SEO account managers at digital marketing agencies have their hands full. Managing many clients and their needs takes a unique skill-set and an SEO manager with experience. It’s critical that your SEO account manager has a handle on all of the following skills to provide you with the best service—and results.
Knowledgeable About Evolving SEO Best Practices
First and foremost, your account manager should have extensive knowledge about the most effective and up-to-date SEO best practices. This is likely why you hired an SEO agency in the first place: They have more experience in and knowledge of the art of search engine optimization than your in-house employees do. They should follow Google guidelines and industry-standard best practices in order to optimize your website to rank in search results for the phrases that users search to find your business. And they should be aware of and avoid using unethical “black hat” SEO techniques that can result in penalties from search engines.
Communicates Clearly
Clear communication is key to establishing a successful client–account manager relationship. Concise written and verbal communication from your account manager lets you know that they value your time enough to express things clearly the first time, so there is little to no misunderstanding that requires multiple messages back and forth. It also shows that it’s important to them that you have a full understanding of all issues so you can collaborate together to drive a productive SEO campaign and make informed decisions for your business.
Responds to Questions and Concerns in a Respectful Manner
An SEO account manager should demonstrate that they value your feedback and questions and that they don’t take them personally. Search engine optimization is a collaborative process, and it works best when your account manager respects that you are the expert within your business. They should be able to listen to your expertise, combine it with their own SEO experience, and come up with solutions and strategies that will lead to success.
Provides Honest Yet Kind Critiques of Your Website
Many small business owners may have designed their websites themselves or spent a big chunk of money hiring someone to design it for them. When an SEO account manager assesses your website for the first time, the last thing you’ll want is to feel that your past work is being insulted. So it’s important for the account manager to stick to the facts about aspects of your website that could be improved for SEO purposes without simultaneously being critical of the creative decisions that were made in the initial design of the site. Websites tend to become outdated every few years as technology and user preferences evolve, and it’s important that SEO managers are honest with you about any potential trouble spots. But, they should do so in a way that respects the past iterations and evolution of your digital marketing.
Isn’t Afraid to Say “I Don’t Know”
A good SEO account manager understands that saying “I don’t know the answer to that right now” is not a weakness at all—as long as they know which resources to use in order to find the answer. SEO is an ever-evolving industry, with technology and search engine algorithms updating constantly. It would be impossible for an SEO manager to know the answer to every question or the solution to every problem. But what is possible—and imperative—is having a strong team of other search engine optimization specialists to turn to for advice and brainstorming. Here at Results Repeat we have 10 people providing SEO services. If one account manager is unsure of an answer, odds are good that another team member will have the past first-hand experience to get the problem solved. Your account manager should also be quick to utilize the best industry resources, including Google, Moz, and many others.
Any solid relationship is built on trust. And when you embark upon a business relationship with an SEO agency, it’s important to understand what successful SEO account managers will do to help your business thrive. When they use a combination of knowledge, honesty, and clear, respectful communication, a successful collaboration will result, which will help your SEO results soar.