Hey there,
Do you know what surprised me most in my career?
SEOers from different agencies working on the same project.
Brands often have an agency of record for SEO, but they also bring in experts for non-SEO projects.
Over the years, I’ve worked alongside other SEO teams during website migrations and consulting engagements. Some partnerships go smoothly, others… not so much.
In today’s newsletter, I’ll share my experiences with third-party SEO teams and tips for better collaboration to benefit your clients.
Let’s dive in!
“I’m something of an SEOer myself”
Brands often bring me in as a consultant, but I’m not always leading the SEO strategy.
Clients might want to identify gaps in their migration plan or validate an SEO partner’s approach.
In these cases, I serve as a sounding board and sanity check.
My first step is to assess the SEO program’s status, in relation to the client’s ask, and have an open, honest conversation with the other team.
As we’ll discuss in a moment, I help set the tone on my role and responsibilities, and how they may differ from the 3rd party.
From there, our conversation is me, typically, listening.
I like to get a bit of background on the campaign and where I might be able to lend a hand.
Guards often come up
Naturally, my involvement can create tension with the other SEO team. They may think, “Who’s this guy coming to judge my work?”
As a person, and in business, I’d say I’m very approachable.
Even so, interaction can still spark defensiveness.
- Case 1: I was hired by an IT director at a publishing company to bridge the gap between a new hire’s SEO needs and the team’s capabilities. When I met the SEOer, I opened with, “Let’s get to know each other.” They replied, “No, it’s not necessary”. Ironically, he spent 15 minutes sharing his background and vision.
- Case 2: I was working on a migration project (where my guard came up) and was introduced to the 3rd party SEO team, who had a list of requirements that were out of scope. I flagged the issues with the client and the SEO agency. The SEO team built a business case and circulated it on the client side. They secured budget and the varying teams worked changes into the migration timeline. I was surprised and very impressed.
“Come together…”
A lot can be gained with collaboration – a lot can be lost in its absence.
I receive a lot of referrals because I’m collaborative.
My clients need collaboration. They’re on complex tech stacks where collaboration drives success across diverse teams.
In working with third-party SEO teams, I focus on the following…
1) Understand roles and responsibilities
The unknown is be intimidating.
That’s why I start by sharing the scope of my involvement. Not necessarily my specific contract but general responsibilities. Sharing what I will touch and what I won’t helps bring guards down.
In the publishing company example above, the SEOer relaxed once I honestly explained that my role was simply to translate SEO needs to their development team. I’m a support system.
2) Communicate, collaborate, and conjugate
At the end of the day, we’re all here to serve the client. Embracing that fact builds healthy, collaborative relationships.
- Prioritize Communication: Keeping third parties in the loop with recap emails and status updates secures everyone understands one another and nothing is left to assumptions.
- Leverage Their Expertise: Third-party teams are incredible resources. If they’re leading the strategy, they often have deep client knowledge (historical context), valuable data (previous analyses), or can assist with QAing SEO development tickets (a second pair of eyes).
- Make Time for Calls: Don’t underestimate the importance of calls, including status and discovery calls. Including third parties on relevant discussions provides a forum to align, share insights, and build trust. Calls continue to move the project forward by paving the way for clear communication.
3) Be. Nice.
I’ve learned that it doesn’t hurt to be nice.
If you’re genuinely nice, people will support you, including third party SEOers. As mentioned in the bullet above, they share (data or context) and support (i.e. dev ticket QA).
Not to brag, I truly believe people have sought me out because I’m “nice” (and my SEO chops, of course).
Being “nice” or “positive” is easier said than done but it’s a good exercise to practice, altogether.
Avoid the “best at SEO” mindset—that’s where friction starts and its a game with no winner. No one wants to work with a partner who prioritizes ego over the greater good.
Keys to Better SEO Collaboration
Collaborating with third-party SEO teams can be challenging, but the goal is to serve the client.
An added bonus is you build relationships with the wider SEO community! SEO is a small space, and you never know who you’re going to work with down the road.
If you find yourself working with a 3rd party SEO, best of luck. Don’t forget…
#TeamworkMakestheDreamWork
