Should SEO Live with the Digital Team, Content Team or Be Outsourced Entirely?
SEO should live within the team that best aligns with your business goals and expertise. If your digital team has a strong grasp of SEO principles, it can be integrated there. Alternatively, if content drives your strategy, the content team might be the better home. Outsourcing to an SEO agency is ideal when in-house expertise is lacking or resources are stretched.
Why Does It Matter Where SEO Lives?
Where SEO sits can greatly impact your business’s online visibility. In a B2B or SaaS context, where lead generation is key, SEO isn’t just about ranking higher on Google. It’s about ensuring the right people find your content at the right time. If SEO is buried in a team that doesn’t understand its strategic importance, your efforts might be wasted.
Consider a SaaS company that depends heavily on inbound marketing. If SEO is siloed within the digital team, but all content decisions are made by a separate content team, the strategy can become disjointed. This can lead to missed opportunities for keyword optimisation and content alignment, which are essential for drawing in potential customers.
Deciding Where SEO Should Sit
Let’s break it down. Here’s how you can decide where SEO should live in your organisation:
- Evaluate Expertise: Assess which team has the strongest understanding of SEO principles. If neither team has the expertise, it might be time to look outside.
- Consider Resources: Look at the bandwidth of your teams. If they’re stretched thin, outsourcing could be more efficient.
- Align with Goals: Determine which team is most aligned with your strategic goals. If content is king in your strategy, the content team might be the right fit.
- Integration Needs: Consider how SEO needs to integrate with other functions. If digital marketing campaigns are a big focus, having SEO within the digital team can streamline efforts.
Once you’ve made your decision, ensure there’s a clear communication channel between teams. SEO doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It needs to be part of a cohesive strategy that involves everyone.
My Take on the SEO Dilemma
Honestly, it depends. And that’s not just a cop-out. It genuinely depends on your business’s unique needs and structure. Some businesses thrive with SEO nestled in the content team, where storytelling and keyword strategy go hand-in-hand. Others find it beneficial to have SEO as part of the digital team, where it can directly influence broader digital strategies.
Then there’s the option of outsourcing. Sometimes, it’s just more effective to bring in a search engine optimisation expert. They can offer insights and strategies that might not be feasible in-house. Plus, they bring an outsider’s perspective, which can be invaluable.
In the end, the best approach is the one that aligns with your goals and resources. Consider your current setup, where your strengths lie, and where you could use a boost. Make the decision that will help you get better rankings and drive your business forward.