Creating an in-house link building team or even an in-house SEO team can greatly improve your company’s search engine optimization (SEO). Nevertheless, there are certain challenges that you may encounter when establishing such a team and ensuring its effectiveness.
This article will take you through the required steps for building a successful in-house link building group that will maximise your SEO results. So read on to find out what it takes to create a high performing unit within your organisation for link assembly purposes.
Set Out Goals According To Strategy for a Successful Seo
Before you start building an in-house seo team, you need to be clear about what you want them to achieve. This will help your team members understand their purpose and work towards specific goals.
Define Your SEO Strategies
The first thing that should be done is defining the seo strategies. Do you wish to:
- Improve your overall site authority?
- Increase search traffic for certain keywords?
- Boost rankings for particular phrases?
Be specific about your priorities when it comes to seo. Write them down so your team has a reference point.
Set Measurable Targets
Once you’ve outlined your seo strategies, set measurable targets for your team. For instance:
- Raise domain authority by X points within Y months
- Get top 3 rankings for Z high-volume keywords
- Attract X% more organic traffic to specific landing pages
Your team needs to know where exactly they are headed and this can only be achieved if there are clear objectives.
Align Goals with Your Seo Campaign
When building an internal seo team ensure that their objectives align with your overall seo campaign. If you’re launching a new product or service, your team’s efforts should support that launch.
In case of rebranding or targeting another audience, let tasks given to workers reflect such goals.
Aligning goals makes your team’s work contribute to the success of your broader seo initiatives.
Share goals and visions with members of staff involved in implementing them too. Let them see how their part contributes towards the bigger picture so as to build presence online through being ranked highly for relevant keywords on popular search engines like Google etcetera.
Encourage questions from employees while at same time appreciating any feedback received because successful teams thrive when there is unity purpose around common success factors.
Assess Budget and Resources in Building a Team
The finance at your disposal determines the strength of your link-building team and the ability to build an seo team effectively. So, it is important to know how much can be spent on:
- Team’s wages or freelance hires – Will you have the budget for your seo team to hire full-time seo professionals or add more people to your team? Or will you need to outsource some tasks?
- SEO tool subscriptions and software – You’ll need tools for analysis, link-building, keyword research, seo reports, etc.
- Content creation materials – Quality content is key, so allocate budget for writers, designers, etc.
- Training programs for skill improvement – Continuous learning is crucial, so include a budget for training courses, conferences, etc.
- Promotional activities and outreach campaigns – Essential for effective link-building and SEO.
With a higher budget, you can get more experienced people in your team with different specialties, give them access to top tools, and run extensive SEO campaigns. This means they will be able to work faster and better when it comes to link-building and other seo efforts.
But if funds are limited, then efficiency has to be considered during distribution of resources. A smaller team may have to focus only on priority tasks or use more cost-effective tools alongside internal training sessions.
Although difficult, one can still create a good plan and not break your seo efforts, provided there is careful organisation and proper utilisation of available assets.
The key is assessing your available budget realistically and allocating it strategically across hiring, tools, training and campaigns to build an effective in-house seo team within your means.
Structure the SEO Team Members
The structure of your link-building team relies on the size and demands of your organisation. In small businesses or specific ventures, a mean and lean group that handles core SEO functions might do. For instance:
- SEO Specialist in charge of strategy formulation and analysis
- Content creator responsible for creating linkable asset
- Outreach coordinator tasked with promoting the content
Big firms have more extensive resources which can enable them to create specialised teams with different roles such as: Content Managers/Writers, Dedicated outreach/promo staff, Data Analysts monitoring performance, SEO Manager coordinating efforts – collectively forming a robust in-house team for building an in-house seo program.
With this kind of arrangement there is deeper knowledge in each part involved in building links but it needs many people as well as larger budgets.
It’s all about finding that perfect mix and structure within your available means to effectively carry out link-building strategies. Clearly defining roles and responsibilities help teams work better without any duplication of tasks. Determining the right seo team structure is crucial for the success of your in-house seo program.
Hiring the Right Talent
To build a successful in-house SEO team, you need the right people on board. Start by listing out all the seo tasks your entire team will handle – content creation, outreach, analysis, etc. This will help you understand what roles you need to fill for a large team.
When evaluating candidates, look for:
- Excellent writing and creative abilities
- Understanding of your business/industry
- Good communication and collaboration skills
- Passion for learning and staying up-to-date
The entire team should be a blend of different strengths that complement each other.
Depending on your needs, you could hire an seo agency to supplement your in-house efforts. Agencies can provide specialised expertise or extra hands when needed.
But keep your core seo tasks and strategy in-house to maintain control and consistency. Use agencies for temporary projects or to fill gaps in your team’s skills.
You have two main options: build your seo team from scratch or hire a team of experts. Building an internal team allows you to train them in your processes from the start. Hiring experienced SEO professionals gets you up and running faster. Most businesses opt for a blend – hire some experienced leads and groom junior members internally to build an internal team of experts.
No matter which path you choose, make sure you provide continuous training to keep your team’s skills sharp and aligned with the goals for your team. By carefully defining roles, looking for well-rounded candidates and deciding on the right hiring approach, you can build your dream seo team!
To source capable employees, use a combination of general and niche job boards geared toward SEO and digital marketing positions:
Online job boards for link builders
- Upwork –– Great freelance platform for finding part-time help or freelancers on a project basis.
- AngelList –– Perfect for posting startup jobs (especially full-time roles) that are expected to last longer.
- LinkedIn Jobs –– Find candidates with specific skills in preferred locations.
- Fiverr –– Good place to find freelancers who offer services at a low cost for less complex tasks.
- Job Rack –– Useful if you’re looking to hire talent from Eastern Europe specifically for link-building.
- We Work Remotely and Dynamite Jobs –– Both portals are good for hiring full-time remote link builders worldwide.
Training and Development
– Have regular training sessions led by seo experts or an experienced seo team leader.
– Topics should include the latest seo strategies, algorithm updates, best practices etc.
– Send them to relevant industry conferences / webinars too.
A team typically involved in seo needs training on:
- Technical SEO skills
- Content creation and promotion
- Outreach and link-building tactics
- SEO analysis and reporting tools
- Project management and collaboration
Encourage Self-Learning
Provide them with online courses / blogs / industry resources. This will allow for self-paced learning on specific areas that a seo strategist may want to deep dive into.
Do not overlook soft skills training either – communication, creativity, problem-solving etc., all contribute towards better overall performance as a team.
Cross-Team Knowledge Sharing
Promote knowledge sharing among colleagues; more experienced members can mentor juniors.
Have everyone contribute what they learnt from the training/tools/conferences etc that they attended.
You can also try rotating roles every now and then so different members get exposed to various aspects of SEO.
Continuous training keeps members of your seo team ahead of the curve. Invest in their professional development and they will drive success within your search engine optimisation strategy.
Provide Feedback and Coaching
Give regular feedback to your team on areas where they need further coaching or upskilling. Identify skills gaps and create development plans to address them.
Successful seo involves continually learning and adapting. By hiring a marketing team committed to growth and providing them with robust training opportunities, you’ll future-proof your SEO capabilities.
Implement Effective Tools and Processes
To work effectively, your team of seo professionals needs to be equipped with the right tools and have clear processes in place. Provide them with a robust stack of tools including SEO analysis software (Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz), backlink monitoring, seo content creation platforms, link prospecting tools, and project management software.
For enterprise seo efforts, you’ll also need more advanced tools to handle technical seo issues at scale, monitor seo performance across multiple domains/subdomains, and provide centralised reporting.
Additionally, establish standardised processes for key tasks like:
- Link prospecting and opportunity identification
- Content ideation and creation
- Outreach and promotional tactics
- Backlink profile monitoring and disavows
- Performance tracking and reporting
Well-defined processes eliminate guesswork and ensure consistency across the team of seo professionals. However, allow some flexibility to experiment with new approaches as the latest seo trends emerge.
Structuring your seo team with the proper tools and workflows can make or break your seo success. Review and update them regularly based on results and evolving best practices.
Building the right team with the right resources and systems in place will maximise the impact of your SEO efforts. An unstructured approach with limited tools is a recipe for underperformance.
Monitor and Evaluate Performance
Regularly monitoring and evaluating the performance of your regular monthly link-building efforts is crucial for understanding what’s working and what’s not. Set up clear metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to track things like:
- Number and quality of acquired backlinks
- Impact on search rankings for target keywords
- Increases in organic search traffic
- Overall return on investment (ROI) from link-building activities
Leverage tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to gain insights into how your link building is influencing website performance. Look at data like average position changes, click-through rates, and organic traffic by landing page.
In addition to quantitative data, gather qualitative feedback from your team. What are the biggest challenges they’re facing? Which tactics are proving most/least effective?
Review your performance metrics regularly, at least monthly. This allows you to quickly identify areas that need adjustment and keep your marketing strategies optimised.
Don’t just track and report on the numbers – take the time to analyse why certain metrics are changing. This deeper understanding allows you to double down on successful approaches and revamp underperforming ones.
Final Words
Link-building is a critical part of SEO success. But it’s not a solo endeavour. Having the right team in place is key.
Don’t underestimate the power of an effective, well-structured link-building squad. It takes effort to assemble the ideal crew. But it’s an investment worth making. A skilled link-building team elevates your brand’s online visibility and authority.
Remember, success rarely happens alone. Empower your link-building team with tools and knowledge. Their achievements will propel your digital marketing ROI upward.
If you need help with creating a link building team, you can reach out to ECentres SEO. We can give you all the necessary information you need.
So don’t delay and build an in-house seo team. Implement the steps outlined here to construct a high-performing link building unit. They’ll be the driving force behind dominating search rankings and organic traffic growth.
