Pop quiz: What is the definition of “SEO culture” in a development company?
Sorry, your answer of “The next meeting, email, or team meeting where I have to fake a smile has no hope of success” is incorrect.
I’m looking for “That warm warm feeling you get when the laundry first comes out of the dryer that makes you feel safe, warm, and confident.”
Okay, I’m here to teach you.
Look, SEO in a development company is fun.
Except for the part where you have to learn a lot of different types and educate yourself in the language like “BU” and “QBR.” And this does not include the fact that there are more than one (sometimes 10 or 20) different businesses that will lead you to sell and win your SEO plan.
The truth stands: If you want to gain the respect and trust of your colleagues for your SEO strategy in a development company, you must give 50% of your time to training and culture.
If you’re wondering “why,” then you’re doing something wrong.
Many times, the idea of ”custom SEO” is to over-promise and under-deliver, so I’ve done the heavy lifting for you.
After 12 years of working on SEO in development companies, I’m pulling together some gold of knowledge that I’ve learned to help build the “SEO culture.” A few of my favorites are ahead.
‘Office hours’ for enterprise SEO professionals is more than a meeting – it’s a culture shift
The concept of “office hours” began to emerge in the tech world when Jason Fried, CEO of 37Signals, announced that he was introducing office hours in 2009.
Read that sentence again – 2009, people.
It’s safe to say that “office hours” need a change.
Let me be clear: I am not referring to this as a change.
During office hours yesterday I said “I feel bad, I’m so behind” and my professor lit his vape and blew the smoke on the screen on zoom and said to me to take my “stimulant of choice (legal or not) to. regain lost work”
In my first 3 months in a development company, I make an effort to build SEO office hours.
Everything about the organization of the SEO plan is part of a general organization – promotion on the company and various marketing methods.
Even Google’s John Mueller hosts an office SEO hour.
If you have any SEO / Research questions, please submit them in our new SEO office hours form at https://t.co/KeLoq7p10V — we’ll use this as a basis for other working hours. Thank you!
The key to success in your SEO office hours in a large company with thousands of employees is to have a thorough and organized plan in advance.
While I set the schedule and agenda for the SEO office hours in month 3, I don’t kick them off until month 6.
Then I host it every two weeks, leaving space for people who have questions. If no one has any questions, I’ll use the time as an educational opportunity to share a new update.
The biggest lesson I learned from listening and listening and learning in these office hours is the importance of building trust. Think of your office SEO hours as an open door where people can share their problems with the SEO team.
I heard about concerns from the editors about the late SEO work. I’ve heard complaints from sellers that our keywords don’t match the brand vision. I got to hear what the web developers thought of some SEO tips.
At first, you may seem like a punching bag. But the truth is, when you bring SEO into a development company that has been around for years, you are bringing change.
Finally, you stay inside. Conversations will flow. The photo will be available.
You’ll learn things about your co-workers that you probably wish you hadn’t (like this person is dating this person). Now, you should grab a frozen donut and pour that bourbon you’ve been saving for a special occasion into your steamed coffee.
Receive daily targeted market research newsletters.
Lunch-and-learns help build SEO into the company culture
First order of business: Let’s take the “family” out of the lunch-and-learn.
No one wants to shovel 63 burritos into their mouths in less than 10 minutes like Joey Chestnut in a pretend hot dog eating contest.
The most important part of the lunch-and-learn is the “learn” part.
Use this as an opportunity to walk through something related to your next quarter’s plan.
For example, if I am managing 1,000+ domains and I want to start implementing best practices in Q1 for all domains, I will walk through best practices, which help set the stage for the next quarter.
It helps build buy-in for your quarterly plan, and if there are questions to push back, it opens the floor for a larger discussion.
Creating a culture around enterprise SEO is more than just drinks on Friday
Explaining how you create an SEO culture in a development company is difficult.
As the lead SEO, director or VP, you set the tone. If you want to deliver solid SEO results, you need a culture and mindset that trusts you and your SEO results.
When you can use your SEO strategy development with your leadership, a strong SEO culture embedded in the company will drive positive results for all teams.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not of Search Engine Land. Staff writers are listed here.
Anna Crowe is Frank’s Hot Buffalo sauce advocate (leading and clear priority), author, marketer and SEO nerd. Over the past 12+ years, Anna has successfully managed SEO and branding programs for brands such as Dollar Thrifty Rental, Marriott, Hilton, Hearst Magazine, Mailboat Records, Philip Morris International, Bloomin’ Brands and Uso USA and many others. He likes burritos and puppies (in that order) when he’s not a football coach. https://annaleacrowe.com/