How do you manage and coordinate your SEO and SEM teams and agencies?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) focuses on improving a website's organic (non-paid) ranking and visibility on search engines through optimising content, using keywords, and improving site structure. SEM (Search Engine Marketing) encompasses SEO tactics but primarily involves paid advertising strategies like PPC (Pay-Per-Click) to increase a site's visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). Essentially, SEO is about earning traffic through unpaid efforts, while SEM includes buying traffic through paid search listings. SEM - You can see results in a short time frame. SEO - Typically requires a longer time frame. However, over time the value from SEO will compound which more often than not becomes a lot more cost-effective than SEM.

Managing and coordinating SEO and SEM teams and agencies involves clear communication, collaboration, and alignment on goals: ?? Regular Meetings: Conduct weekly syncs to review progress, share insights, and address challenges. ?? Unified Strategy: Align SEO and SEM strategies to ensure consistency and maximize impact. ?? Shared Tools: Use shared project management and analytics tools like Asana, Google Analytics, and SEMrush. ?? Clear Goals: Set specific, measurable goals and KPIs for both teams. ?? Open Communication: Foster constant communication and collaboration between teams and agencies. ?? Performance Tracking: Monitor performance regularly and adjust strategies based on data-driven insights.

Managing and coordinating SEO and SEM teams and agencies requires clear communication, goal alignment, and a collaborative approach. Start by establishing a shared understanding of the overall marketing objectives and how SEO and SEM efforts contribute to these goals. Regular meetings and brainstorming sessions can help ensure that both teams are aligned in their strategies and tactics.

Your SEO and SEM team/ agency should be able to help with defining your goals. They will be able to share insights into what other clients have experienced with results and timeframes.

Often, SEM campaigns will help dictate the focus areas for SEO campaigns. Being the approach with shorter-term impact, SEM offers valuable insights into keyword/service focuses. If you can see which keywords are working for you, then you can confidently invest time in achieving them through SEO, rather than guessing the best approach with no solid data.

The best way to approach this is to set clear KPIs ahead of campaigns, so your account manager is clear on your expectations and how you want to be kept updated. I would recommend frequent updates either by email, video call, or phone.

Additionally, setting up regular reporting and performance tracking mechanisms can provide transparency into the progress of both SEO and SEM initiatives. This allows for data-driven decision making and helps identify areas for improvement or optimization. Lastly, fostering a culture of collaboration between the teams and agencies can lead to more integrated campaigns that leverage the strengths of both disciplines for maximum impact on search engine visibility and user engagement.

The most important part of this is to partner with the right person or company. It's their responsibility to stay up to date with changes in algorithms and platforms, etc.

Invest in tools like Google Analytics to track both SEO and SEM efforts. This helps identify gaps, measure results, and ensure both teams focus on driving sustainable growth.