Internal Champion & Support

Think of the most successful causes you know. Chances are, they all have one thing in common: a champion. Someone who is passionate, carries the torch, and spreads the word. He or she believes in the cause, and that belief translates into activism. In essence, that person is an evangelist.

Well, SEO is no different. To be truly successful with it, someone from within the organization needs to step up and take the lead as a champion. This role is about creating momentum and growing adoption by spreading the word, publicizing the successes, and motivating others from within the organization to drink from the fountain of SEO.

Ideally, the champion should be well liked, respected, and an adept influencer. The champion should also be a natural team builder, and capable of garnering support and resources, as he or she will surely need help from numerous disciplines within your organization, such as copywriting, technology, product development, business development, public relations, marketing, etc.

Ultimately, an internal SEO champion is a success driver whose importance cannot be overstated.

Prioritization & Making a Business Case

It would be nothing short of naive to think that the SEO process will automatically trump what other departments are working on, given that everyone has their own initiatives and priorities. Therefore, to effectively lobby for your programs and get the resources and funding you need, it is imperative that you be able to speak about them in a language that resonates within the organization.

For example, it probably wouldn't prove fruitful to attempt to obtain organizational buy-in to create and host a sitemap in order to get rankings. It's necessary to position and communicate the project in a way that makes sense to them. If you tell them that by doing so, you expect to see a ten-fold increase in pages indexed, which you believe will increase your rankings by 76 percent, and consequently increase site visits by 92 percent, which will net the organization an incremental $92,781 a month in revenue, it just might make for a more compelling argument.

Remember, if you want to achieve your goal, it takes focus, effort, and commitment. Outsourcing your search engine optimization is no different. Pay attention to the drivers; they will allow you to build a solid foundation for success. Fail to do so, and it could fall like a house of cards.

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