When drafting a technical SEO ticket, it’s important to provide a clear and detailed description of the changes needed on a specific webpage or component. A well-structured ticket not only outlines the desired modifications but also includes evidence needed for verification and specifies which existing functionalities must remain intact.
Clarify Your SEO Requests
Instead of using vague requests such as "Improve internal linking on our product pages," it’s beneficial to create specific and actionable tasks. A developer could make various modifications, like adding footer links, introducing recommendation widgets, or altering navigation components. The key is to specify exactly what is expected, turning a generic request into a clear contract for change.
Specify Changes and Context
Let’s say you’re working with a fictional boot retailer that has a product page for leather walking boots at /products/leather-walking-boots/ and a related care guide at /guides/boot-care/. The product page has a “Care and Maintenance” section, but currently, this section lacks any link to the care guide.
A better ticket title could be: "Link the product care section to the boot-care guide." This title clearly states the objective. The description should specify the source page, the owning component, the destination, and why the link is necessary — it enables customers to access detailed care instructions while exploring the product.
Detail the Expected Link Structure
In the ticket, provide the expected output for the link, such as:
<a href="/guides/boot-care/">Read the boot-care guide</a>
This format ensures that the developers know they need to implement a standard hyperlink, which allows for various navigation functions, including activation via the Enter key. Google’s SEO guidelines emphasize that links must have anchor tags with href attributes for effective crawling and indexing, which is crucial in this context.
Prepare Acceptance Criteria
Before any implementation begins, it’s essential to define the acceptance criteria for your changes. For the example at hand, the acceptance criteria could be as follows:
- On the product page, the “Care and Maintenance” section must include exactly one link labelled “Read the boot-care guide”.
- The link should resolve to the /guides/boot-care/ URL.
- Clicking or focusing on the link must successfully open the care guide.
- The link should remain functional and visible on both desktop and mobile views.
- The subject of the guide must be boot care; unrelated content will not meet the acceptance criteria.
Manage Existing Behaviours
It’s also vital to document existing behaviours of components that the ticket may affect. For instance, if the “Material Details” accordion is present in the care section, make sure to note its initial state and functionality. After the update, performing the same checks ensures that no unintended changes occur to other functions on the page.
For instance, if modifications were made only within the care section and did not affect the purchasing component, it would be acceptable to limit the regression tests to just the care area. Understanding the ownership of elements is important to determining the scope of testing required.
Document the Testing Process
When the link ticket is close to completion, retain a record of the original view, any code differences made, the rendered link, and the public view post-implementation. Each aspect provides insight into the state before and after changes were made.
The final submission of the ticket should clearly outline that the specified anchor exists and functions as intended, while also noting any failures in testing that may need addressing. This clarity ensures that anyone reviewing the ticket can replicate your results and confidently verify the changes made.
Conclusion
Constructing an effective SEO ticket involves careful attention to detail and clarity. A strong ticket guides developers on the necessary changes, provides reviewers with measurable criteria, and helps maintain existing functionality, all while ensuring that search performance claims are backed by concrete evidence.
