Establishing executive alignment on a new SEO team — Björn Darko // Ladenzeile GmbH

Björn Darko, Head of Product and SEO at Ladenzeile, talks about vision and strategy for new SEO leaders. When it comes to getting SEO initiatives implemented, it's crucial for SEOs to embrace ownership of the process and understand that they are responsible for bringing others along with them. This means meeting stakeholders where they're at, taking extra time to build their confidence and belief in the vision. Today, Björn discusses establishing executive alignment with the new SEO team.
About the speaker

Björn Darko

Ladenzeile GmbH

is a little camera shy

Björn is Head of Product and SEO at Ladenzeile

Show Notes

  • 02:24
    Building strong relationships and communication with management as an SEO leader
    Getting buy-in from management for an SEO strategy depends on keeping them in the loop, being transparent, and communicating effectively in a language they understand. Its crucial to understand the goals of the company and align SEO goals with them.
  • 05:41
    Getting early stage feedback when developing an SEO strategy
    It's crucial to keep management aware of what you're working on, share a draft of your ideas, and allow for contributions and discussion. Defining KPIs that the manager is interested in and showing how SEO contributes to the overall performance of the company is also important.
  • 10:40
    Translating SEO strategies into business goals
    When discussing SEO strategies with managers, it's important to translate technical details into business outcomes that they care about. By understanding their goals and interests, you can define KPIs that align with their priorities and make your strategies more relevant.
  • 13:01
    Best practices for aligning SEO initiatives with business goals
    Using a business model canvas can help SEOs understand the business impact and revenue potential of their initiatives. This approach focuses on testing hypotheses to prove or disprove them and enables more effective communication with stakeholders and management.
  • 17:41
    Tips for successfully educating organizational leaders on SEO
    SEOs should take ownership of the topic and ensure leadership understands the impact of their measures and strategies. This means seeing themselves as educators who can explain what is going wrong, and how to maintain or improve performance during critical events like core updates.
  • 22:05
    The importance of collaboration between SEOs and management
    A collaborative relationship between SEOs and management is crucial for successful SEO outcomes. While leadership often wants to contribute ideas, it's the SEO's responsibility to explain why certain approaches may not work and suggest better alternatives.

Quotes

  • "Having one on ones with my managing director, I always ask them, what is keeping you up at night and where can I support you?" -Björn Darko, Head of Product & SEO, Ladenzeile

  • "A manager is interested in how much SEO contributes to the overall performance of the company, and this is what you need to make transparent." -Björn Darko, Head of Product & SEO, Ladenzeile

  • "If you've discussed things with management and they ask you, what about this or that? And you always say, it depends, it just shows that you are not confident enough to test things out." -Björn Darko, Head of Product & SEO, Ladenzeile

  • "There is no, it depends. There's a hypothesis, then there will be testing that proves the hypothesis wrong or right." -Björn Darko, Head of Product & SEO, Ladenzeile

  • "You need to make sure that you are a sparring partner to the CEO, ensuring that they understand the impact of all your measures and your strategy." -Björn Darko, Head of Product & SEO, Ladenzeile

About the speaker

Björn Darko

Ladenzeile GmbH

is a little camera shy

Björn is Head of Product and SEO at Ladenzeile

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