← Chapter 03: Which Organic Game Are You Playing? — diagnostic

Self-Assessment — “Which Organic Game Are We Actually Playing?”

Self-Assessment — “Which Organic Game Are We Actually Playing?”

This is not a quiz.
It’s a mirror.

Use this assessment in leadership reviews, quarterly planning, or SEO/content retrospectives. Answer honestly based on behavior, not intent.

Section 1: Where Effort Actually Goes

For each statement, mark Mostly True / Sometimes True / Mostly False.

  1. Our organic roadmap begins with keyword or query lists.
  2. Publishing velocity is a primary success metric.
  3. We feel pressure to “cover” every relevant topic.
  4. Content success is reviewed mainly through traffic and rankings.
  5. New content is valued more than updating existing content.

If most are Mostly True → You are playing: Capture or Compete.

Section 2: How Content Is Designed

  1. Pages state a clear position in the first few paragraphs.
  2. Tradeoffs are explicitly named in our content.
  3. We repeat the same core ideas across multiple assets.
  4. Content is designed to resolve decisions, not just explain topics.
  5. We are comfortable publishing fewer pages if clarity improves.

If most are Mostly True → You are playing: Compound.

Section 3: What Actually Compounds

  1. Sales references specific ideas from our content, not just links.
  2. Prospects use our language in conversations.
  3. Content shortens evaluation or reduces basic education calls.
  4. Some pages are reused repeatedly across teams.
  5. Losing one or two key pages would materially hurt us.

If most are Mostly True → You are playing: Compound.

Section 4: The Tells

Answer without overthinking:

  • If traffic stopped growing for 90 days, would panic set in?
  • If publishing slowed by 50%, would impact be immediately obvious?
  • Can leadership articulate our POV in one sentence?

Two or more “yes” answers → You are likely not compounding yet.

Interpretation Guide

  • Mostly Capture
    You intercept existing demand. Necessary, but capped.

  • Mostly Compete
    You fight for attention. Expensive and fragile.

  • Mostly Compound
    You shape judgment. Durable and cumulative.

Most teams play all three tactically—but only one strategically.

The Alignment Question

Are we resourced, measured, and rewarded for the game we say we want to win?

If not, the strategy will never compound—no matter how good the content looks.