An AEO audit may identify dozens of valid opportunities. Most clients cannot implement them simultaneously. Budget, developers, experts, approvals and customer access are limited.
Prioritisation converts complexity into sequence. It is where the agency’s commercial judgement becomes visible.
The CIDER Model
Machine Confidence Gap
Assess how materially the issue weakens discovery, understanding, validation or trust. A critical indexation problem or severe reputation issue deserves more weight than a minor formatting inconsistency.
Commercial Impact
Connect the recommendation to revenue, margin, market growth, customer value or strategic importance. High traffic is not the same as high commercial value.
Evidence Strength
Distinguish repeated evidence from plausible hypotheses. Recommendations supported by technical, customer, competitor and prompt data deserve greater confidence than those based on one output.
Delivery Readiness
Assess ownership, data, developer capacity, expert availability, legal constraints and leadership alignment. Sometimes readiness work must precede the attractive campaign.
Quick Wins, Foundations and Compounding Assets
Quick wins create momentum, foundations enable future delivery and compounding assets create durable advantage. A balanced roadmap should include all three rather than become addicted to easy tasks.
Dependency Mapping
Show what must happen before each priority can begin or finish. Research may depend on data; case studies on consent; structured data on templates; repositioning on leadership decisions.
Roadmap Horizons
The 30-day plan establishes control. The 90-day roadmap combines foundations with activation. The six-month plan builds repeatable systems. The annual roadmap defines the strategic difference the organisation should create.
Outcomes, Ownership and Acceptance Criteria
Organise the roadmap around outcomes rather than channel quotas. Assign a named owner, capacity, dependencies and a clear definition of completion to every major initiative.
Quarterly Reprioritisation
Commercial priorities, competitors, sources and platform behaviour will change. The roadmap should be consistent but not rigid. Stopping weak work is part of good strategy.