It can be tricky to manage the relationship between SEO experts, the IT department, and the web developers working on a website.
The reason is that web developers and IT departments have different objectives compared to SEO professionals. Their main concern is making sure the website looks good and functions properly, while SEO experts focus on making it more visible to search engines.
Furthermore, developers and IT departments often face time and resource constraints, which can make it challenging to implement changes suggested by SEO professionals.
When two different groups encounter challenges, it can sometimes cause disagreements and problems.
In this article, we will talk about the difficulties that arise when SEO experts collaborate with web developers and IT professionals. We’ll also look at how letting the SEO experts lead the implementation can bring some benefits.
The Challenges: SEO Experts versus Web Developers
Sometimes web developers need help understanding the importance of SEO, which can make things difficult for SEO experts. Developers might focus too much on the visual aspects of a website, like its design and appearance, and not enough on its functionality and technical SEO requirements.
This means they might not make the necessary changes to improve SEO, or they might even make changes that hurt SEO.
To implement SEO changes effectively, developers might need to have more technical knowledge and keep up with the latest best practices.
These challenges can be frustrating for both the SEO and the developer; developers might feel overwhelmed by the technical demands of SEO, while SEO experts might feel undervalued for their expertise.
The Challenges: SEO Experts versus IT Professionals
People who work in IT are in charge of handling the technical parts of a website, like making sure the servers are working properly and updating the software when needed.
While they might know that it’s important to improve a website’s search engine optimization (SEO), they may not have enough time or resources to do it right away.
IT workers may also be cautious about making changes that could affect the website’s stability or the technology it relies on.
Another difficulty is that SEO changes could cause unexpected problems for the IT systems. For instance, changing the structure of a website’s links or how pages are organized could cause issues with how the site is cached or load-balanced.
All of this can lead to delays in putting SEO changes into action and more work for both the SEO and IT teams.
Advantages of Implementing SEO Strategies as a Primary Focus
SEO professionals are experts in SEO strategy and are equipped to lead the implementation process. They can make sure that changes are made correctly the first time by guiding web developers and IT teams to understand the impact of SEO changes and how to implement them effectively.
They can also prioritize SEO changes and ensure implementation promptly, which is crucial for sites undergoing significant changes or updates.
SEO experts are skilled at turning complicated technical information into useful information. They can save time on all fronts, but especially the communication front, if you give them the responsibility of putting all search-related changes into practice.
However, a significant factor in why SEO specialists should conduct and establish a search engine marketing program is the ambiguous description of what search entails.
Many SEO experts have previous experience as IT professionals or web developers. In some cases, they even take on IT and developer roles while running search marketing programs. There is an overlap in skill sets, which can make it hard to know where SEO begins and ends.
For example, site speed is crucial for SEO, and competent SEO professionals can improve a site’s speed without losing significant functionality. They are usually faster and more efficient than web developers or IT professionals in implementing site speed changes.
Collaboration Between Departments
When working on big SEO projects, it’s crucial for the SEO, web developer, and IT departments to collaborate. This way, everyone can work towards the same goal. The SEO team should guide and support the other two teams, while the web developer ensures any changes don’t negatively impact the site’s design or user experience, and the IT team checks if they’re compatible with the site’s infrastructure.
It’s important to note that although the SEO team is responsible for making changes related to the SEO program, they shouldn’t make these changes alone. The IT department and web developers should have some power to veto changes they don’t agree with. However, this doesn’t mean they have absolute power.
If there are any issues with proposed changes, teams should try to discuss and resolve them. It’s crucial that everyone checks their egos at the door and works towards the best solution. Sometimes, compromise is necessary, and it’s okay for the IT or developer team to suggest solutions that benefit SEO.
At the end of the day, what matters is that the project achieves its goals, regardless of who did the work. However, it’s easier for the SEO team to implement SEO changes, so they should take the lead on this.
The Bottom Line
If you want to make sure your website looks good and appears high in search results, it’s important to have a team of SEO experts, web developers, and IT people working together. This will help make sure everyone is on the same page and that the changes are done right the first time around.
When these teams collaborate, they can create a website that looks great, works well, and ranks high in search results. This can lead to more people visiting your site, staying on it longer, and having a better experience overall.
For more such tips, updates and learning resources, stay tuned to Insitebuild Blog.
