Our Approach → Sprint Model

The 90-Day Sprint.
How It Actually Works.

Fixed scope. Six phases. Commercial outcomes measured at close. This is the operating model behind every Viaduct engagement, whether you are on a sprint programme or a rolling retainer.

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Updated April 2026
10 min read
90d Fixed-length cycles
6 Defined phases per sprint
£5k+ Sprint programmes from

Every client gets a QBR at sprint close. Results measured against the baseline locked on day one.

The Case for Sprints

Why We Stopped Doing Open-Ended Retainers.

Open-ended retainers have a structural problem. Without a hard reset point, scope drifts. Priorities shift. Work that was never agreed on quietly fills the hours. After six months, you are paying for a relationship rather than results.

Sprints solve this by design. Every 90 days, we reset. What worked gets extended. What did not gets replaced. The scope for the next sprint is built from evidence, not habit.

For clients, this means you have a natural checkpoint every quarter. If we are not producing results, you have a clean exit. We think that pressure is healthy. It keeps us focused on outcomes rather than activity.

The Six Phases

What We Do Inside the 90 Days.

We start with full visibility. Technical SEO audit, keyword landscape analysis, competitor gap mapping, and current traffic and revenue baseline locked in writing. No assumptions, no inherited opinions. Everything measured from scratch.

  • Technical audit report with prioritised fix list
  • Keyword landscape and opportunity map
  • Competitor gap analysis across top 5 rivals
  • Baseline metrics agreed and signed off

Sprint goals set. Hub architecture designed. Content calendar built around your highest-value keyword clusters. Quick wins identified for weeks two and three. Everything prioritised by commercial impact, not volume.

  • Sprint goal document with success metrics
  • Hub architecture map (pillar + cluster page plan)
  • 90-day content calendar
  • Quick win action list (weeks 2 to 4)

No content strategy survives a broken technical base. Core web vitals, crawlability issues, index coverage, internal linking structure, and schema markup all addressed before content production begins. We do not pour effort into pages that cannot be found.

  • Core web vitals remediation
  • Crawl and index coverage fixes
  • Internal linking architecture implementation
  • Schema markup across key page types

The longest phase and the one where most of the compounding work happens. Pillar pages, cluster pages, and on-page optimisation for existing high-potential URLs. AI tools accelerate briefing and research. Editorial judgement governs every piece that goes live.

  • 1 pillar page (3,000 words minimum)
  • 4 to 6 cluster pages per hub
  • On-page optimisation for 10 to 20 existing URLs
  • Internal linking woven throughout

Content without authority does not rank. We run targeted digital PR and link acquisition in the back third of every sprint. Quality over volume. Relevant, editorial placements that signal genuine authority to search engines and to AI answer engines.

  • Digital PR outreach with campaign brief
  • Link acquisition (target: 3 to 8 placements per sprint)
  • Brand mention tracking and amplification
  • Entity and citation audit

Full Sprint QBR. Results measured against the baseline from day one. Revenue attributed by channel. What worked, what did not, and why. Then we scope the next sprint based on that evidence. If the work is not producing results, we say so clearly. Then we fix it.

  • Sprint QBR presentation (60 to 90 minutes)
  • Full performance report vs. day one baseline
  • Revenue attribution breakdown by channel
  • Recommended scope for sprint two
Sprint Cadence

What Happens, Week by Week.

Six phases across thirteen weeks. Here is the operational rhythm behind each one and what you receive at every stage.

Phase 01
Discovery & Audit
Days 1–14
Phase 02
Strategy
Days 14–21
Phase 03
Technical
Days 21–35
Phase 04
Content Production
Days 35–70
Phase 05
Authority Building
Days 70–84
Phase 06
Review & Reset
Days 84–90
Wk
Focus
Key output
Client touchpoint
1
Kick-off. Access granted. Technical crawl initiated. Competitor set agreed.
Baseline metrics locked in writing
Kick-off call
2
Full audit complete. Keyword landscape mapped. Competitor gaps identified.
Technical audit report + opportunity map
Gate 1 sign-off
3
Hub architecture designed. Content calendar built. Quick wins scoped.
Sprint goal document + 90-day content calendar
Gate 2 sign-off
4–5
Technical fixes deployed. Schema and internal linking implemented.
Core web vitals clean. Index coverage resolved.
Gate 3 sign-off
6–10
Pillar and cluster content in production and published. Existing URLs optimised.
Content hubs live. On-page optimisation complete.
Weekly async update
11–12
Digital PR active. Editorial outreach running. Link acquisition in progress.
3 to 8 editorial placements secured
Gate 5 sign-off
13
Full performance review. Revenue attributed by channel. Next sprint scoped.
Sprint QBR + revenue attribution breakdown
Sprint QBR (live session)
Review Gates

Six Checkpoints. Nothing Advances Without Sign-Off.

Every sprint has six defined gates. Deliverables must be complete before the next phase opens. No exceptions, no workarounds.

G1
Day 14
Baseline Locked

Technical audit delivered. Keyword opportunity map complete. Baseline metrics agreed and signed off in writing. Sprint goals confirmed before strategy begins.

Audit → Strategy
G2
Day 21
Strategy Approved

Hub architecture reviewed and signed off. 90-day content calendar confirmed. Quick win actions agreed for weeks two to four. No production starts without this.

Strategy → Technical
G3
Day 35
Technical Foundations Live

Core web vitals resolved. Crawl and index coverage clean. Internal linking implemented. Schema live across all key page types. Content does not launch on a broken base.

Technical → Content
G4
Day 70
Content Live and Indexed

All planned content hubs published. Existing URL optimisation complete. Indexing confirmed in Google Search Console. Internal linking verified across the hub structure.

Content → Authority
G5
Day 84
Authority Building Complete

Digital PR campaign concluded. Link acquisition targets met. Brand mention tracking active. Entity and citation audit filed and logged in the living optimisation record.

Authority → Review
G6
Day 90
Sprint QBR Delivered

Full performance report versus day one baseline. Revenue attributed by channel. Results reviewed live with the client. Sprint two scope proposed and agreed before the call ends.

Sprint Close
Sprint Pricing

Three Tiers. All Fixed Price.

No variable billing, no scope creep. Every sprint tier includes the same six phases. The difference is depth of execution.

Foundation Sprint
Sprint One
£5,000 per quarter
Technical audit and fix list
1 content hub (pillar + 3 cluster pages)
On-page optimisation for 10 URLs
Sprint QBR at close
Looker Studio dashboard
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Growth Sprint · Most Popular
Sprint Pro
£10,000 per quarter
Technical audit and full remediation
2 content hubs (pillar + 5 cluster pages each)
On-page optimisation for 20 URLs
Digital PR and link acquisition
Sprint QBR + revenue attribution report
Looker Studio dashboard
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Comprehensive Sprint
Sprint Max
£20,000 per quarter
Full technical and content audit
3 to 4 content hubs
On-page optimisation for 40 URLs
Aggressive digital PR campaign
Paid media support and cross-channel reporting
Monthly reporting + sprint QBR
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Common Questions

Questions About the Sprint Model.

What is a 90-day SEO sprint?

A 90-day SEO sprint is a fixed-scope growth programme that runs over three months. Objectives, deliverables, and success metrics are agreed on day one. The sprint runs through six defined phases: Discovery and Audit, Strategy and Architecture, Technical Foundations, Content Production, Authority Building, and Review and Reset. At the end of the cycle, results are measured against the baseline and the next sprint is scoped.

What is the difference between a sprint and a retainer?

A sprint is a fixed three-month programme with a defined scope and a hard end date. A retainer is an ongoing monthly arrangement. At Viaduct Generation, both models use the same six-phase structure. Sprint clients have a natural checkpoint at the end of every quarter. Retainer clients run the same phases on a rolling basis with monthly reporting built in alongside the quarterly QBR.

How long before we see results from a sprint?

Technical fixes and quick wins typically move the needle within the first 30 days. Content authority compounds over 60 to 90 days as Google indexes and assesses the new hub structure. Significant revenue impact from organic content typically builds most visibly in sprints two and three.

What do you deliver at the end of a sprint?

At close, you receive a full Sprint QBR covering performance against every metric agreed on day one, a revenue attribution breakdown showing which channels drove commercial outcomes, a content and technical health update, and a recommended scope for the next sprint. The QBR is a live session, not a document dump. We walk through it together.

What are sprint review gates?

Review gates are defined checkpoints built into the sprint at the close of each phase. There are six in total. At each gate, agreed deliverables must be complete and signed off before the next phase begins. This prevents scope drift, ensures nothing is built on unresolved foundations, and gives you a clear view of progress at every stage rather than one big reveal at day 90.

Can we adjust the sprint cadence mid-programme?

Within phases, there is flexibility in how we sequence specific tasks. Between phases, the gate process means work is reviewed and approved before anything advances. The overall 90-day timeline is fixed by design. If priorities shift significantly mid-sprint, we flag it, document it, and address it fully in the sprint reset at day 90 rather than quietly changing scope without accountability.

Sprints in Practice

What a Sprint Delivers in the Real World.

Three engagements across different sectors. The same six-phase process. Outcomes measured against the baseline locked on day one.

E-commerce · Sprint Programme
161%
Year-on-year revenue growth
Home Improvement Supplies

Technical foundations rebuilt from scratch. Three content hubs launched across the highest-value product categories. 90 days from crawl to compound organic growth.

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B2B SaaS · Sprint Programme
264%
Organic traffic increase
People XCD

HR software brand with significant high-intent keyword gaps. Hub architecture and targeted authority building drove sustainable pipeline growth quarter on quarter.

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Professional Services · Sprint Programme
300%
Organic traffic growth
Anglo Doorstep Collections

£200K in PPC spend eliminated by organic acquisition. Two sprint cycles replaced paid dependency entirely and produced a higher-quality lead pipeline.

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Our Approach Hub

More From Our Approach.

Pillar Page
Our Approach Overview

The full picture: sprint model, AI tools, attribution, and why we keep the client roster small.

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Spoke 02
How We Use AI in Client Work

The specific tools and the clear line between AI acceleration and human strategy.

Read more →
Spoke 03
Revenue Attribution: How We Model It

Multi-touch attribution, CRM integration, and making organic search accountable.

Read more →
Spoke 04
Why We Turn Clients Away

Our qualification model, who we work with, and what mis-fit engagements actually cost.

Read more →
Free for Qualified Businesses

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