In the past, I have written that search engine optimization is not rocket science and that anyone can learn the key fundamentals of on/off page optimization. Setting aside the new variables of SEO (social bookmarking, tagging and other social media strategies), the real challenge of in-house SEO comes when you are managing a site with several thousand web pages; and the daunting task of figuring out which keywords should map to which pages (usually managed by an in-house SEO manager). This is a strategic process that can take weeks, if not months, especially if there are several stakeholders involved in the decision making process. Often times, you will have to play non-partisan politics when two or more managers want their web pages to rank for the same keywords. In this case, it would be wise to create some type of governance model to help with conflicts such as this. Of course, this is my opinion and other in-house SEOs might not agree.

Just recently, Jessica Bowman of Search Engine Journal interviewed a good friend and colleague of mine Tanya Vaughan of HP; who manages SEO for HP.com. The article gives insight as to how Tanya facilitates SEO within HP and also gives some tips on how to create a successful SEO program both internally and externally. You can also read Tanya’s SEO blog to get even more insight as to what it is like to be an in-house SEO.

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