In 2017, I created a comprehensive four-part system for structuring SEO strategies and teams, which was covered in several posts and reviewed in the “Best SEO Podcast” by Matt Bertram and Chris Burres.
Based on my leadership experience with companies like Nordstrom, Groupon, and GitHub, and my work with various consulting clients, I’ve refined this approach of emphasizing effective communication, collaborative teamwork, and harmonious synergy as the four pillars of enterprise SEO success.
By using this refined four-pillar approach, teams can navigate the corporate landscape with expertise, forging a path to continued success in the ever-evolving world of SEO.
Pillar 1: Mitigation: channeling the power of technical SEO
This pillar focuses on error management and technical SEO. As an SEO manager, a significant portion of the team’s time is spent identifying issues after a project is launched.
Early on, the SEO technical team can save time, effort, and money by working closely with engineering teams, project managers, and product managers.
Education is vital, so that everyone understands the nuances of SEO and can make informed decisions.
Imagine embarking on an epic quest across the digital landscape, where technical SEO reigns supreme.
Armed with our SEO superpowers, we bravely crawl through websites, identifying hidden problems that require immediate attention.
The technical SEO team forms alliances with engineering teams, giving them SEO insights to make smart decisions that eliminate the need for future fixes.
From conquering accessibility challenges to optimizing page speed, they tackle server codes and bugs, participating in front-end and back-end engineering.
They aim to ensure a seamless online experience from search to results.
Pillar 2: Analysis and Reporting: Unmasking SEO Statistics
Within this fundamental pillar, the SEO team is dedicated to calculating hypotheses and reporting on achievements.
Recognizing SEO’s influence on vital performance indicators like traffic and revenue is paramount for any business.
However, reporting can be complicated due to the requirement to track keywords from Google organic search.
To solve this, having an SEO expert or a dedicated team managing reports meets the need to collect data from Google Search Console and other analytics reporting tools, making it easier to create a holistic overview.
By accurately measuring and reporting SEO performance, the entire SEO team and relevant stakeholders can discern successful strategies, areas for improvement, and fresh insights.
In SEO, analysis becomes our trusted companion, guiding our every move with unwavering precision.
Armed with the transformative powers of data, the SEO reporting team embarks on a deep expedition into its enigmatic realms.
Their odyssey begins within the realms of Google Keyword Planner or other similar keyword analysis tools, where they reveal latent growth potential by intertwining it with click-through and conversion rates.
Through this merger, they can discern and predict the impact of our SEO efforts with remarkable accuracy.
Periodic reports become your secret weapon, allowing stakeholders to compare estimates with actual results and reveal your success.
The SEO team can set clear goals for each fiscal year, quarter and month, ensuring their path is paved with measurable success.
Equipped with the power of analysis and reporting, the SEO team is not afraid of any uncertainty in their heroic quest for SEO glory.
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Pillar 3: Growth: Ignite the flames of SEO success
This pillar is about determining growth and managing projects for SEO.
While it is essential to address and report on existing SEO work, the team must also identify upward search trends and fill any gaps in their current efforts.
An SEO project manager (or product manager) plays a vital role here, overseeing initiatives that affect important parts of the website.
This may involve revising the design and content of specific pages or pushing an internal linking plan that affects various aspects of the site. An effective SEO product manager will lead to substantial SEO revenue growth.
This is where the SEO super team unleashes its true power.
Through meticulous analysis, they uncover hidden opportunities that serve as stepping stones to victory.
The team will embark on bold projects, wielding the power to increase impressions, clicks (traffic) and the ultimate treasure: revenue.
Their journey takes them to keywords eager to improve content and new keywords that crave attention.
The SEO Product Manager synergizes with other teams to conquer the ever-evolving SEO landscape.
Even in technical SEO, they achieve positions, click-through rates and revenue with unmatched skills.
With growth as the guiding star, the SEO team will emerge as the mighty heroes of the digital realm.
Pillar 4: Advocate – Build strong relationships through communication for SEO
The final pillar revolves around advocating for SEO to stakeholders and other teams.
Building relationships across the organization is crucial to SEO success. Once started with the first three pillars and the team is working well, the SEO team can focus on building relationships.
This can be done by the manager or director of the SEO team or by instilling this mindset in each member of the SEO team.
The goal is to engage with engineering, creative, legal, PR and other areas to gain support and buy-in for SEO initiatives, leading to overall company and SEO growth.
The pinnacle of triumph, where relationships are forged and bonds are unbreakable. The SEO Dream Team rises above the rest by building alliances with other teams.
The team communicates openly, extending their unwavering support, because they understand that unity is the key to victory.
The SEO Manager (Manager or Director) cultivates connections with stakeholders, leadership and engineering, laying the foundation for a harmonious existence.
These relationships garner support for SEO initiatives and expand team efficiency.
Freed from the shackles of constant persuasion, they spend more time collaborating, working side by side with others.
Together, they are an unstoppable force, an SEO dream team like no other!
In general, the industry has seen a shift in the way corporate structures view SEO.
Some companies are moving into subject matter expert (SME) or individual contributor (IC) roles within engineering, content/creative, reporting and marketing teams. They then meet periodically to communicate SEO updates.
This new structure allows for improved revenue reporting, prioritization of projects and effective communication in the chain.
Changes in corporate structure and visibility for SEO benefit both companies and the industry at large.
Adopting these four pillars of enterprise SEO into your SEO strategy and tailoring them to your organization’s needs can create a solid approach and build a successful team.
Embracing the Four Pillars of SEO Success
Organizations should adopt the four pillars as the road map to SEO success.
Through the power of mitigation, analysis, growth and relationship building, enterprise SEO teams will conquer new frontiers and rise to unprecedented heights.
Just as superheroes come together to save the day, so will your team come together to succeed at SEO.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
