SEO doesn't exist in a
vacuum. Contributor Erin Everhart shares tips for getting other company
stakeholders on board to achieve SEO success.
Everyone can, and probably has, argued over what part of working in
SEO is the hardest. From the frequent algorithm updates and never really
knowing what Google is thinking to constantly explaining yourself to executives and fighting tooth and nail to correct our bad reputation, we have plenty of options to choose from.
Personally, my nomination for one of the most difficult challenges is
managing the push and pull within organizations to ensure SEO gets the
resources it needs to achieve results.
As an SEO, you don’t really “own” any one digital asset, but
everything in digital has an impact on your organic search traffic. It’s
a disturbing situation because when something changes — even if you
have nothing to do with it and perhaps don’t even know about it — you’re still on the hook when your organic traffic tanks.
So, how do you work with other teams to get what you want?
First, a few generalities that apply to anyone you’re working with:
- Speak their language. Throwing out acronyms and industry jargon is going to leave your listeners confused.
- Compromise. Don’t come in guns blazing demanding it’s your way or no way. Being a good business partner requires a bit of give and take so people actually want to work with you again.
- Talk on their terms. The easiest way to get what you want is to show how it’s actually going to benefit the other person. Focus on how whatever change will impact their KPIs, not just organic traffic.
Now that we’ve got the basics covered, how can SEOs work with specific departments so everyone gets what they want?
C-Suite
Company adoption of SEO ultimately comes from the top down; if your
C-suite is on board and understands the value, you’ll have an easier
time working in the weeds with the people who actually make the changes.
To do that, prove the value of SEO without drowning them in data.
We have tons of metrics at our beck and call, but, in most cases, the
only numbers C-suites really care about are traffic and revenue. Focus
on overall business impact, not just how what you’re proposing affects
organic traffic and revenue.
You’ll make even more impact if you can show competitors gaining more
market share, because no C-suite wants to be second place to direct
competition.
UX/Design Department
Designers don’t want to compromise their design for SEO, and they
don’t want to design something solely for search engines. And rightfully
so. Your site should first and foremost serve the needs of your users,
but too often we’re forgetting that search engines are primary users of
your site — probably the biggest ones in terms of how many times they
access your site.
Each time you speak with your design team, watch your wording: Avoid
things like “designing for SEO” or “building it for bots” because you’re
only perpetuating the stereotype that SEOs don’t care about users.
The likeliest chance of conflict comes over content. Everyone knows
you need live text on your web pages if you expect them to rank, but the
design argument is that users don’t read content, and all it does is
push down the important stuff (images, products, CTAs) that’s aimed at
spurring people to make a purchasing decision.
The most popular compromise is the eyesore of a content block at the bottom of a page.
Sure, that content block is great for SEO, but it’s a sub-par user
experience, and it’s definitely not the only way to rank for competitive
terms. There are plenty of companies doing good design that have great
SEO without that damned content block:
- Otterbox ranks for “iPhone cases”
- Target ranks for “bathing suits”
- Best Buy ranks for “digital cameras”
The point is there are plenty of ways
to to have well-designed engaging site that kicks butt in search
engines, using things like web fonts, expandable divs, mouse-overs on
images to show content, and small chunks of content scattered throughout
the page rather than one large block at the end.
There’s no silver bullet solution, and what works for one site may
not work for yours. Thankfully, designers love testing even more than
SEOs, so approach your suggested changes not like, “This is what we have
to do,” but more like, “Hey, I think this could help; let’s see how our
users and search engines react.”
Present a couple of design options, put them out in the wild for six
to eight weeks, and see what improves your positioning most while also
increasing your overall engagement.
Copywriters
Whether you believe all SEOs should know how to write by themselves,
or you rely on external copywriters, we all know SEO can’t exist without
content. (Remember, content doesn’t have to be blog posts or marketing
copy. Title tags and meta descriptions, two things which SEOs
historically “own,” are pretty important content pieces for SEO, too.)
Copywriters are pretty much the sorcerers of today’s digital
landscape as most everything that exists online includes some form of
written content. It’s a primary driver for search engine rankings, and
it’s the number one way users interact with brands, whether that
involves content in emails, social posts, articles or product
descriptions.
Copywriters are also always looking for things to write about, and
that’s exactly where SEO steps in. SEOs have a pulse on what users are
searching for and should be steering the content topics. That lifts some
of the burden off the copywriters in coming up with the ideas, while
also providing new organic entry points across your website.
Development & IT Teams
There are obvious elements that make for good SEO (like design and
content), but there are even more nuances when you pull back the curtain
and look at a site’s foundation. If your site isn’t built correctly, no
amount of good design and quality content will bring you organic search
visibility. Your developers are your lifelines, and you need to make
sure you’re their favorite SEO.
This is the one team where speaking their language makes the most
impact. Whether you’re working with network support or programmers,
you’re interacting with highly specialized and highly technical
people. If you’re not familiar with how websites are built and don’t
understand the relevant jargon, you’ll get lost in their conversation.
You don’t have to physically know how to do it, but you better
know how to clearly explain it. This makes a huge impact when you’re
requesting work or putting in a JIRA story.
Are all the requirements there? Did you note specifically where on the
site you need the change to go? Will they be able to pick up the story
and successfully complete the task without having to track you down for
more information?
Even with the SEO and digital landscape changing every day, I don’t
think there will ever be a time when we — not just SEOs, but anyone
working in digital — can do our jobs in a silo. We’ll always have to
rely on other teams to meet our KPIs. So, what’s worked for you? How
have you been able to interact with other team members to do what’s best
for the business and what’s best for SEO?
Source: http://searchengineland.com/seo-cant-always-get-wants-can-223953
0 comments:
Post a Comment