It wasn't about strategy, keywords, or technical optimisation.
It was about failure.
During a client presentation, I was confidently showcasing the usual metrics: projected traffic, increase in MQLs/SQLs, revenue impact, and reduction in blended CAC.
And these numbers looked great until the client asked, "This looks great, Sanjay, but what does FAILURE look like?"
Nobody had ever asked me this in 180+ client engagements.
I was stunned into silence.
I could not respond immediately but told him I would get back to him.
Back at my desk, I wrestled with how to visualise and communicate potential failure without sounding negative.
Then it clicked.
SEO success relies on two critical levers: traffic and conversion rates. My projections assumed we'd hit both targets perfectly.
But what if we didn't?
This realisation led me to develop a projection matrix showing various scenarios - from worst to best case - based on different traffic and conversion rate combinations (refer image attached).
It transformed my client communications.
Instead of just showing the upside, I started presenting the full spectrum of possible outcomes.
I explicitly discussed the worst-case scenario and encouraged clients to evaluate if SEO investment makes sense even at that level.
This experience exposed my confirmation bias - I was only looking for outcomes that matched my positive expectations. When challenged, that framework collapsed.
As SEOs, we carry many such biases that can do more harm than good.
The question "what does failure look like?" wasn’t about being pessimistic; it was about being realistic and transparent.
It reframed my perspective by forcing me to confront and plan for all possibilities.
So today, I urge you to ask yourself - what does failure look like?
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