In a perfect world, search engine optimization (SEO) strategies would perfectly align with the business goals and strategies set by a company’s management. After all, we all want the same thing — more traffic for the site and conversions for the business — right?
In reality, though, SEO is not always perfectly aligned. With multiple business priorities competing for funding and attention, finding a balance between SEO efforts and overall business strategies can be a challenge. And in fact, the success of a business depends on more than just a website that ranks well on Google. That’s why it’s important for an SEO professional to take a step back and look at the website from a business owner’s perspective.
Aligning SEO Strategies with Business Goals
Some businesses make the mistake of treating SEO as a standalone activity, but its real value lies in how it connects to overarching marketing strategies that drive business goals.
For example, instead of focusing only on ranking for popular keywords that drive large volumes of traffic, consider how those keywords can translate into tangible results such as leads, conversions, or sales that align with the business’s marketing goals.
Let’s say an e-commerce business is trying to increase its online sales by 10% over the course of the next year. In this scenario, SEO can play a key role in driving more relevant, purchase-intent traffic to the site. To align with this objective, the SEO team could focus on optimizing product and collection page content for purchase intent keywords that rank on page 2. Traffic from those keywords would likely have a higher potential to convert well, contributing to the desired increase in sales for the business.
Fighting Back on SEO Essentials
When the SEO team makes a high-value recommendation that is sidelined by upper management, it might seem like the best course of action to let it go, especially if business leadership has other pressing priorities. However, it is crucial for the SEO team to advocate for important SEO initiatives that can significantly impact the business’s performance.
While business leaders often like to focus on more immediate returns, SEO is a long-term investment. High-value SEO recommendations can be the foundation for sustainable growth that pays dividends over time — but only if management can be convinced that the investment is worth the return.
You can fight for high-value SEO recommendations by framing them in terms of how they will help to achieve key business objectives. Work to provide data to support the recommendations while emphasizing the opportunity cost of inaction.
Making Concessions (For Now)
For longstanding SEO programs, a business’s focus may need to shift as conditions evolve. While SEO is crucial for long-term success, business goals can shift either to or away from SEO quickly based on market trends, leadership changes, or other unforeseen challenges. Being agile and responsive to changing priorities can sometimes mean holding off on major SEO initiatives to accommodate new, potentially more lucrative opportunities.
When SEO must take a back seat, it’s equally crucial to keep the long-term impact of SEO in mind and maintain a consistent level of progress. Instead of completely stopping all SEO efforts, consider focusing on low-effort, high-impact tasks while maintaining a consistent performance reporting cadence. This enables the business to react quickly as SEO conditions change, which they inevitably do.
Finding Common Ground
The truth of the matter is that short-term SEO strategies and business priorities don’t always align. The key is knowing when to push back to advocate for high-value SEO initiatives and when to step back temporarily to allow for resources to be allocated elsewhere.
Remember that business priorities and SEO strategies should complement each other, with the consistent end goal of improving the bottom line. By aligning the goals and strategies of the SEO team with the priorities of the business as a whole, businesses have the opportunity to deliver meaningful results in both the short and long term.
