As Google have refined their algorithms to encompass a broader set of authority and user experience signals beyond just links, crawlability and relevance and have found methods to destroy the effectiveness of scalable manipulation, forward-thinking SEOs have evolved their skill sets ahead of the curve of these innovations.
Everyone else has had at least one “oh sh*t” moment.
Being an outcome-focused industry, we’ve been in a constant state of adaptation to the search ecosystem. “Whatever it takes to build rankings and traffic” has been a moving target.
This Ain’t Your Daddy’s SEO
Heading into 2013, Post-Penguin, most SEOs have embraced the notion of delivering marketing strategies, not just SEO tactics, and as an industry we’re starting to recognize that these strategies deliver multi-pronged benefits across multiple channels.
We’ve gone from keyword research, content optimization and link building to audience research, content marketing and PR/outreach. And on-page/technical SEO is important as ever, with added complexities and opportunities like structured data and authorship. What was once a relatively basic and limited set of deliverables and disciplines has expanded at a good clip.
How Broad Can We Get?
In a recent Whiteboard Friday, Rand included his proposed list of “what should be included in the SEO’s job:”
- UI/UX
- Speed
- Accessibility/Responsive Design
- Content Strategy
- Branding
- Press & PR
- “Classic SEO” (keywords, links, URLs, etc)
- Hundreds of other things…
Assuming “Classic SEO” sums up an SEO’s responsibility ~10 years ago, things have gotten complicated.
You Can’t Master Everything
My second SEO job was for a small web design agency who dabbled in a few* other services. I will never forget the back of our business cards.
Providing excellence in: [list of 50+ on and offline marketing services].
* OK it was more than a few.
How could a team of five people provide “excellence” across fifty diverse services? It isn’t plausible. It’s laughable.
Likewise, how can SEOs claim all of the above as our domain? (Hint: we can’t.) Try declaring ownership of every one of Rand’s diverse set of disciplines, and you’ll get pushback and little respect from clients and stakeholders.
That said, without cross-discipline understanding you’ll run into that old “forest for the trees” thing.
And if all of the above influences SEO (what we’ve been hired, what we’ve promised, to improve), what do we do?
We cultivate T-shaped skill sets.
A concept championed by global design consultancy IDEO’s Tim Brown, the T-shaped individual has “a depth of skill that allows them to contribute” as well as “the disposition for collaboration across disciplines.” (Source)
I-shaped individuals, who may be rock stars in their expertise, haven’t build basic competence across disciplines. As a result, they need to stay in their wheelhouses or risk the failure to deliver value when they stray. They also have a hard time building value in a team environment.
Generalists (T’s without legs to stand on) don’t earn respect from experts, and that means lack of support and pushback on initiatives.
T-shaped individuals can tackle diverse projects with creativity and agility while maintaining high effectiveness – because they know enough to implement the knowledge of experts and know when to bring them to the table.
1. Find Your Focus and Dive Deep
Accepting that we can’t achieve mastery across a breadth of skill and knowledge sets, we need specialize and cultivate deep knowledge in one discipline. Else we risk being generalists (people for whom those with deep expertise have a hard time building respect).
We may never get to the point of renowned expertise in this area, but the more experience we accumulate with solving a given set of problems, the more knowledge we gain into a specific technology or methodology, the more valuable we become to our colleagues, the more authority we amass.
When SEOmoz decided to add local SEO to their solution set, David Mihm got the call. They didn’t just acquire the technology, they asked David to stay on and help them build out their content and software around this pervasive and difficult set of problems. And it wasn’t because he’s built basic competence in local SEO, but because he’s a recognized expert on the topic.
2. Develop Cross-Discipline Competence
The utility of knowledge is relative to the problem at hand. You don’t need to be a level 10 expert to carry things forward. It’s more important to recognize when and where deeper expertise is needed and have the wherewithal to bring it to bear on your projects.
We stand on the shoulders of giants. The web is a vast library of knowledge and tools, instantly accessible, served up by people who dive deep into topics, build solutions and share them with the world (often free of charge). The ability to adapt and adopt where you can’t build is key.
Tim Ferris thinks being a “jack of all trades” is a good thing. I might not agree this is true for all of us (where would we be without the masters?), but his spirited approach to figuring out how things work efficiently, leveraging the knowledge of experts, is precisely right for building competence across disciplines.
Sometimes this need only goes as far as being able to “talk the game.” The ability to sell clients and stakeholders on the importance of a given problem/opportunity is often more important than ability to deliver the work yourself. Where there is perceived value, resources are available to bring the right people and technology into the fray.
3. Build a Team/Network To Shore Up Your Weak Points
It helps to have a ready network of people with deep expertise complementary to your own, who you can involve in your projects from the outset or at least call in when a problem arises that they’re uniquely suited to solve.
My confidence in Distilled isn’t derived from some “secret sauce” or proprietary technology we’ve got churning behind the scenes. It comes from knowing we have people with deep expertise across a wide set of related disciplines, who stand ready and willing to help plan projects, brainstorm ideas and solve difficult problems.
When it comes to Video SEO, Phil is top notch. For deep technical issues and tools/hacks, Tom is at the top of the game. Rob is an operational powerhouse and an expert in SEO for AJAX. Mark owns creative. Adria is our in-house outreach guru.
For agencies, this is not just about recruiting and attracting T-shaped individuals covering a range of related disciplines, but building processes and assets that support collaboration between them. For individuals and in-house folks without a lot of internal support, it’s about cultivating a network of specialists you can turn to when a project fits.
How has a T-shaped skill set helped you make things happen?
Mike Tekula is a SEO Consultant at Distilled in NYC.
Excellent post! While we need to be able to speak competently across the numerous facets of SEO/PPC/CRO/UI/UX/etc., we need to realize our limitations and develop mastery of one or two disciplines. The beautiful part of our industry is that we are all connected, sharing, learning, together. What I lack in my skill set, someone else may possess. The more we share and communicate as an industry the smarter we all become.
Thank’s for the fresh perspective.
So the most important thing is to define ones “I”.
Thanks for reading!
I’d say having an “I” is important, particularly if you’re hoping to gain some clout/authority in your space. But I do think you can pull off a hell of a lot as a generalist, provided you’re incredible at fostering collaboration and the adopting/adapting piece.
One of the reasons this post resonated with me is because ideally I’d like to be expert at SEO, PPC, Social, CRO, analytics, local/mobile, coding/programming, UX and more, it’s head-spinning sometimes just trying to keep up with all the developments affecting my main skill-set, SEO.
The way I’ve been thinking about it is kind of like college-study majors and minors; I’m majoring in SEO (yes, that’s got dimensions to it…) with a minor (more like a minor/major, haha) in Analytics and PPC with all the other stuff “in my spare time” – I know you’re all laughing at the idea of “spare time” with me, right? Right??
David
I hear you and feel the same. SEOs in particular have had to adopt a wide range of skills to stay relevant and effective. In one campaign we can move from on-page/technical SEO, to audience/keyword research, to content marketing, to outreach, to heavy analytics work, etc, providing training and consulting all the way (leveraging soft/people skills which are immensely important for getting client buy-in and driving action). In some sense we’re forced to be more broad in skill than deep, but it lends itself well to big picture thinking.
Very well said! Thanks for the input.
Mike- Great article. I think that being T-shaped is critical to success, especially as an in-house marketer. In our company I need to work with the sales teams to make sure we get the right leads to the right people quickly so they can convert them. Since I started on the sales team, I know what they’re doing and are worried about day to day. It makes it much easier for me to understand what they value. I also have built websites on my own for a few years, so it’s easy for me to work with the engineers building our product. They respect that I know how to use ssh, write my own python scripts, and it gives me leverage when I need them to help me fix something or make a quick change for me ahead of everyone else in the company. Having a broad skillset allows you to be flexible and allows you to really understand what other people are doing. It can often be the difference between getting something done and not.
That’s an excellent point, Cody. I myself am no developer, but I know enough about the moving pieces to anticipate problems and understand the realm of possibility/practicality in dev projects. Sometimes it’s just about getting that respect, even when you’re not moving mountains yourself. Like it or not if people don’t think you know what you’re talking about they won’t be in your corner, even when they think you “mean well.”
Bonus: you also get to break up the monotony of your work.
Great article – there’s really not enough out there on how to help SEOs build their careers. There are so many facets to SEM that it’s difficult to keep from “specialty-hopping” within the discipline – which may keep it interesting, but isn’t necessarily the best way of prepping for the next career opportunity. Thanks again for a nice read!
Thanks, Rachaelle – agreed, it’s all too easy to skim across the surface and never end up with truly valuable expertise. Though I will say there are some people who do a lot of things pretty well (not expert-well, but good enough) and specialize in efficient collaboration to great success.
This is part of what I’ve been going through lately. Trying to either grow the business to cover my non-legged topics or find an agency that needs my skillset as much as I need theirs. I don’t use the I, T, etc. I prefer the hand analogy. Your fingers are usually 5 different lengths. One expert competency, 2 supports, 1 that’s “getting there” and 1 that is there but barely. If you can do that, it’s better than being great at one thing and barely competent in 4 others.
I like that analogy, fits, and that’s a good point – though I suppose “competence” is up for interpretation.
SEO is a multidisciplinary work, but it’s always good to have support in the things that we could deepen. Generally we learn from experience, blog and gurus seo.
Great Article Mike. I completely agree that SEOs should have a good cover on the basic principles but also understand their own strengths and weaknesses and that is where the idea of Team Based SEO will come to the Fore. I know I am great at content and reasonable at technical but poor on UX but having a team that can make up for that gives our clients better service than the Next SEO driven agency. Also am really glad to hear you mention the move from pure SEO to Digital Marketing Strategy. I think that is an NB!! for 2013. Thanks for the Article
Mike, this really does a great job of putting into words the challenge many of us face. An SEO’s title may not get him invited to C-level meetings where strategy is discussed and where the greatest impact can be had, so looking at the goal of increasing leads or converting visits to leads or increasing organic visits from region X must be accomplished as a patch to the overall sales and marketing strategy. In general, do you think an MBA would do well to create the I of the T?
You’re absolutely correct – SEO is viewed as a small piece of the strategy puzzle, a tactic really, so calling ourselves “SEO”s it’s hard to get to that top level of access/authority.
IMO an MBA is generally sought for one reason: it adds perceived clout to your bio, which is often enough to get you into those C-level meetings. Not to say there is no other value, but in my experience this is the main reason people apply for MBA programs.
If the MBA is for deep diving into a useful topic, real world experience is quicker and more effective. Even the most advanced curricula are often 3-4 years behind the edge of innovation. The structured learning environment and connections you make while studying have definite value, but IMO not enough to justify the price tag.
Great overview of where SEO is heading. I personally love the development of this discipline and now is when it’s becoming really exciting. To be honest, now and in the future is when it’s an area and career path that makes me want to drop everything else I’ve been up to and dive into SEO and all things related. It’s more holistic, strategy-driven and challenging than ever, which is where fun and excitement is.
As time goes on, I think it’s more and more important for me to specialize. There are so many off shoots of marketing that if you try to learn them all your stillset will most likely get deluded. I have been focusing on SEO and Local SEO along with PPC marketing. However, you could also go into social, email, video and so on and so on, just too much knowledge to really master all of them.
I’ve been in marketing for about 20 years now and what I’ve learned from working in big corporates and small business is that the skills sets required are different.
This model works really well when you have a reasonable sized team.
I think the T model begins to collapse in a small business as you need to be competent is so many different fields and it’s not a matter of developing a team when the resources are not available.
Thanks for this discussion – it’s good to know that feeling overwhelmed is “normal.”
Two challenges in this vein as an seo: Getting experience in one of the verticals you mention that takes me from grasping the concept to being a journeyman. As you point out, we can’t be too narrow in our scope, but getting that breadth of experience takes courage, planning and perhaps a lucky break in finding a mentor.
The other challenge I run into is keeping a conversation positive when the person I’m working with or for expects more than I can deliver. When I hear that alarmed tone that says, “What, you can’t do that?” (no, I’m not a web dev/copywriter/business consultant/video producer/etc/etc) and…”so, what CAN you do?” I find myself trying to explain the why and how of pulling in the right expert. Some people get it, but others write me off – I guess they feel cheated, that I’m not who they thought I should be.
Keep on truckin’…. what would life be without a few challenges….
since starting out on my own, I’ve designed sites, developed sites, programmed, developed marketing strategies, developed social strategies, developed pricing strategies and copywritten countless words. All under the umbrella of SEO. It’s no longer a meaningful term on it’s own.
Agreed Mark – it’s something we’ve had a lot of discussion about at Distilled. I think you’re going to see major SEO brands shrugging off that label as their products/services encompass more of a holistic marketing package. Of course, there are difficulties there as well, as SEOs are essentially moving into new markets/industries where there are already entrenched competitors. I think 2013 is going to be an interesting year.
Thanks Mike. Yip we kinda have to assume multiple roles as SEO’s. Our company tended to try and be the “all in one” vendor however we became extremely disillusioned once we realised that there is just to much to know. We filled this void by hiring traditional “Marketing” professionals. As you say an SEO’s job is becoming more of a holistic marketing package. There is a lot of room for people with traditional marketing skills to be merged with a company with SEO skills… Maybe “SEO” as we know it today will become good old Marketing again with an SEO backbone
Hi Mike. Thanks for such a nice post. Since I am a starter in the online marketing industry, these tips will certainly help me in shaping up my career.
A great answer to the prevailing mentality that SEO’s must be “Doers of all things”. We should understand, be familiar, wise enough to contribute. But we needn’t all be technical, we needn’t all be experts at everything or try to wrestle the roles out of the hands of others who are far more capable.
Enjoyed this, Mike.
Thanks Joel, glad you enjoyed and agree. We can often deliver value across a wide swath of disciplines just by knowing considerably more than the client/stakeholder, but it’s key to recognize when goals will be better served by a more expert hand. Unfortunately, people are not incentivized to speak up on their own inadequacies, so instead most serve up a rounded tablespoon of BS.