Integrating search engine best practices into every cog of the corporate wheel is at the core of enterprise SEO strategy. “Enterprises,” as we’ll refer to them in this chapter, are large brands with large websites (or multiple sites) and often multiple locations. Not all enterprise brands will have enterprise-sized sites, but these two characteristics often correlate. Think Fortune 1000 corporations like Coca-Cola, big-box retailers like Walmart, or multi-local franchises like GNC. For SEO specifically, there are also some types of merely large companies that tend to have enterprise-scale SEO problems — think travel sites and listings sites — due to the sheer number of pages they might typically have, often well into 6, 7, or even 8 figures.
For enterprises, internal processes and systems can have a heavy influence on SEO performance, so in addition to on- and off-site SEO guidance, this enterprise SEO chapter will also speak to navigating operational challenges.
Breaking silos and creating a culture of SEO
There are many factors that make enterprise SEO unique, but one of the foremost is how much work has to be done before even touching the website. SEO for enterprises is at its best when it is cross-functional, baked into all departments that work on or influence website changes. SEOs working on enterprise campaigns need to know how to navigate these unique challenges so they can create a culture of SEO before they can even execute on initiatives that will move the organic ranking needle.
Getting buy-in
You have this great SEO idea, one that you’re confident will make a huge positive impact. You’ve got it all planned out, so why do you end up unable to execute? The answer, with many enterprise brands, is red tape. Decisions like this require either buy-in from executives, a contribution from other teams, or both. The tape is there for a reason though. Due to the size and public visibility of these brands, they need to shield themselves from mistakes that can cost them in reputation and revenue. So how do you push SEO work through?
Connect SEO initiatives to revenue: Executives need to know that their investment will be profitable. If you can connect your idea to projected profits - bingo.
Tie to larger business goals: Show that SEO doesn’t sit in a silo apart from other channels. It comes alongside and bolsters every marketing effort to accomplish larger business goals.
SEO education: Sometimes people are just afraid of what they don’t know. A little education can go a long way!
Success metrics: Use past examples of success or third party case studies to show that SEO can be effective.
Explaining consequences: When showing them what could be gained doesn’t work, it may be helpful to show what could be lost. Focus on the cost of inaction or how poor SEO could negatively impact performance.
Show how the competition is doing it: Show that your idea will help you keep pace or gain advantage over your competitors.
Visibility: Celebrate SEO wins and the other stakeholders that contributed to them.
Getting SEO off its island
Another SEO-critical factor enterprises need to consider is integration. In other words, the process of incorporating SEO (its budget, resources, and mindset) into the rest of the organization. When SEO sits on an island, it’s much less effective. Let SEO reach its full potential by bridging gaps and connecting dots between organization departments, channels, and the agency that serves them.
When this kind of investment is missing, the following can happen:
SEO turns into a checklist: When the SEOs are on an island, they aren’t privy to the initiatives that set the enterprise apart, leaving them little more to do than check title tags and update internal links.
SEO can conflict with actual business goals: When SEOs aren't part of the larger conversation happening in the marketing department, their work has the potential to conflict with certain business initiatives when they could be supporting them.
You miss out on collaboration opportunities: Other teams might be running initiatives that could benefit from SEO collaboration, and vice versa.
Working collaboratively with dev teams
So much of optimizing a site for search comes down to technical execution. At the enterprise level, that often means working cross-functionally with dev teams. As the SEO, you may have noticed a critical issue with your site’s canonicalization, but you’ll need the developers, who already have a full plate, to execute the fix. What do you do?
Learn to speak the developer’s language: They probably have a different taxonomy than you do, so disambiguating can clear up confusions before they begin.
Communicate frequently and early on: If you need development help, or the dev team is executing something that could impact SEO, both parties would benefit from meeting to plan as soon as possible, and staying in close communication throughout the project.
Invest in training: Spending a little time to sit with your developers can go a long way. Don’t just tell them what you need fixed. Tell them why it’s important.
Get integrated into their process: This can involve things like going to sprint meetings, getting on JIRA, or requesting to be looped into dev team emails.
When SEOs and dev teams don’t work together, any number of technical SEO foibles can occur. It’s not that developers don’t care about SEO. More likely is that because of the incredibly taxing job they have to do, they focus on speed and efficiency in execution. Work with your developers. Learn from each other. You’ll both be better off in the long run.
Instilling SEO best practices in content teams
Enterprise brands are often large enough to have their own in-house content teams or possibly even contract with a third party for content. These people could be skilled wordsmiths but lack a basic knowledge of SEO best practices. If you’re an SEO who liaises with content teams at an enterprise level, consider the following:
Create a checklist of SEO best practice requirements their content has to meet before publishing
Have an SEO, such as yourself, review the content
Train writers on SEO best practices
The way you interact with content teams (or don’t) can have tangible effects on website performance, so it’s crucial to foster an environment of collaboration and education. This can help you avoid common on-page SEO mistakes such as:
Omitting important keywords from headers and body copy
Forgetting to create internal links
Creating content that isn’t search engine readable, such as in images
Changing the location (URL) of your content and forgetting to redirect
Missing or unoptimized titles and descriptions
But perhaps the biggest risk when SEOs and writers don’t collaborate is that the completely wrong content will be created. When writers lack the knowledge of keyword research, intent, and SERP landscape, content initiatives can miss the mark, resulting in a lost opportunity.