This document outlines an agenda for a presentation on how to make an in-house search team and outside agency work together effectively. The presentation will cover fundamentals, operationalization, communication, and education. Under fundamentals, it discusses important considerations for brands such as hiring the right agency with expertise in SEO and related fields, positioning the SEO engagement well within the organization, agreeing to a proposed strategy, and setting proper expectations. It also provides tips for structuring the client-agency relationship for success.

1. #C3ny
#C3ny
|
September
19-­‐20
|
New
York
City
IN-­‐HOUSE
SEARCH
TEAM
AND
OUTSIDE
AGENCY,
HOW
TO
MAKE
IT
WORK
Adam
Dince
VP,
Director
of
Search
&
Content
Strategy,
MRM

2. #C3ny
Introduc<on
–
Meet
Your
Host,
Adam
Dince
+ VP,
Director
of
Search
and
Content
Strategy
@
MRM,
New
York
+ Over
13
years
in
the
digital
space
+ Fortune
100-­‐1000
clients
+ With
experQse
in:
• Search
account
client
services
• Enterprise
SEO
strategy
• InformaQon
architecture
opQmizaQon
• Search
informed
content
strategies
• Data
visualizaQon
• Cross-­‐channel
opQmizaQon
• Organic
search
branding
• Blog
development
• Schema
implementaQons
• Server
opQmizaQon
• Social
SEO
2
W:
hWp://www.adamdince.com
T:
@adamdince
E:
adam.dince@mrmworldwide.com

3. #C3ny
31
offices
in
22
countries,
2,000+
full-­‐Qme
employees,
hundreds
of
clients
worldwide,
part
of
Interpublic
Group
(IPG),
which
consists
of
over
80+
companies
with
42,000+
employees
We
are
a
diverse
collec<on
of
craSspeople
living
at
the
intersec<on
of
crea<vity
and
technology,
working
together
in
the
relentless
pursuit
of
marke<ng
results.
• Digital
MarkeQng
(UX,
Social,
Mobile)
• Technology
&
Technology
Strategy
• Direct
Mail/CRM
• Measurement
&
AnalyQcs
• Search
Engine
OpQmizaQon
• Strategy
&
Insights
• Database
&
DB
AnalyQcs
A
global,
digital
agency
part
of
Hi,
we’re

4. #C3ny
Today’s
Agenda
1
2
3
4
Fundamentals
OperaQonalizaQon
CommunicaQon
EducaQon
+ “The
meeQng
of
two
personaliQes
is
like
the
contact
of
two
chemical
substances:
if
there
is
any
reacQon,
both
are
transformed.”
-­‐
Carl
Jung
+ Today,
we’re
going
to
review
must
have’s
to
ensure
that
your
in-­‐house
SEO
and
outside
agency
transform
your
SEO
iniQaQves
into
SEO
successes

5. #C3ny
5
A
customer
is
the
most
important
visitor
on
our
premises,
he
is
not
dependent
on
us.
We
are
dependent
on
him.
He
is
not
an
interrupQon
in
our
work.
He
is
the
purpose
of
it.
He
is
not
an
outsider
in
our
business.
He
is
part
of
it.
We
are
not
doing
him
a
favor
by
serving
him.
He
is
doing
us
a
favor
by
giving
us
an
opportunity
to
do
so.
Mahatma
Gandhi

6. #C3ny
6
Fundamentals
The
basic
principles
that
should
be
considered
when
developing
a
cohesive
client/agency
relaQonship

7. #C3ny
Organiza<onal
Structure
7

8. #C3ny
Fundamentals
for
Brands
+ Hire
the
right
agency!
• It’s
important
for
brands
to
hire
agencies
with
subject
maWer
experts
with
a
proven
record
o Search
subject
maWer
experQse
is
just
the
beginning.
Your
agency
should
also
have
experQse
in
crea.ve,
technology,
informa.on
architecture,
and
analy.cs,
because
as
we
all
know—SEO
is
no
longer
about
just
opQmizing
content
for
targeted
keywords.
It’s
a
holisQc
approach
to
Web
development
• It’s
important
to
hire
an
agency
that
fits
within
your
corporate
culture
o Since
a
solid
client/agency
partnership
involves
spending
Qme
together,
it’s
important
that
you
like
each
other
personally
and
share
similar
values
8

9. #C3ny
Fundamentals
for
Brands
+ PosiQon
your
SEO
engagement
well
within
the
enterprise
• It’s
important
to
set
up
your
agency
for
success
o Have
the
right
team
in
place
within
your
organizaQon
to
support
an
enterprise
wide
organic
search
program
o Before
launching
an
SEO
iniQaQve,
it’s
vital
to
get
top
brass
to
support
your
efforts
9

10. #C3ny
Fundamentals
for
Brands
+ Know
what
you’re
geqng
• Agree
to
a
proposed
strategy
from
your
search
agency
o Before
you
sign
a
major
contract
with
an
agency,
make
sure
you
understand
what
they
propose
to
do
and
that
key
performance
indicators
(KPIs)
have
been
agreed
upon
o Make
sure
the
agency
provides
an
arQculate
and
comprehensive
SOW
that
outlines
each
deliverable
,
the
purpose
that
each
deliverable
serve,
and
dependencies
they
require
o Make
sure
the
agency
is
clear
about
what
deliverables
or
tacQcs
are
not
included
in
the
SOW
that
may
be
necessary
for
success
10

11. #C3ny
Fundamentals
for
Brands
+ Set
the
right
internal
expectaQons
about
the
engagement
• SEO
is
a
strategic
approach
to
Web
and
digital
asset
development
that
generates
highly
accessible
and
relevant
content,
resulQng
in
brand
awareness,
reach,
engagement,
conversion
and
socializaQon
from
search
engine
results
pages.
In
order
to
be
successful,
a
few
fundamental
points
must
be
understood
by
your
stakeholders:
o This
does
not
happen
overnight
o Results
CANNOT
be
guaranteed
o SEO
is
not
paid
search—so
you
can’t
increase
your
visibility
by
simply
throwing
money
at
it
o SEO
engagements
must
have
agile
mobility
as
algorithms
and
guidelines
change
on
a
regular
basis
o Avoid
sacrificing
long-­‐term
benefits
for
short-­‐term/quick
wins
11

12. #C3ny
Fundamentals
for
Agencies
+ Select
the
right
team
• The
goal
isn’t
simply
to
win
business—but
to
deliver
and
over
deliver
o Be
honest
with
your
current
staff’s
SEO
abiliQes
and
hire
as
necessary
o Ensure
you
staff
your
account
with
enough
people
to
deliver
on
the
work
in
scope
o Again,
chemistry
is
important
and
organizing
the
right
client
team
can
help
foster
a
long
lasQng
relaQonship
o Let’s
be
honest-­‐-­‐-­‐not
all
talented
SEOs
make
effecQve
client
facing
contribuQons
12

13. #C3ny
Fundamentals
for
Agencies
+ Minimize
turnover,
people
maWer
• If
agency
turnover
is
abnormally
high,
you
may
cause
trust
issues
and
the
ability
to
deliver
o It
takes
Qme
to
find
good
talent
o Understand
your
staffs
moQvators
o Reward
appropriately
o Career
path
o Give
your
team
autonomy
o Share
your
team’s
successes
13

14. #C3ny
Fundamentals
for
Agencies
+ Focus
on
adding
value,
not
up
selling
• Oten
Qmes,
internal
agency
pressures
to
grow
account
revenue
can
put
a
strain
on
a
solid
agency/client
relaQonship
if
not
approached
correctly
• Since
SEO
performance
is
measurable,
account
growth
should
happen
organically
if
objecQves
are
being
met
• Trust
in
your
on-­‐the-­‐ground
team
to
inform
you
(the
agency
stakeholder)
of
opportuniQes
14

15. #C3ny
15
OperaQonalizaQon
The
basic
principles
that
should
be
considered
when
developing
a
cohesive
client/agency
relaQonship

16. #C3ny
Organiza<onal
Structure
16
Client
Side
Agency
SEO
Team
Client-­‐Side
Program
Manager
&
Agency
Side
ExecuQve
Sponsor/Brand
Lead
&
Client
side
SEO
&
Agency
Client
Team
SEO
Lead

17. #C3ny
Team
Staffing
Recommenda<ons
17
+ Agency
Side
• Staff
based
on
deliverables
and
the
audience
exposed
to:
o Your
statements
of
work
and/or
contracts
should
contain
outlined
goals/objecQve
and
deliverables
o When
creaQng
your
list
of
deliverables,
develop
a
staffing
sheet
that
tracks
the
hours
required
by
role
for
each
deliverable
o Ensure
that
you’re
including
enough
Qme
for
ad-­‐hoc
requests
and
consultaQons
Deliverable
Search
Manager
Search
Strategist
Search
Coordinator
On-­‐Page
OpQmizaQon
25
70
300
Link
Building
50
200
2,000
Social
Search
OpQmizaQon
10
20
50
Monthly
ReporQng
200
60
800
ConsulQng
/
Ad-­‐Hoc
Requests
200
400
400
Total
Hours
485
750
3,550
Total
Resources
.30
.39
1.84

18. #C3ny
Team
Staffing
Recommenda<ons
18
+ Client-­‐Side
• For
an
SEO
engagement,
the
client-­‐side
will
need:
o A
program
manager
(who
understands
the
complexity
of
scheduling
SEO
projects
and
implemenQng
recommendaQons)
o An
in-­‐house
SEO
lead
(must
have
a
funcQonal
understanding
of
SEO)
o The
program
manager
and
in-­‐house
SEO
to
work
together
to
determine
the
number
of
resources
needed
to
properly
operaQonalize
the
SEO
support
efforts
o Specific
cross-­‐funcQonal
department
liaisons
for:
– Technical
/
Web
development
– Line(s)
of
business
– Paid
search
– AnalyQcs

19. #C3ny
Client/Agency
Combined
Responsibili<es
19
+ Search
infused
processes
• At
the
beginning
of
an
engagement,
the
agency
and
client
must
work
together
to
ensure
that
SEO
is
involved
within
each
process:
o Examples:
creaQve
briefings,
KPI
development,
CMS
selecQons,
analyQcs
tagging,
etc…
+ Search
infused
project
plans
• Client
should
work
with
agency
to
ensure
that
the
SEO
project
plan
provided
fits
properly
within
already
defined
processes
o Examples:
– Is
there
enough
Qme
to
execute
the
project
successfully?
– Have
you
padded
enough
Qme
for
proper
sign-­‐offs?
– Are
the
SEO
tasks
ordered
correctly
(e.g.,
on-­‐page
opQmizaQon
can’t
happen
before
a
copy
deck
has
been
developed)
+ IdenQfying
and
understanding
organizaQonal
structures
• Both
sides
should
exchange
organizaQonal
charts
and
understand
who
key
stakeholders
are
+ IdenQfying
and
understanding
3rd
party
agency
landscape

20. #C3ny
20
CommunicaQon
Like
with
any
relaQonship,
communicaQon
is
key
to
making
an
in-­‐house
SEO/outside
agency
relaQonship
work

21. #C3ny
Communica<on
21

22. #C3ny
Tips
for
effec<ve
Client/Agency
communica<on
22
+ Regular
meeQngs
• Weekly
status
mee,ngs:
Keep
a
running
status
sheet
(WIP)
and
ensure
that
this
is
reviewed
on
a
weekly
basis
• Daily
status
mee,ngs
(depending
on
size
of
scope):
For
larger
engagements
with
lots
of
moving
parts,
this
is
vital
• Deliverable
review
mee,ngs:
o All
deliverables
submiWed
by
agency
should
be
reviewed
with
client
o All
deliverables
created
on
the
client
side
should
be
reviewed
with
the
agency
• Performance
review
mee,ngs:
o At
the
end
of
the
day,
a
relaQonship
between
an
agency
and
client
can
only
succeed
if
desired
results
are
achieved
+/-­‐
o Agencies,
ensure
you
deliver
an
implementaQon
review
with
each
report
o Client
s,
ensure
you
have
status
of
implementaQons
requests
at
hand
o Ensure
that
performance
numbers
have
been
thoroughly
veWed
between
in-­‐house
SEO
team
and
program
manager
before
broadcasQng
results
to
larger
enterprise
• On-­‐Site
Mee,ngs:
o At
a
minimum,
in-­‐person
meeQngs
should
happen
once
a
quarter.
Ensure
you’ve
negoQated
a
travel
budget

23. #C3ny
23
EducaQon
An
educated
client
is
a
proacQve
client.
An
educated
agency
can
deliver
in
a
more
efficient
way

24. #C3ny
Educate
24
+ SEO
101
–
Agencies
and
In-­‐House
SEO
team
should
co-­‐
facilitate
enterprise
SEO
101
as
well
as
line
of
business
101’s
(as
applicable)
+ POVs
–
As
we
all
know,
search
engines
change
ranking
algorithms
on
a
regular
basis
and
it’s
important
that
both
the
client
and
agency
are
aware
of
the
implicaQons
+ Conferences
–
Clients
and
agency
teams
should
aWend
search
conferences
together
and
strategize
throughout
the
sessions
+ Webinars
–
There’s
so
much
informaQon
and
so
liWle
Qme
to
consume
it
all.
Agencies
should
help
clients
choose
the
right
Webinars
and
facilitate
a
round-­‐table
post-­‐mortem

25. #C3ny
In
Summary
25
+ Many
of
the
same
elements
that
maintain
personal
relaQonships
are
applicable
to
the
client/agency
as
well
+ RelaQonships
take
work,
and
they’re
a
two-­‐way
street
+ It’s
not
too
late
to
reverse
engineer
the
fundamentals
of
client/agency
relaQonships
+ In
order
for
a
client/agency
relaQonship
to
funcQon
properly,
it
must
be
operaQonalized
correctly
+ CommunicaQon
is
a
must
+ EducaQon
can
help
cement
the
foundaQon
of
the
agency/client
relaQonship

26. #C3ny
26