Discover the Nitty-Gritty of Building an SEO Team and Managing It Successfully

An SEO team is a group of people who make websites and their pages more visible in search engines. A team can be any size and even have teams working within it.

Many small businesses rely on in-house teams to manage SEO. So, you're missing out if you haven't considered building one.

Specialists in the team optimize different on-page and off-page elements to enhance search visibility and drive organic traffic to the website.

Along with optimization for keywords, these elements include:

• designs developed for small screens for the best mobile user experience
• content that is informative, relevant, and authoritative
• links to other sites and other media sources

Benefits of Building and Working with an SEO Team

​SEO improves sales and without it, websites quickly become invisible. In fact, about half of organic traffic comes from Google, so you just can't ignore SEO.

SEO teams present to their clients strategies and targets based on relevant, up-to-date research. Without a well-thought-out, data-driven SEO strategy, it is virtually impossible for businesses to compete.

With the help of an SEO team, businesses can:

• increase their brand awareness
• improve rankings in search engine result pages
• Increase organic traffic
• build credibility
• keep up with trends and have a competitive edge

It's important to understand that the digital market is highly dynamic. Thus, you should constantly analyze your results and adjust your marketing strategy. Even if you rank high for specific keywords today, it doesn't mean your ranking will stay the same in the coming days or weeks. SEO specialists should use reliable rank tracking software to see if they are losing positions and what is causing that situation.

Define Your Goals

Building the right SEO team is essential. It doesn't have to be large, but its members must have the skills you need across the SEO spectrum, from design to copy editing, including someone skilled in SEO project management.

This means knowing your SEO goals and the team structure you need to achieve them before you start hiring.

Big companies hire teams of specialists covering every aspect of their SEO strategy. SMBs tend to see benefits in hiring teams through an agency.

There is no one-size-fits-all all. The team's structure and makeup depend on the goals and the budget; although it is a highly collaborative process, SMBs often see advantages in hiring an established team.

Nevertheless, teams should include key members skilled in:

• web development, at least theoretically
• creating quality content, a dominant search focus, and part of the optimal user experience
• On-page SEO
• outreach and link building to on and off-site
• mobile-first design to meet user demands and expectations, whatever their device

Hire the Right People

Beyond good communication skills and effective teamwork, a passion for SEO, and a willingness to work towards a shared goal, candidates need knowledge of current best practices.

The demands of SEO are constantly changing. Keeping visible in the digital marketplace is very demanding, so team members also need expertise in the latest SEO tools and other AI technologies. 

Typically, SEO roles are:

• The Director of SEO is the overall team leader and liaison between the project manager, the team, and the client.
• The SEO Manager is responsible for creating content briefs, finding creditable backlinks, conducting technical audits, and analyzing and reporting on data.
• The Technical SEO Manager works closely with other team members to ensure the technical aspects of SEO meet the demands of marketing. Their work includes website speed optimization, site map building, and web code audits.
• Project Manager – this role involves coordinating the separate components of a project. They ensure the individual targets and goals of the SEO strategy are met within their specified time frames.
• Designer – this cutting-edge role is crucial to the user experience. It directly impacts the conversion rate, bounce rate, and the length of time visitors spend on a page.
• Content Writer – with AI advances, search engine algorithms will favor engaging, high-quality content. The role needs a grasp of stats and data so that content can stay current and relevant to the user. High-quality content impacts SERPs and adds to the site's perceived authority, which raises it higher.
• The Link Builder is a critical team member. Their outreach work impacts how people feel about a site with the potential to build trust.
• SEO Analyst – this specialist focuses on the deep analysis and research of everyday SEO activities, including keyword and competitive research.
• Conversion Rate Optimizer – another vital team member. Their role is to increase the conversion rate by optimizing the landing pages to match likely search inquiries. 

Create a Team Culture

​Teams supported by their business tend to be more creative and innovative. 

SEO teams flourish when they are working in environments where they:

• can quickly share and evaluate progress toward their common vision
• are well-informed, well-trained and well-resourced
• clearly defined targets and goals with achievable timeframes
• enjoy good leadership with clear lines of communication

When building SEO team structures, it is helpful to include SEO specialists who can take responsibility for different aspects of SEO. 

An effective SEO team needs someone to focus on:

• SEO project management
• Competitive research
• Technical SEO
• On-page and off-page SEO
• Data analysis
• Content creation, including copy editing
• Linking with other media
• Promotion and strategy
  

Manage Your Team Effectively

​AI is kickstarting a new data-driven approach to SEO. The impact will be felt by anyone using the digital marketplace, not only those in SEO. Shortly, data analysis will be as central to formulating SEO strategies as collaborative teamwork. It will be vital to managing SEO effectively.

Teams will need managers who:

• set clear goals
• have clear expectations
• give regular constructive feedback
• provide additional coaching and training
• recognize achievements and reward successes

Wrapping up

Even do-it-yourself SEO is better than none. 

Those who have the means to build an SEO team should endeavor to collect the skills needed to fulfill their SEO objective. But even if you are not looking to build your own team, it makes great sense to hire an SEO agency.

Or, at the very least, you should invest in a well-rounded SEO tool that does everything from finding the right keywords and helping you with backlinks to running site audits to analyze how your strategies work in the real world.