Why SEO is the responsibility of the CEO
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Transcript of Why SEO is the responsibility of the CEO
This article is like no other that you will find here at iStrategy.
This article isn’t here to tell you how great we are, brag
about our client list or show-off our various awards. Instead,
this article will tell you why you need to fundamentally
change your marketing approach – before it’s too late.
SEO IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CEO
Digital success now depends on three core
pillars; technical, content and authority
enhancement. These three distinct
elements each have their own individual
skillsets and personalities. The challenge
for you is to get them working together
in complete harmony.
Why has Google done this?
It wants you to be like them.
The fundamental principle of Google
is relevancy. It wants to deliver the most
relevant results to its users; first time, every
time. If you’re irrelevant, Google will give
you the ranking that you deserve. If you
can make your brand the last word on your
chosen niche; the brand that people want
to talk about, you’ll reap the rewards.
It’s easier said than done.
SEO was something that you could happily leave to your IT or e-commerce department and, with a few technical tweaks and some strategically placed meta tags, you could find yourself dining at Google’s top table.
SEO USED TO BE MUCH SIMPLER
But Google is changing – and you have to change with it.
+ Technical
Ensuring that your site is firing on all
cylinders. No digital strategy can succeed
if it is being carried by something with
severe technical flaws.
+ Content
Content provides your customers with
a reason to visit, a reason to interact and
a reason to buy. Offer your customers
something unique, something relevant and
something valuable.
+ Authority Enhancement
The web is littered with companies
that are doing exactly what you
do. Establish yourself as the
last word in your sector and
become the first place that
your customers call.
3 core pillars to digital success:
Then your SEO agency throws in its two
cents and the compliance department
raises more questions than answers. The
net result? Nothing gets done. Vested
interests get in the way and various
stakeholders spend valuable time
coming up with reasons why things
can’t happen, rather than finding
solutions for why they can.
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
Of course, it is right that the IT department
are concerned about site security and
you would expect the PR department to
be concerned about the integrity of the
brand, but these very expectations are
creating a wall of organisational barriers to
your businesses online success. As digital
continues to evolve, SEO will inevitably
touch upon more and more departments,
which all need to have a clear direction and
a consensus on what the business is trying
to achieve. That has to come from the top.
The social department may have an amazing campaign in the pipeline, but the PR department is concerned that the message “isn’t quite on brand” and the IT team is worried about the security implications of adding social media widgets to your archaic CMS.
LET DIGITAL CREATIVE THRIVE
Digital marketing cannot continue to exist
in its own bubble or silo, separate from the
other functions of the business. If you’re
reading this as someone who doesn’t quite
“get” digital, you need to start getting
it – and quickly. The success of your online
operations demands unequivocal buy-in
in the boardroom.
When the board is invested in the success
of its digital marketing, the key
stakeholders have that vision. That vision
allows teams to break organisational
barriers, put aside their individual interests
and embrace change for the better.
Without it, Google will leave you behind.
Digital marketing works when there is a clear vision and ambition for the business. Every single stakeholder, including your agency, needs to know exactly what “success” looks like and be invested into that vision. That direction can only come from the CEO.
1. Stop calling it ‘SEO’Stop calling it “SEO”. Stop calling it “digital marketing”. Start calling
it “marketing”. It might only sound like a semantic change, but this will
be a seismic shift in the culture and attitude towards your online activity.
Stop treating SEO as something that lives in a separate silo and instead,
make it a central component of your marketing.
2. Make it the CEO’s jobSuccess stems from the vision set from the very top. Ensuring that every
employee and stakeholder, from the boardroom to the shop floor,
is bought into the goals and ambitions of the business.
3. Remove the organisational barriersEnsuring your individual departments are working to a common goal is vital.
Make it clear what “success” looks like and keep them on track. Turn your
departments from a team of ‘can’t dos’ into a team of ‘can dos’.
4. Put your audience firstIf audiences are going to talk about you, you have to do something that
they care about. Know who your audience are, know what they like, and
give it to them. Whether they want to be entertained, informed, shocked
or amazed, create something that will get them talking, clicking sharing
and tweeting.
5. Eliminate the fear of changeChange is controversial. Trying to change how things are done is perhaps
the single biggest cause of friction within large organisations. However,
in an age where Google makes around 500 algorithm changes per year,
a fear of change can be crippling.
OUR TOP FIVE KEY ACTIONS
West One, Wellington Street,Leeds, United KingdomLS1 1BAT +44 (0)113 391 2929F +44 (0)113 391 2939
33 Glasshouse Street,London, United KingdomW1B 5DGT. +44 (0)20 300 86501
E. [email protected]. www.stickyeyes.com @Stickyeyes linkedin.com/company/stickyeyes
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Come and visit us at stand 17 and make sure that you catch Heather Healy’s
invaluable guide to social media crisis management between 12 – 12:40pm
on Monday 30 September 2013.