Continuing our series of articles on management methodologies in the context of SEO, it is worth taking a look at another interesting approach: the Kanban system. In previous articles we have already discussed the Deming cycle (PDCA), Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen, Agile/Scrum and Total Quality Management (TQM). Kanban is another alternative to the standard OKR and PDCA methods that are the cornerstone of operations in many marketing agencies.
What is Kanban?
Kanban (Japanese: 看板, literally "board" or "billboard") is a work management system that originated in the Japanese automotive industry, specifically the Toyota Production System. It was developed by Taiichi Ohno in the 1940s as a production control method based on replenishing inventories only when they are needed ("pull" system).
In the context of modern project management, Kanban was adapted and popularized by David J. Anderson in 2010. The basis of the system is the visualization of the workflow on a Kanban board, which shows tasks going through different stages of the process.
Basic principles of Kanban
The Kanban system is based on several fundamental principles:
- Work visualization - All tasks and their status are visible on the board
- Limiting Work In Progress (WIP) - Set limits for the number of tasks in each stage
- Flow management - Continuous monitoring and optimization of workflows
- Clear process policies - Clear rules on how work is done
- Feedback loops - Regular meetings and reviews
- Continuous improvement (Kaizen) - Evolutionary change based on measurement and experimentation
Kanban board and its structure
The centerpiece of the Kanban system is a board that divides the work process into columns representing the various stages. The simplest Kanban board contains three columns:
- To Do (To Do) - Tasks that are waiting to be completed
- In Progress - Tasks currently in progress.
- Done - Tasks completed
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In practice, a Kanban board is often more elaborate and process-specific. In the context of SEO, the columns could look as follows:
- Backlog - All SEO tasks to be performed
- Planning - Tasks undergoing detailed planning
- Research - Tasks in the research and analysis phase
- In progress - Tasks currently being performed
- To be verified - Tasks awaiting quality check
- Implementation - Tasks under implementation on the site
- Monitoring - Tasks in the performance measurement phase
- Completed - Tasks fully completed
Kanban in SEO practice: Potential applications
1. managing complex SEO projects
SEO projects often consist of multiple interdependent tasks involving different aspects: technical SEO, content marketing, link building, UX optimization, etc. Kanban makes it possible:
- Clear visualization of all SEO tasks and their status
- Track the progress of the various elements of the campaign
- Identification of bottlenecks in the process (e.g., tasks waiting too long for implementation)
- Better coordination between different specialists (content writers, developers, link builders)
2. manage the continuous optimization process
SEO is not a one-time project, but an ongoing process. Kanban is great for managing such continuous activities:
- Continuous monitoring and optimization of existing content
- Regular technical audits and implementation of improvements
- Systematic link building
- Periodic updates related to algorithm changes
3. balancing different types of SEO tasks
In SEO, there are both planned tasks (e.g., content creation) and unplanned tasks (e.g., responding to algorithm changes or technical problems). Kanban helps:
- Maintain a balance between planned and reactive work
- Prioritize different types of tasks
- Visualize the impact of unplanned tasks on the overall workflow
4. optimize the workflow of the SEO team
With work-in-progress (WIP) limits, Kanban prevents team overload and helps maintain a steady, predictable workflow:
- Avoid multitasking, which reduces efficiency
- Preventing the piling up of tasks at different stages
- Maintain an optimal pace of work adapted to the capabilities of the team
A sample Kanban model for an SEO agency
What could a Kanban system look like in an SEO agency? An example model is shown below:
Types of SEO task cards
- Technical tasks (e.g., optimizing page speed, fixing indexing errors)
- Content tasks (e.g., creating new content, optimizing existing content)
- Link building tasks (e.g. outreach, guest blogging).
- Analytical tasks (e.g., audits, competitive analysis)
- UX tasks (e.g., conversion optimization, navigation improvement)
3. limits of WIP (Work In Progress).
To ensure a smooth workflow, you can set the following task limits in each column:
- Planning: 3 tasks
- Research: 4 tasks
- Implementation: 5 tasks
- Verification: 3 tasks
- Implementation: 2 tasks
- Monitoring: 8 tasks
4. flow metrics
Kanban monitors several key metrics that help evaluate process efficiency:
- Lead Time - the total time from adding a task to the backlog to its completion
- Cycle Time - the time from the start of work on a task to its completion
- Throughput - the number of tasks completed in a given period
- WIP - number of tasks currently in progress
- Blocked Items - tasks whose execution is blocked by external factors
Case study: Kanban in optimizing a multilingual e-commerce site
The following is a hypothetical case study of the successful application of Kanban in an SEO project:
Challenge:
An e-commerce site operating in 5 European markets needed comprehensive SEO optimization for all language versions of its site.
Kanban approach:
- Visualize the work
- Create a Kanban table with columns for each process step
- Color-coding the cards for different markets and task types
- Track progress in all markets on one board
- Limiting WIP
- Set limits of 2-3 tasks for each market in the implementation phase
- Limit the number of concurrent tasks for individual specialists
- Flow management
- Daily stand-up at the Kanban board
- Identification and removal of flow obstacles
- Prioritization of tasks with the greatest potential impact
- Process policies
- Clear definitions of "Done" for each type of task
- Standard procedures for repetitive tasks
- Acceptance criteria for transition between stages
- Feedback loops
- Weekly reviews of SEO metrics
- Two-week process retrospectives
- Monthly strategic reviews
Results:
Implementation of the Kanban system could bring the following benefits:
- Increase team productivity by 30% by eliminating multitasking
- Reduce change implementation time by 40% by removing bottlenecks
- Better coordination between specialists in different markets
- Greater transparency of project status for the customer
- Faster problem detection and resolution
Kanban vs PDCA and OKR: A comparison of approaches.
How does Kanban compare to the popular Deming cycle (PDCA) and the OKR system?
Similarities:
- All methodologies support continuous improvement
- All are based on measurable results
- All can be tailored to the specifics of the project
Differences:
- Focus: Kanban focuses on workflow, PDCA on improvement cycles, and OKR on goals and results
- Structure: Kanban is more flexible and less structured than PDCA
- Time horizon: OKR usually operates in quarters, PDCA in cycles, and Kanban in a continuous mode
- Visualization: Kanban places most emphasis on visual representation of work
Advantages and challenges of Kanban in SEO
Advantages:
- Better transparency and visualization of the entire SEO process
- Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities
- Identification and elimination of bottlenecks in the process
- Balanced team workload
- Ease of implementation without the need for revolutionary organizational changes
Challenges:
- May not be structured enough for comprehensive SEO strategies
- Requires team discipline in adhering to WIP limits
- Doesn't provide as clear a framework for strategic planning as OKR does
- May not work well in very large, distributed teams
- Requires regular maintenance and updating of the board
Tools to support Kanban in SEO
Kanban can be implemented both in the form of a physical board and using digital tools:
- Physical board - Traditional sticky note board, ideal for teams working in one location
- Digital tools:
- Trello - Intuitive tool with drag-and-drop interface
- Jira - A more advanced tool, popular in larger organizations
- Asana - Offers Kanban functions along with other views
- Monday.com - Flexible tool with multiple integrations
- Microsoft Planner - Integration with the Microsoft ecosystem
- Specialized SEO tools with Kanban features:
- Some SEO platforms offer Kanban-style task management features
- Ability to integrate SEO metrics directly into the job board
Implementing Kanban in the SEO team: Practical steps
If you are considering implementing Kanban in your SEO team, here are some practical steps:
- Start by mapping the current process
- Identify all the steps in the SEO process
- Identify where bottlenecks and delays occur
- Design your first Kanban board
- Create columns corresponding to the main stages of the process
- Use colors to distinguish task types
- Enter WIP limits
- Start with reasonable limits and adjust as needed
- Better too few than too many parallel tasks
- Set clear process policies
- Define input and output criteria for each column
- Describe how tasks should go through the system
- Implement regular meetings
- Daily stand-ups at the blackboard
- Regular review of process and metrics
- Measure and excel
- Track key flow metrics
- Regularly adjust the system based on observations
Conclusions: Is Kanban a good alternative for SEO project management?
The Kanban system can be a valuable tool for SEO teams, especially those that:
- Work on multiple concurrent tasks
- They need better visualization of the process
- They want to increase productivity without drastic organizational changes
- Need flexibility to adapt to changing priorities
Kanban can be used as a stand-alone methodology or as a complement to other approaches. For example, you can successfully combine elements of Kanban with the PDCA cycle or the OKR system to create a hybrid approach tailored to your organization's specific needs.
Ultimately, the key to success is to experiment and adapt the methodology to the specifics of your own team and SEO projects. Kanban offers simplicity, flexibility and immediate transparency that can significantly improve the efficiency of SEO efforts, regardless of the size of the organization or the complexity of the projects.
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