The Challenge
As FreshBooks scaled its engineering velocity, SEO-impacting changes were shipping without review. Critical pages were being modified, redirected, or removed without SEO input, risking millions in organic traffic value. There was no systematic way to detect issues before they impacted rankings.
The Approach
- Designed and implemented an automated website monitoring system tracking critical URLs, meta data, and technical elements in real-time.
- Established SEO governance processes integrated into the product development lifecycle, with clear escalation paths for high-risk changes.
- Created an SEO education program for engineering and product teams, building shared understanding of SEO impact.
- Built dashboards providing visibility into SEO health metrics for leadership and stakeholders.
The Results
- Protected $1M+ in annual organic traffic value through proactive monitoring
- Reduced issue detection time from weeks to under 24 hours
- Aligned 15+ cross-functional teams on SEO best practices and review processes
- Established SEO as a key stakeholder in product development decisions