In this series I am posing the same 2 questions regarding bringing SEO In-House to industry professionals. In part 1, I got insight from Chris "Silver" Smith, Lead Search Strategist from Netconcepts. This week I will be featuring professionals who are part of In-House search marketing teams.

Today, John W. Ellis, Online Marketing Manager, Search for ResortQuest, will share his thoughts:


What is the biggest advantage for an organization to bring Search Marketing In-house?

Having search marketing in-house makes search marketing a top priority. Thus, ROI becomes much more important. Often, out-sources solutions focus on traffic, and not the quality of the traffic.

Because many at the executive-level do not understand and/or appreciate search engine marketing, an in-house team is forced to constantly look for new ways to improve ROI. Plus, having the department in-house allows for quick changes and strategies. This can often counter-act any unwanted press or take advantage of news-worthy items quickly

What is the biggest challenge in accomplishing a transformation to In-house SEO?

Of course, the above can also be one of the biggest hurdles. Because of the lack of knowledge at the executive-level, a vast majority of an in-house team's job consist of educating the company. There is often a struggle not only at the high level, but also at the IT level.

However, lessons learned from these hurdles make a stronger well-rounded Search Engine expert. Thus, these growing pains make him/her more marketable when the time comes.

Labels: Search Marketing In House, SEO In House