Are there upsides to the volatility inherent to SEO with all of its Google updates, changing consumer behaviors, and constantly evolving technology?
And just how important are Core Web Vitals, anyway?
I had a chance to catch up with Lillian Haase, CMO at Searchmetrics, recently to get her take on a few enterprise SEO hot topics and advice for beginners in SEO looking to grow into leadership roles.
If you’re in the market for employment with a leading search data, software, and consulting solution, you’ll want to check out her tips as to what Searchmetrics looks for in new hires, as well.
1. Core Web Vitals (CWV) has been a hot topic this past year.
What do enterprise marketers need to know about CWVs now that the dust has settled?
Lillian Haase: “For marketers in any business, focusing on reducing friction for users when they arrive at your website is the name of the game — with or without CWVs.
Before the official announcement that CWV’s page speed signals would become ranking factors, fast-loading and easy-to-navigate websites saw better results in the search engines. The CWV rollout just made it official.
I will say, too, that the dust has only settled in terms of Google talking about CWV.
The work for many brands is still colossal.
Our team sees many large companies still experiencing major problems with site speed and shifting layouts. Until domains can fix those issues, they’ll struggle to excel in competitive SERPs.
Having a decent CWV will be the price for entry onto the playing field.
If your CWV is far worse than your competitors, you’ll struggle for rankings – but CWV goes beyond SEO. The gains are much more concrete when it comes to revenue and conversions.”
Related: Analyzing 2 Million URLs: What We Learned About Core Web Vitals
2. We’ve seen you write before on volatility as an opportunity in SEO.
Can you share a few ways these volatile times may translate to opportunities for enterprise SEO?
Lillian Haase: “At the start of the pandemic, we had major shifts going on in marketing. This necessitated a pivoting of methods to adapt to a new, uncertain environment.
When it came to SEO, we had clients with unprecedented traffic drops and increases. The world had changed and so had their web traffic.
My advice remains the same as then.
When you’ve experienced a sudden drop in traffic, analysis of where the drop occurred is the first step towards recovery – but it’s not the last.
It’s crucial to understand why it happened.
Was it a change made to your website?
A loss of keyword rankings for a specific page or group of pages — or something else?
Take steps to improve, or reverse an earlier change, depending on what you find.
The opposite happens, too, and you may experience a sudden influx of traffic and better rankings.
While celebrating is certainly not to be neglected (after all, teams work for years to see increases in traffic, so be sure to enjoy it when it happens!), it’s still important to ensure it’s the right kind of traffic, and that visitors are engaging with your web content.
Look at ways you can optimize your top-traffic pages to keep visitors engaged and moving through your website. Take advantage of that extra traffic with conversion rate optimization.
In addition, update your keyword research around topics that are ranking well to determine if you missed anything.
There might be something new uncovered through research that you haven’t optimized for.
Cover all your bases and see how much more extra traffic you can get on top of those already good results. Good can always get better.”
3. What do you think is the most underrated optimization or tactic in enterprise SEO today?
Lillian Haase: “The basics, such as optimized headers and user experience, are still the same.
But the bar for great content and high-performing websites is much higher.
Your content needs to be heads and shoulders above the rest.
For example, the Google Product Reviews Update impacted many affiliate sites.
With these and other Google Updates, the days where you could write basic copy about a product and hoping to rank are gone.
Now, you make your expertise on the topic very clear by providing a truly informed opinion about the product’s performance.”
Related: 3 Ways SEO Has Changed This Year & What It Means for You with Jordan Koene
4. What advice or recommendations do you have for junior SEO professionals who might aspire to a leadership role?
“My advice would be to learn to tell the story of SEO’s impact on the business in terms of revenue.
In other words, if you can communicate the value of organic traffic framed in business terms, you will be heard by leaders in other teams who do not understand the ins and outs of SEO.
They’re looking for the value (often, in financial terms) the channel is bringing the company.
One of the most difficult things I see SEOs struggle with is that they go into unnecessary detail about search engines.
As SEOs, we’re so interested in the many moving pieces of the work, and we get overly excited with the minutiae.
But if no one understands what we’re talking about or they think it’s boring, the message is lost.
Try to focus on business results in your presentations, reports, and in meetings with your superiors, instead.
In most organizations, organic search is undervalued when compared with other channels such as paid search.
If you can find a way to elevate the conversation to business metrics and stay out of the technical details, you’re well on your way towards future opportunities in SEO leadership.
If you can also consistently increase organic traffic, leads, and sales for your organization, you’re also setting yourself up for success.”
5. What does it take to succeed in a role at Searchmetrics?
And are you currently looking for any specific types of talent?
Lillian Haase: “We’re growing our services teams globally, so thanks for asking this and giving me a chance to share a little more.
While we have a variety of roles open, we’re actively recruiting SEO consultants and account executives.
One of the benefits of working for a company of our size is having the opportunity to have your voice heard.
We understand the next great idea can come from anyone at any level.
Successful team members adopt the mindset of builders and innovators and seek out opportunities for growth. Then they present those opportunities with a clear focus on the bottom line.
In general, we look for people that are not just looking to “do the job.”
Yes, we want people skilled in a particular area. However, we want people that are looking to push the envelope by asking, “How can we be better in our function?”
When it comes to culture, we’re looking for a culture add, not a fit.
We understand having a true diverse Searchmetrics family not only includes diversity in gender and ethnic background but also experience and thought.”
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Featured Image: Courtesy of Searchmetrics
