Mastering In-House SEO

231 Pages·2·4.582 MB·English

MASTERING
IN-HOUSE SEO
2021 EDITION
BLEEDING EDGE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS
FROM LEADING IN-HOUSE SEO EXPERTS
PUBLISHED AND COMPILED BY
SIMON SCHNIEDERS
FOUNDER OF BLUE ARRAY
Mastering In-House SEO 2021 Edition - Bleeding Edge Strategies And
Tactics From Leading In-House SEO Experts
ISBN 9781916883925
© Blue Array - Blue Array Ltd., Reading Bridge House, George Street,
Reading Bridge, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8LS
Published in June 2021
This book is dedicated
to the incredible team at
Blue Array
Simon Schnieders
PRAISE FOR
MASTERING IN-HOUSE SEO
"If you’re looking to drive results internally this book is for you. Packed
full of snippets covering all aspects of SEO it’s aimed at helping you not
only learn more but also tips to get stuff done."
KEVIN WILES
Group SEO Manager, Halfords
"The only book that really addresses the struggles in-house SEO
specialists deal with. Not only is it invaluable for anyone with an in-house
SEO role, but it provides those working agency-side with unique insights
into the challenges in-house SEO specialists face."
STEVEN VAN VESSUM
VP of Community, ContentKing
"With a great mix of contributors with varied experience, I found it a really
enjoyable read. A must-have for any in-house or agency marketer"
DAVID WILLIAMS
Senior SEO Manager, Jellyfish
“Creating the buy-in you need to be successful as an SEO within a large
organization can be tricky at best. That's why I highly recommend this
book with real tips from real in-house SEOs.”
MORDY OBERSTEIN
Head of Communications, Semrush
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“Being an in-house SEO guy is always exciting and tricky at the same
time. This book will help you ensure your success in the long-run.”
DIMITRIS DRAKATOS
SEO & ASO Lead, Peanut
"Whether you're making the transition from an agency to in-house SEO,
or just looking to stay ahead of the trend, this book is an invaluable
resource. It's a great mixture of case studies to inspire new ideas and
guidance to help you overcome imposter syndrome."
DANIEL RAWLEY
SEO Specialist - International and Start-ups,
Twinkl Educational Publishing
“This book is a breakthrough in the industry for sure. It gives you an
invaluable viewpoint of other in-house SEO professionals just like you.
Learn about their struggles and successes and enjoy the read.”
ROMAN SADOWSKI
SEO Account Manager, Iprospect
“Mastering in-house SEO in 2021 is a lot more complicated than many
think. This book doesn't just dive deep, it brings real life examples from
real in-house SEOs. Of course, agencies and consultants who often work
with large online organizations will learn from it as well. Don't miss it.”
IGAL STOLPNER
Former VP Growth & SEO, Investing.com
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CONTENTS
16 FOREWORD
SIMON SCHNIEDERS | BLUE ARRAY
18 THINKING LIKE A JOURNALIST – AND AN SEO –
TO MAKE CONTENT ‘QUEEN’

NICOLA AGIUS, SEO DIRECTOR, JUNGLE CREATIONS
Transforming your SEO is all about putting yourself in the
position of the reader to anticipate what questions they are
going to ask.
26 HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE SEO TEAM
RUNS YOUR COMPANY’S WEBSITE – PERFECT
CONTENT WITH A DIRECT COMMERCIAL IMPACT
FABRIZIO BALLARINI | ORGANIC GROWTH & SEO, WISE
At Wise, the SEO team owns the website. That means every
page is their responsibility and they’re using data to drive better
decision-making
32 HOW START-UP THINKING WON BIG AT THIS $6
BILLION COMPANY
AARON BAREFOOT, GLOBAL SEO LEAD AT LONDON STOCK
EXCHANGE GROUP

When you’re building a new brand in a huge company, you’ve
got to go above and beyond keywords.
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40 SEO IS SUCH A BIG PART OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE
OF AN ORGANISATION – YOU HAVE TO THINK
LIKE AN OCTOPUS
LIMOR BARENHOLTZ, SEO DIRECTOR, SIMILARWEB
When you’re approaching a new website for the first time, the
first thing you should do is go out and gather.
46 HOW TO GET FROM OBSCURITY TO
THE FRONT PAGE OF GOOGLE
DIMITRIS DRAKATOS, SEO/ASO LEAD, PEANUT
It can be exciting to start out with a blank slate. Here are some
things you can do to get a startup’s SEO off the ground.
54 HOW TO SEO AT A NOT-FOR-PROFIT
CHARLOTTE EDWARDS, SEO AND ANALYTICS
MANAGER, CHATHAM HOUSE
Showing your colleagues a little about how SEO can help them
in their work can work wonders for how SEO is valued in your
organisation.
62 WHY SEOS ARE INDISPENSABLE –
AND HOW THEY CAN SHOW IT
BEN JOHNSON, FREELANCE SEO CONSULTANT
Sure, technical expertise is important, but building relationships
and supporting your colleagues to get things done might make
your job easier.
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70 IT’S THE MICRO-INTERACTIONS YOU
HAVE EVERY DAY THAT MAKE THE REAL
DIFFERENCE TO YOUR SEO CREDIBILITY
AMANDA KING, SEO MANAGER, OPTUS
Having the right relationships with the right people in your
business means you’ll have time (and support) to build an SEO
strategy.
76 HOW WE MADE OUR WEBSITE BETTER
FOR USERS – WITHOUT STARTING FROM
SCRATCH – AND HOW YOU CAN TOO
VIOLETTE MOUSSAVI, SEO AND DIGITAL MARKETING
MANAGER, GREENDROPSHIP
A step-by-step guide to creating a killer SEO content strategy,
so you understand what to keep, what to create and what you
can afford to lose.
84 WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE SEO-DEV
RELATIONSHIPS A CONSTANT PRIORITY
– AND THREE WAYS TO DO IT
ORIT MUTZNIK, HEAD OF SEO, SILKFRED
Understanding the role and pressures of your development
team can help you get projects done more quickly and achieve
better results.
90 WHY A GROWTH MINDSET IS
THE SEO’S BEST TOOL
MORDY OBERSTEIN, HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, SEMRUSH
Sticking to technical rules can give you a false sense
of achievement. SEOs need to take a wider view that
spans identity, authority and brand perception.
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98 SEEING THE TRUE VALUE OF SEO – BY
UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESSES YOU’RE
WORKING WITH
MARK PRESTON, HEAD OF DIGITAL, HAKIM GROUP
Ditch the checklists and stop obsessing about ranking numbers.
Instead, focus on the unique things that a business has on offer
for its customers.
106 USING SEO TO HELP MY NEW
BUSINESS SURVIVE LOCKDOWN
DAN RAWLEY, SEO SPECIALIST, TWINKL
EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING
Driving a 70 percent increase in traffic over 12 months was an
ambitious target, but one that this educational publisher met
easily, thanks to a new approach to SEO.
112 HOW TO AVOID BAD DECISIONS IN
YOUR FIRST PROCUREMENT PROCESS?
BE PREPARED – AND BE HONEST
RIC RODRIGUEZ, SEARCH DIRECTOR, VASHI
Spending some time understanding the vendor-sales process
means you’ll start off on the right foot and more likely get what
you want.
120 WHETHER ADOPTING THE LATEST SOFTWARE
OR ACQUIRING ANOTHER BRAND’S WEBSITE
– A BAD MIGRATION IS SOMETHING
YOU MIGHT NEVER RECOVER FROM
ROMAN SADOWSKI, SEO ACCOUNT MANAGER, IPROSPECT
When 60 percent of your revenues come from organic traffic, a
website migration can be a risky business. Here’s what Roman
learned helping the Irish toy brand. first months at Tide, and
what she learned along the way.
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