The key to great SEO is a great project manager. In this article, SEO Specialist Amy Rosa discusses what to look for in the person managing your SEO to ensure they have the project management skills needed for SEO success.

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What is a search engine optimization specialist?
Why is great SEO dependent on good project management?
4 Ways to Know Your Search Engine Optimizer is Ready to Manage Your SEO
Poor Project Management Will Hurt Your SEO
Essential Questions for Your Search Engine Optimizer
In Conclusion

For all the talk of how AI is the “death of SEO,” SEO is very much still a marketing tactic that businesses are investing in. If anything, the advent of AI has demonstrated that lacking intense rewrites and hyper-specific prompts, AI kind of sucks at creating the helpful content that’s required for ranking well in search results.

Since businesses large and small still prioritize SEO as a key marketing activity, talented search engine optimizers are in high demand (now more than ever). 

But what makes someone talented at SEO? Content, technical fixes, backlinks, local signals, speed optimization, and more are all factors that help a site rank well, but skills in any one of these areas are not enough. You need to ensure all these factors are addressed and folded into the workflow of your website management. 

For great SEO, your SEO specialist must be good at project management.

In this article, I break down what an SEO specialist’s responsibilities are and why, if you want your site to perform well in organic search results, you need someone with excellent project management skills to stay on top of the 200+ elements affecting a website’s SEO.

What is a search engine optimization specialist?

A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist is a person who manages the optimization of a website so it ranks well in organic search results. SEO specialists often hone their craft in a category of SEO. Boiled down, 4 different sub-segments comprise the skills encompassed under the task of “SEO”:

SEO experts also need to stay current with the latest trends in search engine marketing and be aware of daily algorithm changes that impact the SERPs.

I’ll give you the example of an SEO campaign we’re running for one of our clients to demonstrate why astute project management is important for great SEO.

1. 1. THE SEO AUDIT & STRATEGY
      When this client came to us, we did an exhaustive SEO audit on their website. We analyzed over 200 elements, with an analysis that involved looking at data, researching competitors, manually testing functions on their website, targeting the urgent issues to address, and then finding the sweet spots where they had the most to gain. To perform the audit we had to gain access to multiple platforms and review the data in tandem with one another, bringing together our lead SEO, web developer, and content manager for a thorough audit.
   2. THE WEBSITE MOVE
      We had to move the site from the old host to the new one, which meant keeping things clandestine to prevent the former agency from holding anything hostage. Because the previous agency had inherited the website from another agency, things were a mess on the backend and it took more effort than usual to sort through issues and get the site properly moved to the new host, under our control.
   3. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS
      The website was technically fraught when we inherited it, and if your website is technically fragile, it will struggle to rank. So we devoted the first part of the campaign to fixing technical problems, including software updates, software upgrades, and site speed optimization. This meant getting our SEO and web developer to work together daily to fix technical issues that threatened to tank the website’s rankings.
   4. CONTENT COULDN’T WAIT
      But in the meantime, we had to start thinking about content publishing and on-page optimization. SEO usually takes 3-6 months (sometimes longer) to take root, and creating content is an involved process that involves keyword research, content review, and competitor analysis to produce a content strategy. So while we were fixing technical issues, we were also creating a content strategy.
   5. THE BIG GOOGLE ANALYTICS CHANGE
      And this was all happening in the midst of the big change from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, so we had to create a new tracking account and start implementing tags to make sure we were getting sound data.So in the first month alone, we were performing about 20 different activities to improve the website, all of which had to be handled by different parties on our team, and all of which could impact the work of the others if they were not properly overseen. For example, if the Google Analytics expert wasn’t aware of the changes the web designer was making, then they could have made a bunch of updates to the tagging only for them to be overwritten by changes by the web designer. Because the project was well-managed, this didn’t happen.

This first month of optimization activities required skills in:

• Web design
• Web development
• Website hosting
• DNS management
• Spam filtering
• WordPress management 
• Google Search Console
• Plugin softwares (multiple)
• On-page optimization
• Content creation
• Content strategy
• Google Analytics
• Google Tag Manager
• Broken page redirection
• Canonical URL fixing
• Pagination fixing
• SEO software tracking
• And of course – PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The thing to keep in mind is: SEO does not work in a silo. You have to consider many elements and bring them all together if you want to rank well.

The other thing to keep in mind? No SEO project will be successful if there isn’t frequent and clear communication with the client. So while we were handling all the optimizations described in this case study, we were in constant contact with the client, keeping them informed about our activities, the purpose of the activities, and the outcomes.

4 Ways to Know Your Search Engine Optimizer is Ready to Manage Your SEO

1. They present a proposal.
   An effective digital marketing proposal lays the groundwork for your marketing campaign by emphasizing the client’s goals and objectives, presenting a strategy to achieve them, defining short and long-term timelines, and clearly outlining what’s included in the scope of work, and what’s not.
   
   RED FLAG – They ask you to sign an agreement with a non-disparagement clause.
   Steer clear of companies worried about you giving honest feedback after your collaboration ends. A reputable agency should have confidence in its services without restricting your right to review them.
2. They listen to you.
   There’s no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy for every business. A skilled project manager understands that a successful campaign– whether it involves your website’s design, content creation, client nurturing, or guiding the buyer’s journey– must align with your company’s brand identity. By listening to your vision and incorporating it into the strategy, they can elevate engagement and conversion rates, ultimately boosting revenue.
   Project managers ask questions and listen to:
   • Understand your goals and objectives.
   • Guide conversations.
   • Gain insight.
   • Spark creativity and idea generation.
   • Build knowledge.
   • Eliminate confusion.
   • Solve problems.
   • Foster and strengthen relationships.
   • Shows they’re listening to you and care about your business.
   Consistently ending meetings early, receiving yes and no responses and minimal dialogue hinder the success of a campaign. A skilled project manager wants to know about your business, explore possibilities, discuss “what-if” scenarios, and establish goals for the future. They listen to you, ensuring your vision is at the forefront of every decision.
   
   RED FLAG – Your agency acts like they “get it” right off the bat.

   Any SEO agency that immediately says they understand your challenges and doesn’t take the time to listen to what you have to say is a red flag. You might think they are trying to be reassuring, but really, they just don’t want to hear what you have to say because they think you are stupid when it comes to SEO. They think they’re smarter than you. And then 3 months down the line, you’ll be aghast to read all of the terrible content they wrote for you, and dismayed by the strategy they implemented that’s not aligned with your goals.

3. They communicate multiple times a week.
   Clear, concise, and consistent communication is a powerful asset, saving time, money, and resources. A well-articulated plan combined with strategic objectives eliminates ambiguity, ensuring everyone is aligned toward common goals and deadlines. An experienced project manager plays a crucial role in the process. They:
   • Communicate regularly and effectively.
   • Set realistic timelines and meet deadlines.
   • Manage and delegate tasks, adjusting as necessary.
   • Establish high standards and clear expectations.
   • Listen attentively and with an open mind.
   • Are accessible and approachable.
   • Demonstrate adaptability.
   • Cultivate a culture of constructive feedback.
   • Foster growth within a team.

   Through adversity, a project manager remains transparent and collaborative, leveraging communication channels and resources to address and resolve issues quickly as they arise.

4. They use project management software.
   Marketing involves navigating daily tasks like research, interviews, collateral collection, content creation, optimization, and follow-ups, which vary depending on the campaign’s changing priorities. A successful project manager excels in organization, persistence, and forward-thinking. They leverage critical project management tools like Asana for task tracking, Google Drive for document management, Calendly for scheduling, and Slack for seamless team communication. These tools streamline interactions between the project manager, client, and team while fostering collaboration and achieving objectives.

Poor Project Management Will Hurt Your SEO

Consider these statistics:

• 70% of all projects fail. 
• 2.5% of companies achieve success with all of their projects completed.
• 40% of projects meet schedule, budget, and quality goals.
• $99 million for every $1 billion invested due to underperformance.

Leadership impacts teams, organizations, and the success of the project. This ripple effect manifests in schedule delays, financial setbacks, and reputational damage, which impacts SEO outcomes.

Essential Questions for Your Search Engine Optimizer

To determine the capabilities of your SEO specialist, ask about their background, methodology, and most importantly, their leadership style. Some questions to ask:

• Can you share some of your experience in marketing project management?
• What’s your approach to crafting marketing strategies and plans?
• How do you go about forming and guiding marketing project teams?
• How do you monitor and regulate project timelines, budgets, and resources?
• How do you manage feedback and accommodate changes that stakeholders and clients request?
• Which key performance indicators (KPIs) do you prioritize, and how do you monitor them?
• How do you define and measure the success of your marketing projects?

In Conclusion

The role of an SEO specialist extends far beyond tweaking content and building backlinks. It requires a comprehensive understanding of the four main sub-segments of SEO: on-page, off-page, technical, and local. Equally important are the exceptional project management skills necessary to effectively integrate, allocate, and oversee these elements.  

As AI reshapes digital marketing, the need for skilled human SEOs is greater than ever. Those who excel in project management will maintain a strong search presence and ensure all SEO components are addressed seamlessly.

When investing in your SEO strategy, find professionals who combine SEO expertise with strong project management skills. This blend is the key to driving your website’s success in the ever-evolving organic search landscape.

Are you content with your current marketing campaign’s performance? Is it delivering the outcomes you envisioned? 

If you’re struggling to achieve growth and brand equity, and fill your customer pipeline, contact Digital Dynamo today to learn how our comprehensive business SEO and digital marketing services can help your business.