Who Should Be Doing SEO?

Wednesday, 15 Oct 2008 in Search Engine Optimization 6 comments

Having been around the online marketing industry for 2 years now, I realized that the people who came and attended the SEO courses, Web Design courses or Internet marketing courses are really a very broad spectrum of people.

They range from one-man-show business owners, to web designers within their own company, to marketing executives.

But really, who should handle SEO and other online marketing stuff?

Recently, I read an excellent SEO News article, “Should You Handle Your Own SEO?” by Jennifer Horowitz. In that article, she starts off by asking 11 questions, and I think they are very good questions, because they help you really decide if you should be actually doing your own search optimization of your site.

I think the first question is especially good: Can you work within simple HTML?

After all, the fact is SEO is very technical and very time consuming in nature, and if for example, you can spend 3 hours talking to a client and closing a deal, or spend the same amount of time tweaking just one web page, you will be well better off focusing on closing the deal.

Note that I’m not saying that you should not learn SEO. What you need to learn (if you are responsible for your company’s marketing), is how to identify and audit a website to ensure it is optimized.

Frankly, I just feel I am seeing too many management personnel struggling to get over simple HTML codes – stuff which you can outsource to good college students who know their stuff. This will not only free up your time, but also give them a source of income and good industry experience.

If you are going to start working ON your business rather than IN it, probably you should think in terms of “How best can I get this done”, rather than “How can I do it”.

Thoughts?

Comments

As a business owner, I totally and absolutely agree that you’re far better off out-sourcing the techie part of SEO. I’d rather spend the time focussing on managing and growing the business.

Excellent points. If you don’t know the basics of HTML, then I agree, find someone who does to do the SEO aspect of web design. However, for the small business owner it might behoove them to learn not only HTML, but also basic SEO in the long run.

Hey Tim!

Thanks! How’s business?

“Online Promo Noob”,

Well, yes, I guess to do a site audit i.e. make sure that the web designers are doing their job, business owners might need to learn to identify the HTML elements (like the structure and tags), and where the SEO elements ought to be.

I have taken on a number of client accounts where they have “had a go” at SEO and have made a complete mess of the process. A little knowledge is dangerous and damaging. SEO is a full-time job in itself as you know. My advise is that if a company cannot assign an employee on a full-time bases who processes both on and off page optimisation skills, then they should spend the money and outsource the work to proven professionals in this industry field.

Have a great week,
Steve

I love working with affiliate programs. This post really hit the mark about seo…a subject I’m not that familiar with. Maybe it will help me with my affiliate marketing efforts.

Tim on October 15, 2008 at 9:56 pm said:

As a business owner, I totally and absolutely agree that you’re far better off out-sourcing the techie part of SEO. I’d rather spend the time focussing on managing and growing the business.
Online Promo Noob on October 16, 2008 at 6:56 am said:

Excellent points. If you don’t know the basics of HTML, then I agree, find someone who does to do the SEO aspect of web design. However, for the small business owner it might behoove them to learn not only HTML, but also basic SEO in the long run.
Kian Ann on October 16, 2008 at 9:16 am said:

Hey Tim!

Thanks! How’s business?
Kian Ann on October 16, 2008 at 9:18 am said:

“Online Promo Noob”,

Well, yes, I guess to do a site audit i.e. make sure that the web designers are doing their job, business owners might need to learn to identify the HTML elements (like the structure and tags), and where the SEO elements ought to be.
Steve SEO UK on October 24, 2008 at 5:22 pm said:

I have taken on a number of client accounts where they have “had a go” at SEO and have made a complete mess of the process. A little knowledge is dangerous and damaging. SEO is a full-time job in itself as you know. My advise is that if a company cannot assign an employee on a full-time bases who processes both on and off page optimisation skills, then they should spend the money and outsource the work to proven professionals in this industry field.

Have a great week,
Steve
Jude at About Affiliate Marketing on November 5, 2008 at 4:16 am said:

I love working with affiliate programs. This post really hit the mark about seo…a subject I’m not that familiar with. Maybe it will help me with my affiliate marketing efforts.