Building An Effective & Productive Remote SEO Team

The concept of remote work is hardly new, though the pandemic had a large hand in bringing it to the mainstream. Businesses around the world now grapple with how to effectively build teams that may not be located in one place but are still expected to produce outstanding work. This is particularly evident in the field of search engine optimization, where teams have really benefited from remote hiring.

If you are a team leader or a business owner, chances are you have toyed with the idea yourself. And why not? Remote SEO teams open up new talent pools for companies, often at competitive costs. Perhaps it’s the benefit of cutting down expenses with no rental fees or the better work-life balance that calls to you.

Still, you have to understand the kind of issues that can crop up and how to prepare for the transition and proper integration. The lack of face-to-face interactions could seem like a huge barrier, especially for highly collaborative teams. You can end up having even more issues if your team members live in different time zones.

The key word here is “can.” You don’t have to suffer these pitfalls. Read on to explore the best practices and tools to help you build a productive remote SEO team that hits all KPI targets.

Are Remote SEO Management Teams Effective?

Remote SEO management teams can be just as effective as their more traditional non-remote counterparts. Still, their productivity and effectiveness depend on several factors, such as how clearly the team communicates and understands the company’s goals. In the same way, the structure of the processes and even the choice of tools used to manage projects and communicate play a role in the effectiveness of an SEO team.

Thankfully, we can turn to software that enhances workflow and helps productivity. For example, you don’t have to live in the States to use the services of a USA link-building company. You can find the right agency, hold meetings, and sign a contract from anywhere in the world. You can manage almost any process remotely — including tracking and monitoring the progress of any worker or contractor, ensuring they can stay on track and deliver needed results.

How To Structure SEO Work From Home

How you structure your remote SEO team will determine its success. Let’s take a closer look at how you’ll organize your team and work processes, as well as check out some tools that can help you meet targets and drive sustainable growth.

1. Decide Your SEO Targets And Pick Your Winning Team

This is an essential first step, as your goals will affect all other decisions you make from this point. Next, choose the right SEO professionals to help you hit those targets within a given time frame. For example, if you hope to boost your SEO ratings in a new location, you may need a separate team dedicated to local SEO.

Of course, you can find experts in your country or even city. Still, if you leverage the benefits of remote work, you can hire specialists directly in your market of interest. This shortens the learning curve, as your new employees or contractors already know local peculiarities.

If you’re new to remote work, hiring abroad might seem like a big deal. Get started by learning how to find the best candidates for your team. Whatever strategy you go for, ensure that your SEO team is made up of vetted, proven, and experienced people. Be sure to assign roles to each team member and define their responsibilities and expected outputs.

2. Determine Whether You’re Fully Remote Or Hybrid

If most or all of your SEO team members live within a specific city or region, consider the hybrid option. Maybe you’d like the odd face-to-face social interactions from time to time. In that case, you might schedule weekly or biweekly meetups to brainstorm and troubleshoot issues. This occasional in-person collaboration may require a physical office space.

Still, most SEO companies adopting the work-from-home culture prefer the full remote option to this hybrid model.

3. Set Up Payment Plans And Benefits

One challenge of having a remote SEO team is figuring out the right payment plan for everyone — this is especially tricky if they are in different countries. Then there is the hurdle of deciding the right payment platform and navigating that based on preferences and local regulations. Finally, you have to discuss the benefits applicable to each of your team members.

The right benefits package can be a powerful way to unlock high performance and boost motivation in your virtual team.

4. Choose The Right Collaborative Tools

Choosing the right tools when engaging in remote work is essential — they can help ensure everyone is on the same page, as well as track KPIs and guarantee a productive workflow. The right software serves more than just collaboration: it safeguards your marketing efforts’ success, bringing you closer to your goals.

The following tools will help your remote SEO team communicate, collaborate, and knock out work together:

• Communication software: Just because your team is far apart doesn’t mean you can’t have instant communication. Some popular options are Slack, Google Meet, and Zoom; all can help you stay connected and foster the collaboration necessary for success.
• Project management platforms: Staying on top of your marketing strategy and everyday tasks is even more important (and challenging) for remote workers. Platforms like Asana, Jira, and Trello allow you to monitor the OKRs and KPIs of your remote SEO team.
• SEO tools: Look into Semrush, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console to get the insights and data you need to create SEO strategies that work. Martal.ca recommends using this type of tool to monitor your SEO performance, especially if you are considering buying backlinks.

Bringing Remote SEO Into The Future

Building an effective and productive remote SEO team takes a lot of hard work and dedication. You must understand how to communicate your goals clearly and help your team envision what you are trying to achieve.

With the right group and tools, there is no limit to what you can accomplish in your business. Use the tips in this article to help you enjoy the many rewards of an effective remote SEO management team.

 

This article is part of Buildremote’s contributor series. Occasionally, we’ll share other people’s ideas about running a remote company. If you have a topic you’d like to pitch for Buildremote, send us an idea here.