Building an SEO Team

Making the choice to either build your own SEO team or outsource the entire shebang is not easy – especially when you are hesitant to spend money and need to see results fast. The main thing to know about SEO is that changes happen so fast you have to be able to change with the times or hand the entire thing off to someone who can keep abreast of cutting edge tactics.

1. If you decide to go in house, all members of your SEO team must be able and willing to keep on top of industry standards for SEO and the rapidly changing algorithms that determine success or failure. The foundations of SEO are still fairly stable, but this is an area that is constantly changing and staying stubbornly with outdated methods is going to cost you customers and ruin your reputation.

2. SEO writers – good ones- are worth their weight in gold. Don’t think keyword stuffing will save you – it won’t. A programmer is needed, but several writers who know the score, are skilled and fluent and don’t give in to the temptation to churn out cheap SEO are vital to your success. They need to be able to write cleanly and professionally, and shouldn’t be hampered by some ‘guru’s’ notion of what SEO is. Never underestimate the value of your writers!

3. Determine what the strength and weakness of each team member is, and partner them accordingly. You should have the appropriate person handling each subdivision; account management, SEO copy, social media monitoring, link building, blogging, press releases, etc. Anything that isn’t covered in house can be outsourced independently – SEO isn’t an all or nothing proposition! The best SEO firms will sit down with you and figure out what you can handle and what you need help with, allowing you to save your dollars and customizing a package for you that covers just what you need.

When you follow these three steps, you will find that making the decision about whether or not to outsource part or all of your SEO needs becomes much easier.

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