Use “Cell Linking” to connect data across sheets for SEO dashboards.
Set up “Automated Workflows” for SEO deliverable approvals and task assignments.
Use “Gantt View” to visualize and adjust SEO project timelines.
Best Hack:
Create a “Data Fetch” automation to pull SEO metrics from your analytics tool via API. This auto-populates key metrics like organic traffic, bounce rate, and conversion rates, allowing easy tracking of SEO impact over time without manual entry.
9. Celoxis
Screenshot from celoxis.com, August 2024.
Celoxis is a PM tool that’s ideal for complex SEO projects. It excels in resource management, financial tracking, and customizable dashboards. It’s perfect for SEO pros juggling multiple clients or large campaigns, offering granular control and big-picture views.
I’ve used it for a major e-commerce SEO campaign. Custom fields let us track keywords and rankings per task. Resource management helped balance the workload across content, tech SEO, and link-building teams, streamlining the process.
Why It’s Good For SEO:
Easy to use: Celoxis gives you the tools to dive deep into a project without sacrificing usability. It’s also easy to set up.
Includes time tracking, resource management, and budgeting: It also has ample reporting features to keep you on track.
Good value: Celoxis offers the functionality of a top-tier PM platform at the price point of a mid-tier one.
Potential Drawbacks For SEO:
No billing or invoicing functionality: You will have to use an outside program to bill your clients.
No free version: If you’re looking for a free-to-use PM platform for your SEO team, this isn’t it.
Tips and Tricks:
Use “What-If” analysis to model different SEO resource allocations.
Leverage the bug tracker to manage tech SEO issues.
Implement a client portal for transparent progress and performance sharing.
Best Hack:
Build a custom “SEO ROI Dashboard”. Combine cost data from Celoxis with performance metrics from your analytics. This visualizes ROI across SEO activities, informing strategy decisions.
10. ProofHub
Screenshot from proofhub.com, August 2024.
ProofHub is a lightweight PM tool ideal for small SEO teams or those new to structured project management. It covers the basics—Kanban, Gantt, and time tracking—without feature bloat.
I’ve used it for an SEO-driven site redesign. The Kanban board was great for tracking page optimizations through the “To-Do,” “In Progress,” “SEO Review,” and “Complete” stages.
File attachments kept wireframes, content, and SEO recommendations organized within tasks.
Why It’s Good For SEO:
All the tools you need: ProofHub gives you everything you need for SEO planning, team collaboration, and management.
Unlimited users: You can add as many people to the platform as you need.
Communication: Thanks to built-in chat and document-sharing features, all discussions can be centralized in one place.
Potential Drawbacks For SEO:
Recurring tasks must be entered manually: ProofHub does not provide you with the option to repeat tasks.
No budgeting: You will need to use a third-party platform to oversee budgeting for your SEO tasks.
Tips and Tricks:
Use “Table View” for multi-metric tasks like content audits.
The “Discussions” feature keeps SEO chats centralized, cutting email overload.
“Me View” shows your assigned SEO tasks across projects.
Best Hack:
Create a weekly recurring task for SEO health checks. Include a metric checklist (organic traffic, rankings, new backlinks) to spot trends and issues early.
11. ClickUp
Screenshot from clickup.com, August 2024.
ClickUp is a versatile PM tool that adapts to any SEO workflow. Its key feature is multi-view project visualization, which suits various work styles. SEO pros can manage daily tasks and long-term strategies in one place.
I’ve used ClickUp for a multi-location local SEO campaign. Custom Fields tracked Google Business Profile info, keywords, and ranking data per location. The Relationships feature linked tasks across campaign aspects, like connecting on-page and citation tasks.
Why It’s Good For SEO:
Easy to use: ClickUp has a short learning curve, meaning you and your team can start benefiting from it faster.
Multiple views: You can track your campaigns via a list, board, calendar, and workload view, among other options.
Perfect balance of functions and ease of use: ClickUp falls in the Goldilocks zone by including the features you want without the complexity.
Potential Drawbacks For SEO:
Navigation can be confusing: The differences between tabs are subtle.
Implementation can require significant planning: Because ClickUp is highly customizable, you may have to systematically plan workflows to maximize its benefits.
Tips and Tricks:
Use Sprints for time-bound SEO projects (e.g., site speed improvements)
Workload view helps balance team tasks, especially during algo updates
Automate repetitive SEO tasks (e.g., auto-generate content briefs for new keywords)
Best Hack:
Create an SEO command center Dashboard. Use widgets to show real-time data from SEO tools (rankings, traffic, backlinks, tech SEO scores). This centralizes performance metrics alongside task management.
12. Forecast
Screenshot from forecast.app, August 2024.
Forecast is an AI-powered project management tool tailored for SEO teams. It excels in resource allocation and financial planning, making it ideal for agencies and in-house teams managing multiple SEO projects.
Key benefits:
AI-assisted time estimation for complex SEO tasks.
Resource management across client campaigns.
“Insights” feature for analyzing task duration and improving estimates.
I found it valuable for estimating variable-effort tasks like content creation and link building and identifying consistently underestimated SEO activities.
Why It’s Good For SEO:
Easily track project lifecycles: This platform allows you to assign and allocate tasks and budget for your entire SEO PM operation.
Schedule visualization: You can get information on a team member’s workload at a glance.
Gathering data is easy: Want to compare a current campaign to an old one? Forecast makes it easy to pull data.
Potential Drawbacks For SEO:
Updating time and task entries can be tedious: Manual entry can be a time-consuming process.
Not ideal for larger teams: Visualization elements can be overwhelming if you have a lot of people working under you.
Tips and Tricks:
Use “Baseline” to track actual vs. planned progress, refining SEO estimates.
Utilize “Skills” for optimal task allocation based on team expertise.
Leverage financial planning to assess the profitability of SEO services/clients.
Best Hack:
Create a custom “SEO Efficiency” report comparing estimated vs. actual time for different SEO tasks (on-page, content, link building). Use insights to optimize team efficiency and processes.
13. Adobe Workfront
Screenshot from business.adobe.com/products/workfront/main.html, August 2024.
Adobe Workfront is a high-end project management tool for big SEO teams or agencies. It shines in managing complex SEO campaigns with intricate workflows and integrates well with other Adobe products.
I’ve used Workfront for a multi-brand SEO and content marketing project. Its custom forms were great for SEO tasks like tech audits and link building. The portfolio management helped track progress and ROI across brands.
Why It’s Good For SEO:
Well-designed user interface: Workfront is easy to use and visually appealing.
Real-time information: It keeps you abreast of any status changes.
Good transparency: This platform helps eliminate confusion about who is supposed to do what, as stakeholders and project scope are easily visible.
Potential Drawbacks For SEO:
Lengthy setup process: A high level of customization means Workfront requires a more in-depth initial setup.
May offer too much detail: With Workfront, you can get as granular into tasks as you like, which may lead to some people becoming lost in the details.
Finding tasks can be difficult: If you don’t know what project a task is assigned to, it can be difficult to locate.
Tips and Tricks:
Use Workfront Fusion for SEO tool integrations and workflow automation.
Utilize Resource Planner for SEO team allocation across projects.
Create custom dashboards combining project progress and SEO metrics.
Best Hack:
Set up an “SEO Impact” field with automated task prioritization. For example, high-impact tasks like page speed improvements for key pages get auto-flagged as high priorities, keeping crucial SEO work at the forefront.
14. WorkOtter
Screenshot from workotter.com, August 2024.
WorkOtter is a solid, user-friendly project management tool that’s great for SEO teams. It shines in resource management and reporting, making it ideal for agencies or in-house teams juggling multiple SEO projects.
From experience, its standout features for SEO include:
Efficient resource allocation across specialists, writers, and devs.
Customizable dashboards for client-specific “SEO Health” metrics.
Detailed tracking of organic traffic, keyword rankings, and backlink growth.
It’s powerful enough for complex SEO work without being overly complicated.
Why It’s Good For SEO:
Very easy to use: You don’t have to be a tech wiz to use WorkOtter for SEO project management.
Good communication and reporting tools: Real-time information keeps your entire team on the same page.
Good for resource management: This platform helps decide exactly where your SEO resources will be allocated.
Potential Drawbacks For SEO:
Cloud-only: There is no local version available, which can be problematic if you are trying to work offline.
English-only support: This may present challenges for non-native English speakers.
Tips and Tricks:
Use “Capacity Planning” to manage team workload during busy periods (e.g., algorithm updates, peak seasons).
Leverage “Project Templates” for standardizing everyday SEO tasks.
Track time accurately with “Time Entry” for better project estimations.
Best Hack:
Create a custom “SEO Project Scorecard” using WorkOtter’s reporting tools. Score projects based on the following:
SEO metrics (traffic growth, rankings, page speed)
PM factors (timeliness, budget)
This scorecard helps quickly gauge project health and pinpoint areas needing focus.
15. PSOHub
Screenshot from psohub.com, August 2024.
PSOHub is a project management tool for service-based businesses, including SEO agencies. It integrates time tracking, invoicing, and resource management. SEO pros can handle project management, billable hours, and client invoicing in one place.
From experience, PSOHub’s project budgeting feature is handy for SEO work. You can set budgets for various SEO tasks (tech SEO, content, link building) and track hours/costs against them. Auto-invoicing based on logged hours streamlines billing, ensuring all SEO work is captured.
Why It’s Good For SEO:
Excellent time tracking functionality: PSOHub is one of the best platforms for tracking where your team’s time is being spent on both group and individual levels.
CRM integrations: This platform integrates with Hubspot and other CRMs, so you can track your SEO campaigns alongside email initiatives.
Flexible reporting: PSOHub lets you choose the data you want to include in reports.
Potential Drawbacks For SEO:
Time-consuming setup process: It can take some time to manually enter all your campaigns and tasks into this platform.
All users must have the same license level: You cannot have some users on a basic level and others on a more complex one.
Tips and Tricks:
Use “Resource Scheduling” to efficiently plan the SEO team’s time across client projects.
Utilize “Project Templates” for SEO services like site audits or local SEO campaigns.
Use CRM integration to link SEO project data with client info for a complete view.
Best Hack:
Create custom “SEO Service Packages” in PSOHub. Set up preset task groups, estimated hours, and costs for standard SEO services (e.g., Tech SEO Audit, Content Optimization, Local SEO Bundle). This speeds up project setup and helps generate quick, accurate client quotes.
In Conclusion
Choosing the right project management tool can boost your SEO team’s performance. But with so many options, how do you pick the best one? Here are some things to think about:
Team Size:
Small teams: Try simple tools like Trello or ClickUp.
Medium teams: Asana or Monday might work well.
Big teams or agencies: Look at heavy-duty options like Adobe Workfront or Smartsheet.
Project Complexity:
Basic SEO work: Trello’s board-style setup could be enough.
More involved SEO plans: Try tools with timeline views and resource tracking like GanttPro or Teamwork.
Complex, multi-client SEO: Go for all-in-one solutions like Wrike or Celoxis.
SEO-Specific Stuff:
Need to track SEO metrics closely? PSOHub or Forecast lets you customize fields and connect with other tools.
Doing lots of content work? Asana or ClickUp are good for managing content projects.
Focusing on technical SEO? Jira or Celoxis is great for tracking bugs and technical tasks.
Budget:
Free options: Trello and Asana have decent free versions for small teams.
Mid-range: Monday and ClickUp give you a good bang for your buck.
High-end: Workfront and Smartsheet offer advanced features if you can spend more.
Connecting with Other Tools:
Using many different tools? Look for options that integrate well with others, like Asana or anything that works with Zapier.
Use Adobe products? Adobe Workfront fits right in.
Are you already using Zoho? Zoho Projects naturally fits with other Zoho tools.
Remember, the best tool is one your team will use consistently. Try out your top picks before deciding. Get your team involved in choosing – it’ll make switching to the new tool easier.
And remember, as your team grows and changes, your needs might too. Keep an eye out for new tools that might improve your SEO workflow.
More resources:
Featured Image: RerF_Studio/Shutterstock