How To Make It Departments And Seo Work In Tandem

By Author: seouk 2012
Total Articles: 5
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We hear about it all the time; large firms trying to develop their optimisation but experiencing problems that arise due to nothing more than a lack of synchronisation between the IT departments and the individual(s) responsible for SEO.

The result of is a lack of progress in the search results pages, wasted time and money and lost business opportunities. While many large firms scramble to improve their website presence the competition cannot afford to slip behind so good communication and understanding between IT and optimisation personnel is of crucial importance.

So what causes these issues?

Distrust and lack of understanding

IT departments often contain many “old school” members who are used to traditional programming methods and older ways of thinking as well as newer workers but who are well versed in complex and modern computer operations. SEO on the other hand is a skill in its own right however it also has many unknowns since there is no formal qualification as such nor is there ever a set way of doing things, on account that the algorithm constantly evolves.

This can sometimes ...
... lead to conflicts between IT and SEO staff because some may feel “outdone” by the other or that they feel an inexperienced party is doing something incorrectly. Sometimes minor changes requested by the SEO expert can mean an entire raft of alternations is needed to be done in IT.

The best solution to such problems is nothing more than good communication and understanding. Regular meetings between SEO and IT departments can help pinpoint upcoming issues and reduce chances of conflict in the future.

Detailed Instructions

Quite often SEO’s can send instructions to IT staff with requested changes expect they fail to include any instructions on how to do it. Even though an IT member may be great with databases and networking does not mean to say they are going to fully understand the inner workings of a website nor will they grasp SEO terminology. This creates a headache for IT and to them represents no more than valuable time lost. If those responsible for SEO include detailed instructions and advice with their changes then the chances of delay and bad feeling are much reduced.

Google Algorithmic Changes

This creates an interesting problem; SEO people often talk at length about the difficulty of their occupation because Google is forever moving the goalposts, albeit in small increments (most of the time). Yet when they come to request alterations some IT staff view the scenario as why bother? Especially if a Google alteration renders the changes obsolete and need to be updated again.

Of course this all comes down to lack of understanding on behalf of IT and possibly bad communication on part of the SEO.

Sometimes the IT department can pick up the wrong interpretation of required changes in response to an algorithm movement. This can mean many wasted man hours on incorrect alterations that result in unnecessary aggravation and friction.

Resources and Global Considerations

IT and SEO departments do not always work next to each other, in the same building or even in the same country! The cultural and language differences can not only play their parts in creating difficulties but also the budgets assigned to each department. If a particular area of the company has a much lower resource base than the other then problems can arise when one expects the other to perform to the same level of productivity.

These tips have come from a Newcastle SEO company who provide clients worldwide with a wide variety of optimisation services and search engine marketing. Our Newcastle SEO staff always work hard to help IT and SEO departments synchronise and work in tandem no matter what size of project they are faced with.