How do I get our dev team to prioritise SEO fixes?
To get your dev team to prioritise SEO fixes, communicate the direct impact of SEO on business goals and user experience. Collaborate with them by setting clear priorities and timelines, and involve them in the SEO process to foster ownership. Demonstrating how SEO improvements can drive traffic and conversions will align their efforts with the company’s success.
Why SEO Matters for Your Dev Team
SEO isn’t just a marketing buzzword; it’s a vital component of your website’s performance. When SEO is ignored, your site might load slowly, have broken links, or fail to meet user expectations. This isn’t just a missed opportunity for marketing—it’s a technical issue that affects the whole business.
Imagine a SaaS company. Their website is their primary sales tool. If it’s not optimised for search engines, potential customers might never find them. And if they do, a slow site could drive them away. Here, SEO isn’t just about getting found. It’s about making sure the user experience is seamless and engaging from the first click.
Steps to Get Your Dev Team on Board
Getting your dev team to prioritise SEO fixes requires a strategic approach. They’re busy people, and SEO might not be top of their list. Here’s how you can change that:
- Speak Their Language: Avoid marketing jargon. Explain how SEO improvements affect site performance, like reducing load times or fixing crawl errors.
- Show the Numbers: Use data to demonstrate how SEO impacts traffic and conversions. Numbers speak louder than words.
- Prioritise Together: Collaborate on a list of SEO tasks, ranking them by impact and effort. This helps the dev team see what’s urgent and what can wait.
- Integrate SEO into Sprints: Make SEO part of the development cycle. Small, consistent improvements are better than a massive overhaul.
- Acknowledge Their Role: Involve them in SEO discussions and celebrate their contributions. Recognition goes a long way.
By framing SEO as a technical enhancement rather than a marketing task, you’ll find your dev team more willing to engage. And when they see the positive results, they’ll likely become SEO advocates themselves.
Making SEO a Team Sport
Here’s the thing. SEO isn’t just for the marketing team. It’s a team sport. Everyone, from developers to designers, plays a part. And when everyone’s on the same page, magic happens.
Developers need to understand that SEO isn’t an add-on. It’s part of the foundation. It’s about building a site that’s not only functional but also findable. That’s where an seo optimisation expert comes in handy. They can bridge the gap, translating SEO needs into technical requirements that make sense to developers.
The key is collaboration. When developers see SEO as a way to enhance their work, rather than a distraction, they’ll be more inclined to prioritise it. Keep the lines of communication open. Make SEO an integral part of your development process. It’s not just about getting better rankings. It’s about creating a better web experience for everyone involved.