In a world overrun by ecommerce, SEO is an essential component of every business’ marketing plan. Consumers research products before every purchase and with more than 90% of the web’s search traffic stopping at the end of Page 1, it pays to be at the top. Rather than wasting time and money for expensive online SEO courses or attending monotonous, weekend-long workshops, savvy business owners are opting for a more advantageous and enjoyable learning experience: SEO coaching. 

Working with an SEO Coach

No matter how big or how small the marketing team is, choosing to hire an SEO coach is one of the most beneficial decisions for any brand or industry. Some companies decide to outsource the SEO portion of their marketing plan while others choose to promote and educate from within. The main difference between the two approaches is that when SEO is outsourced the processes of SEO development, integration, and overall follow-through are controlled by the SEO professionals with guidance from the client. When an SEO coach is hired the processes, integration, and follow-through are handled solely by the client with direction for the SEO coach.

Outsourcing SEO allows businesses to watch from the sidelines as an SEO professional controls their online presence. This may be a great opportunity for business owners and marketing leaders who may have the money but don’t have the time. For owners who would like to be a little more aware of or hands-on with the process, hiring an SEO coach would be the better option. Hiring an SEO coach allows business owners and marketing leaders the opportunity to receive personalized advice on what needs to be changed and why. Outsourcing SEO won’t encourage personal knowledge or growth and can put the company in place of consistent outsourcing. 

What to Look For in an SEO Marketing Coach

With vast knowledge in consumer psychology, website design, and social media trends, an SEO coach can be an asset to any marketing team. But even with all that insight, not all coaches are great coaches. Before hiring an SEO marketing coach, inquiring companies should create a mental checklist defining what type of mentor their company wants and needs. Just like any other type of coach, the most important part of the working relationship is the cohesion between the SEO coach and the marketing team. 

In addition to being a motivated and respectful team player, prospective SEO coaches should portray these other great qualities:  

They focus on education rather than expertise.

• • The whole point of hiring an SEO coach is to learn from them. If an SEO coach is more interested in giving advice than teaching, they probably aren’t the best candidate moving forward. With 87% of millennials believing that professional development in the workplace is invaluable, hiring an SEO coach that values training will not only increase customer retention but employee retention as well.

They ask questions AND listen to answers. 

• • It’s a known fact that asking questions at an interview shows interest in the position and motivation to be a part of the team. If an SEO coach starts asking questions about current goals and processes, the marketing leader should pay attention to the prospects’ attention span. SEO is not universal and each website needs consistent analysis; if they are not paying attention at the interview they probably won’t put too much effort into a marketing meeting. 

They are focused on overall growth rather than results.

• • Sure, the guarantees of landing Top10 ranking within weeks may sound amazing but this promise is shallow and dubious. While inexperienced or unprofessional SEO coaches focus on ‘getting you there faster,’ trusted SEO coaches focus on solving the intrinsic problems that tend to get overlooked because of time constraints. SEO coaches should allow the hiring company to dream big while keeping their feet on the ground. 

They empower individuals to try new things. 

• • Some SEO coaches can see their position as similar to that of a dictatorship throwing away all ideas that don’t perfectly fit Google’s Analytics. A good SEO coach supports their clients through good and bad SEO decisions. SEO coaches should see and speak to their clients as fully capable individuals. They need to build confidence in the marketing team and their current abilities; empowering them to make future marketing decisions on their own.

Ways an SEO Coach Helps You and Your Business Gain Visibility Online

A newly hired SEO coach may come on strong in the beginning but it is for good reason. Just focusing on fundamentals of SEO like algorithms, analytics, keywords, key phrases, and links, an SEO coach has a lot of wisdom to impart in a small amount of time. 

Even a short consultation with an SEO coach should be able to help with the following items: 

• Planning marketing strategies and activities with SEO consideration
• Productively researching keywords, competitors, and SEO strategies
• Putting together a blogging strategy that hits the best keywords/phrases
• Understanding how to fully optimize the website
• Learning Off-Page SEO techniques like link-building
• Learning how to accurately analyze SEO results

Need More Than Just SEO Help? Find an Online Marketing Coach!

While SEO is extremely important it is not the only facet of marketing that can have an affect on sales. SEO works best as part of an integrated marketing strategy, so working with an online marketing coach or team that understands the fundamentals of marketing beyond just SEO is a great idea. Compared to an SEO coach an online marketing coach will be able to provide a much more well-rounded look at the company’s comprehensive marketing plan from beginning to end. The focus of an online marketing coach is to create an all-inclusive plan defining how a company will be perceived by the world. Search engines are only a portion of a company’s overall public image. If a company is struggling with more than just its SEO, the next step of the marketing plan should be to hire an online marketing coach!

Need an SEO Coach on Your Side?

Learning how to navigate the world of search engine optimization is a long, painstaking process. Having a confident and educated SEO professional by your side when the motivation is running low will definitely help! SEO coaches are here to listen to each unique situation, teach the marketing leaders about SEO and how it can help them, and finally give advice moving forward. If you’re a hands-on business owner and you’re ready to optimize your website, we’re ready for you! Give us a call today to learn more about our SEO services and how we can take your business to the next level!