CNN.com has it all figured out when it comes to SEO, and their SEO Manager, Topher Kohan, sat down with us to share what it is like as an SEO in a big pond.
From time allocation and training to what to watch for in 2012 and everything in between, Topher shares in insight in this week's SEO Watercooler interview.
Key take-aways:
SEO in 2012:
- Get the buy in
- Stay on top of the industry
- Don't panic! Stop thinking about how to adapt and start thinking about how to build the site and content to create minimal changes.
Training for all levels:
- Train for each division
- Start with SEO 101 to build ground knowledge, then dig deeper into their real questions
- Keep following up on training and updates
- Allow personalized one-on-one training within the organization for specific issues
- Create high level dashboards monthly to help management know how SEO is doing
- If you create good content and build good sites, there are no search engine changes that will dramatically impact you
Day in the life of an SEO (How Topher Spends his time)
- Research and writing about SEO for people in the rest of the company. For example: How are Panda, +1, Bing Social media effecting us in a positive or negative way
- Treaining other people in the company, both formalized and one-on-one training
- Reporting(Your SEO is only as good as the reports you generate for management)
Advice for the new SEO:
- Because you are brought in by management, people will see you as the enemy
- Take the time to win people over
- Don't be offended, they don't personally hate you
2011 PubCon Take-Aways
- Social and SEO is becoming much more common
- The idea of SEO 2.0... you can't do one without the other (SEO and Social) and be effective in organic search marketing
- Have input/early control of how social media optimization and marketing happens within the conversation.
- Be a part of the conversation, or you loose control of things inside your company
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