices of Search Podcast: Actionable And Effective Technical SEO Insights

Episode Release Date: January 7, 2025
Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Chris Spann, Senior Technical SEO at Lumar

Introduction

In this episode of the Voices of Search podcast, host Tyson Stockton engages in an insightful conversation with Chris Spann, the Senior Technical SEO at Lumar, a prominent large-scale crawler, technical SEO, and accessibility platform. Building upon their previous discussion on rising SEO security awareness, Tyson and Chris delve into actionable and effective technical SEO insights, offering listeners practical strategies to optimize their SEO practices.

Defining Actionable and Effective Technical SEO Insights

Chris Spann emphasizes the importance of actionable insights in technical SEO. Rather than generating overwhelming amounts of data, actionable insights are those that can be directly used to implement meaningful changes. "It's about insights that you can use to actually get stuff done or get stuff fixed," Chris explains (03:27). This approach ensures that SEO efforts lead to tangible improvements rather than getting lost in endless reports.

Strategic Crawling: Quality Over Quantity

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the strategy of crawling websites effectively. Chris challenges the common misconception that SEOs need to crawl every single page of a website. "Nobody, nobody wants everything," he states (06:48). Instead, he advocates for a more selective approach, focusing on pages that hold commercial value. This means prioritizing category pages and other high-impact sections that drive traffic and conversions.

When to Use Cloud-Based Crawlers vs. Local Tools

Chris outlines scenarios where cloud-based crawlers, like Lumar, are preferable over local tools such as Screaming Frog:

1. Scale and Performance: For extremely large websites, local tools may falter due to hardware limitations, making cloud-based solutions essential (08:15).
2. Data Tracking and Monitoring: Cloud-based tools offer superior tracking capabilities, allowing SEOs to monitor changes over time more effectively.

Notable Quote:
"Screaming Frog is great, but for enormous scale crawls, Lumar is brilliant because you're not running into limitations with your local machine." — Chris Spann (08:15)

Frequency and Volume of Crawls

Determining the right frequency and volume for crawls depends on the website's size and the resources available. Chris suggests:

• Large Enterprises: Conduct frequent crawls focusing on high-value pages rather than the entire site. For example, crawling the top 50,000 URLs from the homepage can cover the most commercially significant areas (09:45).
• Smaller Businesses: Regularly crawl your flagship pages (top 10-20%) on a weekly basis to ensure no critical issues go unnoticed.

Principle to Follow:
Crawl at a frequency slightly faster than the rate at which you can afford pages to be down or issues to arise.

Prioritizing SEO Issues: Impact vs. Effort

Once issues are identified through crawls, prioritizing them effectively is crucial. Chris introduces the Impact vs. Effort Matrix as a method to categorize tasks:

1. High Impact, Low Effort: Address these issues first for maximum benefit with minimal resource expenditure.
2. High Impact, High Effort: Plan and allocate resources accordingly, ensuring that significant changes are well-managed.
3. Low Impact, Low Effort: Tackle these when time permits.
4. Low Impact, High Effort: Generally deprioritize these tasks.

Notable Quote:
"Your priority should be items that are easy to implement but have a high financial impact. Those are the ones that get done first." — Chris Spann (16:37)

Building Credibility and Effective Communication with Development Teams

A recurring challenge for SEOs is getting their recommendations implemented by development teams. Chris offers several strategies to overcome this:

1. Be Specific: Clearly outline the issues and their potential impact. Avoid vague descriptions; instead, detail what could go wrong if a problem isn’t addressed.
2. Use Data and Case Studies: Provide evidence from tools like Google Search Console or reference case studies that highlight the consequences of similar issues.
3. Showcase Impact: After implementing changes, demonstrate the positive outcomes. For example, "That change you made resulted in a 20% increase in traffic," fostering a sense of achievement and encouraging future collaboration (24:20).
4. Speak Their Language: Tailor your communication to the audience, whether it’s a CMO, CTO, or developer, using terminology that resonates with their role and concerns.

Notable Quote:
"Send them a screenshot of Search Console or GA and say, 'Hey, thanks so much for that work. Look what it's done.'" — Chris Spann (26:33)

Closing Insights

Both Tyson and Chris underscore the importance of action and follow-through in technical SEO. It's not enough to identify issues; implementing solutions and maintaining clear communication with relevant teams are essential for driving SEO success. Chris highlights the evolution of his role in his previous company, transitioning from being seen merely as a link-building specialist to a pivotal part of the technical and strategic SEO operations.

Final Takeaway:
The effectiveness of technical SEO lies in the ability to translate data into actionable changes, prioritize tasks based on impact, and foster strong collaborative relationships with development teams.

Notable Quotes

• Chris Spann:

  • "Nobody, nobody wants everything." (06:48)
  • "It's about insights that you can use to actually get stuff done or get stuff fixed." (03:27)
  • "Your priority should be items that are easy to implement but have a high financial impact. Those are the ones that get done first." (16:37)
  • "Send them a screenshot of Search Console or GA and say, 'Hey, thanks so much for that work. Look what it's done.'" (26:33)

• Tyson Stockton:

  • "The key has to be coming back to that change, like what have you done with that information to then make a positive impact and change." (15:27)
  • "Remembering to come back and kind of close that feedback loop and also have a clear definition of success." (27:49)

Conclusion

This episode of the Voices of Search podcast provides a comprehensive exploration of actionable technical SEO insights. By focusing on strategic crawling, prioritizing issues effectively, and fostering strong communication with development teams, SEOs can significantly enhance their website’s search performance. Tyson Stockton and Chris Spann offer valuable perspectives that are both practical and immediately implementable, making this episode a must-listen for SEO professionals aiming to optimize their technical strategies.

For more insights and detailed discussions, visit voicesofsearch.com and subscribe to their podcast for daily SEO and content marketing wisdom.