Introduction to SEO Success
Sometimes, SEO success isn’t about technical factors, content, or backlinks – or even about adapting to the changes prompted by AI. Many times, companies unknowingly have their SEO investments or efforts sabotaged by internal silos. At best, silos can cause slow implementation and, at worst, missed opportunities and budget that is wasted on the effort overall.
Understanding the Problem of Internal Silos
One of the biggest barriers to SEO success today is internal silos which can impact strategy, integration, speed, and focus that can negatively impact the return on investment (ROI). To tackle this issue, it’s essential to identify the specific silos that exist within an organization and work towards breaking them down.
Types of Internal Silos
There are several types of internal silos that can hinder SEO success. These include:
1. Compartmentalization of Strategy
For a number of reasons, SEO can be put into a silo or looked at as a tactic and not a channel within the broader mix of digital marketing, or marketing overall for a company or organization. It can be an extra “hat” that someone wears. Or, you can have a habit of looking at it as if you’re going to apply SEO to something. When SEO is something you ‘apply’ to something, a tactic, or a split focus, it isn’t going to work well or often.
2. Lack of Channel Integration
In larger teams with larger agency partners, and even with a single person wearing multiple hats, digital marketing channels can find their ways into silos. Whether it is a lack of integration of paid search with SEO or broader issues of not connecting other digital channels with similar goals, customer journeys, or funnels, we can find more hidden silos.
3. Content Strategy Disconnect
I tell someone weekly that content is fuel for the digital marketing channels and platforms we engage with. A content strategy that is siloed is one of the biggest challenges in an organization. Back in the day, I would make content decisions and work with SEO copywriters to create content just for SEO needs and purposes. Social media emerged and did the same. Email marketing was already doing it, too.
4. Data Isolation
When living daily life “in the weeds,” or deep in the details of subject matter, it is easy to look at the specific metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter at that level. Organic traffic performance might be what you’re evaluating or are graded on if you’re an SEO. On the other side, if you’re a CMO, you might be handed a report or linked to a dashboard showing very detailed SEO results.
5. Web Development Bottleneck
If those responsible for SEO aren’t also responsible for website development and updates, then this can be a very real silo for you and maybe not one that is all that hidden. Early in my career, working with a national restaurant chain, I had a set of recommendations and needs to move the brand forward in each local market.
Breaking Down the Silos
To achieve SEO success, it’s crucial to break down these internal silos. This can be done by integrating SEO into the broader digital marketing strategy, ensuring channel integration, developing a unified content strategy, integrating data across channels, and prioritizing web development needs.
Conclusion
Maybe you feel like your SEO efforts are hitting on all cylinders. I hope that’s the case. The insights I unpacked in this article are simply a set of important reminders or things to be mindful of and make sure don’t become silos and roadblocks in your organization. By recognizing and addressing these internal silos, you can improve your SEO collaboration and ultimately achieve success in your digital marketing efforts.