In addition to needing to be analytics junkies, excel pros, and technical wizards, SEOs need to have another skill to get their business requirements implemented - soft skills. In this presentation, given at #Clarity14 on September 25, 2014, in Austin, Texas, Keith Goode discusses how to change your perspective after having lost funding or resources. SEO Soft Skills What to do when you can’t do anything Disclaimer Notice Protection: The ideas and statements in this presentation do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dell Inc. but are based on my personal experience in the SEO Industry. The Challenge Beyond Technical, Beyond Content External Challenges The Continual Evolution of SEO What was acceptable is now unacceptable Unnatural Link Building Keyword Stuffing Flat Content Inauthentic Social Participation The SEO’s list of effective activities are being eroded Reacting to These Challenges Choose Your Response Wisely You can cry about it You can spend hours, days, weeks, and months commiserating with your fellow cryba-, err, SEOs Or, you can accept that all roles evolve, and yours is no different All Roles Evolve In Ancient Rome, a trip to the barber was a daily habit, just as a trip to the public baths In the Middle Ages, a barber’s responsibilities included: Surgery Dentistry Leeching Bleeding Enemas O_o A Modern Example of an Evolving Role Internal Challenges The Other Part of Your Job Description Budgets, Resources and Priorities The larger the organization, the larger the pie, but … Competition for pieces of the pie increase You can’t always get what you want… It’s not personal It’s not malicious Reacting to These Challenges Choose Your Response Wisely You can cry about it You can spend hours, days, weeks, and months commiserating with your fellow cryba-, err, employees Or… You can look for opportunities outside of the standard approach SEO Job Description – Is something Missing? I Hate to use the Phrase “Back in My Day…,” but… Back in my day… Soft skills were a must Ability to collaborate was seen as fundamental The Solution Use those Soft Skills Democratization of SEO SEO embedded into the fabric of your organization Brown Bag Lunches Training Programs Search Certification The people you train can advocate for you Build Alliances, Gain Advocates

1. SEO SOFT SKILLS
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING
KEITH L. GOODE
GLOBAL SEO TECHNOLOGY LEAD, DELL

2. @KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE
YOUR PRESENTER
Keith L. Goode
• 17 years of Online Experience
• AMD
• HomeAway
• Builders Digital Experience
• SpareFoot
• Dell (3 years)
• SEO Technology Lead, DCSG (formerly eDell)
• Technical SEO Instructor
• Presentations
• Clarity ’13 (and ‘14)
• Pubcon Vegas
• Pubcon Austin
• Austin SEO
• Anime Otaku
Twitter: @keithgoode
www.slideshare.net/AustinOtaku

3. DISCLAIMER NOTICE
Protection: The ideas and statements in this presentation do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dell Inc. but
are based on my personal experience in the SEO Industry.
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE
Tl;dr: Be kind, and remember that:
Keith
Is
Not
Dell

4. THE CHALLENGE
BEYOND TECHNICAL, BEYOND CONTENT

5. EXTERNAL CHALLENGES
The Continual Evolution of SEO
• What was acceptable is now unacceptable
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE
• Unnatural Link Building
• Keyword Stuffing
• Flat Content
• Inauthentic Social Participation
• The SEO’s list of effective activities are being
eroded

6. REACTING TO THESE CHALLENGES
Choose Your Response Wisely
• You can cry about it
• You can spend hours, days, weeks, and months
commiserating with your fellow cryba-, err, SEOs
• Or, you can accept that all roles evolve, and
yours is no different
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE

7. @KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE
ALL ROLES EVOLVE
• In Ancient Rome, a trip to the barber was a daily
habit, just as a trip to the public baths
• In the Middle Ages, a barber’s responsibilities
included:
• Surgery
• Dentistry
• Leeching
• Bleeding
• Enemas O_o

8. A MODERN EXAMPLE OF AN EVOLVING ROLE
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE

9. INTERNAL CHALLENGES
THE OTHER PART OF YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION

10. BUDGETS, RESOURCES AND PRIORITIES
• The larger the organization, the larger the pie,
but …
• Competition for pieces of the pie increase
• You can’t always get what you want…
• It’s not personal
• It’s not malicious
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE

11. REACTING TO THESE CHALLENGES
Choose Your Response Wisely
• You can cry about it
• You can spend hours, days, weeks, and months
commiserating with your fellow cryba-, err,
employees
• Or…
• You can look for opportunities outside of the
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE
standard approach

12. SEO JOB DESCRIPTION – IS SOMETHING MISSING?
I Hate to use the Phrase “Back in My Day…,” but…
• Back in my day…
• Soft skills were a must
• Ability to collaborate was seen as fundamental
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE

13. THE SOLUTION
USE THOSE SOFT SKILLS

14. DEMOCRATIZATION OF SEO
• SEO embedded into the fabric of your
organization
• Brown Bag Lunches
• Training Programs
• Search Certification
• The people you train can advocate for you
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE

15. BUILD ALLIANCES, GAIN ADVOCATES
• Continue to monitor your site’s performance
• Share your findings with
• Your Team
• Your Product Managers
• Decision-Makers
• Find out what’s important to them
• Can you find common ground?
• Can they help you with their influence?
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE

16. @KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE
FIND SYNERGIES
• Of the Projects that received funding
• Are there opportunities to add your requests?
• Are there ways the existing project can be
enhanced in a way that helps SEO?
• Are there problems that engineers are facing
that could be solved by you?
• How can you know if you never ask?

17. NONE OF US IS AS SMART AS ALL OF US
• You have expertise, but do you know everything?
• Understand the full picture by talking to:
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE
• Engineers
• Developers
• Product Managers
• Other Department Heads

18. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE
@KEITHGOODE +KEITHGOODE
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/KEITHLGOODE

19. THANK YOU
LET’S CONNECT
@KEITHGOODE
+KEITHGOODE